“First and foremost, keep protests peaceful.”
That was President Obama’s message this weekend to Ferguson, Mo., as citizens there await news on whether a grand jury will indict police officer Darren Wilson for killing unarmed African-American teenager Michael Brown. The Aug. 9 shooting sparked violent protests and some looting of local businesses.
Obama, speaking in an interview with ABC News, said that Americans welcome peaceful protests against actions believed to be unjust — that doing so is a part of U.S. tradition. But the president signaled that the grand jury deciding not to indict Wilson would not constitute justification to commit acts of violence.
“Using any event as an excuse for violence is contrary to rule of law — contrary to who we are,” he said.
CNN reported Saturday that a St. Louis County grand jury was apparently sent home for the weekend on Friday without reaching a decision Friday on whether to indict Wilson. It was unclear when the grand jury might reconvene to continue deliberating.
