“Ferguson

By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday August 19, 2014

Obama urges protesters, police to remain peaceful

U.S. President Barack Obama said Monday the Ferguson, Missouri community was “rightly hurting” but urged protesters to remain peaceful in the wake of Michael Brown’s shooting.

At a live news conference at the White House, Obama also announced Attorney General Eric Holder is set to travel to Ferguson on Tuesday to meet with Department of Justice and FBI investigators on the ground.

In the meantime, Obama said both protesters and police should “seek to heal, rather than wound each other.”

Obama also added “there’s no excuse for excessive force by police,” amid the crisis.

Meanwhile, Missouri’s governor ordered the National Guard to a St. Louis suburb convulsed by protests over Brown’s shooting after a night in which police used tear gas to clear protesters off the streets of Ferguson.

There will, however, be no curfew in place on Monday night, Gov. Jay Nixon said on his government’s website. Nixon declared a midnight curfew for Saturday and Sunday nights.

Nixon said the National Guard would help “in restoring peace and order” to Ferguson, where protests over the killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown by a white police officer entered their second week. Police said they acted in response to gunfire, looting, vandalism and protesters who hurled Molotov cocktails.

“These violent acts are a disservice to the family of Michael Brown and his memory and to the people of this community who yearn for justice to be served and to feel safe in their own homes,” Nixon said in a statement. (Source: CBC News)