Is Captain Johnson really in charge of security in Ferguson? Who is deciding to send an army disguised as police to invade peaceful protests?
If I were Johnson, I would issue the following statement to the citizens of Ferguson:
I understand that our military presence is upsetting to the citizens of this American community - my American community. It would be upsetting, it should be upsetting to the citizens of any American community.
Effective immediately, I am commanding the forces under my command, including the Ferguson Police Department and the County Police Department, to leave behind all military gear and equipment, including tear gas, which is an illegal chemical weapon in foreign wars. We will patrol the streets as police, and not as an army.
This is a critical decision I have made as a son of Ferguson and a police commander to ensure the safety of everyone involved, and it will prove to be a controversial decision. It is now up to you, the citizens of Ferguson and your supporters who have gathered here from around the country and from around the world to show the world that this is the right decision. Before I was assigned this command, officers who are now under my command have called you animals. It is up to you to show them that is not true.
There are those that want to see us fail; there are those who want to see me fail. I am standing with you. Will you stand with me? I need your help to show the world that we can get this right. Exercise your right to assemble. Exercise your right to protest. Exercise your right to be in the street after sundown. But exercise restraint.
We know you are angry. I am angry, too. We know you seek justice. I seek justice, too. We know you have been provoked. To the extent I have been involved in or associated with that provocation, I apologize and will work to correct it. We can do this. We can get this right. But we have to do this together.