U.S.
The return of an armed militia group to the streets of Ferguson on Tuesday night drew criticism from the dwindling number of protesters and the county police chief watching the ongoing demonstrations marking the first anniversary of 18-year-old Michael Brown's shooting death.
St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said the overnight presence of the Oath Keepers, wearing camouflage bulletproof vests and openly carrying rifles and pistols on West Florissant Avenue, the hub of marches and protests for the past several days, was “both unnecessary and inflammatory.”
The crowd of around 100 demonstrators was mostly calm and peaceful. Occasionally a few people would march or start a chant, but they spent most of several hours milling around and chatting with one another.
Larry Miller, 58, organizer of the protest group Ferguson Freedom Fighters, said it was clear the latest round of demonstrations were dying down. He wasn't convinced much was accomplished.
“We already know what needs to be happening is not happening,” Miller said. “We're still bothered over the killing of Mike Brown because we still need police reform, criminal justice system reform.”
A tense moment Tuesday came when a couple dozen people briefly blocked traffic. But several officers in riot gear, along with St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar, quickly moved to break it up.
Police said they made no arrests. Overall, it was a far cry from the violence and tension that marred the previous two nights. County Executive Steve Stenger said the state of emergency declared Monday could be lifted as soon as Wednesday.
The Oath Keepers returned after St. Louis County police earlier released surveillance video footage on that they say shows an 18-year-old black suspect who was critically wounded by police in Ferguson, minutes before he fired a gun at plainclothes officers.
Tyrone Harris Jr. was shot late Sunday after police say he opened fire on an unmarked police van.
The 13-second video taken from a surveillance camera at an insurance agency shows a group of people milling about during Sunday night's protests marking the one-year anniversary of the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, by a white police officer.
During the video, shots are fired and a young man can be seen brandishing what looks like a pistol.
“The video shows Harris grab a handgun out of his waistband once shots are fired during the protest in the West Florissant corridor,” according to St. Louis County Police.
Harris was in critical condition Monday at a St. Louis hospital. County police and Barnes-Jewish Hospital were unable to provide updates on his condition Tuesday.
Harris' father disputed the police account Monday.
“He was running for his … life because someone was shooting at him,” Tyrone Harris, Sr. told Reuters in a telephone interview from his St. Louis-area home before the video was released.
Tyrone Harris Jr. has been charged with 10 felonies — five counts of armed criminal action, four counts of first-degree assault on a law enforcement officer and a firearms charge. Bond for Harris was set at $250,000.
Online court records show that Tyrone Harris Jr. was charged in November with stealing a motor vehicle and a gun, as well as resisting arrest by fleeing. A court hearing in that case is scheduled for Aug. 31.
A state of emergency that was declared on Monday for the Ferguson area was still in effect on Tuesday. Protesters have been marching and staging acts of civil disobedience to mark the anniversary of the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown.
Brown's death was one in a series of police killings of unarmed black men in U.S. cities including New York, Baltimore, North Charleston, South Carolina and Cincinnati that renewed the debate on race and justice and led to the "Black Lives Matter" movement.
About 100 protesters gathered along West Florissant Avenue in Ferguson late Tuesday in a demonstration that was decidedly smaller and calmer than others held on recent nights.
Attendees mostly mingled quietly along the side of the road. Some chanted, and a few held signs. Police officers, most wearing riot gear, appeared to outnumber protesters, who numbered just a few dozen by midnight.
City officials said they believed that the unrest which has surrounded the anniversary of the Aug. 9, 2014 death of unarmed black teen Michael Brown at the hands of a white police officer was coming to a close.
Brian Fletcher, a former mayor of Ferguson who is now on the city council, said he thought that violence the city has seen over the past year was coming to an end.
“If this is the worst that's going to happen, then we'll survive,” said Fletcher, standing in the "I Love Ferguson" store he opened in October to raise money for city businesses and institutions that were damaged in riots last year.
The Oath Keepers at Tuesday's protests did not carry the long rifles they had earlier in the week, though they did have pistols.
While one member was being interviewed by media, several protesters gathered around and chanted loud enough to drown him out briefly. Later, several Oath Keepers and protesters began arguing, but eventually shouting gave way to conversation, and the group parted ways with a pat on the back.
John Karriman, an Oath Keepers leader from southwest Missouri, said members plan to remain in Ferguson at least through the end of the week.
Belmar said the de-escalation over the past two nights was largely due to police work that has been learned in Ferguson since last August.
Sunday night's violence included a drive-by shooting and several instances of rocks and bottles being hurled at police.
Rallies over the past few days have been mostly peaceful, but late on Monday police carrying shields rushed a crowd of protesters prompting many to run. Protesters who were arrested were suspected of throwing bottles of frozen water and rocks at police and other offenses, according to the St. Louis County Police Department.
The Oath Keepers, adding to the tension, police said. The group describes itself as an association of current and former U.S. soldiers and police who aim to protect the U.S. Constitution. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a non-profit civil rights organization, has described the Oath Keepers as a "fiercely anti-government, militaristic group." The SPLC does not consider Oath Keepers a hate group.
Wire services
St. Louis police condemn armed group, fearing their presence will stoke further instability
About two dozen arrested Monday night; declaration made after unrest at events for anniversary of Michael Brown’s death
Crisis-hit Ferguson looks back, on the anniversary of the killing, as tensions still simmer
After the Justice Department criticized its practices, Ferguson’s municipal court may be a model for rapid reform
Residents, government officials and business owners on Ferguson one year after Brown’s killing. Diane Eastabrook reports
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