After apologizing to the family of slain teenager Michael Brown, Ferguson, Mo. police Chief Thomas Jackson attempted to make amends Thursday night with the protesters who gathered outside police headquarters to call for his resignation.
It didn’t go over well. Instead of easing tensions, Jackson’s gesture sparked a scuffle that resulted in the arrests of several demonstrators.
The chief appeared outside the Ferguson Police Department in his street clothes and promised demonstrators that the force would be making changes to address the mistrust between law enforcement and the community, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Here’s what happened next, as reported by St. Louis Public Radio:
His words seemed to do nothing to placate the crowd that called for his resignation.
Jackson asked what they would have him do. Some responded with a request for him to alongside them. So Jackson told his fellow officers to hang back, and he marched.
They only made it about 10 yards.
Then a few Ferguson officers attempted to shove their way to their chief, and that upset many protestors. After a scuffle between the two sides, police arrested several protestors.
The Post-Dispatch counted at least four arrested demonstrators.
“@kodacohen: #Ferguson Chief Tom Jackson briefly marches with protesters before arrests. pic.twitter.com/WH6HwneB4X”
Then all hell broke loose.
— Antonio French (@AntonioFrench) September 26, 2014
Ferguson needs a PR person. ~snicker~
Fuck you, Jackson.
Do your job and investigate your murderous police officer and can your empty words.
He needs to resign. Only an idiot would think about joining a crowd that is vociferously shouting for their resignation.
I’m not ready to make nice
I’m not ready to back down
I’m still mad as hell and I don’t have time
To go round and round and round
Thank you to:
MAINES, NATALIE / ROBISON, EMILY / MAGUIRE, MARTIE / WILSON, DAN
This is BS. There was no “scuffle between the two sides”. The whole thing was documented, filmed and livestreamed…the Ferguson and St. Louis County PD attacked the protestors. Period. The protestors asked the police chief to march with them. He agreed. They got about 10 yards and the PD from both places swarmed and started hitting/beating protestors. It was all caught on film, cameras, cellphone video…you name it.
In fact, the reason it felt so much like a set up is that certain protestors on the ground who have been there documenting since the beginning…were some of the first targets of the Ferguson PD. Argus Livestream? Got hit almost immediately, they went for the live streaming camera first. So you can’t tell me they aren’t absolutely aware of what’s going on, and don’t have a plan here.
The only reason it wasn’t much worse was because of citizen journalism. But they really, REALLY don’t seem to give a shit if they get caught on film beating people or tear gassing anymore. It’s almost like they’re daring someone to do anything about it. It’s maddening, and frustrating.
Almost immediately the media started selling it as something sparked equally. Sorry, that DID NOT HAPPEN.
Perhaps someone from St. Louis Public Radio needs to spend a bit of time on Twitter with the people who were live tweeting the whole damn thing, and got beaten and thrown in jail for marching with the police chief. They beat one woman unconscious.
It’s shit like this that makes people like me more and more suspicious of media. They’re selling a narrative on Ferguson, which is in complete contradiction to the actual live events going on in the city.