Nixon said the actions are 'a test' for the community. Nixon declares curfew in Ferguson

Gov. Jay Nixon on Saturday declared a state of emergency and a curfew in Ferguson, Missouri, after renewed violence and looting took place overnight.


“This is a test of whether a community — this community, any community — can break the cycle of fear, distrust and violence and replace them with peace, strength and ultimately justice,” Nixon said at a raucous news conference that was routinely interrupted by hecklers.

The curfew will begin at midnight and run until 5 a.m. on Sunday morning. Nixon also said a media staging area will be set up to allow journalists access to the sites but would not say specifically how the curfew would apply to reporters.

( Also on POLITICO: Ferguson rioters threaten reporters)

“Clearly, the media has a role in helping here,” the Missouri Democrat said.

Looters hit at least a half-dozen businesses late Friday and early Saturday morning — with police largely allowing the vandalism to happen. The rioting followed the release of the name of the officer who killed 18-year old Michael Brown and video footage of an incident at a convenience store that police tied to the shooting.

Nixon said that the new emergency measures were being put into place to maintain order “while allowing the appropriate emotions and energies and allowing folks to speak out.”

“The eyes of the world are watching,” Nixon said — despite being routinely interrupted by hecklers who demanded to know why Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson had not been indicted or charged in the shooting death.

State Highway Patrol Captain Ron Johnson — the officer who has been put in charge of security and law enforcement in Ferguson — said that the police would not clear the street using tear gas or military trucks to enforce the curfew.

( From POLITICO Magazine: What I did after police killed my son)

Johnson said that a single canister of tear gas was used on Friday evening to allow officers to escape a situation where they were completely surrounded by demonstrators — but otherwise, officers largely allowed the looting and violence to proceed.

Johnson praised the role of some groups at Friday’s protests in helping save several businesses from being burned or destroyed. Members of the New Black Panther Party took credit on Saturday for their peacekeeping actions.

Nixon also said that federal agents with the Department of Justice and the FBI were on the ground working with local authorities on the larger investigation.