Nick Bernabe | The Anti-Media

National Guard troops have been ordered to Ferguson, MO, after two nights of mandatory curfew were ignored by protesters and rioters following the officer involved shooting death of teenager Mike Brown. Image credit: DVIDSHUB

What looked like a deescalation only a few days ago following the transfer of police activities to the state Highway Patrol, new footage and evidence surrounding the shooting has pushed tensions to new heights.

New autopsy reports show that Mike Brown was shot from a distance several times in the front, with the deadly shot hitting him in the the top of the head. This new evidence seems to corroborate witness testimony given to the media claiming that Brown was not a direct threat to the officer’s safety when he was shot.

After a night of calm, the protests grew more aggressive in nature, leading to riots happening for the last two nights in a row; with more militarization of police being shown in full force. Last night, August 17th, tear gas, armored vehicles, flash bang grenades, rubber bullets, and crowd dispersing sound weapons were once again used on protesters who disobeyed the curfew. Conflicting accounts by police and protesters of Molotov cocktails have been reported. Protesters say that there were not such weapons, and that police claimed there was in order to crack down on the protests.

In response to this escalation, Governor Nixon has ordered the National Guard to Ferguson to suppress this rebellion in the small town, which may lead to an even greater amount of human rights abuses and violations of the 1st amendment. As more militarization of this conflict pours in, it’s likely that tensions will escalate further and that more violence will occur. Activists are expecting a near-martial law situation on the ground in Ferguson tonight.

Journalists on the scene captured intense moments where a police officer even threatened to shoot a reporter while aiming a rifle at his head. Watch the video below:

Much of the press is now confined to a “free speech zone”, with reporters facing arrest or worse if they leave the area,

Police getting mad when media goes up past their line. Tells us we’ll get maced next time we do that. #Ferguson — Amanda Terkel (@aterkel) August 18, 2014

Last night it was particularly difficult to find live streaming coverage from within the protest areas leading to accusations of press censorship and even accusations of internet censorship in Ferguson. A “no-fly zone” set up by the FAA is still in effect as of now, so no news drones or helicopters are able to capture video of the actual protests.

The Governor has lifted the mandatory curfew for now.

We will be covering these events in-depth on our radio show tonight with guests calling in from the ground in Ferguson. Our show is live at 8 pm PST/11 pm EST, you can listen online at www.UCY.tv/TAMR

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