'Overkill': Images from Ferguson protest show cops treating city like a war zone
August 13, 2014
As demonstrations in Ferguson, Missouri enter their fourth night, pictures and online posts from the scene show an escalation in response from St. Louis County police.
Despite police insisting, "Your right to demonstrate is not being obstructed," they have brought at least 70 SWAT team officers and one tank to stand opposite the protesters in the street. The Huffington Post reported that state Sen. Maria Chapelle Nadal (D), who criticized the police response in an MSNBC interview on Tuesday night, was taken into custody.
This story has been updated. Please see below.
Wednesday's demonstration is the latest criticizing Ferguson and St. Louis police following the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown last Saturday.
Overkill in #Ferguson. Officer won't answer my question about why this is needed. pic.twitter.com/iSPsP1Rxa1
— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) August 13, 2014
The #STL SWAT team has weapons drawn in #Ferguson at a protest in broad daylight with media attending pic.twitter.com/z6zIVuCM6D
— FOX2now (@FOX2now) August 13, 2014
I counted 70+ SWAT officers. Guns trained on crowds. Insanity. pic.twitter.com/stev2G6v4b— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) August 13, 2014
Writer and talk show host Elon James White also posted from the scene, saying at least one more person was arrested.
St. Louis Alderman Antonio French, who has been documenting the protests, reported that police have also blocked the suburb off, while training their sniper rifles at a crowd that included a group of children chanting, "Justice for Mike Brown."
Police blocking cars from entering #Ferguson right now pic.twitter.com/e6DQpD0vmE
Children chat: "Justice for Mike Brown!" https://t.co/HejVixnnMk
— Antonio French (@AntonioFrench) August 13, 2014And both MSNBC host Chris Hayes and The Guardian reported that police are blocking and arresting media members.
Police in Ferguson currently no allowing our reporter @trymainelee to go to the camera position for our report. #inners
— Christopher Hayes (@chrislhayes) August 13, 2014Just saw two reporters in ferguson cuffed and put in cop van
— Jon Swaine (@jonswaine) August 13, 2014Update, 8:32 p.m. EST: The two journalists arrested have been identified as the Huffington Post's Ryan J. Reilly and Wesley Lowery from the Washington Post.
So @ryanjreilly and @WesleyLowery haven't tweeted since @jonswaine said he saw two journalists get arrested at the McDonald's they were in.
— Matt Pearce (@mattdpearce) August 14, 2014I just called Ferguson police chief to ask about @WesleyLowery and @ryanjreilly, told him what I knew. His response: "Oh, God."
— Matt Pearce (@mattdpearce) August 14, 2014[Image: Police officers watch as demonstrators protest the death of black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri August 12, 2014. Police said Brown, 18, was shot in a struggle with a gun in a police car but have not said why Brown was in the car. By Mario Anzuoni for Reuters]
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