Michael Brown memorial burns and Ferguson explodes

After a memorial to the Ferguson, MO man who was shot by a white police officer was destroyed by fire on Tuesday afternoon, protestors gathered in downtown Ferguson and proceeded to loot a beauty supply store for the 3rd time.

ABC News:

Protesters took to the streets in Ferguson, Missouri, late Tuesday night and looted a store, according to police, after a fire destroyed one of the memorials dedicated to 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was gunned down by a police officer this summer.

An unruly crowd gathered around 9 p.m. local time Tuesday on Canfield Drive in Ferguson, close to where the memorial site burned down earlier in the day, police said.

The crowd then made its way towards Beauty Town on West Florissant Avenue and began to loot the store. Police arrived at the beauty store quickly and were able to calm down the situation. It was the third time Beauty Town was looted since Brown was killed, police said.

The crowd, according to police, eventually thinned out and moved down West Florissant Avenue towards a McDonald's.

Around 11 p.m. local time, a car ran over a water bottle, making a popping sound, police said. The sound seemed to spook people, but it was determined that the popping was not a gunshot.

At least three people were arrested, the St. Louis Dispatch reported.

[...]

The roadside memorial where Brown was killed was destroyed by fire early Tuesday. The cause of the fire wasn't immediately clear. Later in the day, the memorial was rebuilt with new teddy bears, a blanket and new signs.

The owner of the beauty supply stores says she has lost almost $100,000 in merchandise to thieves since the violence began.

There was an attempt to set another store ablaze and someone took a few potshots at police:

The Ferguson Fire Department received a call about 11:20 p.m. Tuesday about a small fire outside the Whistle Stop and Depot Museum custard shop on Carson Road near South Florissant Road. Fire Capt. Jeremy Corcoran said Ferguson police used a garden hose attached to the building to put out the flames before the firefighters arrived. Firefighters took over to make sure the blaze was out.

Corcoran said the fire originated at an outside corner of the building. He said there was a strong smell of gasoline, and based on that and where the fire was located, he suspects it was intentionally set. The St. Louis County bomb and arson squad has been called to investigate, he said. 

Police began clearing the street about 12:15 a.m. Wednesday along West Florissant, making at least three arrests. Some protesters threw bottles at police as they were being moved north on West Florissant toward Canfield Drive.

The entrance to the Canfield Green apartments was blocked off, and about 12:50 a.m. police begin leaving the scene, including Johnson, Dotson and Belmar.

At that time, someone fired about six shots from a building roughly 150 yards from the entrance to the apartments. No one was hit, and police did not go into the cordoned-off area to pursue the shooter.

Apparently, the professional protestors were bored and needed an excuse to go back into the streets. The burning of the Brown memorial - probably caused by a candle lighting volatile material - gave them the excuse they were looking for.

 

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