Ferguson Curfew Fuels New Round of Violence

Governor: Militarized Police 'A Little Aggressive'

A brief calm returned to Ferguson with the replacement of police by highway patrol forces, but came roaring back over the weekend with the institution of a broad curfew, banning protesters from the streets at night.

The imposition of the curfew meant the return of military vehicles to the streets, mass firing of tear gas on crowds, and shot at least one person, who was critically wounded.

The lessons of Ferguson last week, and how military-style crackdowns on dissent only make the rallies bigger, appears to have been lost on police officials, who promised to not only continue the crackdown, but to maintain the curfew indefinitely.

Governor Jay Nixon, who ordered the curfew, offered mild criticism for the brutality of the police, saying there were times when they were “a little aggressive.”

Many in Congress were a lot more critical of the crackdown, with Rep. Lacy Clay (D – MO), the local representative, saying having “a military police force facing down innocent protesters with sniper rifles and machine guns is totally unacceptable in America.”

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.