Peaceful Assembly Suspended on Fourth Night of Protests In Ferguson, Alderman Arrested, Two Reporters Detained as SWAT INTENTIONALLY Targets Reporters
As reported by KSDK, the crowd was smaller on the fourth consecutive night of protests than it had been the other three on the streets of Ferguson, St. Louis, Missouri.F
Many of those still protesting are outsiders stirring up trouble.
Early Wednesday, the city of Ferguson requested that vigils and protests be held during daylight hours which Wednesday’s protesters attempted to do.
They were met with a heavily armed and more aggressive police state, (70-100 members of SWAT in riot gear) whose marching orders were to squash any protests held during the day or night.
SWAT overlooks protestors in #Ferguson. They’ve all moved to sidewalk. pic.twitter.com/peY5cOVBZl
— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) August 13, 2014
RT ‘…Your right to assembly is not being denied,’ police were telling the protesters before the sudden showdown….‘This is not open for discussion….’
St Louis police sniper trains rifle on #Ferguson protesters as darkness fell last night pic.twitter.com/fdAfLrpckI — Toby Harnden (@tobyharnden) August 14, 2014
Military-style police in overwhelming show of force: 3 APCs, ~100 officers, high-powered rifles #Ferguson pic.twitter.com/joc9ZnPuqM
— Sebastian Walker (@sebwalker) August 13, 2014
In other words, “Your right to assembly is not being denied” until it has been and even then, it depends on whom one asks.
As one might guess, it went downhill from there. Some protesters threw bottles, rocks and molotov cocktails. SWAT employed urban warfare tactics threw tear gas canisters, smoke grenades, shot rubber bullets and used sound cannons.
Protesters try unsuccessfully to light a Molotov cocktail as police ready to advance in #Ferguson Pic by @pdchris pic.twitter.com/BirlJAfI8H
— Lynden Steele (@manofsteele) August 14, 2014
INCREDIBLE PHOTO: POLICE FIRE TEAR GAS AND RUBBER BULLETS AT PROTESTERS IN FERGUSON. VIA @syndicalisms pic.twitter.com/qMxxGLXuF3 — PzFeed Top News (@PzFeed) August 14, 2014
#BREAKING: Violence Escalates In #Ferguson As Police And Protesters Clash http://t.co/LXkrXc9S3f https://t.co/VsxoWTAefW via @BuzzFeedNews
— Roop Raj (@rooprajfox2) August 14, 2014
Just wow….#Ferguson Look at the wound from the rubber bullets! This is terrible. pic.twitter.com/E8VL2FjJm5 — Ꮹια єℓуcє — #1More (@flotusinspired) August 14, 2014
Central street in #Ferguson now scattered with tear gas canisters after riot police clash with protesters yet again pic.twitter.com/K6hX7Mt5Qg
— Anastasia Churkina (@NastiaChurkina) August 14, 2014
Police used tear gas to try to disperse protesters in #Ferguson http://t.co/HwlIEaezoW pic.twitter.com/wxdFaoY8Ph — Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) August 14, 2014
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St. Louis Alderman, Antonio French who has been out there every night since the shooting of 18 year old Mike Brown tweeting events as they unfold was arrested last night and charged with unlawful assembly and not listening.
@AntonioFrench being booked now. Not sure what the charge is yet. Was ordered out of his car and arrested because he “didn’t listen”.
— Senka (@senka) August 14, 2014
Rumor has it that French will be held for 24 hours. The detainment of the alderman served only to make a bad situation worse as news of his arrest spread across Twitter like wild fire. Protesters converged upon the police station to demand French’s release followed by an MRAP.
The armored vehicles have arrived as we ask for Antonio ‘s freedom https://t.co/2K9wtTteJr — Tef Poe/FootKlan (@TefPoe) August 14, 2014
There’s a crowd across from the #Ferguson police department. pic.twitter.com/vCmqdryaJ6
— Michael Calhoun (@michaelcalhoun) August 14, 2014
SWAT Intentionally Targeted Media:
St. Louis police did not appreciate the media’s presence at ground zero and, therefore, intentionally targeted journalists for their own good (yeah, right). Reporters Wesley Lowery of the Washington Post Ryan Reilly from the Huffington Post were detained and then released for filming officers in McDonald’s, a staging area for journalists covering the protests. At the time of their arrests, the reporters were preparing to file their stories and charging their phones.
