FROM STAFF REPORTS

FERGUSON • It was a day when the police released information both long-demanded and unexpected.

Here are Friday’s main developments in a week of internationally riveting strife, some of it violent and choked by tear gas, over the fatal shooting Aug. 9 of Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old, by a Ferguson police of-ficer:• After days of demands that authori-ties release the officer’s name, Fergu-son Police Chief Tom Jackson identi-fied him as Darren Wilson, 28, who has been on the municipal force for four years. Jackson called Wilson a “gentle, quiet man, a distinguished officer” who

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Brown identified in video as shoplifting suspect • officer in fatal shooting named

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Texas Gov. Rick Perry is indicted • A15

Russia denies crossing border • A18

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Police released images Friday from surveillance cameras in the Ferguson Market and Liquor.

Officer is named, but few details emerge • A7

Nixon had leverage in security takeover • A4

New allegations could affect investigation • A4

Prosecutor no stranger to controversy • A4

moments of kindness: a photo essay • A6

Faith leaders at center of activism • A10

Letters to the editor • A18

Full coverage Pages A3-A7, A10

Live updates STLtoday.com

By EliSa CROUCh aNd JESSiCa BOCkPost-Dispatch

A St. Louis County Circuit Court judge ruled Friday in favor of Normandy school transfer par-ents who sued the state and three area school districts for not re-enrolling their children this fall.

The decision by Judge Michael Burton says that the Pattonville, Ritenour and Francis How-ell districts must immediately allow the chil-dren of four families back in their schools. It po-tentially could allow 500 Normandy students

who have been denied back into their schools to return. The ruling invalidates decisions made by the Missouri Board of Education in June in-tended to get the Normandy Schools Collabora-tive out from under the school transfer law.

“It is in the public interest for the plaintiffs to prevail,” Burton wrote. “Every child in this com-munity has a right to a decent education.”

The transfer law gave about 1,000 trans-fer students from the troubled north St. Louis County school district the opportunity to attend

aCCORdiNG tO thE JUdGE’S RUliNG:

• Pattonville, Ritenour and Francis Howell districts must immediately allow the children of four families back in their schools.

• The Missouri Board of Education did not have the authority to give Normandy a new accreditation status.

T H E N O . 1 S T. L O U I S W E B S I T E A N D N E W S P A P E R

RobeRt Cohen • rcohen@post-dispatch.com Concussion grenades and pepper spray were used to disburse protesters on West Florissant Avenue in Ferguson early Saturday. Streaks are from the fogged camera due to rain.

Ruling allows Normandy students to transfer

See TRAnSFER • page a3

Release of infoRmation met with angeR, shock

See BROWN • page a5

stoRm afteR calmQuiet night erupts as police, protesters sQuare off

By kORaN addO aNd paUl hampEl Post-Dispatch

For most of Friday night, a festive atmo-sphere reigned in Ferguson as hundreds of people lined a two-block stretch of West Florissant Avenue, waving at honking cars slowly passing by, but shortly after mid-night, the situation turned volatile as po-lice showed up in riot gear.

The several hundred protesters who had remained had been fairly peaceful but stood in a face-off with police at the cor-ner of West Florissant and Ferguson av-enues.

The groups stood about 20 feet away from one another, some police officers pointing guns at the crowd, some protest-ers pointing cameras at police. Police told the crowd over a loudspeaker to disperse

stReets again tuRn tense

See TEnSE • page a7

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By Virginia youngvyoung@post-dispatch.com573-556-6181

JEFFERSON CITY • After photos of tear-gassed protesters rocketed through social media Wednesday night, state officials say the need for a change in command in Ferguson was clear: It was just a matter of how to do it.

Behind-the-scenes talks that night and the next morning culminated in what Gov. Jay Nixon’s office called a “nonwritten agreement” reached Thursday morning with St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley. Without so much as a signature, the Missouri Highway Patrol assumed control of security in the St. Louis County suburb.

Nixon was responding to a chorus of cries for elected officials to change what had become a military-style operation. County police in body ar-mor, some with weapons pointed at civilians, had lined the streets during nightly protests over the fatal shoot-ing Saturday of an unarmed teenager, Michael Brown, by Ferguson police.

Before the patrol took over, state Rep. Clem Smith, D-Velda Village Hills, said he had “seen officers actu-ally provoking people to do things. I would think that the highway patrol would be more professional in that sense, and maybe have more training than some of the officers that have been on hand.”

But the takeover wasn’t universally applauded. St. Louis County Pros-ecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch said Nixon lacked the authority to take charge and should have talked to law enforcement agencies first.

The St. Louis County Police As-sociation also criticized Nixon in a statement Friday, saying the gover-nor’s decision was “motivated by lo-cal and national political pressure.”

When he decided to take charge, Nixon had plenty of leverage. If the county had objected, the governor could have declared a state of emer-gency, which would have triggered broad state powers to protect the safety and welfare of residents.

“The governor does have extraor-dinary civil defense powers,” said Brad Ketcher, a St. Louis attorney who worked as chief of staff in the administration of Gov. Mel Carna-han. “The constitution calls him the conservator of the peace, which is what you kind of need in a situation like this.”

In fact, Nixon told a reporter after a Friday morning news conference that his actions were allowed “under the authority to declare a state of emer-gency. We’re working on a coopera-tive agreement now.”

Nixon’s office said later that the agreement with Dooley was spo-ken rather than written, and that it simply allowed the Missouri High-way Patrol “to take the lead on se-curity responsibilities in Ferguson.” The governor’s office did not respond to requests to interview top officials with knowledge of the agreement.

The man Nixon put in charge in Ferguson, Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson, said at a news conference on Friday that he had been on the

phone with the governor about the situation for “the past four days. It’s not something that just popped up yesterday.”

Dooley said he welcomed the state’s role.

“As the county executive said, this is not a turf war for us,” said Pat Washington, spokeswoman for Dooley. “This is not a contest of what agency should be in charge. It’s what should be done to restore order.”

But McCulloch, who frequently jousted with Nixon when Nixon was attorney general, was outspoken in his criticism of the governor.

“It’s shameful what he did to-day, he had no legal authority to do that,” McCulloch said Thursday. “To denigrate the men and women of the county police department is shame-ful.”

McCulloch noted that no one was seriously injured in the effort led by County Police Chief Jon Belmar be-fore Nixon handed control of Fergu-son security over to the state agency on Thursday.

“For Nixon to never talk to the commanders in the field and come in here and take this action is disgrace-ful,” McCulloch said.

WHo WiLL ProSECuTE?Dooley, meanwhile, said he will lead an effort to try to remove McCull-och as the prosecutor in the case that could determine whether the offi-cer who shot Brown faces criminal charges.

