Missouri Governor Criticises Police Over Releasing Footage Of Michael Brown's Robbery

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon on Sunday accused law enforcement in the tense St. Louis suburb of Ferguson of trying to “besmirch” Michael Brown when they linked the unarmed 18-year-old shot dead by police last weekend to a robbery in the area.

“It had an incendiary effect," the Democratic governor said on CBS show “Face the Nation” of Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson’s decision on Friday to release a video that allegedly showed Brown, just before he was fatally shot by police, stealing a box of cigars from a nearby convenience store.

“When you release picture and you clearly are attempting to besmirch a victim of a shooting, shot down in his own street, a young man and at the same time you’re releasing information to try to make it, to tarnish him, then properly, there was a lot of folks that were concerned about that,” Nixon explained, adding that his office was not made aware of the decision to release the video. “I do think it flamed it back up and has caused us to have to deal with some of that."

Jackson released the video at the same time he released the identity of the officer who shot and killed Brown, leading many to believe that local law enforcement were trying to sabotage Brown’s character.
Violent clashes between protesters and police have continued in the eight days since Brown, who is black, was killed by Darren Wilson, a white police officer, in the majority-African American suburb of Ferguson.

St. Louis County police at first responded with heavy-handed tactics and military gear and machinery that many, including Nixon on Sunday, have said inflamed the situation.

“All of us were thunderstruck by the pictures we saw, I mean, the over-militarization, the MRAPs rolling in, the guns pointed at kids in the street,” Nixon said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.” “All of that I think instead of ratcheting down, brought emotion up.”

After several days of violent protests, Nixon brought in the Missouri State Highway Patrol to leading the effort to keep peace in the area, putting in charge Capt. Ronald Johnson, who is black and from the area.

But the scene remained delicate Saturday.

"There's a tremendous amount of angst about the facts in this case," Nixon said on CNN’s "State of the Union." "Thousands of people spoke last night, thousands of people marched and not a single gunshot was fired by police last night,” he added about what he perceived as Saturday’s improved situation.

Nixon has imposed a midnight curfew in the suburb but wouldn’t say Sunday when officers might lift it.

“We can't be distracted from the longer pitch here,” he said. “And the longer is to make sure that these dual investigations, the Justice Department and the local prosecutor, to get to justice, that they are thorough and done.”

Sometimes they say things in big words to indirectly say want they want to say!

Like The Gov. Of Missouri saying the police department "besmirch" Michael Brown by releasing the tape of him robbing a store.

Besmirch means, to damage the reputation of (someone or something) in the opinion of others.

It makes sense why they with held the officers name for a week & then released the footage on the same day.

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