War Veterans Criticize the Tactics of Military-Armed Police in Ferguson

Five days after the police shooting of Michael Brown, frustrated Americans—and exhausted African Americans—across the nation are seeing still more scenes of war from Ferguson, Missouri. Yet today, on day six in the standoff between police and demonstrators, the crisis may have hit a turning point. Bloomberg reports that Missouri Governor Jay Nixon is relieving the St. Louis County Police Department from duty in Ferguson. The events of last night make clear why.

Dressed in riot gear, St. Louis County Police launched flash grenades and fired tear gas at protesters, maintaining an unofficial curfew and dispersing demonstrators. Police continued a brownout on news coverage from the front, arresting two reporters (the Huffington Post's Ryan J. Reilly and The Washington Post's Wesley Lowery) and St. Louis Alderman Antonio French (who was only just released this morning). Figures as ideologically diverse as Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz and the student body of Howard University condemned the actions of the police (albeit to different degrees).