Ferguson Mayor Defends Police: ‘I Can’t Second-Guess These Officers’

Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Ferguson, Mo., Mayor James Knowles defended local law enforcement amid growing criticism about their tactics during the protests sparked by the police shooting of an unarmed African-American teen.

Knowles said Thursday on MSNBC that there is “a lot of unlawfulness going around these peaceful protests.” Two police officers have been shot at during the demonstrations, he said, which started on Sunday after the shooting of Michael Brown and have resulted in tear gas and rubber bullets being fired into the crowd.

“That’s why we have to be vigilant and I can’t second-guess these officers. They are the professionals. They have learned from many years of dealing with these incidents across the nation,” Knowles said. “Now we’re just going to have to try our best to maintain order, and we ask the citizens to help us comply with that.”

“I am confident that all the law enforcement agencies that are participating are professionals,” he said. “and if there is some videos that show someone losing their temper in a highly stressful situation, I’m sure they’re under a great deal of stress and though it does not make it okay, they are human and I can understand their frustrations as well. Just as the protesters are frustrated.”

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1. “I can’t second-guess these officers.”

    Yeah, I’m only an incompetent. What do you people want from me?

  2. They have learned from many years of dealing with these incidents across the nation…

    Really? How many times have the Ferguson police been deployed to deal with civil unrest? And where?

  3. “I am confident that all the law enforcement agencies that are
    participating are professionals,” he said. “and if there is some videos
    that show someone losing their temper in a highly stressful situation,
    I’m sure they’re under a great deal of stress and though it does not
    make it okay, they are human and I can understand their frustrations as well.”

    What a coincidence! Gestapo and KGB folks said the same thing!

  4. That ain’t gonna get it, friend. You’re done.

  5. Well Jimmy boy…I’m kinda thinking that your credibility is a bit strained at this point. I’ll stick with my original opinion of an out of control mob of cops attacking the citizens.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

39 more replies

Participants

Avatar for system1 Avatar for colleen7 Avatar for dr_coyote Avatar for sabatia Avatar for druid800 Avatar for bmcchgo Avatar for darrius Avatar for jonathang Avatar for agio Avatar for mattinpa Avatar for the_lone_apple Avatar for fargo116 Avatar for trippin Avatar for labman57 Avatar for marioth Avatar for chuck_voellinger Avatar for TreLo Avatar for sonsofares Avatar for SpacelySpaceSprockets Avatar for darcy Avatar for ronbyers Avatar for sweetdee Avatar for dnl Avatar for occamsrazor2

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: