title: Ferguson unrest

text:
The Ferguson unrest (sometimes called the Ferguson uprising, Ferguson protests, or the Ferguson riots) were a series of protests and riots which began in Ferguson, Missouri on August 10, 2014, the day after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by FPD officer Darren Wilson. The unrest sparked a vigorous debate in the United States about the relationship between law enforcement officers and African Americans, the militarization of police, and the use-of-force law in Missouri and nationwide. Continuing activism expanded the issues by including modern-day debtors prisons, for-profit policing, and school segregation.

As the details of the shooting emerged, police established curfews and deployed riot squads in anticipation of unrest. Along with peaceful protests, there was a significant amount of looting and violence in the vicinity of the site of the shooting, as well as across the city. Media criticism of the militarization of the police in Ferguson after the shooting was frequent. The unrest continued on November 24, 2014, after a grand jury did not indict Officer Wilson. It briefly flared again on the first anniversary of Brown's shooting. The Department of Justice (DOJ) concluded that Wilson shot Brown in self-defense.

In response to the shooting and the subsequent unrest, the DOJ conducted an investigation into the policing practices of the Ferguson Police Department (FPD). In March 2015, the DOJ announced that they had determined that the FPD had engaged in misconduct against the citizenry of Ferguson by, among other things, discriminating against African Americans and applying racial stereotypes in a "pattern or practice of unlawful conduct." The DOJ also found that the Ferguson city council relied on fines and other charges generated by police for funding municipal services.

Background

Michael Brown, an 18-year-old African-American male, was shot and killed during an encounter with Officer Darren Wilson.  Officer Wilson arrived after a robbery and assault was reported at a nearby convenience store. The caller described the accused (later identified as Michael Brown from security cameras). Officer Wilson's account was that after seeing Brown and Brown's friend Dorian Johnson walking home in the middle of the street he asked them to walk on the sidewalk instead. When they refused Wilson noticed that Brown's shirt and a box of cigarillos he was holding matched the description from the robbery call, and suspected Brown and Johnson as being involved. When he attempted to question Michael Brown, he was attacked. There was a struggle, Brown attempting and almost succeeding in gaining possession of Officer Wilson's weapon. Due to the struggle, the weapon discharged, slightly wounding Brown, who then fled. Wilson gave brief chase firing upon Brown, ultimately shooting and killing Brown when Brown turned to confront him and, upon Wilson's account, charged at him. The officer was a 28-year-old white male Ferguson police officer. After several months of deliberation, a grand jury decided not to indict Officer Wilson for any criminal charges in relation to the incident.

The police response to the shooting was heavily criticized, as was the slow rate of information making its way out to the public.  Many of the documents received and reviewed by the Grand Jury were released when the grand jury declined to indict Officer Wilson.

Events

August 2014
On August 9, the evening of the shooting, residents had created a makeshift memorial of flowers and candles in the spot where Brown died. According to Mother Jones, an unidentified policeman allowed their dog to urinate on the memorial and police vehicles later crushed the memorial. Mother Jones reported that these incidents inflamed tensions among bystanders, according to Missourian state representative Sharon Pace, who told the reporters for the magazine, "That made people in the crowd mad and it made me mad."

On August 10, a day of memorials began peacefully, but some people became outspoken after an evening candlelight vigil. Local police stations assembled approximately 150 officers in riot gear. Some people began looting businesses, vandalizing vehicles, and confronting police officers who sought to block off access to several areas of the city. At least 12 businesses were looted or vandalized and a QuikTrip convenience store and gas station was set on fire, as well as a Little Caesars. The Quiktrip looting was captured on video by activist Umar Lee leading to over 30 arrests. Many windows were broken and several nearby businesses closed on Monday. The people arrested face charges of assault, burglary, and theft. Police used a variety of equipment, including riot gear and helicopters, to disperse the crowd by 2:00 a.m. Two police officers suffered minor injuries during the events.

On August 11, police fired tear gas to disperse a crowd at the burnt shell of the QuikTrip convenience store, set on fire by looters the night before. According to reports, gunshots were fired in Ferguson and five people were arrested. Some protesters threw rocks at police officers. The police responded by firing tear gas and bean bag rounds at protesters which included Missouri Senate member Maria Chappelle-Nadal.

On August 12, several hundred protesters gathered in Clayton, the county seat, seeking criminal prosecution of the officer involved in the shooting. Protesters in Ferguson carried signs and many held their hands in the air while shouting "don't shoot," apparently in response to eye-witness accounts that Brown had his hands raised in an attempt to surrender at the moment he was shot. According to police, some protesters threw bottles at the officers, prompting the use of tear gas to disperse the crowd. The following day, a SWAT team of around 70 officers arrived at a protest demanding that protesters disperse. That night, police used smoke bombs, flash grenades, rubber bullets, and tear gas to disperse the crowd. Video footage of the events recorded by KARG Argus Radio shows Ferguson Police firing tear gas into a residential neighborhood and ordering the journalist to cease recording.

Between August 12 and 13, police officers at times fired tear gas and rubber bullets at lines of protesters and reporters. At least seven protesters were arrested on the evening of August 12 and 13 after police told protesters to "go home" or face arrest. CNN cameras filmed an officer addressing a group of protesters by saying "Bring it, you fucking animals, bring it." On the night of August 12, a peaceful protester was shot in the head non-fatally by police.  The gunshot survivor, Mya Aaten-White, complained that police had failed to interview her in connection with the shooting.  Police had attempted to interview Aaten-White alone, but she refused to speak with them without an attorney present which police refused. A month after the shooting, Aaten-White's attorney indicated that he had subsequently contacted police to set up an appointment for an interview, without response. City officials refused to provide reporters with ballistics reports or other investigative records, citing state law regarding ongoing police investigations.

As night fell on August 13, protesters threw projectiles at police including Molotov cocktails, and police launched tear gas and smoke bombs in retaliation. While police were clearing a McDonald's restaurant, The Washington Post reporter Wesley Lowery and The Huffington Post reporter Ryan J. Reilly were arrested. Officers reportedly asked them to leave first, gave them a 45-second countdown when they were not moving fast enough, and ultimately resorted to more forceful measures to remove people from the McDonald's. "Officers slammed me into a fountain soda machine because I was confused about which door they were asking me to walk out of," Lowery said. Martin Baron, executive editor of The Washington Post, issued a statement, saying "there was absolutely no justification for Wesley Lowery's arrest," and that the police behavior "was wholly unwarranted and an assault on the freedom of the press to cover the news."

Al Jazeera America journalists including correspondent Ash-har Quraishi covering the protests in Ferguson on Wednesday night were also tear-gassed and shot at with rubber bullets by a police SWAT team. An officer was captured on video turning the reporters' video camera toward the ground and dismantling their equipment. Al Jazeera America issued a statement, calling the incident an "egregious assault on the freedom of the press that was clearly intended to have a chilling effect on our ability to cover this important story." On Thursday, August 14, the St. Charles County Regional SWAT Team put out a press release stating that "... the SWAT Team has not been any part of attempting to prevent media coverage" and that the SWAT team had helped journalists move their equipment at their request. A raw video captured a vehicle marked clearly as "St. Charles County SWAT" rolling up to the Al Jazeera lights and camera and taking them down.

Tom Jackson, the Ferguson police chief denied any suppression of the media. U.S. President Barack Obama addressed the First Amendment violations, saying, "There's also no excuse for police to use excessive force against peaceful protests, or to throw protesters in jail for lawfully exercising their First Amendment rights. And here, in the United States of America, police should not be bullying or arresting journalists who are just trying to do their jobs and report to the American people on what they see on the ground."

St. Louis alderman Antonio French, who was documenting the protests for social media, was also arrested by police in Ferguson on Wednesday night. French said that he went into his car to escape tear gas and smoke bombs being thrown by police. While he was in his car, police approached him, dragging him out of the car. French was arrested for unlawful assembly. Speaking to reporters after his release from jail on Thursday, French described the dozen or so other people arrested as "peacekeepers" including "reverends, young people organizing the peace effort." No charges were ultimately brought against French.

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP), a large coalition of media and press freedom groups, wrote to police forces in Ferguson, Missouri, to protest the harassment of journalists covering the protests.

On August 14, United States Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) stated that "militarization of the police escalated the protesters' response." St. Louis Chief of Police Sam Dotson stated he would not have employed military-style policing such as that which transpired. According to Chief Dotson, "My gut told me what I was seeing were not tactics that I would use in the city and I would never put officers in situations that I would not do myself." Another reason Dotson did not want the city and county police to collaborate was because of the history of racial profiling by police in that county. In an email to a St. Louis Alderman who brought up concerns of racial profiling, he wrote: "I agree and removed our tactical assistance. We did not send tactical resources to Ferguson on Tuesday or Wednesday. Our only assistance was that of four traffic officers to help divert traffic and keep both pedestrians and motorists safe. On Thursday we will have no officers assisting Ferguson."

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon said at a press conference that the Missouri State Highway Patrol would take over policing Ferguson from the St. Louis County police, whose tactics were widely criticized, referring to the change as "an operational shift," and that police will use force "only when necessary," and will generally "step back a little bit." Nixon said that Ferguson security would be overseen by Captain Ron Johnson of the Highway Patrol. Johnson, an African-American, said he grew up in the community and "it means a lot to me personally that we break this cycle of violence." Nixon said, "The people of Ferguson want their streets to be free of intimidation and fear" he said, but during the past few days, "it looked a little bit more like a war zone and that's not acceptable." St. Louis county prosecutor Robert P. McCulloch criticized the governor's decision, saying "It's shameful what he did today; he had no legal authority to do that. To denigrate the men and women of the county police department is shameful."

In the evening hours of August 14, Captain Johnson walked with and led a large, peaceful march in Ferguson.

Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson announced the name of the officer involved in the shooting in a news conference the morning of Friday, August 15, nearly a week after the officer shot Brown on Saturday afternoon. Jackson prefaced the name announcement by describing a "strong-arm" robbery that had occurred a few minutes before the shooting at a nearby convenience store called Ferguson Market & Liquor. A police report released to members of the media at the news conference described Brown as the suspect involved in the robbery. Hours later, Jackson held another news conference in which he said Wilson wasn't aware of the robbery when he stopped Brown.

On Friday night, protests continued in "an almost celebratory manner" near the QuikTrip until police arrived at around 11:00 p.m. At around 1:30 a.m. Saturday morning, rioters broke into and looted the Ferguson Market & Liquor store that Brown allegedly robbed prior to his shooting, as well as other nearby businesses; after the initial break-in, a group of protesters and observers gathered near the storefronts of the looted businesses in an attempt to prevent further looting.

As a result of looting and disruption the night before, on August 16, Nixon declared in a press conference a state of emergency and implemented nightly curfews in Ferguson from midnight to 5:00 a.m. Some residents at the press conference said that law enforcement officers had instigated the violence with their military-like tactics. Johnson said that police would not enforce the curfew with armored trucks and tear gas, and that police will communicate with protesters and give them time and opportunity to leave before curfew.

In the early hours of August 17, tear gas and tactical units were used, despite prior assurances. One of the protesters was shot by police and critically wounded; police have claimed that they did not fire any shots. Seven other individuals were arrested. Later that morning, a Missouri Highway Patrol spokesman announced that the curfew would be extended for a second day.

On August 18, after violent clashes during the imposed curfew, Nixon issued an executive order calling in the National Guard to "help restore peace and order and to protect the citizens of Ferguson." Nixon also announced that there would be no curfew on the night of August 18. Amnesty International sent a 13-person contingent of human rights activists to seek meetings with officials as well as to train local activists in non-violent protest methods. Police were recorded threatening the media with mace. A photojournalist, Scott Olson, was also arrested by officers. After being briefed by Attorney General Eric Holder on the events, President Obama dispatched Holder to Ferguson to monitor the unrest there.

On the night of August 18, after several hundred protesters, some of whom were seen throwing bottles, charged toward a wall of police 60 wide and five deep, members of the crowd pushed them back including clergymen and community leaders locking arms, averting a more serious confrontation. 78 individuals were arrested, including The Intercepts Ryan Devereaux. German journalists Ansgar Graw and Frank Hermann reported being placed under arrest by an unidentified officer who would only identify himself as "Donald Duck."

On August 20, Attorney General Eric Holder traveled to Ferguson, where he met with residents as well as Brown's family. Only six individuals were arrested, compared to 47 arrests the prior night. Nixon then withdrew the National Guard from Ferguson on August 21 after witnessing improvements among the social unrest. On August 23, protests continued to be peaceful, although three more arrests were made. During the same day, a rally of 50 to 70 people was held in Ferguson in support of Wilson under the banner "I am Darren Wilson," and as of August 25, nearly 400,000 were raised by supporters in an online crowdfunding campaign. The online campaign drew a number of racist comments, which forced the website to shut down the comment section.

Brown's family asked that supporters suspend their protests for one day out of respect for the funeral proceedings, planned for August 25. "All I want tomorrow is peace while we lay our son to rest. Please, that's all I ask," Brown's father said. The service was attended by thousands of people, including 2,500 filling the sanctuary, and others in an overflow auditorium which was also full. An estimated 2,000 additional people were on church property for the funeral. Eric Davis, one of Brown's cousins, said at the funeral, "[s]how up at the voting booths. Let your voices be heard, and let everyone know that we have had enough of all of this."

September 2014
Early on September 23, a memorial to Michael Brown on Canfield Drive burned to the ground. Protesters gathered at the site. The burned memorial was set up again.

