A "very good night for Ferguson" ... but still no answer to this question
Overnight, things were
relatively peaceful in Ferguson, Missouri, 10 days after a white police officer gunned down an unarmed black teenager:
“Tonight was a very good night for Ferguson,” said Missouri Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson, who thanked community leaders,clergy, teens and law enforcement officials. Police made six arrests, vs. 47 arrests Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning. “We saw a different crowd that came out tonight...less agitators,” Johnson said.
And here's one of those agitators ... who was lucky enough to get police protection instead of tear gas or rubber bullets:
Wednesday night, a white woman carrying a sign calling for justice for Officer Darren Wilson - the Ferguson cop who shot 18-year-old Brown - walked among throngs of black protesters for about 10 minutes. Many of them taunted and yelled at her, as several police officers surrounded her before rushing her from the scene.
Wednesday also saw Attorney General Eric Holder in Ferguson, where he met with Michael Brown's parents, various officials investigating the case, and Capt. Ron Johnson of the Missouri Highway Patrol. Holder also
addressed the lack of trust for the police in the black community:
"I understand that mistrust," Holder said. "I am the attorney general of the United States. But I am also a black man."
Meanwhile:
In nearby Clayton, a grand jury began hearing evidence to determine whether Wilson should be charged in Brown's death. A spokesman for St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch said there was no timeline for the process, but it could take weeks.
Weeks? Well,
that should help ease tensions in Ferguson.
In the meantime, perhaps the Ferguson Police Department can finally get around to releasing the police incident report on the shooting. You know, instead of the only report they've managed to release in the nearly two weeks since Michael Brown was gunned down. You know, the one designed to smear the victim.