Missouri’s governor is preparing for violence in the wake of the release of a grand jury’s decision on the Michael Brown case by deploying the National Guard and declaring a State of Emergency.
Governor Jay Nixon said the troops would only play “a backup role to police” in response to protesters breaking the law if they are dissatisfied with the grand jury’s actions.
Police in Ferguson had been criticized for their response to the violent protests following the death of Brown because some felt they acted in a too “militarized” manner.
St. Louis aldermen were upset about the declaration of the governor.
“The National Guard is called in when policing has failed. Military presence in my city will mark a historic failure on the part of (government),” Antonio French, a St. Louis alderman, said on Twitter. “This is not a war. There is no military solution.”
St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay said the city’s police force will handle any issues and that they will wear normal police attire unless “conditions become violent.”
A Missouri church is stepping up to help residents of Ferguson, Missouri whose businesses and homes were damaged or destroyed by looters in the wake of the Michael Brown situation.
The Episcopal Church said it will provide $40,000 in grants to help those in need.
“This joint effort helps restock food pantry shelves to feed the hungry today, but it also provides nutritional counseling and food preparation education for a more healthy future,” said Bishop Stacy Sauls. “… it helps local businesses get back on their feet, but it also partners with public and private groups to encourage entrepreneurship and sustainability; it provides a mechanism to deliver food and other assistance to shut-ins, but it does so by offering skills training to young adults and older youth that will help improve their lives for years to come.”
The Reverend Michael Dunnington of All Saints Episcopal Church told the Christian posts that he sees the grants helping multiple parts of the community.
“I think that this grant will go a long way to show the residents of Ferguson that the Episcopal Church cares about the immediate effects of the August troubles, and that we are interested in addressing longer-term needs in their community,” he told the Christian Post.
Dunnington added while protests are continuing in the town, they have been peaceful and not lead to further destruction.
In an attempt to quell the violent protests that have rocked the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, Missouri, police have now named the officer involved in the shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown.
Officer Darren Wilson, a six-year member of the force, has been removed from duty with pay and he & this family evacuated to an unknown location because of fear the same people who sparked the violent rioting would attack him. Governor Jay Nixon said the family would be under 24-hour protection.
“I was pleased to hear the chief indicate this would be a day in which, finally, that initial name would come out, and we’ll work to make sure that his family [is safe] and there’s security around that,” Nixon told ABC News. “I think those kinds of concrete steps of transparency leading to justice are vitally important now to heal the old wounds that have been made a fresh by this difficult and horrific situation.”
Police noted that Officer Wilson has been treated for an injury that was sustained on the night he shot Brown. Witnesses had been trying to claim that Brown had done nothing wrong.
Police also handed out a report to those attending the press conference showing that Brown was a suspect in a “strong arm” robbery that had taken place in the area not long before the shooting incident.
The partial results in India’s national election shows a major landslide victory for opposition leader Narendra Modi, making him the country’s next prime minister.
The election results are causing international observers to be concerned about the future security of the nation as the country’s 138 million Muslims see Modi as an enemy.
Modi, a Hindu nationalist, reportedly was a leader in a region of the country where a 2005 riot led to the deaths of many Muslims. Islamic leaders in the country say that Modi did not do enough to stop the violence and have sworn to do all they can to undermine Modi.
The results seem to show that the BJP party will have total control of the parliament, the first time one party will have complete control without building a coalition since 1984 following the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
India is on the verge of becoming a major world power as many young India residents are taking their experience with technology and beginning their own tech corporations. The younger residents are also more westernized and then to look at Europe and the U.S. for their inspirations, which will cause disruptions in India’s traditional culture.
Thousands of Venezuelan citizens attempted to have an “empty pots march” to the country’s food ministry Saturday in protest of chronic food shortages when military troops forced them to disburse at gunpoint.
The move by the military is the latest effort by the Maduro government to stop public opposition to his government.
Activists said over 5,000 people banged pots and blew horns as they marched toward the capital with banners pointing out massive shortages of flour, milk and toilet paper. In addition to the capital, similar protests were held in five other cities.
“There’s nothing to buy,” one of the marchers told The Guardian newspaper. “You can only buy what the government lets enter the country because everything is imported. There is no beef. There is no chicken.”
The food protests are the latest outcries against the Maduro government, which has allowed 56 percent inflation to remain unchecked and has done little to lower one of the world’s highest murder rates.
Officials with the Maduro government say that no protests are actually started by native Venezuelans, but are rather efforts of the United States, Panama and other nations to undermine the country’s socialist leadership.
Just five days after Super Typhoon Haiyan ripped through the Philippines, panic is beginning to set in among residents of Tacloban and other destroyed villages.
Eight people were crushed to death when a crowd stormed a rice warehouse near Tacloban. More than 100,000 bags of rice were stolen by the mob before police and military troops were able to quell the riot.
Residents in parts of Tacloban were also digging up underground pipes and smashing them open to find water.
The official death toll continues to climb and stood at 2,275 as of Thursday morning. United Nations workers on the ground are expecting the total to climb significantly despite the Philippine president announcing that only a few thousand likely died in the storm rather than earlier estimates of tens of thousands.
U.S. military personnel have been evacuating people from Tacloban to Manila for medical treatment. Soldiers reported seeing roads with bodies lined up for miles awaiting the government to pick them up for burial.
Nine people were killed during a series of protests lead by the Muslim Brotherhood. Local officials say that most of the dead were killed at a sit-in near Cairo University.
The pro-Morsi demonstrators were supporting claims by Morsi’s family that he had been abducted by the military. Morsi has been held at an undisclosed location since being removed as President on July 3. Continue reading →
Unrest in Stockholm’s suburbs continued for a fourth night as rioters showed their anger over a police shooting a week ago by setting fire to cars and buildings and pelting emergency workers with stones. Continue reading →
Pastor Jim & Lori Bakker welcome Rabbi Jonathan Cahn and Dino & Cheryl Kartsonakis for the Passover Celebration for Day 2 on The Jim Bakker Show. Continue reading →
Greek police used tear gas to disperse a crowd of anti-austerity protesters who attacked the government’s parliament using gasoline bombs.
The protesters are angry about spending cuts of 11.5 billion euros ($15 billion U.S.) the government needs to put in place to secure the country’s next round of bailout funds. The country’s next 31 billion euro ($39.8 billion U.S.) installment is being sought to help continue government operations. However, record unemployment and 1/3 of the country’s citizens under the poverty line many citizens are upset about the cuts to government services. Continue reading →
