Protesters upset over the death of a convicted criminal while he had been resisting arrest and another who attempted to take a police officer’s gun to shoot him blocked a California highway for hours Monday night.
The protesters had been marching through Berkeley in a mostly peaceful protest although some businesses suffered broken storefront windows. After a short time, the protesters jumped a fence and blocked Interstate 80.
The protesters continued to block the highway despite a heavy police presence forcing police to stop traffic on the highway for the safety of the protesters.
The protesters were shouting, “Shut it down for Michael Brown.”
The protesters also forced an Amtrak train to stop. The California Highway Patrol said they arrested over 150 protesters on a variety of charges.
Despite the damage and delays caused to others not connected to the Michael Brown or Eric Garner situations, protesters continued to insist the protests were only peaceful.
“I want to tell you this is a peaceful protest,” said Nisa Dang, an African-American student at U.C. Berkeley. “I want to also say this is a protest for black students, for black bodies. If they want to take the lead, let them take the lead.”
Berkeley’s mayor told the New York Times he was disappointed in the protests.
“It’s ironic that the place with probably the strongest supporters is being trashed,” said Tom Bates. “What we have are a lot of people who are outside agitators who want to disrupt and cause violence with the police.”
“[I am] totally devastated and disappointed,” Bates added. “What could have been peaceful deteriorated into people attacking the police and doing damage.”
A 23-year-old St. Louis man is gaining attention for obeying what he says was instructions from God to clean up Ferguson.
Terrance Williams aspires to become a police officer. He said he was watching the riots on television and praying about the situation. Heartbroken, he cried out to God asking what he could do about it.
“My heart just began to cry out to God, and I just asked Him, ‘What can I do? What can Terrance do to go out there and make a difference?’” he told the Daily Signal. “Later that night, the Lord just put it on my heart, ‘Son, I want you to go out there and I want you to clean up.’”
“Originally, I was going to start at 9 o’clock and it hit 6:30, and my heart just began to [seem to say], ‘Get up! Get up! Get up!’” he explained. “And I got up at 6:30, and I went to the store. I bought some bags and a pair of gloves, and I just put my green boots to the ground and just began to walk and do what God put on my heart to do.”
Williams said that he’s been out working on the streets to clean up and people have been walking up to volunteer to join the effort. People from all walks of life have joined together to bring hope out of the hate.
“It’s not just about white or black,” Williams stated. “It’s about all walks of life. I met people who wanted to shake my hand just to say thank you for cleaning up. I’ve met business owners that expressed to me how they felt… It’s just been an awesome experience and it’s just been amazing.”
Williams says at the end, all he cares about is whether or not what he is doing pleases the Lord.
A member of the NFL’s New Orleans Saints is causing a bit of a stir in the wake of the Ferguson riots by saying the situation is not a problem of race.
Benjamin Watson, a tight end for the Saints, says the problem is sin.
Watson said he was sympathetic to the family and friends of Michael Brown and since he wasn’t there he can’t say exactly what happened but that ultimately the problem is our fallen world.
“I’M ENCOURAGED, because ultimately the problem is not a SKIN problem, it is a SIN problem. SIN is the reason we rebel against authority. SIN is the reason we abuse our authority. SIN is the reason we are racist, prejudiced and lie to cover for our own. SIN is the reason we riot, loot and burn,” wrote Watson.
“BUT I’M ENCOURAGED because God has provided a solution for sin through his son Jesus and with it, a transformed heart and mind. One that’s capable of looking past the outward and seeing what’s truly important in every human being. The cure for the Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice and Eric Garner tragedies is not education or exposure. It’s the Gospel. So, finally, I’M ENCOURAGED because the Gospel gives mankind hope.”
Watson has repeated his stance on various networks including CNN, which cut him off when he began talking about Jesus. The moment Watson said Jesus died for our sins, the CNN feed from Watson cut off and the network claimed they lost the feed.
Two men have been arrested by St. Louis police in connection with a plot to bomb the Gateway Arch and assassinate two figures in the Michael Brown case.
Brandon Orlando Baldwin and Olajuwon Ali Davis were indicted on federal weapons charges and more charges are expected against the duo.
