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While protests have grown more violent since they started the night after Brown was shot, the number of injuries resulting from them is still relatively low. Protesters have been escalating their attacks though and the police's use of tear gas has become a daily headline. So far it appears only one to two people have been seriously injured from protest related incidents but it would seem that that number could be increasing very soon.
The state's first attempt to calm protesters was to remove the Ferguson Police Department's responsibility of containing the protests. Instead, the responsibility was given to the Missouri Highway Patrol and Capt. Ron Johnson. Because the police were the target of their protests and because Capt. Johnson is an African American; like 70% of Ferguson, many hoped only peaceful protests would continue.
Tension has only escalated since the move.
Now, Gov. Nixon wants to bring in a military body to try to achieve the same goal. Nixon says the National Guard will "help restore peace and order and to protect the citizens of Ferguson".
There are only two ways the National Guard could achieve this goal. Neither seems likely.
Preferably, the National Guard would act as a deterrent scaring off protesters who bit off more than they could chew. Over time, protests would deescalate and the police could be put pack in a position to maintain control over the protests.
This scenario seems unlikely though. Ferguson residents, and those participating that are not from the city, seem resilient to scare tactics or peace offerings. The people involved in these violent protests feel wronged as a community and will doubtfully back off because of another armed group ahead of them, regardless of if the body is militarized.
The second scenario then would require the National Guard to use the more sophisticated tools and tactics at their disposal against the protesters in Ferguson. Tear gas and riot shields have failed to quell looting and savagery and advanced measures may be the only way to deter more protesters.
While this seems workable, I would argue that the result will be even more catastrophic. The injuries that would result from such tactics would alarm activists across the nation even more so than they already are. Subsequent protests in other areas would likely begin against the use of National Guard forces against citizens who feel they are being gunned down due to their race. Protests in Ferguson would not only increase, but unrest across the country likely would as well.
It is obvious why Gov. Nixon felt this was a necessary move. Something has to be done in Ferguson to end this streak of violent protests. However, this is likely a counterproductive attempt to quiet the alarm.
It would take one good man speaking with truth and honor to acknowledge the wrong that has been done and to work together with the community to end the violence. Maybe I am living in a dream but this has happened in the history of the US after the death of Martin Luther King, remember the speech by Robert Kennedy.
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Could this happened again, I don't really know.