“The county executive be-lieves Bob McCulloch is biased and shouldn’t handle this case,” said Washington, Dooley’s spokeswoman.

Attorney General Chris Koster said Friday that he had received a request from Dooley to assume responsibil-ity for the Ferguson case. But, Koster said, “state law provides no authority for the attorney general or the gover-nor to remove or transfer a criminal case from an elected county prosecu-tor.”

By law, a court can appoint a spe-cial prosecutor when the county prosecutor is related to the defendant or has another conflict of interest, such as by having represented some-one involved in the case.

A prosecutor also can ask the state for help handling the case. The gov-ernor then could appoint the attor-ney general to provide investigative and prosecutorial assistance. But the local prosecutor would retain deci-sion-making authority over the case, Koster said.

When Nixon was attorney gen-eral, he sought more authority for the attorney general to bring criminal charges. However, the Legislature re-jected his attempts.

Platte County Prosecuting Attor-ney Eric Zahnd said in an interview that he saw no way that McCulloch could be bumped from the case with-out his consent.

“Primarily, it’s up to the prosecutor to determine whether there’s a rea-son that he or she could not be fair,” Zahnd said. “I am not aware of any authority that would allow a court to remove a prosecutor based on peti-tions from the public or others.”

Zahnd, who is immediate past president of the Missouri Associa-tion of Prosecuting Attorneys, added that in the Ferguson situation, “the prosecutor’s not going to be the deci-sionmaker. The grand jury’s going to make the decision.”

Dooley and McCulloch have been at odds for some time. McCull-och pulled his support for Dool-ey’s re-election effort last year and campaigned heavily for his oppo-nent, Steve Stenger. For most of this summer, Stenger ran television ads prominently featuring McCulloch criticizing Dooley’s leadership and alleging corruption in the county.

Stenger defeated Dooley by nearly a 36-point margin.

Backing Nixon’s move in Fergu-son was St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, who heavily supported Dooley in the recent election.

“For the record,” Slay tweeted after McCulloch’s remarks were reported, “I believe that the county prosecu-tor’s remarks were ill-timed and wrong.”

Elisa Crouch, Nicholas J.C. Pistor, Paul Hampel and Joel Currier of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.

a4 • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH M 2 • SATUrDAy • 08.16.2014

Ferguson Police shooting

Documents identify Michael Brown as a suspect in a robbery at a convenience store a short time before he was fatally shot by police on Aug. 9. Police released images Friday from surveillance cameras in the Ferguson Market and Liquor on West Florissant Avenue.

By roBErT PaTriCk rpatrick@post-dispatch.com314-621-5154

ST. LOUIS • News that Michael Brown was wanted as a robbery suspect could put a fresh light on his killing by a Ferguson police officer, a use-of-force expert said Friday.

“A police officer making a stop of just a couple of guys walking down the street is very different from an officer stopping a couple of guys who just committed a rob-bery,” said David Klinger, a criminal justice professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

The circumstances faced by Officer Darren Wilson contained both elements, according to a description Friday by Fer-guson Police Chief Tom Jackson.

He said Wilson was aware there had been a robbery involving cigars but did not realize when he ordered two young men to stop walking in the street that they were

suspects. Wilson made the connection when he noticed cigars in Brown’s hand, Jackson said.

The chief released some police reports and surveillance pictures Friday in reveal-ing that Brown, 18, had been involved in the store robbery and roughed up a clerk. Police said Wilson shot Brown, who was unarmed, after Brown had a struggle at another location. The shooting remains under investigation by the St. Louis County police and the FBI.

The shooting spurred nights of protests — some violent — and cries for justice from Brown’s family and others who have accused police of murdering a man who posed no threat.

Dorian Johnson, 22, has claimed to re-porters that he and Brown were walking together in the middle of a street when the officer pulled up and ordered them to get on the sidewalk. Johnson said Brown did not attack the officer or struggle for the officer’s gun, and was shot with his hands

up, surrendering.In news interviews, Johnson did not

mention the robbery. But after the release of the police reports, his lawyer, Freeman R. Bosley Jr., said Johnson did tell federal and local investigators that both men had been in the store and that Brown “did take cigarillos.”

Jackson said Johnson would not be charged because police believe “he didn’t steal anything or use force.”

Lethal force is guided by a 1985 U.S. Su-preme Court case that says police may kill a violent felon who poses a risk to an offi-cer or other people, Klinger explained this week. He said lessons from that case are taught to police around the country.

Klinger said not enough informa-tion has been revealed to judge whether the shooting was justified, but he said the known information could explain Wil-son’s heightened alert.

An officer dealing with a potential felon, he said, is “allowed to use a different ap-

proach. I know I have probable cause to detain that individual,” he said, and can use the force necessary.

Klinger has firsthand experience. In 1981, when he was a Los Angeles police officer, he killed a man who attacked his partner.

He described the reactions of an offi-cer confronting a robbery suspect. “We spot this individual. Basically, what po-lice doctrine holds is that we’re going to exit our vehicle with guns drawn,” he said. He noted that the level of force the officer presents increases with the seriousness of the crime.

“Now you don’t get to shoot the person, but you enter into it at a much more se-vere, shall we say, posture of force.”

“And also, if you’re fighting with some-one you suspect might have been involved in a robbery, your concern about what they may do is much greater than some-one you suspect of jaywalking.”

By niCHoLaS J.C. PiSTor npistor@post-dispatch.com > 314-436-2239and JoE HoLLEman jholleman@post-dispatch.com > 314-340-8254

ST. LOUIS • Robert McCulloch isn’t known to back down.

For decades, the St. Louis County prosecutor has been in the spotlight for everything ranging from his prosecution of Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose to questions about his deep police roots. And for decades county voters have kept him in office.

On Friday, McCulloch faced calls from political foes to step aside in the investigation of the fatal shooting death of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown at the hand of a white police officer. State Sen. Jamilah Nasheed wrote a letter to McCulloch saying prior prosecutorial decisions and his heavy support of Steve Stenger in his defeat of St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley in this month’s Democratic primary scarred the black community.

And U.S. Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis, assailed McCulloch on Friday night on a visit to Ferguson: “We don’t have any confidence in the St. Louis County prosecuting attorney’s office.”

McCulloch, who as a teenager lost a leg to cancer, made it his career ambition to become a prosecutor.

“I couldn’t become a policeman, so being county prosecutor is the next best thing,” McCulloch once told the Post-Dispatch.

McCulloch took office in 1991. His first big test came a few months later with the infamous River-port Riot when a Guns N’ Roses concert ended with injuries to 40 concertgoers and 25 police officers.

McCulloch charged Axl Rose, the rock band’s front man, with misdemeanor assault and property damage alleging that Rose hit a security guard, hurt three concertgoers and trashed a dressing room. He then pursued Rose across the country seeking to enforce an arrest warrant on the charges, saying Rose “is easy to find …”

Rose ended up surrendering after a public uproar and entered a plea agreement.

