Ferguson Erupts: Riots & Looting Begin Following Darren Wilson Verdict, Brown ‘Looked Like A Demon’

Violence erupted in Ferguson on Monday, following the grand jury decision not to indict Darren Wilson for the August shooting of Michael Brown.

As well as taunting and violence against police officers, store windows were shattered and two police cars were set ablaze by people who are angry that the jury didn’t indict Darren Wilson for the killing of Brown.

On top of that, Ferguson Police Chief Jon Belmar said in a news conference that at least a dozen buildings were burning and at least 150 gunshots had been fired.

A police officer was shot, but not seriously hurt, Belmar said, “I’m disappointed this evening. What I’ve seen tonight is probably worse than the worst night we had in August,” adding that protesters could not be controlled “unless we bring 10,000 policemen in here.”

At least 30 rioters have already been arrested as scores of riot police attempt to calm the angry crowd of at least 300 people using tear gas, pepper spray and bean bags.

Of course the “angry” looters took full advantage of the situation and took the opportunity to loot a Walgreen store, Family Dollar store and an AutoZone outlet, while other protesters torched a Little Caesars pizza restaurant and local beauty shop.

Ferguson resident Malik Rhasaan, a community organizer with Hands Up United, said the damage was nothing compared with the sight of Brown’s body lying in the street for several hours following his death. “They have insurance. They can rebuild. The life of Mike Brown can’t be rebuilt. Our patience cannot be rebuilt.”

While that maybe true and Michael Brown’s untimely death unfortunate, that doesn’t mean it’s acceptable to loot, riot and attack police officers.

As Richard Royal, a manager at a local Sonic restaurant who was told by police to close up early, said he understood the frustration and anger at the grand jury’s decision, but said the violence was unnecessary, “We could have done something better, like a boycott, that would have hit them in their pockets,” said Royal.

Meanwhile, In New York, hundreds of people marched through Union Square holding signs saying “Jail Killing Cops” and “Resistance Is Justified,” in something reminiscent of a Hamas demonstration in Gaza.

In Philadelphia, several hundred protesters marched, shouting “No justice, no peace, no racist police!”

Darren Wilson spoke twice about the fateful day when he shot Michael Brown to death, once back in August during a police interview and then again before the grand jury in September. On both occasions, Officer Wilson said that Brown, “looked like a demon,” and that he was he shot the suspect as he was in fear of his life.