Video of my arrest: http://t.co/baiYPQGfc7/s/ZHkX — Wesley Lowery (@WesleyLowery) August 14, 2014
RT @jbendery: MT @kodacohen: @HuffingtonPost reporter @ryanjreilly arrested when police closed McDonalds. pic.twitter.com/aP5bsfZqjV — Sam Stein (@samsteinhp) August 14, 2014
Got no explaination at any point why in custody other than “trespassing” – at a mcdonalds where we were customers — Wesley Lowery (@WesleyLowery) August 14, 2014
With the urgent need to control the message, SWAT ordered McDonalds to close immediately after the arrest of two reporters using its Wi-Fi to file their reports.
RT @jbendery: MT @kodacohen: @HuffingtonPost reporter @ryanjreilly arrested when police closed McDonalds. pic.twitter.com/aP5bsfZqjV — Sam Stein (@samsteinhp) August 14, 2014
BREAKING PHOTO: Riot police fire tear gas canisters on Aljazeera news crew in #Ferguson. @ajam pic.twitter.com/pZV6GzLXpi — TheAnonMessage (@TheAnonMessage) August 14, 2014
Al Jazeera’s media crew making a run for it:
#Ferguson police are literally rolling up to reporters and tear gassing them to keep reports from getting out. pic.twitter.com/sSFmTRPJFc — The Illuminati (@TheEyeOfControl) August 14, 2014
After which SWAT dismantled their equipment.
MORE BREAKING PHOTOS: After Aljazeera crew was directly hit with tear gas, their cameras were disassembled: #Ferguson pic.twitter.com/j1Xxk93CVU
— TheAnonMessage (@TheAnonMessage) August 14, 2014
My face after tear gas. Stinging, eyes watering. I’m not getting out of this car. #ferguson #mikebrown pic.twitter.com/ALIVdhzlXa — Christina Coleman (@ChristinaKSDK) August 14, 2014
Kenny Bahr with the New York Daily News jumped in our car. Tear gas sent everyone running #ferguson #mikebrown pic.twitter.com/NfEv0pIJO2 — Christina Coleman (@ChristinaKSDK) August 14, 2014
Infowars reporter Joe Biggs was shot in the kidneys Wednesday night by St. Louis Co. Police using flash bangs and rubber bullets during protests ….The militarized police, equipped with combat armor and Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, unloaded on the media and demonstrators near the burnt down QuikTrip gas station on West Florissant Ave. around 9pm Central after someone threw a Motolov cocktail on top of a nearby car wash, lighting it completely on fire….
St. Louis Police are now saying people must leave immediately or be arrested. #Ferguson https://t.co/bnBKlPxxnI — Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) August 14, 2014
Update about five protestors were just arrested outside the #Ferguson Police Station for refusing to leave. pic.twitter.com/vsl02oT7M7 — Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) August 14, 2014
What are the odds that last night’s assault on anything breathing by the Missouri police state will backfire, as journalists from all over the country will be tempted to converge upon Ferguson.
LINKS:
http://www.ksdk.com/story/news/local/2014/08/13/ferguson-protests-fourth-night-tear-gas/14037883/
http://www.ksdk.com/story/news/local/2014/08/13/ferguson-asks-protests-vigils-be-held-during-day/14000463/
http://rt.com/usa/180168-ferguson-protesters-swat-standoff/
https://twitter.com/ksdknews/status/499796257981095936
http://www.ksdk.com/story/news/local/2014/08/13/2-reporters-arrested-at-ferguson-mcdonalds/14037723/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2724528/A-city-ripped-apart-Heavily-armed-SWAT-teams-fire-tear-gas-demonstrators-arrest-two-journalists-FOURTH-night-clashes-shooting-unarmed-18-year-old-Michael-Brown.html
http://www.prisonplanet.com/ferguson-riot-police-wound-reporter-in-attack-on-protestors.html
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/08/14/alderman-citizen-journalist-ordered-out-of-his-car-then-arrested-by-ferguson-police-because-he-didnt-listen-wife-says/