In 2001, two undercover drug officers from Dell-wood shot and killed two men on the parking lot of a Jack in the Box in north St. Louis County. The of-ficers said the suspects, who had prior felony con-victions for drug and assault offenses, tried to es-cape arrest and then drove toward the officers.

A subsequent federal investigation showed that the men were unarmed and that their car had not moved forward when the officers fired 21 shots and killed the suspects, Earl Murray and Ronald Beasley. The probe, however, also concluded that because the officers feared for their safety, the shootings were justified.

McCulloch didn’t prosecute the officers. He spe-cifically drew the ire of defense lawyers and pro-testers, when he said of Murray and Beasley, “These guys were bums.”

After being criticized, McCulloch refused to back down, saying, “The print media and self-anointed activists have been portraying the two gentlemen as folk heroes and have been vilifying the police. I think it is important for the public to know that these two and others like them for years have spread destruction in the community dealing crack co-caine and heroin.”

Nasheed pointed to the Jack in the Box case in her letter: “Critically important, you must consider the potential consequences if you choose to not seek a special prosecutor. If you should decide to not indict this police officer, the rioting we witnessed this past week will seem like a picnic compared to the havoc that will likely occur, because the black community will never accept that there was an im-partial investigation from your office.”

McCulloch’s opponents also point to his famil-ial ties to law enforcement. McCulloch’s father, brother, nephew and cousin all served with St. Louis police; his mother was a clerk there.

Tim O’Neil of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.

RobeRt Cohen • rcohen@post-dispatch.comCounty Police Chief Jon Belmar (left), prosecutor Bob McCulloch and Rita Valenciano, of the Justice Department, listen at a forum Friday in Florissant.

New allegatioNs could affect iNvestigatioN

Mcculloch is Not oNe to shriNk

froM coNtroversy

NixoN had leverage iN takeover

08.16.2014 • SATURDAY • M 2 ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH • A5

was devastated by what hap-pened.• Jackson also released security video from a nearby convenience store that appears to show Brown stealing cigars shortly before he was killed. Lawyers for Brown’s family confirmed that the teen “appears” to be in the video but were furious by what they called a “character assassination.”• Missouri Highway Patrol Capt. Ronald S. Johnson, who was handed the main law enforce-ment task Thursday after four nights of unrest, was irritated that Jackson released the video. “There was no need to release it,” Johnson said, calling the reported theft and the killing entirely dif-ferent events.• Johnson, who grew up in North County, continued his charm strategy on West Florissant, where his troopers were again barely in evidence Friday night — in stark contrast to the SWAT teams and armored cars of nights earlier in the week.• The Federal Bureau of Inves-tigation announced it will send agents to the neighborhood to in-terview witnesses of the shoot-ing. The FBI is working with the Justice Department’s civil rights division and federal prosecutors. “We ask for the public’s coopera-tion and patience,” the FBI state-ment says.

After Thursday night’s rela-tive calm, Friday began outside the looted and burned QuikTrip at 9240 West Florissant, ground zero for protests. Jackson opened a news conference where he was expected to release the name of the officer who shot Brown by discussing the robbery at a con-venience store on West Floris-sant. He released incident re-ports and the video that appears to show Brown stealing cigars and shoving a employee at the store, which was identifi ed later as Ferguson Market and Liquor, at 9101 West Florissant.

The store is barely a block from the apartment complex where Brown was killed. Police said Dorian Johnson, 22, who was Brown’s friend and a key witness to the shooting, also was at the liquor store.

Just north of the liquor store is the Qui kTrip, which was looted and burned during the street riot late Sunday.

The release of the officer’s name — a major goal of police critics for days — almost became an afterthought with Jackson’s release of the video. Protesters and lawyers for Brown’s family responded angrily. Jackson fol-lowed with another news con-ference, followed by more public statements from the lawyers.

Family lawyers confirmed that Brown’s image was in the video but said it didn’t justify the shooting. Jackson further complicated the dispute by say-ing that Wilson, at least initially, stopped Brown and Dorian John-son because they were blocking a street, not over the robbery.

Said Benjamin Crump, a law-yer from Florida who is repre-senting Brown’s family, “It’s bad enough they assassinated him, and now they’re trying to assas-sinate his character.” Crump ac-cused police of playing “the old game of smoke and mirrors.”

Daryl Parks, Crump’s law partner, said Brown appears to be in the security video but said it didn’t prove robbery. Crump represented the family of Tray-

von Martin, who was shot to death in Sanford, Fla., in 2012.

Anthony Gray, a local lawyer for the family, added that Brown was killed while “displaying a universal sign of surrender” — his hands up, which has become the main pose of street protest-ers.

“We don’t care what happened before that point,” Gray said. “It’s irrelevant ... Why did you shoot this unarmed teenager who had his hands in the air, period?”

Gray said the family never called Brown “a perfect kid.” He warned protesters that, in view-ing the video, “you may see im-ages or depictions that don’t paint him in the most compli-mentary light.”

But he said the family was pleading for people not to renew Sunday night’s violence.

“Don’t take the bait from any-body who is trying to charac-

ter-assassinate Mike,” he said. “Don’t take that and begin to riot, don’t take that and begin to loot. The family has made this clear.”

Citizen response was quick.“I am incensed,” said Laura

Keys, 50, of St. Louis. “I can’t believe this is the tactic they are using, bringing up a robbery to make the victim look like he was the person who created this whole mess.”

Jackson held a second news conference in the afternoon, justifying release of the video by saying that news organizations had been fi ling public-informa-tion requests for days for the in-cident reports.

“I had to,” he said of the re-lease.

Told of the family’s reac-tion, Jackson said, “First, my heart goes out to the family. I can’t imagine what they are go-

ing through. We have given you everything that we have now … There is nothing else we have got.”

Jackson said Wilson was a po-lice officer in neighboring Jen-nings for two years before joining Ferguson about four years ago.

Jackson described events be-fore the Aug. 9 shooting , saying Wilson was at a sick call from 11:48 a.m. to about noon. At 11:51 a.m., a 911 caller reported a strong-arm robbery at a conve-nience store, Jackson said, and a brief description went over the radio a minute later.

Another officer went to the convenience store and a more detailed description went out a short time later. The robbery suspect was said to be heading toward the QuikTrip.

Wilson left the sick call and encountered Brown and Dorian Johnson at 12:01 p.m. in the 2900 block of Canfi eld Drive. In a fol-low-up interview, Jackson said he did not believe Wilson initially knew Brown might be connected to the robbery. He said Wilson stopped Brown and Johnson be-cause they were walking in the street, but then noticed Brown had cigars, the items stolen in the robbery.