That evening, several hundred protesters gathered, asking for Jackson's resignation. In front of the police headquarters, protected by 50 police officers Jackson addressed the protest and started to explain that changes were underway after Brown's killing, creating some agitation in the crowd. Within minutes, police officers intervened to protect their chief. Several protesters were arrested and later the protest was declared unlawful.

On September 26, the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division asked Jackson to prohibit police officers from wearing "I am Darren Wilson" bracelets when on duty. In a previous letter earlier that week, it had asked that police officers wear nametags.

On the evening of September 28, a large crowd protested. Bottles and rocks were thrown at officers. Support from other police forces was requested. Eight protesters were arrested for failure to disperse and resisting arrest charges.

On September 29, protesters gathered in front of the police building, including a dozen clergy members who prayed in the police parking. They were told that they would be arrested if they did not clear the street. A clergyman was then arrested. Protesters were also told that they would be arrested if the chants went on after 11:00 p.m. About that time, police moved slowly forward, but protesters refused to move backwards. As they were almost in contact, gunshots were heard, and both sides backed up. Later, Capt. Ron Johnson of the Missouri Highway Patrol told the crowd that the "five-second rule" would not be implemented and there would be no arrest as long as the protest remained peaceful.

October 2014
On October 2, St. Louis County Police and Missouri State Highway Patrol arrested more than a dozen people including Mary Moore, a freelance journalist who has worked for CNN and local activists Ashley Yates, Alexis Templeton and Brittany Ferrell. Protesters were charged with offenses that included failure to comply with police, noise ordinance violations and resisting arrest. They had to wear orange jumpsuits. Bonds were highest at $2,700, then reduced to $1,000. Police dismantled an encampment that lasted a few weeks on West Florissant. Police and protesters are adapting constantly to the other side's moves ("It's a legal clinic on these streets."). The city has recently raised bonds from $100 to $1,000.

On October 3, Ferguson police chief Thomas Jackson ceded responsibility for managing protests in the city to the St. Louis County police department. The limited resources of Ferguson police made it difficult to handle daily protests after their resumption the previous week.

On October 4, about 50 protesters briefly delayed a concert of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. Just before the performance resumed after intermission, they started singing an old civil rights tune, unfurled three hand-painted banners and scattered paper hearts that read: "Requiem for Mike Brown." After that, they left the building peacefully.

On Monday evening, October 6, after a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Los Angeles Dodgers, baseball supporters and protesters had a chanting battle outside the stadium.

A website, Ferguson October, as well as other organizations, planned a massive week of resistance throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area. The event, Ferguson October, began on Friday afternoon when protesters peacefully marched to County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch's office in Clayton, Missouri. Later, until around 2:30 a.m., mostly peaceful protests took place in Ferguson and the Shaw neighborhood. As many as 400 people took to the streets on Friday night. On October 9, 2014, Ferguson October sparked the activation of the St. Louis County Emergency Center in anticipation. Police were also working longer shifts and the Missouri National Guard could have been activated if needed.

On October 12, a Ferguson October rally and service was held at Chaifetz Arena, located on Saint Louis University's campus. The stated purpose of the event was to "call on the nation to repent for the sin of police brutality and support a new generation of youth activists." Activists Suheir Hammad, Ashley Yates and Tef Poe spoke to the crowd along with Christian, Jewish, and Muslim clergy members. Younger activists criticized older activists for not being radical enough. When the keynote speaker, Cornel West, took the stage, he said, "I didn't come here to give a speech. I came here to go to jail!"

On October 13, protesters attempted to cross police lines to meet with officers at the Ferguson Police Department. Dozens of protesters, estimated to be over 50, were arrested, during a staged and peaceful act of disobedience, including clergy and Cornel West. Saint Louis University became hosts to peaceful protesters around the Clock Tower, located near the library and is essentially the center of the campus. The protesters staged a sit in with over 250 people attending.

On October 20, Missouri Senator Jamilah Nasheed was arrested in front of the Ferguson Police Department building for blocking traffic in the street and not respecting police orders. She was taken into custody, along with a man who was accompanying her, and refused bond. At the time of her arrest she was carrying a handgun.

November 2014
On November 17, the governor of Missouri declared a state of emergency in anticipation of protests in Ferguson following the announcement of the results of the grand jury.

On November 21, two members of the New Black Panther Party were arrested for buying explosives they planned to detonate during protests. The same pair is also indicted for purchasing two pistols under false pretenses.

On November 22, Journalist Trey Yingst was arrested in front of the Ferguson Police Department. He later filed a lawsuit with the ACLU and won an $8,500 settlement.

On November 24, the grand jury decided not to indict Wilson in the shooting death of Brown. Following the announcement of the grand jury's decision, Michael Brown's stepfather Louis Head yelled to the crowd of protesters in front of the police department: "Burn this bitch down!" There were peaceful protests as well as rioting. A dozen buildings were burned down; there was gunfire, looting, vandalism, and destruction of two St. Louis County Police patrol cars, as well as burning of various non-police cars.

On , the body of 20-year-old DeAndre Joshua was found inside a parked car within a few blocks of where Brown was killed. Police initially classified the death as suspicious, later ruling it a homicide. The man had been shot in the head and burned. That same day, CNN reported that thousands of people rallied to protest the grand jury's decision in more than 170 U.S. cities from Boston to Los Angeles, and that National Guard forces were reinforced at Ferguson to prevent the situation from escalating. At least 90 people were arrested for arson, looting, and vandalism in Oakland, California. Protests also took place internationally, with demonstrations held in several major cities in Canada and in London, United Kingdom. Calls by protesters to disrupt the Black Friday shopping day, which took place the Friday after the grand jury decision, were heeded in the St. Louis region, with hundreds of demonstrators blocking walkways and shouting slogans at the Saint Louis Galleria and other area shopping centers.

On November 27, Governor Nixon reportedly rejected calls for a new grand jury to decide whether to charge Wilson over Brown's killing.

December 2014
On December 2, an armed militia associated with the Oath Keepers watched community members on Ferguson roofs, even after the police told them to stop doing so.

March 2015
On the night of March 11, 2015, around 12:00 a.m. CST, protests ensued throughout the city of Ferguson following the announcement of the chief of police's resignation. Under a mutual separation agreement, police chief Thomas Jackson would be paid one year of annual salary (nearly $96,000) with health benefits, with his resignation effective March 19. Lieutenant Colonel Al Eickhoff was declared acting chief pending the hiring of a replacement. According to a report by Susan Weich of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, there were two sets of protesters, one chanting clean slogans, and the other, "volatile, angry, hurling profanities at the police, media and other protesters."

