Passionate activists in Ferguson, Mo., have protested daily since the shooting. Sunday marked the 100th consecutive day of demonstrations.
A grand jury could decide any day whether to indict Darren Wilson, the officer who fatally shot 18-year-old Brown after an alleged robbery.
The city of Ferguson sent a letter Wednesday to residents and business owners in response to widespread safety concerns about the protesters’ potential reaction to the decision.
Nixon has activated the Missouri National Guard, allowing them to be deployed to Ferguson to help control protests and possible violence. Three different police forces will also be involved.
Since Brown’s death, about 50 organizations have joined to form the Don’t Shoot Coalition, which announced Nov. 5 that it is taking steps to ensure that protests remain peaceful.
“Nothing will make a difference unless the police do their part by giving protesters adequate space,” said Michael McPhearson, co-chairman of the coalition. “That’s the key to peaceful outcomes.”
The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri sent a letter Thursday to Nixon and other state officials imploring that police not take violent action against protesters who demonstrate peacefully.
“Law enforcement agencies must recognize, however, that the Constitution firmly protects protests even when — and especially when — they stir anger, question preconceptions, challenge government policy and induce dissatisfaction with the status quo,” wrote Jeffrey A. Mittman, executive director of the state’s ACLU, in the letter.
Mittman wrote that the ACLU would take legal action if evidence surfaced showing that law enforcement violated the protesters’ civil liberties.
Since the large backlash started, the city has implemented several changes — including the formation of a Citizen Review Board, the implementation of donated police body cameras and the use of three new dash cameras for the city’s police cruisers.
President Barack Obama joined the Ferguson conversation in an August speech — and he spoke Nov. 5 in a meeting with national leaders about Ferguson, according to the New York Times.
To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.
The Rev. Al Sharpton, a well known civil rights activist who has frequently been involved in the protests, said Obama was invested in keeping Ferguson peaceful and on track to recover.
