Protesters in Ferguson
FERGUSON, Missouri — Several hundred protesters, some of them throwing bottles, surged toward a wall of police Monday night in Ferguson, Missouri, before community leaders began pushing them back in a tense half-hour confrontation over the police killing of unarmed teenager Michael Brown.
The crowd surged forward and back as police officers standing 60 wide and five deep held their ground. An armored vehicle began moving toward the crowd, and as clergymen and oter community leaders locked arms to hold the protesters back, the crowd appeared to retreat about 10 p.m. (11 p.m. ET), potentially averting what could have been the worst unrest since officers fired tear gas and arrested at least six people Sunday night.
As authorities ordered media crews to retreat — saying they were provoking the crowd — police with shields and weapons drawn briefly began advancing while retreating protesters shouted at them. All through the showdown, clergymen and other community leaders waved their arms and screamed for the crowd to stand down.
The scene remained very tense late Monday night, but by 10:20 p.m., most of the demonstrators had dispersed. A lone protester who continued struggling was grabbed by officers, briefly setting off another round of object-throwing and shouts of “Mike Brown can’t relax! Mike Brown can’t move back!” but by 10:30 p.m., order had largely been restored.
Walter Petty, 49, of Ferguson told NBC News he was relieved that community leaders were able to defuse the confrontation. “I didn’t want innocent people gassed and shot with rubber bullets,” he said.
Michael McBride, senior pastor of The Way Christian Center, a Pentecostal congregation in Berkeley, California, said violence was averted because of a change in tactics by the authorities.
“These are the same leaders who have been here all week,” McBride told NBC News. “The big difference tonight is law enforcement let us lead by not overreacting.”
