Chaos Forces Missouri Governor to Call in the National Guard

[DonViejo]

Justin Glawe

Jay Nixon has been forced to deploy the National Guard after a night of chaos following the revelation Michael Brown was shot six times.

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon called in the National Guard in the early hours of Monday morning after another night of protest descended into chaos with reports of gunfire, looting and Molotov cocktails. The latest clashes came as word began to spread through this St. Louis suburb that Brown was shot as many as six times, including twice in the head.

Nixon said the National Guard was necessary "in restoring peace and order" to a suburb that has shaken with violence for more than a week. Considering, though, that police here have armed themselves with equipment more reminiscent of the military than small town cops, the National Guard may not be a huge change. Whether protesters will dare to hurl rocks and Molotov cocktails, at the Guards as they did on Sunday night according to the police, remains to be seen.

Many of the young men who have taken to West Florissant Avenue to express their distrust and disdain of law enforcement had not yet heard the autopsy reports. Their rage will only intensify as the details are shared but when they return to the streets later today they will have a new, more formidable, adversary.

When The New York Times’ story on Brown’s autopsy dropped after 9 p.m., West Florissant Avenue was smoldering with anger caused by the teen’s death, and was once again joined by tears that came from round after round of tear gas fired by police. Law enforcement did issue warnings before firing Sunday night, which were for the most part ignored as they have been all week. There is a sense here that this is a last stand for a mostly black community that feels marginalized and brutalized by a mostly white police force. Simply put: Many here feel this is their ground. And they are not simply going to stand by and watch it be overrun by representatives of an organization responsible for what is considered here to have been a brutal and brazen daylight murder. For the past week and for the foreseeable future, Brown has become a legend.

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http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/08/18/chaos-forces-missouri-governor-to-call-in-the-national-guard.html