Trooper vows to stay 'as long as it takes' in town
The trooper put in charge of tamping swirling racial tensions in this St. Louis suburb vowed Sunday to stay "as long as it takes," after violence flared anew.
State Highway Patrol Captain Ron Johnson also apologized for a white police officer's shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown, which caused long-simmering tensions to spill over for more than a week since his death in Ferguson, home to a black majority.
"I want to start off by talking to Mike Brown's family. I want you to know my heart goes out to you, and I say that I'm sorry," Johnson said to loud cheering and applause from a crowd of more than 1,300 people at Greater Grace Church in Ferguson.
"I will be here as long as it takes."
Hundreds more people stood outside the church that was filled to capacity, where passing cars honked at length.
Young people who had gathered outside held their hands in the air, paying homage to what some witnesses said was Brown's last gesture before being shot.
Johnson, who grew up in St. Louis, also acknowledged the personal toll the violence has taken on him.
"The last 24 hours have been tough for me," he said.
Amid the growing violence, the federal government has stepped up its involvement in the investigation.
The Ferguson police force's muscular response also drew criticism after officers were seen facing down protesters in military-grade armored trucks while toting high-powered assault rifles.
Johnson stressed why resolving the unrest in Ferguson was important to him and other black families.
"When this is over, I'm going to go in my son's room, my black son, who wears his pants sagging, wears his hat cocked to the side, has tattoos on his arms, but that's my baby," he said.
"And we all ought to be thanking the Browns for Michael, because Michael is going to make it better for our sons, so they can be better black men. So they can be better for our daughters, so they can be better black women."
A manager of a special needs institution who gave her name as Angel said there would only be peace in the community once citizens feel safe and have made peace with the police, who she said must be held accountable for what happened.
"Now that St. Louis is standing up and people across the nation are standing up, I think it's noticeable that people are not going to allow things like this to continue to happen, they are going to stand for things," she told AFP.
Social worker Tia Mannierre stressed that "injustice is a big problem in a community".
(China Daily 08/19/2014 page10)
