FERGUSON, Mo. — Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency Monday in advance of a grand jury decision in the case of a white police officer who shot and killed a black teenager.
The order, in effect for 30 days, instructs the St. Louis County Police Department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, and the St. Louis Metro Police to work together in a unified command to keep the peace should public reaction to the decision turn violent. It also puts the county police, rather than Ferguson police, in charge of security in Ferguson should unrest develop in the St. Louis suburb.
The governor directed police "to protect civil rights and ensure public safety in the city of Ferguson and the St. Louis region." Nixon also said he would activate the state's National Guard if necessary.
"This is America. People have the right to express views and grievances, but they do not have the right to put fellow citizens and property at risk," Nixon said last week. "Violence will not be tolerated."
The order comes as the St. Louis area waits to find out whether a St. Louis grand jury will indict officer Darren Wilson, 28, in the shooting death of Michael Brown, 18, an African American. Police, city officials, schools, businesses and protesters have been meeting daily in an effort to avert repetition of the chaos that immediately followed the Aug. 9 shooting, when protesters clashed, sometimes violently, with police.
The grand jury convened Aug. 20 to hear evidence in the case. At issue is how Brown died. Police say Brown struggled with Wilson inside his police car, then reached for Wilson's weapon. Brown's family and some witnesses say Wilson killed Brown as he raised his hands in surrender.
"Regardless of the outcomes of the federal and state criminal investigations, there is the possibility of expanded unrest," the order said. "Our citizens and businesses must be protected from violence and damage."
This is the second time Nixon ordered a state of emergency relating to Brown's shooting. This summer, Nixon declared the status, instituted a curfew and later called in the National Guard as demonstrators overran Ferguson.
