So, your atty general of the U.S. tells the Mo. national guard to move the damn tanks. The message isn't about the rioting, stealing, and havoc in the streets. It's a message to the gov and law enforcement, telling them to "move the damn tanks".
This should make us all feel really good about our leadership.
http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2014/08/missouri_national_guard_headed.html#incart_most-commentsThe Missouri National Guard is being sent to Ferguson, Mo., to help quell unrest following another night of clashes between police and protesters upset over the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager.
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon signed an executive order Monday deploying National Guard troops to the St. Louis suburb, CNN is reporting.
"Given these deliberate, coordinated and intensifying violent attacks on lives and property in Ferguson, I am directing the highly capable men and women of the Missouri National Guard ... in restoring peace and order to this community," Nixon said in a statement.
The move comes after the eighth night of unrest following the Aug. 9 shooting death of Michael Brown, 18. Brown was killed by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, and an autopsy released Sunday showed Brown was shot six times, including twice in the head. The Department of Justice will also conduct its own autopsy.
Two civilians were shot Sunday, though not by police, according to Missouri State Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson, a Ferguson native who has become the face of law enforcement brought in to calm the situation. Johnson said officers stepped up enforcement – including using tear gas against the crowds – after protesters fired at police and threw Molotov cocktails.
"Tonight, a Sunday that started with prayers and messages of unity, peace and justice took a very different turn after dark," Johnson said early Monday morning.
St. Louis Alderman and Auburn University graduate Antonio French sent out the following via social media Monday.
Start of school delayed
The Ferguson-Florissant School District, along with three neighboring districts, announced they would not be open today. Students in the Ferguson district were supposed to start school last Thursday, but that was delayed. On Monday, the district announced it would delay the start of school yet again.
Schools are expected to start Tuesday, but students are being asked not to walk to class.
Justice Department plans autopsy
On Sunday it was announced the U.S. Justice Department will conduct a third autopsy on Brown. Dozens of Federal Bureau of Investigation agents have also arrived in the town, the Wall Street Journal reports, and federal officials are conducting a probe into whether Brown's civil rights were violated.
Federal officials had earlier criticized Ferguson police for releasing a video showing Brown apparently robbing a local convenience store shortly before he was shot. The video's release set off another round of protests in the St. Louis suburb, as questions over the techniques used by police continue to mount.
On Thursday, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder talked to law-enforcement officials on how to scale back the militarized presence of police.
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Tell them to remove the damn tanks," Holder said, according to the Wall-Street Journal report.
Brown family calls for arrest
Brown's family is calling for the arrest the officer involved in the shooting.
Brown family attorney Daryl Parks said the call comes after an independent autopsy shows the unarmed teenager was shot six times, including twice in the head.
"Why would he be shot in the very top of his head, a 6-foot-4 man?" Parks asked. "It makes no sense."
The family contends Brown was shot from behind and above, though Dr. Michael Baden, who conducted the autopsy, cautioned that several scenarios could have resulted in the wounds. In a widely-televised live news conference Monday, Baden said nothing in the autopsy suggested Brown died during a struggle though police maintained he was killed after he reached into Officer Darren Wilson's car as the two were fighting for the policeman's weapon.
Baden said the autopsy showed one bullet hit Brown on the top of the head and another entered just above the right eyebrow. Four other wounds were all to the arm.
(The wounds) "could be consistent with (Brown) going forward or going backward," Baden said.
The shots that killed Brown were fired from between 1 and 30 feet away.
Brown's family is calling for the arrest the officer involved in the shooting.
Brown family attorney Daryl Parks said the call comes after an independent autopsy shows the unarmed teenager was shot six times, including twice in the head.
"Why would he be shot in the very top of his head, a 6-foot-4 man?" Parks asked. "It makes no sense."
The family contends Brown was shot from behind and above, though Dr. Michael Baden, who conducted the autopsy, cautioned that several scenarios could have resulted in the wounds. In a widely-televised live news conference Monday, Baden said nothing in the autopsy suggested Brown died during a struggle though police maintained he was killed after he reached into Officer Darren Wilson's car as the two were fighting for the policeman's weapon.
Baden said the autopsy showed one bullet hit Brown on the top of the head and another entered just above the right eyebrow. Four other wounds were all to the arm.