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 The atmosphere was charged from the opening minutes as members of
a largely black audience that numbered in the hundreds shouted over
remarks by city council members, rising out of their seats and
chanting in solidarity.
Crowd members had to pass through metal detectors and security
guards to attend the council meeting, held at an area church. Some
wore T-shirts emblazoned with the slogan "Hands Up Don't Shoot," a
phrase that has become a national rallying cry for activists
protesting the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown, and other acts of
what they say are police abuse.
As council leaders attempted to discuss routine city business, one
man shouted: "What about Mike Brown?"
Tensions have been high in the mostly black community of 21,000
people since the Aug. 9 shooting of Brown. Protesters are demanding
the arrest of the officer who shot Brown, as well as the ouster of
Mayor James Knowles III and Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson.
Council members warned the audience at the beginning of the meeting
that though they would take public comments, council members would
not answer questions, a declaration that angered the audience as the
council sat largely silent as long lines of speakers issued demands
and asked for answers.
The meeting came the day after a public relations firm representing
the council announced a series of programs the council said should
help reduce community concerns, including formation of a citizens'
review board to help improve law enforcement operations.
The council also said it was introducing an ordinance to reduce
fines and other penalties levied in municipal court that many have
alleged unfairly target blacks.
Many in the community said the proposals lacked crucial details and
did not go far enough.
City and county officials have been under fire since the shooting of
Brown by officer Darren Wilson spiraled into nightly protests and
sometimes violent rioting in Ferguson. Missouri Governor Jay Nixon
declared a state of emergency for the city, and sent in National
Guard troops to try to quell the unrest.
In one particularly heated exchange at the council meeting, several
people rushed toward the stage after the council refused to answer a
question about whether Wilson was still on the city payroll.
Security workers held the angry crowd back and church leaders urged
calm and helped to persuade them to return to their seats.
Wild applause rang out from the crowd as people addressing the
council called on Knowles to step down, and complained of
ineffective city leadership, police harassment and racial profiling,
among other grievances. Several also said that the police chief must
be fired. Many warned that civil unrest would continue, and could
expand if Wilson was not arrested.
"We are not going back to business as usual. We are holding you
accountable," 29-year-old Ashley Yates told the council.
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When the city council ended the meeting after three hours, many
audience members were still lined up for a turn to speak. As city
council members exited the room, several angry audience members who
attempted to make their way onto the stage were turned back by
security guards. CALLS FOR OFFICER'S ARREST
Many speakers on Tuesday night said the circumstances of Brown's
death demanded action against the officer.
Some witnesses have reported that the unarmed teenager had his hands
in the air in surrender when Wilson shot him. Both witnesses and
police have said there was an altercation between Brown and the
officer that began when Wilson asked Brown and a friend to move out
of a street they were walking down in a residential neighborhood.
Police said Brown struggled with Wilson before the shooting. An
autopsy showed the teenager was shot at least six times, including
twice in the head.
Wilson has been placed on paid administrative leave and has gone
into hiding, as the county prosecutor presents evidence to a grand
jury to determine if any charges are filed.
At a news conference on Tuesday, Brown's parents, the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People and other groups
repeated their calls for Wilson to be arrested immediately, saying
there was no reason to wait for a grand jury to review the evidence.
The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the shooting and
also looking into accusations of racial profiling by Ferguson
police.
Protests have continued in Ferguson and across the country over what
demonstrators say is a long history of police intimidation and abuse
of blacks in the St. Louis area and other U.S. cities.
A group called the Justice for Michael Brown Leadership Coalition
said it was planning to block a major highway that runs through St.
Louis on Wednesday.
(Reporting by Carey Gillam; Additional reporting by Jason McLure;
Writing by Fiona Ortiz, Carey Gillam, and Eric M. Johnson; Editing
by Cynthia Osterman, Peter Cooney and Jeremy Laurence)
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