Missouri Governor: 'Police Prepared for Response to Grand Jury Decision on Ferguson Shooting' — Why Didn't He Work That Hard On Getting Justice?

Instead of appointing a special prosecutor, Governor Jay Nixon allowed a local hack to bring the case to the Ferguson grand jury.  During the grand jury proceedings, that prosecutor leaked defamatory information to the press about police shooting victim Michael Brown.  What kind of 'case' do you think a corrupt prosecutor like that would present to the grand jury?—Ronald David Jackson

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon. (Photo by Bernard Pollack)

By Mark Berman
As the grand jury decision looms regarding the August shooting of Michael Brown, an announcement that will likely be followed by renewed protests on Ferguson’s streets, authorities said they want to allow people to protest peacefully but stressed that they were preparing to respond to any violence.

“Our dual pillars here are safety and speech,” Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (D) said during a news conference Tuesday afternoon.

Nixon said that law enforcement officers have extensively prepared for the response to the grand jury decision. State and local agencies would coordinate through a unified command, with the Missouri National Guard remaining available as a “contingency plan” if necessary, he said.

St. Louis County Persecutor Bob McCulloch: Instead of presenting
a real case for the prosecution of the killer cop who murdered Michael
Brown, he spent his time leaking secret autopsy information to the
media.

A grand jury in St. Louis County is deciding whether to charge Darren Wilson, a Ferguson police officer, for shooting and killing Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old. The shooting on Aug. 9 sparked a series of heated protests that eventually garnered international attention as throngs of angry protesters faced off each night with heavily armed police officers wielding tear gas. The police response was criticized, with President Obama calling the scenes disturbing and Attorney General Eric Holder expressing concerns regarding the use of military equipment.

The National Guard was eventually called on as the nightly clashes persisted, one of several steps that Nixon took to try and stave off additional unrest. In the days after Brown’s death, Nixon announced a curfew (which was dropped two days later) and put the Missouri Highway Patrol in charge of securing Ferguson.

RELATED STORY: Autopsy Findings Leaked By Ferguson Prosecutor Was 'Taken Out of Context' and 'Misquoted'- Says Expert Who Did The Autopsy (Video)

While Nixon discussed the importance of letting people protest peacefully and said Tuesday that most people who planned to protest were going to be respectful, his introductory remarks heavily focused on maintaining order during the expected response. Nixon said that his primary job is ensuring public safety and said peaceful protests in the days after Brown’s death “were marred by senseless acts of violence and destruction,” pointing to fires that were set and gunshots fired during the unrest.

Read More