Sometime between then and 12:04 p.m., when a second offi cer arrived at the scene, Brown was fatally shot by Wilson on Can-fi eld.

A supervisor arrived at 12:05 p.m., and the ambulance that had been at the nearby sick call came to the scene “immedi-ately following the shooting,” to “assess Michael Brown,” Jackson said.

At Ferguson Market and Li-quor, according to a police re-port that was released Friday, an employee had seen Brown tell a clerk he wanted several boxes of cigars. The employees’ names were blacked out in the released report, which says in part:

“As (redacted) was placing the boxes on the counter, Brown grabbed a box of Swisher Sweets cigars and handed them to John-

son who was standing behind Brown. (Redacted) witnessed (redacted) tell Brown that he had to pay for those cigars fi rst. That is when Brown reached across the counter and grabbed numer-ous packs of Swisher Sweets and turned to leave the store. (Re-dacted) then calls ‘911.’ Mean-while (redacted) comes out from behind the counter and attempts to stop Brown from leaving. Ac-cording to (redacted), (redacted) was trying to lock the door until Brown returned the merchan-dise to him. That is when Brown grabbed (redacted) by the shirt and forcefully pushed him back in to a display rack. (Redacted) backed away and Brown and Johnson exited the store with the cigars.”

Former St. Louis mayor Free-man Bosley Jr., who is represent-ing Dorian Johnson, said his cli-ent did not dispute that Brown had taken the cigars. Dorian Johnson told authorities about the theft this week, Bosley said. “He told them about the cigaril-los and that Big Mike took ciga-rillos,” Bosley said.

Jackson said his department decided against charging Dorian Johnson in the incident. “We de-termined he didn’t steal anything or use force,” Jackson said.

Store employees declined to talk with reporters Friday, but company lawyer Jay Kanzler said the owners “hope people un-derstand they have nothing to do with the investigation. They want to remain part of the com-munity, just like everyone else.”

He said the market’s own-ers will comply with a St. Louis County circuit court subpoena seeking the hard drive containing the video. Ferguson police had obtained a copy earlier.

Kanzler said a customer, not a store employee, summoned po-lice during the alleged robbery.

Koran Addo, Kim Bell, Jessica Bock, Joel Currier, Stephen Deere, Steve Giegerich, Paul Hampel, Denise Hollinshed, Ken Leiser, Valerie Schremp Hahn, Tim O’Neil, all of the Post-Dispatch sta� , contributed to this report.

FERGUSON POLICE SHOOTING

Post-Dispatch400 FEET

11:48 a.m. O�cer Darren Wilson responds to sick call in a nearby neighborhood. Ambulance also at scene.

11:51 a.m. 911 caller reports a strong-arm robbery at a convenience store, Ferguson Market & Liquor.

11:54 a.m. A di�erent o�cer arrives at the convenience store and sends a more detailed description of robbery suspects, who were said to be heading north on West Florissant toward the QuikTrip.

Noon Wilson leaves sick call.

12:01 p.m. Wilson encounters Michael Brown and Dorian Johnson near the Canfield Green Apartments.

Between 12:01 - 12:04 p.m. Wilson shoots and kills Brown.

12:04 p.m. Second o�cer arrives at shooting scene.

12:05 p.m. Supervisor arrives at scene. Ambulance from nearby sick call arrives to assess Brown.

West Florissant

Ferguson

Canfield

Copper CreekNorth

winds

Estates

Canfield GreenApartments

QuikTrip

Site of MichaelBrown shootingSite of MichaelBrown shooting

FergusonMarket &

Liquor

Maline Creek

EVENTS LEADING UP TO MICHAEL BROWN SHOOTINGThis timeline is based on police reports of the morning of Aug. 9.

.com

BROWN •

FROM A1

See the surveillance video released by Ferguson police. stltoday.com/michaelbrown

View an interactive timeline and flip through all the pages of Post-Dispatch coverage. stltoday.com/michaelbrown

VIDEO SLURS BROWN IN DEATH, SAYS FAMILY

ROBERT COHEN • rcohen@post-dispatch.com Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson is surrounded by his o� cers Friday as he leaves a news conference in Forestwood Park .

LAURIE SKRIVAN • lskrivan@post-dispatch.com Missouri Highway Patrol Captain Ronald S. Johnson (third from left) joins a group of demonstrators Friday. The patrol was put in charge of security Thursday.

J.B. FORBES • jforbes@post-dispatch.com The Rev. Jesse Jackson gets a high fi ve from a protester after addressing the media Friday near the burned out QuikTrip on West Florissant in Ferguson .

A6 • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH M 1 • SATUrDAy • 08.16.2014

Ferguson Police shooting

DaviD Carson • dcarson@post-dispatch.comPost-Dispatch photographer David Carson (left) took shelter from tear gas Wednesday in a Ferguson home on Gage Drive. The family gave him shelter and water. He waited there until after midnight.

J.B. ForBes • jforbes@post-dispatch.com People drive down West Florissant Avenue, honking horns, raising their arms and holding signs Thursday.

Laurie skrivan • lskrivan@post-dispatch.com The Diamond Hearts Cheer Squad (in front of QT sign) encourages protesters Wednesday with a dance and cheer, “J is for Justice,” at the QuikTrip on West Florissant Avenue in Ferguson.

Laurie Skrivan • lskrivan@post-dispatch.comMembers of the Church of God in Christ choir sing Wednesday with protesters near the QuikTrip on West Florissant Avenue in Ferguson.

Cristina FLetes-Boutte • cfletes-boutte@post-dispatch.com

Vivian Peoples (left) is hugged by a stranger Friday.

Laurie skrivan • lskrivan@post-dispatch.com A pastor comforts Joshua Wilson (center) of Ferguson at a peace rally Wednesday. Wilson, 18, and Michael Brown were friends.

MoMents of

KindnessCommunity pulls together to provide Comfort

08.16.2014 • Saturday • M 2 St. LOuIS POSt-dISPatCH • A7

Ferguson Police shooting

By JessicA Bockjbock@post-dispatch.com314-340-8228

Five minutes before he opened the doors at Koch Elementary on Monday to begin the new school year, Howard Fields gathered his teachers in a huddle.

They’d been following the turmoil since it began Saturday afternoon, just around the corner from their school. A police officer shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown outside of the Can-field Green apartments, where many of their students live.

To get to the Riverview Gardens school, their students passed the scene and the memorial to Brown every day. Sometimes they saw protesters, voic-ing their distrust of police. On some days, there were remnants of unrest from the night before: the charred re-mains of a gas station, empty tear gas canisters.

“Our community needs us right now,” Fields told the teachers. “We need to be the most consistent thing for them right now.”