In the early morning hours of March 12, two police officers were shot outside the Ferguson police station. Though approximately 100 protesters remained on the other side of South Florissant Road adjacent to the police line, witnesses believed the shooter was on the top of a hill approximately 220 yards from the police station. A 41-year-old officer from the St. Louis County Police Department was hit in the shoulder, and a 32-year-old officer from the Webster Groves Police Department was hit in the cheek. The St. Louis County police chief said that at least three shots were fired parallel to the ground rather than up into the air (not "skip shots") and therefore assumed his officers were the target. (this low-quality video depicts the commotion of the crowd as the gunshots rang out) An "intense manhunt" was launched for the person or persons responsible for the shooting.

On March 14, 20-year-old black male Jeffrey L. Williams was arrested in connection with the shooting.

April 2015
On April 29, protests resumed in the wake of the death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore, Maryland. Two people were shot in the neck and a third was shot in the leg, with all three victims being in stable condition. Six people were arrested, one for shooting one of the victims and five for looting a Mobil gas station. Four police cars were damaged after rocks were thrown at them. Several items were also set on fire.

August 2015
On August 9, the anniversary of Brown's fatal shooting, peaceful demonstrations occurred and attendants observed four-and-a-half minutes of silence, signifying the four-and-a-half hours during which Brown's body was left on the street.

Later on in the night, two groups of suspected looters began firing at each other during a demonstration. Four plain-clothed officers in an unmarked sports utility vehicle responded to the scene. There, they shot a man who allegedly opened fire on them with a stolen 9mm SIG Sauer handgun. The suspect, identified as Tyrone Harris Jr., was hospitalized in "critical and unstable" condition. Three hours after the shooting, two teenagers were wounded in an apparent drive-by shooting as they were walking near a memorial dedicated to Brown. A journalist was also attacked and robbed in a parking lot, while three police officers were injured by protesters.

Following the violence, officials placed St. Louis County under a state of emergency on August 10, which was lifted three days later. Protests continued that day and into the night, with one such event shutting down Interstate 70. More than 100 protesters were arrested during the demonstrations. Early in the morning of August 11, more than 20 additional protesters were arrested. Later that day, police released video footage of Harris' shooting.

August 2016
On the second anniversary of Michael Brown's death, mourners decided to hold a protest by blocking a road way. A vehicle later drove through the protesters hitting one and knocking them into the air. Protesters then began to shoot at the fleeing vehicle. The injured protester was later brought to a hospital and the driver cooperated with police.

Related incidents

Ray Albers

Ray Albers of the St. Ann Police Department was suspended indefinitely from his duties after an incident at a protest in Ferguson that was captured on video. According to St. Louis County police, he pointed a semi-automatic service rifle at peaceful protesters while using profanity and threatening to kill them.

Albers was recorded on video saying, "I will fucking kill you." When asked to identify himself, Albers replied, "Go fuck yourself." This led the ACLU to write to law enforcement demanding action. A repercussion of his actions was that while his identification was pending, Albers was widely referred to on social media as Officer Go Fuck Yourself.

Albers resigned eight days later on August 28, 2014.

Kajieme Powell
Four miles from Ferguson,  25-year-old Kajieme Powell was killed by police gunfire in the early afternoon of August 19, 2014. It had been reported to the St Louis Police Department that Powell was behaving in an erratic manner, carrying a knife. Upon arriving at the scene police officers shot Powell dead within a matter of seconds. Demonstrators were ready to engage in protest and the event was given due immediate coverage by the media.Bing search page: Kajieme Powell . . . . https://www.bing.com/search?q=Kajieme+Powell+&qs=n&form=QBRE&pq=kajieme+powell+&sc=3-15&sp=-1&sk=&cvid=79E9847F5EBB4BD68046346397F32132 Kajieme Powell was born in 1990.

Dan Page
On August 22, St. Louis County Police officer Dan Page, who was filmed pushing CNN's Don Lemon, was relieved of duty after a video emerged of an inflammatory speech Page had given to the St. Louis and St. Charles chapter of the Oath Keepers.  He retired three days later.

Matthew Pappert
Glendale police officer Matthew Pappert, who had patrolled in Ferguson during the protests,  was suspended for controversial postings to Facebook, such as "[t]hese protesters should have been put down like a rabid dog the first night" and "[w]here is a Muslim with a backpack when you need him?" (referring to the Boston Marathon bombings). Journalists in Ferguson claimed Pappert had threatened them.  Pappert was ultimately fired from the department after the conclusion of an internal investigation.

Lawsuit against police and local governments
A $40 million federal lawsuit was filed on August 28 by five protesters who were arrested between August 11–13. It alleges that police officers used unnecessary force and made unjustified arrests. Four more protesters were added as plaintiffs in October. The lawsuit lists various police officials, officers, the Ferguson city government and the St. Louis county government as defendants.

Vonderrit Myers Jr.
On October 8, 2014, Vonderrit Myers Jr. was shot and killed by an off-duty police officer in St. Louis. Police said he had a gun and shot at them. Doug Hollis of St. Louis, a relative of both Myers and Michael Brown, did not witness the shooting but told USA Today that Myers was unarmed, with only a sandwich in his hands, and suggested that the gun found at the scene might have been planted by police. Following the shooting, there were multiple nights of protests. Forensic evidence later confirmed that Myers had gunshot residue on his right hand, shirt, and pants, indicating that he had fired a gun. Three bullets fired at police matched Myers's gun. The family's attorney noticed that police versions differ about the weapon Myers allegedly used: first, police mentioned a 9mm Ruger, and later a 9mm Smith & Wesson. Although later determined that Myers did have a gun and it matched the same gun he was seen in various photos posted to social media. An independent autopsy by Dr. Cyril H. Wecht found that six of the eight wounds were at the back of the body. Police investigators served Wecht with a subpoena for his results. The funeral was held on October 26.

On May 19, 2015, it was announced that no charges would be filed against the off-duty police officer. St. Louis Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce's report says the officer shot and killed Myers in self-defense after Myers fired a gun at him, and thus a criminal violation could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt in the resulting death.

Antonio Martin

On December 23, 2014, 18-year-old Antonio Martin was shot and killed in Berkeley, Missouri after pulling a gun on a St. Louis County police officer who was questioning him. The incident provoked additional violent protests in the area.

Jeffrey L. Williams
On March 14, 2015, Jeffrey L. Williams, age 20, was arrested in connection with the shooting of two police officers two days earlier (see above). Williams, who is black and was on probation for possession of stolen property, had admitted to firing the shots but said that he was not aiming at police. According to Williams' attorney, he intended to retaliate against a person who had robbed him earlier that day. Police recovered a .40-caliber handgun that matched the spent cartridges found at the crime scene. On April 1, the Associated Press reported that during phone conversations, Williams confessed to firing back at an unidentified person who was shooting at him during the March 12 protest. His attorney had previously claimed Williams never discharged a firearm during the shooting. Arraigned on June 3, Williams pleaded not guilty to all charges. In December 2016, a jury found Williams guilty of two counts of first-degree assault, three counts of armed criminal action and one count of unlawful use of a weapon. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison on March 17, 2017.

