Don't know how Ferguson descalates unless police stand down or protesters get what they want

[bigtree]

Keith Boykin ?@keithboykin (CNBC contributor. MSNBC commentator. BET columnist. NY Times bestselling author. Public Speaker. Clinton White House aide. Harvard Law graduate.)52m
The front page of today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch. From my standpoint, police behavior was totally unnecessary. pic.twitter.com/0pLwAhkDwx


Keith's chronicle of events he witnessed:

Keith Boykin @keithboykin · 11h
Crowd at West Florissant and #Fergsuon standing around sort of waiting for something to happen. Helicopter still circling above.

Keith Boykin @keithboykin · 11h
Somebody removed yield sign at QuickTrip at West Florissant and Northwinds. Police tell them to put it back or subject to arrest.

Keith Boykin @keithboykin · 11h
Police truck moving in on crowd at QT in #Fergsuon.

Keith Boykin @keithboykin · 11h
Police: All members of media please separate yourself from protesters immediately. #Fergsuon

Keith Boykin @keithboykin · 11h
This is a mess.

Keith Boykin @keithboykin · 10h
These are not National Guard troops. They are St. Louis County Police in military gear. #Fergsuon



Keith Boykin @keithboykin · 10h
Protesters set up makeshift barricade. Glass thrown. Crowd runs. #Ferguson



Keith Boykin @keithboykin · 10h
Police throwing tear gas or smoke.



Keith Boykin @keithboykin · 10h
Smoke. #Ferguson



Keith Boykin @keithboykin · 10h
Eyes burning. Running away. #Ferguson

Keith Boykin @keithboykin · 10h
Safely away from tear gas now. Here's the removed sign at QT that started the scene. #Ferguson



Keith Boykin @keithboykin · 10h
Well if police were trying to disperse the crowd with tear gas, that didn't work. Everyone just moved a half block away. #Ferguson

Keith Boykin @keithboykin · 10h
More tear gas. #Ferguson

Keith Boykin @keithboykin · 9h
Saw police loading a limp body onto the back of an armored truck in front of QT 20 minutes ago. Onlookers said he was shot.

Keith Boykin @keithboykin · 9h
They said he was shot by police. I can't confirm. I only saw the body, not the incident. @obe1obryant

Keith Boykin @keithboykin · 50m
SLPD story says police were not involved in shootings. Witnesses I spoke to moments afterward said they were.



Keith Boykin @keithboykin · 34m
I just don't know how the situation de-escalatess in #Ferguson unless police stand down or protesters get what they want.

[still_one]

1. I will tell you how, you file charges against the police officer.

[BlueCaliDem]

2. Exactly! Cop or no Cop, Officer Wilson committed cold-blooded murder

and he is supposed to uphold the law, not be above it.

[NYC_SKP]

3. Police need to put away their toys and behave like the public servants that they are...

...instead of like an occupying force.

The citizens can take care of themselves, they don't need foreign terrorists coming into their neighborhood.

[justiceischeap]

4. I think had Wilson's name been released immediately, if the autopsy results had been released

immediately, I think if the Chief could have held onto that video store footage for a bit longer, I think if the police weren't being so heavy handed in their policing tactics, most of what has transpired wouldn't have.

The problem in Ferguson was created by "the powers that be" in Ferguson and their cluelessness about optics just continues to make things worse. I think Nixon and Ferguson stupidly thought that if they drop a black face in the mix (Capt. Johnson), things would calm down. What they did is further create an air of mistrust, because many of them see Johnson and some of us on DU do... a marketing ploy that isn't "selling" the product to an already angered people.

[bigtree]

5. »

[jwirr]

6. If the police had handled this protest as it should have it would be over. Instead they and the

governor treated a justifiably angry crowd as criminals and worse like enemies. Now they want the protesters to step down with no justice in sight. I do not think it is going to happen.

Last night when the police were persuaded to retreat back to their original position by community leaders things rapidly calmed down in that area of the community. You could see that the police did not like it that others could do what they were trying to do with force.

Possibly Eric Holder can convince the protesters that justice is coming but if he has nothing concrete to offer it will not stop this.

I think what is needed:

1. Bob McCallah must be replaced. Even if he can do a good job the protesters do not have any faith in him.

2. The troops (oops) need to recognize that they and their big toys and gas are part of the problem and stand back. Again the people have no faith in them. Ask the community leaders to take charge like they did last night. They did a much better job than the police did. A smaller police force should stand by so that the community leaders can ask them to remove people who need to be dealt with.

3. Someone else suggested a free speech zone and I think that is an excellent idea and it should be a ground zero. The protesters have a right to mourn.

4. Quit messing with the media - they are the only eyes into the situation we have. No more caging.

[bigtree]

7. very well stated, jwirr

. . . so, so much truth in everything you wrote.

I want to loudly echo every last word you wrote here . . . thank you for that.

[jwirr]

8. Thank you. I especially thank you for keeping us informed and supplying the live feed we need to

watch this.

Just curious - do you live in the area?