So, with increased security, they had school all week.

Another district that borders the shooting scene, Ferguson-Florissant, was supposed to start the new year on Thursday, but has postponed class un-til Monday. Jennings canceled its first day as well.

Throughout north St. Louis County school districts, teachers, parents, politicians, counselors and community members were trying to find ways to make kids feel safe this week, even as violence broke out in their backyards.

Many of the Koch students stayed

home Monday, but by Friday, atten-dance was back up, said Fields, in his first year as principal at the school. Go-ing to school got the kids back into a routine, moving forward and learning, he said.

The Ferguson-Florissant School District has received a lot of attention because students had their new year delayed until next week. One fam-ily started a social media campaign that took off Wednesday night with hundreds of people joining the group “Parents for Peace.” Many were mak-ing signs to welcome the students back on Monday and let them know they are safe and loved.

And a “Feed the Students of Fergu-son” crowdfunding effort on fundly.com had garnered more than $40,000 by Friday night.

School districts made crisis coun-selors available for teachers this week. Extra teams paid for by the Children’s Service Fund are headed to Ferguson-Florissant schools on Monday.

Missouri Highway Patrol Capt. Ron-ald Johnson, a graduate of Riverview Gardens High School, met with stu-dents there on Thursday morning to talk with them about police response in the days of protest since Brown’s death. Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster was with him. Some of Brown’s relatives attend Riverview Gardens schools.

Brown’s death and the militant re-sponse to those gathered to protest has left senior Gregory Moore feeling unsafe, he said in an interview. He and other students talked with Johnson and Koster about why Brown’s death was furthering distrust of police.

“Especially being around the same age, I felt that if he could be a target, I could be a target,” Moore said. He said he was treated roughly by an officer who handcuffed him and threw him into the back of a squad car once for loitering.

Moore and other high school stu-dents, some who have protested and others who live in the area of the shoot-ing, led the discussion with Johnson and Koster.

“It has been a trying time for ev-eryone, and our students, the youth in this community want and need to be heard,” said Melanie Powell-Robinson, district spokesman.

They talked about the attention on protesters and their constitutional right to gather. One student said an of-ficer called them animals. Another told them he still has a tear gas canister in his backyard.

For more than an hour, Riverview Gardens students recalled their experi-ences starting with the Saturday after-noon gathering on Canfield Drive and ending with the violence Wednesday night.

They asked Johnson why a body would remain in the street, whether police are trained to wound instead of kill.

Johnson answered them, and told them he understood why they were asking. He, too, was disturbed by what he was seeing from police. He wanted change.

It felt like that change was coming, Moore said.

Hours later, it did.

unrest invades, but students remain a priority

RiveRview GaRdens students Go to school

A different dArren WilsonSt. Louis police Sgt. Darren Wil-son, president of the Ethical Society of Police, which repre-sents many black St. Louis city officers, posted a message to his Facebook page Friday morning to assure people he is not the officer of the same name involved in the fatal shooting of Michael Brown.

“The first thing we would like to assure the world is that this is a horrific coincidence,” Wilson wrote. “May I assure the world that (the shooter) is not the Pres-ident of the Ethical Society of Police’s Sergeant Darren R. Wil-son ... an 18-year veteran of the St. Louis Police Department.” (Joel Currier)

AclU secUres Agreement for right to record policeOn Friday, parties involved in a federal lawsuit filed Thurs-day came to an agreement and acknowledged that media and members of the public have a right to record public events un-der certain conditions.

The American Civil Liber-ties Union filed a federal lawsuit against St. Louis County, Fer-guson and Highway Patrol Su-perintendent Ronald Replogle, seeking to bar them from trying to prevent the news media and public from recording law en-forcement actions.

Plaintiff Mustafa Hussein was identified by the ACLU as a journalist with the Argus Media Group.

The agreement says public events may be recorded “with-out abridgement unless it ob-structs the activity or threatens the safety of others, or physically interferes with the ability of law enforcement officers to perform their duties.”

“The role of both the media and the ACLU is to make sure that the rule of law is being fol-lowed,” said Tony Rothert, legal director of the ACLU of Missouri, in a statement. “It will be easier to do that in Ferguson, now that all parties agree the media, and the public at large, have the right to record police interactions.” (Valerie Schremp Hahn)

JAckson Joins protestThe Rev. Jesse Jackson showed up early Friday evening near the

scene of Michael Brown’s shoot-ing before an appearance at a Ferguson church. At 6:30 p.m. Jackson walked arm-in-arm with about 50 people down West Florissant Avenue, toward the apartment complex where Brown was killed.

Jackson urged the crowd to continue protesting but to avoid violence. “You can reshape an iron while it’s hot, but don’t de-stroy yourself in the process. Don’t self-destruct,” Jackson said.

Other high-profile visitors to the scene on Friday included NFL Hall of Fame defensive back Aeneas Williams, a former St. Louis Ram and pastor at the Spirit Church in north St. Louis County.

Williams said he wants to talk to teenagers and Ferguson of-ficials to open a dialogue in the wake of last week’s shooting.

“It’s a crisis,” he said. “And the word crisis has a dual meaning. Danger and opportunity.” (Koran

Addo, Ken Leiser)

dick gregory meets With croWd At QUiktripFormer St. Louisan and civil rights activist Dick Gregory met with members of the crowd who gathered near the burned-out QuikTrip on West Florissant Av-enue.

The message in the wake of this week’s unrest is simple, he said.

“Do you have children?” Greg-ory asked a reporter. “Have you heard them cry? You wouldn’t go and say ‘shut up,’ would you? Well, that’s what they tell black folk.”

Gregory, who said he left St. Louis in the early 1950s to attend college, also expressed skepti-cism about the timing of Friday’s release of security footage from a liquor store that appeared to show Michael Brown involved in a strong-arm robbery.

“How come they are just tell-ing us that now?” Gregory said.

“And they’ve got film. Holly-wood can make a film of this whole incident and find people who look like the mayor and the police chief.”

Accompanying Gregory in Ferguson was Charles Steele Jr., president and CEO of the South-ern Christian Leadership Con-ference.

Gregory intimated that the world is watching — and won-dering.

“Our allies are saying, ‘What are you all doing over there?’” (Ken Leiser)

tWitter foUnder tWeets from fergUsonJack Dorsey, the co-founder and co-creator of Twitter, was tweeting Friday night from Fer-guson.

Dorsey, who was born and raised in St. Louis, was posting Vine videos of people walking in the drizzle on West Florissant Avenue, honking cars as they passed, and the Rev. Jesse Jack-

son. In one post, he noted, “Peo-

ple’s cameras outnumber and outbroadcast the cameras.” At 1:36 p.m., he tweeted “Heading home to St. Louis,” a comment that had garnered more than 130 “favorites” by 7:45 p.m. Friday.