Tyrone Harris Jr.
On August 9, 2015, the anniversary of Brown's shooting, Tyrone Harris Jr., age 18, was shot by four plain-clothed police officers during a gunfight between looters (see above). He was hospitalized in critical condition. Police charged him with four counts of first-degree assault on law enforcement, five counts of armed criminal action, and one count of discharging a firearm at a motor vehicle. Harris was held on a $250,000 cash-only bond. According to Harris' father, he graduated from the same high school as Brown and was a close friend of his. Two days after the shooting, police released surveillance video of Harris firing a gun at an unmarked police car. Harris was out on bond for felony charges related to the theft of a vehicle and a gun at the time of the incident. Despite video evidence, Harris' father denied that his son had a gun. Others in Ferguson said that Harris might not have known he was firing at an unmarked police car.

On the night that Harris was shot, a free benefit concert to raise money for the family of Brown was sponsored by Activist/Rapper Talib Kweli. Kweli along with Academy Award winner Common, and other members of the Black Lives Matter movement were present. Harris was shot while the concert took place. The event and subsequent protest were filmed and organized into an award-winning short documentary entitled #Bars4Justice directed by multi-media activists Queen Muhammad Ali and Hakeem Khaaliq. The film won best short film at the 24th annual Pan African Film Festival in 2016.

Later deaths of protestors
, Ferguson protesters have continued to receive threats to their lives or wellbeing. A number have died under circumstances viewed as suspicious by the community. Continuing mistrust between the police and the community may have resulted in the police failing to adequately investigate these deaths.

On September 6, 2016, Darren Seals, a leader in the Ferguson protests was found shot and killed inside a burning car, similarly to DeAndre Joshua; he was 29 years old. Edward Crawford, known for the iconic photograph of him throwing a tear gas canister during the protests, also died in 2017 after, according to police, committing suicide.

Related developments

Town hall meetings
In order to develop a dialogue between authorities and residents, a series of five town meetings in October and November were set up by City leaders. The DOJ's Community Relations Service was involved, and the meetings were closed to the media and non-residents.

Voter registration
It was reported that 3,200 inhabitants (out of 21,000) had registered to vote in Ferguson since Michael Brown's death. Later, the election board stated that the released numbers were inaccurate and only 128 new voter registrations occurred. The larger number was the total number of interactions with Ferguson voters, including address changes or other alterations.

Ferguson PR sub-contractor fired
Devin James, a minority PR person hired shortly before the unrest began, was fired by the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership after his prior record came to light. James worked directly with the Ferguson Police Chief and seems to be the one who suggested the video apology, among other things. The Partnership was informed that James served a 90-day work farm sentence in 2009 for reckless homicide. As a victim of an armed robbery in 2004, he shot 8 times and killed one of his two assailants. Earlier in 2004, he was shot in the shoulder as a victim of another armed robbery. After a troubled youth, James managed to attend university, but the two robberies prevented him from obtaining a degree. James kept his position on a pro bono basis.

Injunction against "keep moving" rule at peaceful protests
On September 29, 2014, the ACLU asked a federal court to order police to stop using the "keep moving" rule during protests in Ferguson, which prevented people from standing still under threat of arrest.  St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar testified that the rule was meant to be used for the most volatile night protests during curfew and was mistakenly used by some officers at calm protests during the day. On October 6, Chief Judge Catherine D. Perry, of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, ruled that "The practice of requiring peaceful demonstrators and others to walk, rather than stand still, violates the constitution," and issued an injunction against the practice for peaceful, law-abiding protesters in Ferguson.

Rebuilding process
The QuikTrip that was looted and burned during the first night of unrest will be rebuilt as a job training center as part of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis's "empowering communities" effort.  The center, when complete, will house the new Save Our Sons program. St. Louis area companies have contributed $1.2 million toward the effort, meant to give young jobless or underemployed men a month's training before matching them with area jobs.

Philanthropy help
Wanting to aid the healing process of the wounded city, an anonymous couple called the Greater Saint Louis Community Foundation and set up a $100,000 fund. But the generous couple didn't know which programs or initiatives would best help Ferguson, so they requested that a racially balanced group of Ferguson residents make the decision on how to distribute the money.

The Come Together Ferguson grant committee—made up of pairs of black and white teachers, police officers, pastors, and residents—decided to award the first round of grants to Ferguson summer youth programs. On Saturday, May 23, 2015, the committee announced it would distribute $39,000 to eleven organizations, selected out of 42 applications.

New police chief named
Delrish Moss, a seasoned Miami police officer with decades of experience related to public relations and community outreach, was appointed police chief in April 2016. Major Moss, who is black, will be leading the primarily white police force in protecting a community where over half of residents are African American.

Racial context
The Washington Post noted that racial disparities had already existed between the Ferguson Police Department and its citizenry, which had experienced significant demographic changes since 2000. Protests, vandalism, and other forms of social unrest continued for more than a week,  and the violence escalated despite the imposition of a night curfew. Several of the stores looted during the unrest are Asian American-owned, with The Daily Beast writing that Asian-Americans tend to be "left out" of the race relations discussion.

Also according to The Washington Post, the Ferguson Police Department "bears little demographic resemblance" to the mostly African-American community, which already harbored "suspicions of the law enforcement agency" preceding Brown's shooting, with 48 of the police force's 53 officers being white, while the population is only one-third white and about two-thirds black.  The community had experienced rapid demographic change in recent years; in 2000, just over half of the population was black.  An annual report last year by the office of Missouri's attorney general concluded that Ferguson police were "twice as likely to arrest African Americans during traffic stops as they were whites."

The Los Angeles Times argued that the situation that exploded in Ferguson "has been building for decades," stating that the protesters initially came from the town as well as from neighboring towns that have pockets of poverty, the poorest towns in St. Louis, and it also argued that "the growing challenge of the suburbanization of poverty" was the catalyst of the unrest.

Time magazine argued that "Blacks in this country are more apt to riot because they are one of the populations here which still needs to riot. In the case of the 1992 riots, 30 years of black people trying to talk about their struggles against racial profiling are muted, but their reaction to still vastly unfair, treatment, came to a boil. Sometimes, enough is simply too much. And after that catalyst event, the landscape of southern California changed, and nationally, police forces took note."

Another aspect of this situation might stem from a system that burdens the poor and black in Ferguson. Minor traffic offenses are the starting point, and the costs spiral up rapidly if the offenders do not pay the fines on time or do not appear in court. The income from court fines represented the second-largest source of revenue for Ferguson in 2013. On October 1, 2014, the city of St. Louis canceled 220,000 arrest warrants and gave a three-month delay to the offenders to get a new court date before the warrants would be reissued.

