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Jay Nixon has chosen to escalate force in Ferguson, Missouri

Governor Jay Nixon signed an executive order early this morning to send the national guard into Ferguson to "help restore peace and order and to protect the citizens of Ferguson". The escalation in force has come after an autopsy report that Michael Brown was in face shot six times, including twice in the head. The police officer who shot Michael Brown has been named as Darren Wilson, after an alleged scuffle in Wilson’s patrol car.

Captain Ron Johnson said protesters had fired weapons and thrown petrol bombs at police officers before midnight when the Sunday night curfew began. More people have been injured as businesses have been looted and vandalised by some attending the protests, and police have continued to use tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse crowds.  

Nixon declared a state of emergency at a press conference on Saturday. He imposed an overnight curfew that came into effect at Midnight. The move came after reports of a group of looters smashing windows and looting three stores on Friday night. Amnesty international condemned curfews as the tool of dictators and were in Ferguson to monitor the activity of Police and demonstrators.

Footage of Michael Brown stealing a packet of cigars was believed to have sparked the violence on Friday.

Police officers in riot gear and armed with assault rifles fired tear gas at the 200 protesters who defied the curfew on Saturday night. This came after Captain Ron Johnson from Missouri state highway patrol was quoted saying “We won’t enforce it with teargas.” Seven people were arrested for failing to disperse. A man was shot, and is in a critical condition, but police do not know who by. A police car was also shot at. Some protesters were seen destroying kerb stones to throw at police. Captain Ron Johnson later said that teargas was fired only because police received intelligence that people with guns were on the roof of a barbecue restaurant, awaiting officers.