Dorsey’s Twitter handle is @jack. (Valerie Schremp Hahn)

st. loUis coUnty, city police officers’ groUps BlAst dotson, nixonThe St. Louis Police Officers As-sociation on Friday blasted city Police Chief Sam Dotson’s com-ments to the Post-Dispatch that he did not support St. Louis County Police Department’s tac-tics in Ferguson.

Dotson said he stopped send-ing officers to help county po-lice after Monday night because he didn’t want to “put officers in situations that I would not do myself.”

The union, which represents the majority of city officers, said it supported county offi-cers, while saying tactical deci-sions should be made behind the scenes, not in the media or made “by politicians and po-lice administrators sitting in the comfort of their offices at a safe distance from the unprecedented violence and chaos.”

Meanwhile, the St. Louis County Police Association criti-cized Gov. Jay Nixon for strip-ping control of the Ferguson pro-tests from the department, say-ing the decision was “motivated by local and national political pressure.”

In the statement, the union highlighted incidents from over-night in which a pedestrian was hit by a vehicle, an officer was hit by a brick, a woman was shot, a McDonald’s was broken into, and several patrol cars were damaged.

Nixon’s “decision not only did not improve public safety but put officers’ lives in danger,” the statement said.

Association president Gabe Crocker also took a swipe at Dot-son, saying he “spit in the face of St. Louis County police officers and all first responders that have worked so hard over the past few days.” (Joel Currier)

notes fRom feRGuson

Christian Gooden • cgooden@post-dispatch.com Civil rights activist, comedian and St. Louis native Dick Gregory speaks to the media Friday during protests in Ferguson over police Officer Darren Wilson’s fatal shooting of unarmed teen Michael Brown.

By stephen deere And By leAh thorsenPost-dispatch

Finally, there was a name: Darren Wilson.He is a police officer, 28, recently divorced

and now the focus of national outrage. At a press conference early Friday, Fergu-

son Police Chief Tom Jackson succumbed to multiple pleas to identify Wilson as Michael Brown’s shooter, saying public records law required him to do so.

But he offered few other details, except to say he was a “gentle, quiet man” and a “dis-tinguished officer.”

Wilson worked as a police officer in neigh-boring Jennings for two years before joining Ferguson about four years ago, Jackson said.

Public records show Wilson was divorced last year in St. Charles County after two years of marriage. There were no children.

According to public records, Wilson now shares a Crestwood home with Barbara Spra-dling, 36, who is believed to be a Ferguson police officer.

The 1,500-square-foot home sits in a subdivision, built in the 1950s. It’s about a 35-minute drive from the site of the shoot-ing. On Friday, no one was home to answer the door.

On the front porch was a wicker sofa. The flower beds were lined with roses, boxwoods and hydrangeas. The backyard sported an in-ground pool. According to real estate records, the Wilsons purchased the home in October. One neighbor who wouldn’t give her name described the Wilsons as “standoffish” and said they’d been gone for days.

Only a few hours after police released Wil-son’s name, neighbors were already weary of reporters knocking on their doors. Some had posted signs, including one that said, “We don’t know anything … Pray for Peace.” An-other sign said “Do not disturb,” and another said “We have 2 children. Do not knock!! No comment.”

For Wilson, Jackson said, the shooting “is absolutely devastating. He never intended for any of this to happen.”

name, few details released by chief

immediately. Some in the crowd threw a few bottles at police, who didn’t initially react.

After several minutes, police turned and left, but as they retreated, they sprayed smoke bombs and threw sound cannons at the crowd. Some responded by throwing more bottles.

Dozens in the crowd ran up West Floris-sant in a panic, some jumping in their cars

and driving the wrong way on the road. Once the police were out of sight, protest-ers fired guns at least 10 times into the air.

Later a barricade of vehicles blocked traffic on the street.

The scene was a drastic change from that of earlier in the day. Friday night Missouri Highway Patrol Capt. Ronald S. Johnson went to the QuikTrip with U.S. Rep. Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis, whose dis-trict includes Ferguson.

“There hasn’t been an incident tonight, last night, and I think if we had had this

approach Sunday or Monday night, we wouldn’t have had any incidents then,” Johnson said.

One of the protesters, Tyzer Egerson, said of the mood Friday night, “It’s a beau-tiful thing. It’s freedom of speech, the way it’s supposed to be.”

The crowd was at times entertained by a drum corps and a group of break dancers.

Johnson said there had been no arrests as of 10 p.m.

“These people are exercising their 1st Amendment rights and walking on the

sidewalks and streets their tax dollars paid for,” Johnson said.

A rainstorm later reduced some of the crowd, but enough people stayed around to keep the noise and commotion going. It remained peaceful as of 11:45 p.m.

Ken Leiser of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.

tense • from A1

A10 • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH M 1 • SATUrDAy • 08.16.2014

SUNDAY

45th Church Anniversary • 11 a.m. at New Testament Christian Church, 1123 Holly Hills Avenue. 314-229-0047, ntccstl.org.

Catholic Mass • Join St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church for an inclusive and welcoming Catholic Mass. 11 a.m. 2613 Potomac. 314-329-8207, SaintCatherineSTL.org.

Worship • 11 a.m. at New Testament Christian Church, 1123

Holly Hills Avenue. 314-229-0047, ntccstl.org.

GriefShare • This video seminar and support group is for those who have lost a loved one. 3 p.m. at King of Kings Lutheran Church, 13765 Olive Boulevard, Chesterfield. 314-469-2224. www.GriefShare.org

Ice Cream Social • Sponsored by the St. Louis Hills Church Alliance. 6:30 p.m. at Francis Park, Donovan and Eichelberger. 314-352-8050.

TUESDAY

Bible Study • Join New Testament Christian Church, 1123 Holly Hills Avenue to study the book of Ephesians. 7:30 p.m. 314-229-0047, ntccstl.org.

SATURDAY

Fish For Fun Day • 7:30 to 10 a.m., United Methodist Church, 725 Wall Street, Wentzville. Open for all age groups at the church pond. If you don’t have a fishing pole, poles will be available. 636-327-6377,

livelovegrow.org.

Women United in Christ Luncheon • 10 a.m. at Julia’s Banquet Center, 101 Eastgate Plaza, East Alton. Presented by Women’s Ministry Center. Speakers, vendors, drama and music. $20. 618-803-9078, womensministrycenter.org.

State of Mind Beauty Pageant • Christian production examining the state of mind of God’s people. 6 p.m. at Resurrection Life Christian Church, 1651 Redman Road.

Gentry Adoption Adventure Trivia Night Fundraiser • 6:30-10 p.m. Saturday at First Christian Church Stage One, 2890 Patterson Road, Florissant. $10 per person. All proceeds support Robert and Kellee Gentry’s Adoption Adventure.