Police did not say in their indictment if the men had the capability to carry out their plans. They bought what they believed to be a pipe bomb from an undercover officer and made arrangements to buy more for the attack on the Arch.
The men said they had to delay the purchase of more bombs because money had not been transferred onto his girlfriend’s welfare card.
They also planned to kill St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch and also the Ferguson Police Chief for their roles in the Michael Brown situation.
“This particular case involves serious issues, especially in light of the Ferguson matter. My client is entitled to a patient analysis and due process like anybody else, and he looks forward to a vigorous defense,” Davis’ attorney John Lynch told the St. Louis Post Dispatch.
Rioters burned down multiple businesses and destroyed property throughout the night after hearing the grand jury’s findings that Michael Brown charged at Officer Darren Wilson resulting in the officer’s actions being justified.
KMOV-TV reported that the majority of the businesses that were destroyed by the looters were minority owned.
A large block of businesses on West Florissant Avenue were burned to the ground including Walgreens, Little Caesars Pizza, Title Max, Family Dollar, Autozone and O’Reilly Auto Parts.
Fire department officials say at one point last night there were so many fires started by the supporters of the Brown family that they did not have enough manpower and equipment to fight them all.
The rioters were shooting so much that the Federal Aviation Administration put in place a temporary ban for aircraft over the area out of fear they would be struck. Flights into the St. Louis Airport had to be diverted around the area.
Police reports say 80 people were arrested as a result of the riots.
The grand jury in St. Louis County Missouri has issued no indictments in the case of officer Darren Wilson.
The grand jury made up of nine whites and three blacks examined every piece of evidence collected by the local, state and federal investigators. They heard hours of testimony and were able to ask direct questions of those involved including officer Wilson.
The evidence showed the claims of supporters of Michael Brown did not know the facts of the case.
One witness said Brown charged at officer Darren Wilson in a manner that was “like a football player. Head down.”
Wilson said that Brown attempted to grab his gun while the officer sat inside his cruiser. When the officer fired a round through his car window in an attempt to back off Brown, the 18-year-old showed an “aggressive” posture.
“The only way I can describe it, it looks like a demon, that’s how angry he looked,” Wilson told the grand jury. “He comes back toward me again with his hands up.”
“Just coming straight at me like he was going to run right through me,” Wilson said. “And when he gets about … 8 to 10 feet away … all I see is his head and that’s what I shot.”
The Justice Department says their investigation against Officer Wilson is still open and no decision has been made regarding charges.
Missouri’s governor is preparing for violence in the wake of the release of a grand jury’s decision on the Michael Brown case by deploying the National Guard and declaring a State of Emergency.
Governor Jay Nixon said the troops would only play “a backup role to police” in response to protesters breaking the law if they are dissatisfied with the grand jury’s actions.
Police in Ferguson had been criticized for their response to the violent protests following the death of Brown because some felt they acted in a too “militarized” manner.
St. Louis aldermen were upset about the declaration of the governor.
“The National Guard is called in when policing has failed. Military presence in my city will mark a historic failure on the part of (government),” Antonio French, a St. Louis alderman, said on Twitter. “This is not a war. There is no military solution.”
St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay said the city’s police force will handle any issues and that they will wear normal police attire unless “conditions become violent.”
A Missouri church is stepping up to help residents of Ferguson, Missouri whose businesses and homes were damaged or destroyed by looters in the wake of the Michael Brown situation.
The Episcopal Church said it will provide $40,000 in grants to help those in need.
“This joint effort helps restock food pantry shelves to feed the hungry today, but it also provides nutritional counseling and food preparation education for a more healthy future,” said Bishop Stacy Sauls. “… it helps local businesses get back on their feet, but it also partners with public and private groups to encourage entrepreneurship and sustainability; it provides a mechanism to deliver food and other assistance to shut-ins, but it does so by offering skills training to young adults and older youth that will help improve their lives for years to come.”
The Reverend Michael Dunnington of All Saints Episcopal Church told the Christian posts that he sees the grants helping multiple parts of the community.
“I think that this grant will go a long way to show the residents of Ferguson that the Episcopal Church cares about the immediate effects of the August troubles, and that we are interested in addressing longer-term needs in their community,” he told the Christian Post.
Dunnington added while protests are continuing in the town, they have been peaceful and not lead to further destruction.
