Monday, August 18, 2014

Why bring National Guard to Ferguson?

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(CNN) -- By calling National Guard troops into Ferguson, Missouri, authorities are taking the situation "to the opposite extreme of community policing," a former FBI assistant director says.
Tom Fuentes, a CNN law enforcement analyst, notes that just a few days ago, authorities were out on the streets shaking hands with marchers. Capt. Ron Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol "was like Gandhi, promising to ensure their safety," Fuentes said.
But growing violence -- amid protests over the shooting death of unarmed teen Michael Brown by a police officer -- changed the situation.
"Given these deliberate, coordinated and intensifying violent attacks on lives and property in Ferguson, I am directing the highly capable men and women of the Missouri National Guard ... in restoring peace and order to this community," Gov. Jay Nixon said in a statement Monday.
Police in riot gear watch protesters in Ferguson, Missouri, on Wednesday.
Police in riot gear watch protesters in Ferguson, Missouri, on Wednesday.
Police in the Ferguson area, just like many all over the country, have military equipment, which they used last week. So why bring in the Guard at all?

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