The shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown Saturday led to peaceful protests as well as broken windows, looting and burning of several buildings. Well-armed police donned helmets and shields, used armored vehicles and dispersed crowds with tear gas. Police elsewhere have moved away from using aggressive tactics to control mass gatherings, fearing they can be provocative and militaristic.Hmm...
President Barack Obama on Thursday expressed concern over the "violent turn" of events, saying there is no excuse for violence against police, or for law enforcement to use excessive force against peaceful protesters.
But on Thursday night, protests were peaceful and streets remained open to traffic. Officers walked by themselves through the crowd, no body armor or batons in sight.
The president called Mr. Brown's death a heartbreaking loss while declining to draw conclusions amid an ongoing investigation. His careful response, made from his vacation on Martha's Vineyard, Mass., underscored the challenges the first African-American president has faced as he tries to calibrate how much and how often to use that distinction to weigh in on issues involving race.
In an unusual move, the police tactics used earlier in the week also were called into question Thursday by the nation's top law-enforcement official, Attorney General Eric Holder, who said the nightly scenes of confrontations "cannot continue."
U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, a Missouri Democrat, added that "we need to demilitarize this situation—this kind of response by the police has become the problem instead of the solution."
The name of the officer who shot Mr. Brown could be released Friday, according to St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar, though it isn't certain. Police have so far refused to release the name, saying such a step could endanger the officer...
I'm gonna stick my neck out on this and say, no. The officer's name won't be released today, mainly so the poor mofo doesn't wind up dead.
But we'll see.
More at the link.
