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National Guard Troops Deployed in Ferguson as Police Threaten to Shoot Journalists.
Nick Bernabe | The Anti-Media
National Guard troops have been ordered to Ferguson, MO, after two nights of mandatory curfew were ignored by protesters and rioters following the officer involved shooting death of teenager Mike Brown. Image credit: DVIDSHUB
What looked like a deescalation only a few days ago following the transfer of police activities to the state Highway Patrol, new footage and evidence surrounding the shooting has pushed tensions to new heights.
New autopsy reports show that Mike Brown was shot from a distance several times in the front, with the deadly shot hitting him in the the top of the head. This new evidence seems to corroborate witness testimony given to the media claiming that Brown was not a direct threat to the officer’s safety when he was shot.
After a night of calm, the protests grew more aggressive in nature, leading to riots happening for the last two nights in a row; with more militarization of police being shown in full force. Last night, August 17th, tear gas, armored vehicles, flash bang grenades, rubber bullets, and crowd dispersing sound weapons were once again used on protesters who disobeyed the curfew. Conflicting accounts by police and protesters of Molotov cocktails have been reported. Protesters say that there were not such weapons, and that police claimed there was in order to crack down on the protests.
In response to this escalation, Governor Nixon has ordered the National Guard to Ferguson to suppress this rebellion in the small town, which may lead to an even greater amount of human rights abuses and violations of the 1st amendment. As more militarization of this conflict pours in, it’s likely that tensions will escalate further and that more violence will occur. Activists are expecting a near-martial law situation on the ground in Ferguson tonight.
Related:The World is Waking Up to the Dangers of the Militarized Police State
Journalists on the scene captured intense moments where a police officer even threatened to shoot a reporter while aiming a rifle at his head. Watch the video below:
Much of the press is now confined to a “free speech zone”, with reporters facing arrest or worse if they leave the area.
Last night it was particularly difficult to find live streaming coverage from within the protest areas leading to accusations of press censorship and even accusations of internet censorship in Ferguson. A “no-fly zone” set up by the FAA is still in effect as of now, so no news drones or helicopters are able to capture video of the actual protests.
Related: Nobody Cares if the Media Calls Mike Brown a Thug… And here’s why
The Governor has lifted the mandatory curfew for now.
We will be covering these events in-depth on our radio show tonight with guests calling in from the ground in Ferguson. Our show is live at 8 pm PST/11 pm EST, you can listen online at www.UCY.tv/TAMR
This article is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Nick Bernabe and TheAntiMedia.org. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to receive our latest articles.
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Police advance through a cloud of tear gas toward demonstrators protesting the killing of teenager Michael Brown on August 17, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. (AFP Photo / Getty~~ Images / Scott Olson)
‘Get the f*** out of here!’ Ferguson cops threaten to shoot, mace reporters.
As tensions continue to mount in Ferguson, police officers were captured on video threatening to shoot one journalist and mace another. Other reporters allege they were arrested while covering the protests.
Shortly before midnight Sunday, a police officer was recorded on video giving a reporter a verbal dressing down for flashing a light from a video camera into the officer’s face.
LIVE UPDATES: Militarized US police face off against Ferguson protesters
“Get down, get the f*** out of here and get that light off, or you’re getting shot with this,” the officer could be heard yelling at Mustafa Hussein, a reporter from KARG Argus Radio.
When Hussein demands to know the name of the threatening officer, he is told by another officer, who only identifies himself as “Captain Todd,” that the reporters should keep their camera lights away from the police. The identity of the police officer who allegedly aimed a gun at Hussein is never revealed.
Police in Ferguson appear to be very much on edge following over a week of thousands of people coming out onto the streets demanding answers over the death of black teenager Michael Brown, who was reportedly shot at least six times by white officer Darren Wilson on August 9.
In another incident on Sunday night, MSNBC’s Chris Hayes was delivering a live report when a police officer is heard yelling:
“MEDIA, DO NOT PASS US, YOU’RE GETTING MACED THE NEXT TIME YOU PASS US”
Neil Munshi, a reporter for the Financial Times, wrote on Twitter that he was told to leave a parking lot being used as a staging area. As he was moving to leave, he was handcuffed and briefly detained.
Earlier, Wesley Lowery, of the Washington Post, and Ryan Reilly, of the Huffington Post, told AP they were working from a fast-food outlet when police entered the premises, demanding they leave. As Reilly attempted to photograph the incident, the police demanded his ID, and he declined the request, as is every individual’s legal right. The officers detained him, the Huffington Post said in a statement, “for not packing up fast enough.”
Press freedom? Police target media, arrest and teargas reporters at Ferguson protests
The Huffington Post noted that, according to Reilly, who reported from the notorious Guantanamo Bay military prison, “police resembled soldiers more than officers,” and treated those inside the restaurant as “enemy combatants.”
The Huffington Post condemned “the false arrest and the militant aggression towards the journalists,” saying that police militarization has become “among the most consequential and unnoticed development of our time, and is beginning to affect press freedom.”
