Editors

USA TODAY





All eyes remain on Ferguson, Mo., where a grand jury is expected to decide whether or not white police officer Darren Wilson should face charges in the shooting death of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown.

While we don't know when, exactly, that decision will be made public, it's likely to come this weekend.

Here's what we do know about what's happening in the St. Louis suburb:

• It sounds like Darren Wilson is hanging up his badge. CNN and The New York Times report that the Ferguson cop is not planning to return to the force, regardless of whether or not he's indicted.



• President Obama is trying to keep tempers from flaring. He said in an interview Friday with ABC News that those upset with the Ferguson grand jury decision should not use it as "an excuse for violence."

• At a press conference Friday afternoon, St. Louis officials said the region is prepared for protests. There are 11 rules of engagement.

• Some schools in the city of Ferguson will close next week, a decision made in anticipation of a grand jury announcement.

• Attorney General Eric Holder made a plea to law enforcement authorities on Friday to minimize the potential for confrontations during any demonstrations. In the wake of Brown's death, local protests became very heated and, at times, violent, as residents and police clashed.



• Demonstrations were planned again for Friday night. Follow USA TODAY's @Yamiche for the latest from the ground.

• Michael Brown's father really wants peace in Ferguson, no matter what happens. In a video statement Thursday night he said his grieving family appreciates the support of protesters and hopes everyone in the St. Louis region will avoid violence. "My family and I are hurting," he said in the video posted on YouTube. "The whole region is hurting. I thank you for lifting your voices to end racial profiling and police intimidation. But hurting others and destroying property is not the answer."

• Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has declared a state of emergency ahead of the decision and activated the National Guard. He also has tapped a black minister and a white businessman to lead an independent commission charged with making recommendations on how to deal with the issues raised by Brown's shooting.

In other Ferguson-related news:

• There is a surge of first-time gun owners in the St. Louis region.



• USA TODAY takes a far-ranging look at race and arrests. Police in Ferguson arrest black people at a rate nearly three times higher than people of other races — and at least 1,581 other police departments across the country arrest black people at rates even more skewed than in Ferguson, the analysis found.(Bonus: Here's reporter Brad Heath's @redditAMA)

• KSDK-TV in St. Louis combed through thousands of e-mails and documents about the Michael Brown shooting. Here's what it found.

• He prayed for guidance — and spotted the Ferguson Burger Bar for sale on Craigslist. This business owner really wants Ferguson to heal.

Compiled by Cara Richardson. Contributing: Gregory Korte, Michael Winter, Kevin Johnson, Marisol Bello, Yamiche Alcindor, John Bacon, Brad Heath