Reactions

In the United States

Federal government
 On August 12, citing an incident where a St. Louis County Police Department helicopter was fired on from the ground, the FAA implemented a no-fly zone over Ferguson. Recordings of telephone conversations between FAA employees later revealed that the true reason the flight restrictions were requested was to keep news helicopters out of the area during the protest violence. The tapes were obtained by the Associated Press in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
 In an August 14 op-ed in Time Magazine, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) said that police forces need to be demilitarized and that "[t]he shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown is an awful tragedy" and that "Anyone who thinks race does not skew the application of criminal justice in this country is just not paying close enough attention."
 Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) and Representative Justin Amash (R-Michigan) tweeted similar descriptions of Ferguson as a "war zone" in the aftermath of the police actions of August 12, with Amash calling the situation "frightening" on August 13 and Warren demanding answers on August 14.
 On August 23, U.S. President Barack Obama ordered a review of the distribution of military hardware to state and local police, questioning the use of such equipment during the racial unrest in Ferguson. The review will be led by White House staff and includes the Domestic Policy Council, the National Security Council, the Office of Management and Budget, as well as other agencies including the Department of Defense, Homeland Security, the Justice Department, and the Treasury Department, in coordination with Congress. Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement to The New York Times that "it makes sense to take a look at whether military-style equipment is being acquired for the right purposes and whether there is proper training on when and how to deploy it" and that "[d]isplays of force in response to mostly peaceful demonstrations can be counterproductive."
 On September 4, Eric Holder announced that the Justice Department will investigate Ferguson police force for possible misconduct or discrimination, saying that, "[w]e have determined that there is cause for the Justice Department to open an investigation to determine whether Ferguson police officials have engaged in a pattern or practice of violations of the U.S. Constitution or federal law."  Attorney General Holder indicated that an overhaul similar to a recent agreement with the Albuquerque police department over use of excessive force could be called for in Ferguson. "It's pretty clear that the need for wholesale change in that department is appropriate," Holder said.
 On September 24 at the United Nations General Assembly, President Obama described the racial tensions at Ferguson as a failure to live up to America's ideals, and said that, "[i]n a summer marked by instability in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, I know the world also took notice of the small American city of Ferguson, Missouri – where a young man was killed, and a community was divided. So yes, we have our own racial and ethnic tensions."
 On November 24, minutes after a prosecuting attorney announced that a grand jury decided not to indict police officer Darren Wilson, President Obama urged calm and restraint in Ferguson, saying racial discrimination and distrust of police cannot be resolved by "throwing bottles." Immediately after the shooting and in the weeks leading up to the grand jury announcement, President Obama has made several such calls for calm and restraint in Ferguson.
 On November 24, after reports of gunshots fired into the sky in Ferguson, the FAA diverted some flights to other airports that were inbound to St. Louis. Departures were not affected. The Temporary Flight Restriction said that no news helicopters or commercial flights were allowed in a three-mile radius up to an altitude of 3000 feet.

Supreme Court Justices
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said in an August 22 interview with The National Law Journal that the events at Ferguson and the stop-and-frisk policies in New York City, point to a "real racial problem" in the U.S. Additionally, Justice Sonia Sotomayor cited the Department of Justice's "Ferguson Report" extensively in her dissent in the 2016 Fourth-Amendment case Utah v. Strieff as evidence of systemic racial bias in police practice.

Missouri government
 On August 14, Governor of Missouri Jay Nixon stated that the Ferguson riots were "deeply challenging" and "promised 'operational shifts' to ease the situation, using the Missouri State Highway Patrol to direct security.
 Maria Chappelle-Nadal, a Missouri Senator who represented parts of Ferguson and was tear-gassed during the demonstrations, said in an interview that "It doesn't matter if Michael Brown committed theft or not. That's not the issue. The issue is what happened when Darren Wilson encountered Michael Brown, and when he died—when he was killed. Those are the only facts that are necessary."
 James Knowles III, the Mayor of Ferguson, was slow to seek support and coordination from state and county authorities as violence and civil unrest developed in his municipality. Mayor Knowles did not receive a phone call from either the Governor or others as riots developed and even as others came on the scene, no one appeared to take charge.

Local authorities
 Jennings, Missouri: On August 11, in response to safety concerns, the school district in nearby Jennings cancelled the first day of classes.
 Ferguson-Florissant School District, Missouri: On August 13, in response to the continuing unrest in the community, Ferguson-Florissant schools that were to open Thursday were closed and scheduled to reopen on Monday. On Sunday Aug 17, the school district again cancelled the first day of classes due to ongoing unrest. On Monday, administrators for the district announced that school would continue to be closed through the end of the school week.
 On August 12, Metropolitan Police Department, City of St. Louis Commissioner of Police Sam Dotson decided against providing any more manpower to Ferguson owing to concerns about the welfare of the protesters and the handling of the situation by local police.
 On September 1, it was reported that, after receiving a large amount of criticism regarding their practices, the police force in Ferguson had begun to wear body cameras. The cameras had been donated to the police by two private security firms.

Brown family
 One of Brown's cousins released a statement saying that "the stealing and breaking in stores is not what Mike will want, it is very upsetting to me and my family." The statement also said, "Our family didn't ask for this but for justice and peace."
 After the grand jury's decision was announced, Brown's mother, Lesley McSpadden, speaking to a crowd, expressed feelings of disbelief and innocence. Brown's stepfather, Louis Head, turned to a crowd of demonstrators who had gathered, and yelled, "Burn this motherfucker down" and "Burn this bitch down," according to a New York Times video. He later apologized for his outburst.

Polls
A Pew Research poll conducted August 14–17 among 1,000 adults, found stark racial and political divisions in reactions to the shooting. By about four-to-one, African Americans (80% to 18%) said the shooting raised important issues about race, while whites, by 47% to 37%, said the issue of race is getting more attention than it deserves. The divide in public opinion was also observed across partisan lines, with 68% of Democrats (including 62% of white Democrats) believing the incident raises important issues about race that merit discussion, compared with 40% of Independents and 22% of Republicans. Republicans were also more likely than Democrats to view the police response as appropriate (43%), compared with 21% of Democrats; 65% of Republicans expressed confidence in the investigations into the incident, compared with 38% of Democrats.