Youth on Fire Conference • Praise dancing, mime dancing, poetry, preaching, praise and worship. 6:30 p.m. at Jennings Mason Temple Church, 2120 McLaren Avenue, Jennings.

EvENTS

JoiN ThE coNvERSATioNA place for news and views on faithwww.stltoday.com/religion

Faith leaders have been at the center of protests surrounding the death

of Michael Brown. With the community of Ferguson, clergy have led peaceful marches, community forums and silent vigils. On Tuesday, the Rev. Al Sharpton attracted more than 1,000 supporters to Greater St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church. That same evening the Rev. Traci D. Blackmon hosted a forum at Christ the King United Church of Christ with Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson and Mayor James Knowles III. ¶ On Wednesday, together with a few other local congregations, Passage Community Church in Florissant organized a volunteer cleanup. Pastor Joe

Costephens said that although the trash-collecting effort was a last-minute plan, more than 100 people joined the endeavor. ¶ On Thursday, supporters across the country participated in silent vigils. From Maine to Michigan, Florida to New York, Vermont, Colorado and California, the faithful wore red ribbons in Brown’s honor. That same day, the St. Louis Metropolitan Clergy

Coalition led a march in Ferguson, carrying Bibles and handing out food. The coalition has set up a website called “Praying with our feet,” meant to act as a clearing house for events related to Brown. ¶ “Our God is a warrior,” said Blackmon. “We will not go away.”

Faith leaders at center oF activism in support oF michael Brown

RobeRt Cohen • rcohen@post-dispatch.comByron Price of University City, who has a son in college, listens at a forum Tuesday at Christ the King United Church of Christ near Black Jack. Michael Brown’s death “struck a nerve with my family,” Price said.

RobeRt Cohen • rcohen@post-dispatch.comTactical officers assemble Monday under a sign from Family of Faith M.B. Church on West Florissant Road in Ferguson.

FAITH In Ferguson

By LiLLy FowLer • lfowler@post-dispatch.com > 314-340-8221

CRistina Fletes-boutte • cfletes-boutte@post-dispatch.com Leslie Petty (left) and Tracey Sherman (far right) lead a prayer Friday in Ferguson after police released images from surveillance footage identifying Michael Brown as a suspect in a robbery.

J.b. FoRbes • jforbes@post-dispatch.com Meghan O’Donnell, 29, of St. Louis, prays Sunday evening at the spot where Michael Brown was killed in Ferguson.

WE WELCOME YOUR LETTERS AND E-MAILLetters should be 250 words or fewer. Please include your name, address and phone number. All letters are subject to editing. Writers usually will not be published more than once every 60 days. Additional letters are posted online at STLtoday.com/letters.

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PLATFORM • I know that my retirement will make no di� erence in its cardinal principles, that it will always fi ght

for progress and reform, never tolerate injustice or corruption, always fi ght demagogues of all parties, never belong to any party, always oppose privileged classes and public plunderers, never lack sympathy with the poor, always remain devoted to the public welfare, never be satisfi ed with merely printing news, always be drastically independent, never be afraid to attack wrong, whether by predatory plutocracy or predatory poverty • JOSEPH PULITZER • APRIL 10, 1907

SATURDAY • 08.16.2014 • A12

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The night the lights went out in Ferguson

By now everyone with a television, radio, newspaper, smartphone or access to the Internet knows of the death of young Michael “Big Mike” Brown at the hands of a Ferguson Police Department officer.

First, we must remember that Mr. Brown was only 18 at the time of his death. He was a high school graduate, with a scheduled date to begin classes at an area technical college. He was not in a gang, not a criminal and was un-armed. The Ferguson police o� cer had professional training in law enforcement techniques and tactics. Given the afore-mentioned ingredients, what should have been at best a citation ended in what many are now calling a homicide.

Ferguson is an old town. At one time it was virtually 100 percent white. Accord-ing to the most recent census, Ferguson is now 65 percent black, with a 94 per-cent white police force. Does that seem right? According to one statistic, blacks in Ferguson are pulled over by the police at more than twice the rate of blacks, yet more contraband is found in police stops of whites than of blacks. Those facts can only lead reasonable people to conclude that racial discrimination and profi ling is alive and thriving in the Ferguson Police Department.

As faith and community leaders, the Ecumenical Leadership Council is pray-ing for the strength and comfort of the family, as well as justice for Michael Brown. We are also praying for an end to the riots, looting and exploitation of this crisis by those seeking publicity. Maybe one day Ferguson’s police department will reflect the population it serves. Until then, we can expect the lights to remain out, not only in Ferguson, but also in similar communities across the state and the country.Bishop Lawrence M. Wooten • St. LouisPresident, Ecumenical Leadership Council-St. LouisState Rep. Rev. Tommie L. Pierson • St. LouisEcumenical Leadership Council-St. Louis

Commentary was infl ammatory, should have promoted a positive resolutionI am really concerned that the Post-Dispatch would print an inflammatory commentary (“A revolt against violence,” Aug. 13) like the one from Jeffrey Q. McCune Jr. I read his commentary several times trying to see if I misunderstood his message, but he makes some pretty prej-udicial statements that show his leanings when he mentions “lawless white ter-rorizing history” and he also questions doing things peacefully by noting “can peace be the instrument of change,” try-ing to justify the looting it seemed.

He refers to an old era when black people were suppressed. Well, through a� rmative action and other laws, that suppression is no longer as endemic. If Ferguson has issues and if blacks are the majority in Ferguson, then through the political system they can have their elected o� cials make sure their police department adequately represents the local populace. The black vote should insure that.

I almost expect Mr. McCune to be lead-ing the looters the way he wrote. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would be ap-palled at McCune’s stance and correctly take the path of peace, and the parents of Mike Brown advocate this as well. More can be done peacefully. If violence is en-acted, then that just reinforces bigoted views.

Mr. McCune should be ashamed of himself for not promoting a positive resolution. Let’s let the FBI do their in-vestigation, and if the o� cer needs pros-ecution then so be it.

I ask the public one question. On the exterior sign of the burned-out QuikTrip, there was “SNITCH” spray painted in large bold letters. Is this integral to the death of Mr. Brown or was this revenge for a past incident? Protesting and rioting are not the same thing.Ed Reed • Fenton

Media coverage overshadows necessary actions of protestersAs a student at Washington University and a member of the St. Louis commu-nity, I’ve been extremely disappointed with a large portion of the media’s rep-resentations and community responses to Ferguson citizens’ protest of Mike

Brown’s death. Depictions and stories of “rioting” Ferguson citizens have com-pletely distorted and overshadowed the peaceful and necessary actions of many protesters in Ferguson that are heart-broken over the death of an 18-year-old boy, and discontent with the state of their police force’s relationship to the black community.

