On the day the National Guard arrived in Ferguson, police cracked down on anyone in the street. Cops arrested citizens and journalists, and commanded that anyone on the street keep walking, so people wouldn’t congregate. The curfew was gone, but by nightfall, the teargas returned and Ferguson was being forced back into the shadows.
There weren’t many people around the QuickTrip mart on Monday night, but there were enough who wouldn’t leave the area. Police had been instructing them to leave for well over an hour — and it may have been two. I was standing with a gaggle of photographers across the street from protesters — where this video was shot — debating whether we should change our position because standing to the side of cops would mean if people started unloading, we’d be right in that line of fire.
There were a couple of gun shots. Someone had ripped a Do Not Enter sign out of the ground and was carrying it around the street while people were telling cops to fuck off anytime they told them to leave. Still, cops hadn’t fired anything. Some bottles were thrown but then, finally, that breaking point came and you can see how this engagement begins. The teargas was by far the most potent its ever been, with unmarked SUVs driving by and dropping teargas bombs near us, too.
As we descended down the street, I noticed some of those violent protesters were offering anyone on the street milk for the burn, including journalists.
(Photos: Amy K. Nelson/ANIMALNewYork)