Third parties

 As of December 28, 2014, at least 253 demonstrations had been held worldwide for Michael Brown or in solidarity with Ferguson.
 Local pastors held a vigil on the morning of Sunday, August 10. Another vigil was planned on the same day, at 8:00 p.m. in the area where Brown was killed.
 National vigils and marches occurred on the evening of Thursday, August 14, in over 100 cities around the U.S. with thousands in attendance. They were organized by FeministaJones, using Twitter and the #NMOS14 hashtag.
 Hacktivists claiming an association with Anonymous and operating under the codename "Operation Ferguson" organized cyberprotests by setting up a website and a Twitter account. The group promised that if any protesters were harassed or harmed, they would attack the city's servers and computers, taking them offline. City officials said that e-mail systems were targeted and phones died, while the Internet crashed at the City Hall. Prior to August 15, members of Anonymous corresponding with Mother Jones said that they were working on confirming the identity of the undisclosed police officer who shot Brown and would release his name as soon as they did. On August 14, Anonymous posted on its Twitter feed what it claimed was the name of the officer involved in the shooting. However, police said the identity released by Anonymous was incorrect. Twitter subsequently suspended the Anonymous account from its service.
 A group of Tibetan monks joined the protesters in Ferguson on Sunday, August 17.
 On August 17, about 150 people protested in downtown St. Louis in support of Darren Wilson. The protesters argued that Wilson had been victimized and that any punishment for him would cause law enforcement officers to be "frightened to do their jobs."
 CNN, along with ABC News and others, described the incident as having triggered a national debate on race relations, as well as the use of force and the militarization of the police in the United States.
 The Green Shadow Cabinet, a group led by 2012 Green Party presidential nominee Dr. Jill Stein, stated on August 14 that "[a] healthy response by the local police and government agencies in Ferguson and St. Louis County would have been to immediately announce a full investigation of the shooting and a review of police policies and practices."
 Some veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces criticized the tactics and procedures used by the police during the unrest, including the use of assault rifles in a protest situation. They also criticized the choice to use canine units, which played into racial imagery exacerbating the issue and encouraged engaging the civilian population in dialogue and social media.
 On September 22, protesters received support from a California-based group called We Copwatch to improve the way they record their interactions with the police.
 In October 2014, members of the Emerson Unitarian Universalist Chapel in the primarily white St. Louis suburb of Chesterfield, Missouri, held its first Black Lives Matter vigil to honor Michael Brown. The group evolved into the West County Community Action Network (WE CAN), a grassroots organization that holds weekly Black Lives Matter vigils in visible locations in primarily white portions of St. Louis County, Missouri. The organization advocates about various Calls to Action of the Ferguson Commission Report, Forward Through Ferguson: A Path Toward Racial Equity, a 2015 analysis that highlighted structural contributions to inequity in the region and ways to address them. The group's efforts, focused in the western area of the county, include working to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline, promoting racial equity in police work, and advocating about racially equitable voting rights. Members of the group are also poised to respond to racist acts in the area.
 St. Louis Rams wide receiver Kenny Britt led his teammates Tavon Austin, Jared Cook, Stedman Bailey, and Chris Givens in giving the "Hands up, Don't shoot." gesture when walking on to the field prior to the November 30 contest against the Oakland Raiders. The five came under fire from several media outlets, including Mike Ditka, who called the display "embarrassing."

International reactions
China – The Chinese state news Xinhua News Agency said hours before the governor ordered National Guard troops into Ferguson, "Obviously, what the United States needs to do is to concentrate on solving its own problems rather than always pointing fingers at others."
Egypt – Its Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that it agrees calls for "self restraint and respect for the right of assembly and peaceful expression of opinion" in the protests, hoping that the American authorities deal with the protests according to "the international standards." Egypt's Foreign Ministry Spokesman said that Egypt is closely following up with the "mounting protests" in Ferguson.
France – French Minister of Justice Christiane Taubira commented on Radio France Internationale, "I will not make value judgements on the institutions of the United States but when the sense of frustration is that strong, that deep, that long-lasting and that huge, there is reason to question whether people trust these institutions. You realise that somehow it only happens to the same people: Afro-American kids. Certain clichés still persist, certain prejudices which can create terrible reflexes." She also tweeted in French "Michael Brown, racial profiling, social exclusion, territorial segregation, cultural relegation, weapons, fear, fatal cocktail." Taking a line of the song I Shot the Sheriff by Bob Marley, she added: "Kill them before they grow?."
Iran – The Islamic Republic News Agency commented, "Violence has become institutionalized in the U.S. in recent years, but since President Obama, the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize winner, came to the White House, the violence has intensified, and now it has erupted against blacks in Ferguson."
North Korea - called the United States a "human rights graveyard," the "laughingstock of the world," and "a country wantonly violating the human rights where people are subject to discrimination and humiliation due to their race and are seized with such horror that they do not know when they are [going to be] shot to death."
Russia – The Russian Foreign Ministry stated, "Our American partners [have] to pay more attention to restoring order in their own country before imposing their dubious experience on other nations" and that the U.S. "has positioned itself as a 'bastion of human rights' and is actively engaged in 'export of democracy' on a systematic basis," but that "serious violations of basic human rights and barbaric practices thrive" in the country.
Turkey – The Turkish Foreign Ministry criticized the U.S. police for detaining a correspondent of the state Anadolu news agency while he covered protests in Ferguson, Missouri, calling it unacceptable and against the freedom of press.

Others
 From August 14 to 22, Amnesty International USA  had a team of human rights observers, trainers and researchers in Ferguson. It included organizers to train activists in the use of non-violent protests. This was the first time that Amnesty International has deployed such a team to the United States. In a subsequent report of October 24, 2014,  they expressed concerns for human rights in Ferguson, related to the use of lethal force in the death of Brown, racial discrimination and excessive use of police force, imposition of restrictions on the rights to protest, intimidation of protesters, the use of tear gas, rubber bullets and long range acoustic devices, restrictions imposed on the media covering the protests, and lack of accountability for law enforcement policing protests.
 In Palestine, people from Gaza and other Palestinian cities expressed their support for the protestors in Ferguson and shared tips  on how to deal with tear gas and police violence, noting the weapons fired in Ferguson come from companies that supply Israel. The PFLP released an official statement of solidarity with Ferguson, acknowledging the ties between the Palestinian struggle to liberation and the black liberation movement in the US.
 Islamic State militants stated that they will use social media to encourage Islamic extremism in Ferguson.
 On August 18, Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon called for U.S. authorities to ensure protection of the protesters' rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression. Through a spokesman, Ban called for "all to exercise restraint, for law enforcement officials to abide by U.S. and international standards in dealing with demonstrators."
 Protesters in Egypt expressed support for protesters in Ferguson using social media, and offered advice on how to deal with tear gas.
 Germany – In an interview with Der Spiegel, Marcel Kuhlmey, security expert and professor in the department of security management at the Berlin School of Economics and Law, asserted that what happened in Ferguson could never happen in Germany, stating that "In the U.S., it seems to me, the police are far quicker to resort to guns. Even at the training stage, there is a much heavier emphasis on shooting [than in Germany]." Zeit Online described the incident as an example of deep-rooted racism in the U.S, concluding that "the situation of African-Americans has barely improved since Martin Luther King."
 Azteca News wrote that Obama's "words of peace and reconciliation are perceived by many activists as inadequate and almost treason to a situation they see as a direct result of slavery and racial segregation laws that were in force until 1965."
 Abigail Chandler of the newspaper The Metro wrote that "[w]hile the London riots were at their worst, people were calling for rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons to be used against the rioters, Ferguson is a living example of why we should be immensely grateful that those tactics were never used during the U.K. riots."
 On November 25, 2014, journalist Darlena Cunha had a Time magazine article published about the 2014 Ferguson unrest entitled "Ferguson: In Defense of Rioting." Cunha wrote that riots are "a necessary part of the evolution of society."
 On November 26, 2014, Stand Up To Racism and the London Black Revolutionaries organized a protest outside the Embassy of the United States, London against the grand jury's decision, gathering hundreds of people throughout the night.
In 2020, Vicky Osterweil wrote In Defense of Looting as an apologia for looting, as occurred in Ferguson, as a way to redistribute wealth under racial capitalism

