US police plan to ‘slaughter’ black protesters in Ferguson: Activist
US police officers in riot gear hold a line as they watch demonstrators protest in St. Louis on Oct. 12, 2014.
Fri Nov 21, 2014 2:37PM GMT
Fri Nov 21, 2014 2:37PM GMT
Law
enforcement agencies in the US plan to use “overwhelming force” to
“slaughter” African-American protesters in the event of renewed
demonstrations in Ferguson, Missouri, an international lawyer in Atlanta
says.
Tensions are high in Ferguson, a predominantly black suburb of St.
Louis, ahead of a grand jury decision on whether to indict Darren
Wilson, a white police officer who shot dead an unarmed black teenager,
Michael Brown, on August 9.Law enforcement officials say the St. Louis County grand jury is preparing to meet Friday and may announce its decision on whether to charge Wilson.
Police forces all over the country are preparing for protests in Ferguson because it appears Wilson will not face criminal charges, which is a “travesty,” said Mustafa Ansari, who is also an African-American human rights activist.
“The police have armed themselves with overwhelming force and military machines and they are in positions right now to slaughter our people,” Ansari told in a phone interview with Press TV on Thursday.
Ansari predicted a “bad verdict” from the majority white grand jury. “The grand jury’s standard is just whether there was a crime that occurred, which is a very small threshold to establish whether or not a case to proceed.”
Human Rights Watch, a leading international human rights organization based in New York, has warned police departments to allow peaceful assembly and avoid using excessive force in the event of renewed protests.
Brown’s death triggered weeks of protests and clashes between police and demonstrators in Ferguson. At times, the police used unnecessary and disproportionate force.
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has declared a 30-day state of emergency and called in 400 National Guard troops to support local police.
Rights groups say the shooting death of Brown by police is an example of the human rights violations that happen all over the country.
AHT/GJH