Governor orders Ferguson curfew, declares state of emergency

Police fired multiple smoke canisters into a group of defiant protesters in a St. Louis suburb where a black teen had been shot by a white police officer while walking down the street.

Hundreds of other protesters left peacefully before the midnight to 5 a.m. deadline took effect in Ferguson, Missouri, early this morning.

The curfew was ordered Saturday by Gov. Jay Nixon as he declared a state of emergency in Ferguson – the site where 18-year-old Michael Brown was killed by a white police officer.

As the curfew approached, New Black Panther Party leader Malik Shabazz roamed the street with a bullhorn, encouraging people to leave for their own safety. Many appeared to follow his suggestion.

But remaining protesters – chanting “No justice! No curfew!” – refused to leave the area. As five armored tactical vehicles approached the crowd, officers spoke through a loudspeaker: “You are in violation of a state-imposed curfew. You must disperse immediately. Failure to comply, may result in arrest.”

As officers put on gas masks, a chant from the distant crowd emerged: “We have the right to assemble peacefully.”

Despite heavy rainfall and lightning, hundreds of protesters had gathered Saturday night at a busy thoroughfare that has been the site of previous clashes with police. Scores of officers, a much more visible presence than the night before, stood watch – including some with shields.

In announcing the curfew, Nixon said that though many protesters were making themselves heard peacefully, the state would not allow looters to endanger the community where 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot in a street.

“I am committed to making sure the forces of peace and justice prevail,” Nixon said during a news conference at a church that was interrupted repeatedly by people objecting to the curfew and demanding that the officer who shot Brown be charged with murder.

“We must first have and maintain peace. This is a test. The eyes of the world are watching,” Nixon said. “We cannot allow the ill will of the few to undermine the good will of the many.”

State statute gives the governor broad powers when he declares a state of emergency, but he hasn’t indicated that he plans to do anything other than imposing the curfew and empowering the state highway patrol to enforce it.

Darrell Alexander, 57, a registered nurse from nearby Florissant, Missouri, worried Saturday night that the curfew might spur anger and more violence.

“I think it’s an antagonistic decision to not allow people to express their freedom of speech. It’s an overreaction,” he said.

Nixon’s curfew announcement came after tensions again flared in Ferguson late Friday night. Earlier that day, local police identified the officer who shot Brown as Darren Wilson and released documents and video footage alleging that Brown had robbed a convenience store just before he was shot. Police said Wilson was unaware Brown was a suspect when he encountered him walking in the street with a friend.

Missouri State Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson, who is in charge of security in Ferguson, said 40 FBI agents were going door-to-door in the neighborhood starting Saturday, talking to people who might have seen or have information about the shooting.

Nixon and Johnson were flanked by numerous local elected officials at the news conference. But they were interrupted repeatedly.

“Why is the focus on security and not getting justice? Why is there not an arrest?” one women yelled.

On Saturday, some residents said it appeared the violent acts were being committed by people who came from other suburbs or states.

“Who would burn down their own backyard?” asked Rebecca McCloud, a local who works with the Sonshine Baptist Church in St. Louis.

“These people aren’t from here. They came to burn down our city and leave.”