About
2014 Ferguson Riots refers to a series of civil disturbances and violent demonstrations which occurred in Ferguson, Missouri in late August 2014. These riots were the result of the shooting of unarmed African American Michael Brown teenager by Ferguson police, and escalated when an autopsy for Brown was released.
Background
On August 9th, 2014, Michael Brown,[1] an eighteen-year-old African American, was fatally shot by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. Brown was unarmed at the time of the shooting. On August 10th, Jon Belmar, the police chief for St. Louis County, gave a statement explaining Brown had been shot after he assaulted a police officer and attempted to gain control of officer’s gun. On August 10th, crowd members participating in a day of vigils reportedly began looting businesses, vandalizing vehicles and antagonizing police officers. 150 riot officers were dispatched to the scene, using tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. On August 12th, protesters congregated in Clayton, Missouri demanding the criminal prosecution of the officer who shot Brown. Police used tear gas on the crowd, claiming bottles had been thrown at officers. On August 13th, journalists Ryan J. Reilly of The Huffington Post and Wesley Lowery of Washington Post were arrested while charging their phones at a McDonald’s restaurant. Later, Reilly claimed officers slammed his head into the glass and Lowery tweeted that he had been pushed into a soda machine.[3]
That evening, the @OccupyOakland Twitter feed posted a screenshot of tweets sent from Palestinian citizens provided tips on handling tear gas.
On August 14th, Redditor kevan submitted a photograph of police officers in Ferguson purportedly tear gassing press and dismantling their equipment to the /r/pics[2] subreddit (shown below). In the first six hours, the post garnered upwards of 5,500 votes (95% upvoted).
Development
After a few days of relative calm and peace following the appointment of Missouri highway patrol Captain Ron Johnson to head police efforts in Ferguson,[11] violence escalated on August 17th, 2014, in the evening, with the police reporting the next morning that violent protestors had thrown rocks at the police.
The escalation of violence was seen as result of the release of a private autopsy on Brown that day which revealed he had been shot six times, including twice in the head.
The Ferguson public school year,[10] originally scheduled to start the week of the 11th, was also cancelled on August 18th, following the riots and raids. On August 18th, the governor of Missouri Jay Nixon ordered the National guard to Ferguson to temper any further violence.
Water Canon Vine
On August 19th, Vine user Joseph Solis[5] uploaded a clip of CNN’s coverage of the riots which features anchor Rosemary Church[6] suggesting the police use water canons on the protestors, while her co-anchor Errol Barnett gives her an incredulous look. This suggestion came off as offensive seeing as the police actions in Ferguson have increased racial tension and water canons were famously historically used during desegregation protests in the 1960s. The Vine was posted to Reddit’s r/videos subreddit[7] the same day. The clip was also covered by several websites the same day including UpRoxx and Buzzfeed.[8]
External References
[1]New York Times – Grief and Protests Follow Shooting of a Teenager
[2]Reddit – This needs attention
[3]Huffington Post – Huffington Post Reporter Arrested In Ferguson
[4]New York Times – "Huffington Post Reporter Arrested In Ferguson":National Guard Troops Fail to Quell Unrest in Ferguson
[5]Vine – Joseph Solis
[6]UpRoxx – A CNN Anchor Actually Suggested Police Use Water Cannons On Protesters In Ferguson
[7]Reddit – CNN anchor asks “why not use water cannon” against Ferguson protesters; black co-anchor is like Dafuq?
[8]Buzzfeed – CNN Anchor Suggests Using Water Cannons On Ferguson Protestors
[10]NPR– More Mayhem In Ferguson: Tear Gas, Riot Gear, Gunshots
[11]Mashable – Ferguson’s New Leader Becomes a Hometown Hero Overnight