The media’s sensationalization of ri-oting and looting in Ferguson, whether purposeful or not, takes away from the real issues of Mike Brown’s tragic death; issues the St. Louis community and the U.S. more broadly have a hard time com-ing to terms with and discussing. Police brutality, police force relationships with the black community (black men specifi -cally), violence against African-American youths, and the diversifi cation of police forces and government representatives in majority-black communities are all issues that should have a place in the dis-cussion surrounding Mike Brown’s death.

However, I continue to be let down by this community’s fixation on rioting Ferguson citizens, rather than real-life problems at hand in this city, in Mike Brown’s case, and cases like his unfolding around the country.Aubrey Richards • University City

Catholic Church had role in keeping away ’60s riots, but not todayAs a child growing up in St. Louis, I watched the news of LA, Chicago and New York City burning during the riots of the late 1960s. I remember being afraid that St. Louis would be next, but the riots did not come. Thank you for Tim O’Neil’s article reminding us of this time (“St. Louis area largely spared by civil rights-era rioting that hit other cities,” online Aug. 11).

I wonder if the role and infl uence of St. Louis Roman Catholics had some impact on those who might have been inclined to riot. I am not suggesting that Catholics were devoid of racism (I know fi rsthand we weren’t) but St. Louis had a rich his-tory of Catholics standing up publicly and forcefully for racial equality.

One of the fi rst acts of Archbishop Joseph Ritter when he was appointed to St. Louis was to desegregate the Catholic schools in 1947 and later Catholic hos-pitals. He urged priests, brothers, sisters and rank-and-fi le Catholics in the Arch-diocese to support the civil rights move-ment in the early ’60s.

And, what kind of infl uence did our

Catholic sisters in St. Louis have on keeping us from riots? Notre Dame, Josephite, Charity, Loretto sisters and others took very visible and strong posi-tions in supporting civil rights, but most important they were in our schools and neighborhoods serving both black and white people and advocating social jus-tice and equality.

We had a strong church in those days, which took unwavering and visible stands for equality and justice, unlike today with Catholic leaders who content themselves with protecting pedophiles and fi ghting basic civil rights protections for some of the most vulnerable in society. We had a church that was deeply involved in the inner city, unlike today a church that has largely abandoned it. We had a church that encouraged our sisters to speak up for social justice, unlike today when we have church leaders criticizing and casti-gating our sisters for doing just that.

Maybe that is a small reason why we did not have the riots other places did in the ’60s and we are a tinderbox today.Rick Garcia • Chicago

Educate police about Constitution, Bill of RightsIt seems pretty apparent that the police involved in Ferguson were either lacking common sense or were purposely trying to escalate the tensions there. To show up like a military brigade with tanks and automatic rifl es pointing directly at the protesters is bound to intensify the emo-tions of those being confronted by them.

Furthermore, where are the govern-ment o� cials who are responsible for the racial tensions that have burst forth? Short of imposing a curfew, on what au-thority can the police stipulate that there shall be no protests after dark? On what authority do the police have the right to fi re tear gas into citizens’ private yards?

Maybe the fi rst retraining that should occur is to educate the police on the Con-stitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights. They are showing up like thugs worthy of Putin’s Russia.Saroj Gilbert • Arcata, Calif.

Repeat messages of tolerance, for our children and ourselvesFirst, let me say how sorry I am to the parents and family of Michael Brown. I can’t image what you are feeling. And to the greater community I want to say, we can choose to remain status quo — at constant odds with the police — and hope and pray that we and our loved ones will somehow make it through or we can humble ourselves and try to fi nd recon-ciliation.

We are all of the same community, brothers and sisters of humankind. It seems, however, that when we know or think an injustice has been done to us that it is very easy to say that we, the op-pressed, should come together and fi ght for change. Those of us who have been harmed perk up our ears and prepare our minds for the battle; but battle against whom or against what? We are like Don Quixote fi ghting against windmills.

When the other side hears the speak-er’s call to action, using words like “fi ght” or “struggle against,” they often create a posture of defense and the conversation gets lost, each man goes into his prospec-tive corner to prepare for the ensuing battle, and reconciliation is o� the table. And, of course, for some of us the fi ght has disappeared altogether.

But, if a white boy and a black boy can play together as children and see no dif-ference in status or importance between each other, why is it that they can grow up and each see the other as monsters? We all have to live in this world together, so can’t we use words that bring us to-gether, like “educate” and “communi-cate.” Then shouldn’t we take the next step and do something, like re-educate ourselves as a community about how we want our neighborhoods policed — and retrain our police o� cers? Then can’t we do something about how we — includ-ing our children — want to be treated and how we treat each other, and use the schools, libraries, community cen-ters, public service announcements, and any avenues possible to speak about how to be at peace with our neighbors? Shouldn’t we repeat those messages of tolerance back to ourselves until we renew our minds, so we can fi nally over-come?Monica Early • Pittsburgh

YOUR VIEWS • LETTERS FROM OUR READERS

Short Take and Postcard from Mound City will return next week.

As an organization whose core mis-sion includes protecting freedom of the press, the American Society of News Editors is especially disturbed by the events taking place this week in Ferguson. From police physi-cally assaulting citizens engaged in peaceful protest to arresting without cause reporters from The Washing-ton Post and The Hu� ngton Post, it is clear that there is a concerted, top-down e� ort to restrict the fun-damental First Amendment rights of the public and the press.

“From the beginning of this situa-tion, the police have made conscious decisions to restrict information and images coming from Ferguson,” said ASNE President David Boardman. “Of course, these efforts largely have been unsuccessful, as the nation and the world are still seeing for themselves the heinous actions of the police. For every reporter they arrest, every image they block, every citizen they censor, another will still

write, photograph and speak.”ASNE acknowledges that there

has been illegal violence and looting by some members of the public and that law enforcement must respond appropriately. But we remind the police and the nation that speaking out in protest is not a crime, report-ing on that protest is not a crime and taking photographs of it is not a crime. Violating the civil rights of citizens by restricting these activi-ties is a crime. We further call on the U.S. Department of Justice to take any and all appropriate action to protect the First Amendment rights of everyone involved.

David Boardman • PhiladelphiaDean of the School of Media and Communication, Temple UniversityArnie Robbins • Columbia, Mo.Executive director, American Society of News EditorsFormer editor of the Post-Dispatch

Protect the rights of protesters, reporters and photographers

ROBERT COHEN • rcohen@post-dispatch.comHu� ngton Post reporter Ryan J. Reilly is arrested when police o� cers suddenly closed a Ferguson McDonald’s restaurant on West Florissant Avenue on Wednesday.

The Killing of Michael Brown