Hours after he offered his apologies and condolences to the parents of Michael Brown, Ferguson, Missouri Police Chief Thomas Jackson took to the streets to march with protestors calling for his resignation.
In what was meant to calm tensions, Jackson spoke to the crowd about Brown’s killing at the hands of Officer Darren Wilson, assuring protestors that “all those things that are causing mistrust are being evaluated and we are going to be making changes.”
But his appearance outside the department’s headquarters caused more friction than expected. The crowd, frustrated with the handling of Brown’s death and the violation of residents’ civil rights, chanted for Jackson to resign from his post.
Calling for Chief to resign. #ferguson https://t.co/El6fCtBhQj
— Valerie Schremp Hahn (@valeriehahn) September 26, 2014
Shortly after Jackson started marching with the crowd, a scuffle broke out. Officers quickly jumped into action, arresting a handful in the process.
MAYHEM!!! Police attacked so quickly and aggressively as chief began to march with protestors! Unreal!!! #Ferguson pic.twitter.com/uFXQsOl0cO
— Charles Wade (@akacharleswade) September 26, 2014
For the record: This is the second riot this police chief has incited. He needs to resign. https://t.co/HBIxtcLPsU#Ferguson — Antonio French (@AntonioFrench) September 26, 2014
I was right by the chief for much of his walking @ShaunKing @KMOV. No one attacked him. Folks were trying to protect him if anything!
— Charles Wade (@akacharleswade) September 26, 2014
By 2 a.m. local time, the majority of the crowd dispersed, with only about 100 left to continue the protest. According to NBC, police declared the demonstration an “unlawful assembly,” ordering the crowd to leave.
“I don’t think he was marching with the protesters more than 30 seconds before the riot cops came out into the crowd and tried to get themselves closer to him and protect him,” said French, a St. Louis elected official who has been following demonstrations since the Aug. 9 shooting and who supports calls for Jackson’s resignation. “Just them being out there pushing started stuff — it’s a complete misread of the situation. His very presence agitated the crowd.”
You can watch video of the incident above. We’ll keep you updated with the latest from Ferguson.
SOURCE: NBC, Twitter | VIDEO SOURCE: Twitter, YouTube, Vine
