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In the wake of another shooting, investigations continue as the protest in Ferguson passed quietly.
On Friday March 13 police officials stated the investigations regarding the shooting of the two officers were still in progress but consider it was an ambush. At this point, no arrests have been made. The two victims have been released from the hospital and the recovery will shortly follow.
Many people from Michael Brown’s parents, the boy who was shot by a Ferguson police officer in the summer of 2014 to President Barack Obama expressed strong disapproval in regards to this recent violent event.
On Thursday evening people gathered in front of the Ferguson Police Department with drums and chants, asking for change. The march was peaceful and by midnight, everyone felt they made their point and calmly left.
One of the reasons this march evolved in this manner was because of the people officers in charge of security during this event. Lt. Jerry Lohr of St. Louis County, also known as “Officer Friendly” is known for his eagerness and skill of calming people without the need to immediately use force.
His tactics have been easily modified. A “buffer zone” was provided by the police in order to avoid any friction between the two sides as he explained that it’s much easier to yell at someone that’s close by instead of 30 feet away.
He also entered the crowd whenever he saw some irregularities and tried to resolve every situation together with a few fellow officers, all dressed in regular patrol uniforms. He also talked to people attending the protest and reporters about the current problems the city is facing. All of these factors played an important role in calming the atmosphere.
He explained that:
“You can’t snap your fingers and fix Ferguson’s problems. It’s not something that’s going to happen overnight.”
The previous day was unfortunately the exact opposite. An aggressive protest took place, with a very tense situation between activists and the police geared-up for riot. This event took place after Ferguson’s police chief Thomas Jackson submitted his resignation. He is the last of many officials to have resigned after the Justice Department’s report which declared “bias, racism and civil rights violations by the city’s police and municipal court.”
Image Source: Wall Street Journal
