Violence raged in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, Missouri over the weekend in the aftermath of the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown. As the Associated Press reported, police in riot gear restricted access to the town on Monday and used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters. On radio this morning, Glenn condemned the violence and read a statement from Brown’s family asking for nonviolence and peace.
“The rioting in Missouri… I don't even understand it,” Glenn said. “How is this helping? What is this doing? What does this have to do with justice? This has nothing to do with justice.”
Glenn explained he was “not taking a side” in the case because “we don’t know for sure what happened,” but he failed to understand what protestors hope to accomplish with the violence and vandalism wreaking havoc in the area.
“The president is sending the FBI. Good. Send the FBI. Let's make sure we're getting the full story, but can the President please say something about how this has nothing to do with justice when you're out in the streets like this,” Glenn asked. “It has nothing to do with justice… This is Cloward and Piven… And the President needs to step forward and say, ‘Enough.’”
Below are some photos of the protests that emerged on social media:
A show of force in #Ferguson pic.twitter.com/YohidKFJeq
— FOX2now (@FOX2now) August 12, 2014
Now this. Plus noisemakers. Everybody runs. Reminds me of Cairo. pic.twitter.com/wlYijTHT66
— Matt Pearce (@mattdpearce) August 12, 2014
Reporter #Ferguson --> RT @ChristinaKSDK: Omg, tear gas in my eyes, nose.. It burns. Ugh!
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) August 12, 2014
Police used tear gas and rubber bullets to clear the area. pic.twitter.com/TUZPjZGrlv
— Antonio French (@AntonioFrench) August 12, 2014
Through various statements, the Brown family has pleaded to the community to stop the violence for it accomplishes little.
“To the family's credit, they seem to be saying, ‘He wouldn't want this,’” Stu said. “So at least they're trying to do something to settle it down a little bit.”
“If you have any information, please give it to us," said Brown’s father, Michael Brown Sr., in a Monday press conference. “But I don't want no violence. We don't want no violence. Because Michael wouldn't want no violence. He would have wanted none of it. We want to do it the right way. We need justice for our son.”
In another statement, an unidentified cousin of Brown said the following:
“I just want everyone to know and understand that the stealing and breaking in stores is not what Mike will want, it is very upsetting to me and my family. Our family didn’t ask for this but for Justice and Peace… Please let my family grieve in Peace in stop the violence in the street tonight, we don’t want this happing when we protest for justice for my cousin Mike Brown, please get this message out to the people that the Mike Brown family do not want this.”
“Good for them,” Glenn concluded. “Good for them.”
Front page image courtesy of the AP