Police armed with and dressed in military gear continued to
aggressively confront residents and members of the media trying to cover events in Ferguson, MO last night. Using tear gas and firing rubber bullets, St. Louis County and Ferguson police tried to drive angry residents, along with media from the streets and businesses in the St. Louis suburb. As we noted yesterday,
Wesley Lowery, a reporter for the
formerly great Washington Post Bezos Bugle, was arrested as he sat in a McDonalds and filmed police activity outside, as was a reporter for the HuffPo. (Bonus: Lowery, who was chastised by cable
Morning Joke talking head Joe "JoeScar" Scarborough for "resisting" arrest, fired back at JoeScar
with both barrels.).
With the Justice Department actively investigating the shooting of an unarmed Michael Brown on August 9 by a Ferguson police officer, the harshly aggressive tactics and militarization of the police force responding to the protests should also receive scrutiny.
UPDATE: It's about time -- Gov. Jay Nixon (D) of Missouri is
relieving the St. Louis County Police of their duties in Ferguson; to be replaced by State and Federal police.
