On Wednesday, Pruitt elaborated.

“A nonindictment from St. Louis County does not have to be the final say. A second grand jury can be impaneled. There can be a subsequent federal or state investigation. We need to get that message out to the protesters between now and the grand jury’s ruling,” he said.

But Pruitt also has heard the word on the street.

“If Wilson is not indicted, we are going to have our hands full in trying to maintain civility. Folks are going to go back on the street, and they are going to react to their despair, at least in the short term. That discussion is resonating, and I have heard it.”

Zisser, 54, of Kirkwood, has owned and operated Zisser Tire and Auto Repair on West Florissant Avenue in Dellwood since 1987. He put the prospect of a nonindictment in blunt terms.

“Everyone around here knows that if that grand jury doesn’t indict that cop, it will make the previous riots look like a cakewalk,” he said.

Plywood sheets cover storefronts along West Florissant Avenue and beyond. Most bear spray-painted messages declaring that the restaurants, beauty supply stores, cellphone outlets, insurance brokers and markets are open for business.