Saint Louis, Mo. — Gov. Jay Nixon is scaling back the National Guard presence in Ferguson after the situation has “greatly improved.” Nixon made the announcement today a few hours before making an appearance on the Mark Reardon Show on KMOX when he unequivocally stated he would not remove St. Louis prosecuting attorney Bob McCulloch.
Nixon told guest DJ’s Michael Sean Kelley of the Kelley Group and political consultant John Hancock that he would not ask McCulloch to step down and that the declared state of emergency is still in effect. But the Governor stopped short of offering his full support of the prosecutor. Nixon’s announcement came not long after McCulloch released a statement to the press demanding Nixon “make a decision” with respect to him remaining on the case.
McCulloch faced a stream of public criticism today at the hands of the Justice for Michael Brown Leadership Coalition, an umbrella group for organizations and individuals pledging to assist in the case on behalf of the Brown family since the 18-year-old was shot and killed while unarmed by Officer Darren Wilson of the Ferguson Police Department earlier this month.
The Coalition today descended upon the Justice Center in Clayton — where McCulloch’s office is located — to present a petition started by state Sen. Jamilah Nasheed of St. Louis. Nasheed said the petition now had more than 70,000 signatures demanding McCulloch recuse himself from the case.
Nasheed attempted to deliver the petition in person but was initially barred from entering the building by law enforcement. Eventually, she was allowed in, although no explanation as to the reversal was given.
The Coalition said they would continue demonstrating on the streets until their demands were met. Other demands include the resignation of the mayor of Ferguson as well as Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson, as well as the termination and arrest of Officer Darren Wilson.
National Guard phasing out
Nixon’s call for the National Guard to begin scaling back comes after the quietest night in Ferguson since protests began more than one week ago and international media attention has been called to the story.
The National Guard’s role has been limited in Ferguson, primarily tasked with protecting law enforcement’s command and control center and monitoring checkpoints in and out of areas of Ferguson where streets are locked down.
The presence of the National Guard certainly drew more attention to the unfolding events, and protestors in Ferguson saw the stationing of camo-clad Guardsmen in their neighborhood as an escalation.
While the first night of National Guard boots in Ferguson was met with turbulent protests and sometimes-violent exchanges with protestors, evenings in the small north St. Louis County suburb have quieted almost every night since.
Kinder calls for bi-partisan committee
Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder issued a letter to State Senate Pro Tem, Tom Dempsey, R-St. Charles and House Speaker Tim Jones, R-Eureka, asking they use their respective authority to form a bi-partisan committee to “review and asses the state’s response to the recent unrest in Ferguson.”
Kinder asked the committee have an equal number of Democrats and Republicans, and that the chair include a member of each party from both chambers. The statement also lays out some specific goals:
“The committee would address four main issues related to the crisis in Ferguson: Communication failures by local, state and federal law enforcement agencies; a review of the state’s policy toward law enforcement’s use of deadly force; possible changes to Missouri’s Open Records Law to ensure transparency; and economic and educational reforms in Ferguson.”
“It is an idea I had discussed over the past two weeks within my office, with members of my caucus and with members of the minority party,” Jones told The Missouri Times. “As peace is restored to Ferguson, we will be moving forward on this issue and any other ways in which we can help heal and restore and improve our community.”
McCaskill wants hearings on ‘police militarization’
Citing concerns and the clashes with police making the front page around the world, Missouri Democratic Senator Clarie McCaskill announced she would be holding a Senate hearing in September on the subject of police militarization.
McCaskill “will use the hearing to examine federal programs that enable local police departments to acquire military equipment, such as the Defense Department’s 1033 program for surplus property and grants made through the Department of Homeland Security. She plans to gather stakeholders from all sides in order to hear several perspectives, including those of local law enforcement,” according to a statement.
McCaskill has also announced she will encourage patronizing local Ferguson businesses by organizing shopping events and, earlier this week, announced she would conduct a media-free listening tour with the youth of north St. Louis County and specifically, Ferguson.
Second shooting video goes viral
A second fatal shooting, which occurred less than four miles from where Michael Brown was caught on a cell phone video and has made the rounds online. 25-year-old Kajieme Powell was being filmed by somewhat amused onlookers outside of a convenience store acting erratically and holding a knife. Powell allegedly left the store with two energy drinks he did not pay for and when police arrived on the scene, matters took an ugly turn. Powell approached the officers erratically, and can be heard saying “shoot me now,” before he is shot at least 8 times, including multiple times after he fell to the ground. Powell’s dead body was then rolled over and his hands were cuffed.
Some have seen the video as evidence that officers are too apt to fire their weapons instead of seeking a non-fatal solution to with what appears to be a mentally unbalanced suspect. Others have praised the officers for acting quickly in their own defense.
Collin Reischman was the Managing Editor for The Missouri Times, and a graduate of Webster University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.
