Nixon orders withdrawal of National Guard from Ferguson

Gov. Jay Nixon is ordering the Missouri National Guard to begin withdrawing from Ferguson, where nightly scenes of unrest have erupted since a white police officer fatally shot an unarmed black 18-year-old.

Nixon announced what he called a systematic withdrawal of guard officers on Thursday. He says they have effectively protected the city while other agencies worked to restore trust between law enforcement and residents.

Since the National Guard's arrival on Monday, flare-ups in the small section of town that had been the center of nightly unrest have begun to subside. The quietest night was overnight Wednesday and Thursday, when police arrested only a handful of people in the protest zone.

"The last two nights have been really good. I feel we're making progress," Nixon told KMOX-AM, noting that a state of emergency remained in effect in Ferguson.

About 100 people gathered Thursday evening, walking in laps near the spot where Michael Brown was shot. Some were in organized groups, such as clergy members. More signs reflected calls by protesters to remove the prosecutor from the case.

Since demonstrations began after the Aug. 9 shooting of Michel Brown, authorities have arrested at least 163 people in the protest area.

St. Louis County spokeswoman Candace Jarrett provided information to The Associated Press on Thursday with the name, address and birth year of each person arrested, and the charges against them.

It shows that 128 people have been arrested for failure to disperse, 21 for burglary-related charges, four for assaulting police officers. Others were charged with crimes such as trespassing, peace disturbance and destruction of private property.

Many are from communities near Ferguson, but just seven are from Ferguson.

The oldest person arrested was born in 1948.

The Associated Press