Gallery

See also

 Ferguson effect
 List of incidents of civil unrest in the United States
 Police brutality in the United States
 Race in the United States criminal justice system
 Racial profiling

References

External linksCollected videos Surveillance video that police contend shows Michael Brown robbing a convenience store
 Ty Pruitt, Cousin of Michael Brown, pleads for peace from looters
 Video interview of eyewitness Dorian Johnson on CNN
 Video interview of eyewitness Tiffany Mitchell on CNN
 Video interview of eyewitness discussing the events that ended in vandalism, looting, and burning of Quik Trip store.
 Video of St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar giving his department's version of the circumstances and events that led to the death of Michael Brown
 Rachel Maddow interview with City Alderman, Antonio French after his arrest in Ferguson on charges of disorderly conduct
 Nyota Uhura Speaks About  The Ferguson Riots And What Happened LaterCollected photographs Images from Ferguson collected photographs at The Atlantic
 Images from Ferguson collected photographs at The Baltimore Sun
 Documenting Ferguson an online archive of images, audio, video, and stories, an initiative of Washington University in St. LouisDocuments Ferguson Commission Report Forward Through Ferguson: A Path Toward Racial Equity
 Organizations'
 Ferguson October
 Forward Through Ferguson

Shooting of Michael Brown
2014 controversies in the United States
2014 in Missouri
2014 riots
2010s in St. Louis
African-American history of Missouri
African-American-related controversies
African-American riots in the United States
Articles containing video clips
April 2015 crimes in the United States
August 2014 crimes in the United States
August 2015 crimes in the United States
August 2016 crimes in the United States
Black Lives Matter
Civil rights protests in the United States
Deaths by firearm in Missouri
December 2014 events in the United States
Ferguson, Missouri
History of racism in Missouri
History of St. Louis County, Missouri
March 2015 crimes in the United States
Mass media-related controversies in the United States
November 2014 crimes in the United States
October 2014 crimes in the United States
Protests against police brutality
Protests in Missouri
Race and crime in the United States
Riots and civil disorder in Missouri
September 2014 crimes in the United States


title: Strange Empire

text:
Strange Empire is a Canadian Western television series that aired on CBC Television in the 2014–15 television season. Created by Laurie Finstad-Knizhnik, the series is a serialized drama set in Janestown, near the Alberta-Montana border in the 1860s, in which three women band together for survival after their husbands are murdered.

The cast includes Cara Gee, Melissa Farman and Tattiawna Jones. The first season began airing on 6 October 2014 and consists of 13 episodes.

CBC cancelled the series in March 2015 after one season. Strange Empire was broadcast on LMN in the US and was renamed Strange Empire: Rise of the Women, it premiered on May 29, 2015.

Cast and characters
 Cara Gee as Kat Loving, a Métis woman who loses her child and her husband and struggles to protect her surrogate family.
 Melissa Farman as Rebecca Blithely, an autistic woman who was previously institutionalized and who now works as a doctor.
 Tattiawna Jones as Isabelle Slotter, a madam who is grieving after the loss of her child.
 Aaron Poole as John Slotter, a violent mine owner, who is married to Isabelle.
 Michelle Creber as Kelly and Matreya Scarrwener as Robin, sisters who are rescued and adopted by Kat Loving after their gambling father sells them to Slotter for use in his bordello.
 Terry Chen as Ling, a Chinese man looking to take over Slotter's coal mine.
 Anne Marie DeLuise as Mrs. Briggs, a widow who runs a cantine.
 Tahmoh Penikett as Marshal Caleb Mecredi, a Métis lawman who is attracted to Kat and determined to bring John Slotter to justice.
 Joanna Boland as Morgan Finn, a miner in the town who begins a relationship with Rebecca, while trying to hide that he is actually a woman.

Episodes

Reception
The series premiere was watched by 319,000 Canadian viewers.

John Doyle of The Globe and Mail called it "a remarkable, rugged western drama" and praised the cast. Doyle concluded "Strange Empire wobbles a bit in episodes two and three, but never falls down. Watch and you are carried through on the freshness and zest of it, this dose of hard, rugged TV storytelling."

Canadian Screen Awards

Joey Awards

Leo Awards

Young Artist Awards

Home media release
eOne Films released season 1 on DVD on May 12, 2015.

References

External links

2010s Canadian drama television series
2014 Canadian television series debuts
CBC Television original programming
2010s Western (genre) television series
2015 Canadian television series endings
Canadian Western (genre) television series
Autism in television


title: CBC Selects

text:
CBC Selects is a Canadian television anthology series, which premiered on CBC Television on October 5, 2014. The series will present a variety of programs from other public broadcasters around the world, including the BBC and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

The first program airing as part of CBC Selects is the Australian drama series Janet King.

The second program will be the BBC's nature documentary Life Story.

References

2014 Canadian television series debuts
2010s Canadian anthology television series
CBC Television original programming


title: Gus Schirmer Jr.

text:
Gustave Schirmer IV (1918–1992), better known as Gus Schirmer Jr., was a director, producer, and talent agent in film and theatre. Schirmer directed and produced plays that ran On Broadway and Off Broadway. He also helped launch the careers of several actors.

Early life and education

Schirmer was born in New York City on October 18, 1918. He attended the Morristown School in Morristown, New Jersey and served as
assistant manager of the ice hockey team. Schirmer went on the team's tour of Europe that included games against Germany, France, and Switzerland; president Franklin Roosevelt wished the team luck before they set sail in a telegram.

At age fifteen, Schirmer starred in the first New Faces, a series of musicals. Acting alongside Henry Fonda and Imogene Coca, Schirmer sang torch songs (sentimental love songs) and tap danced at the Fulton Theatre on Broadway. New Faces introduced promising new actors like Schirmer to theatre.

Career as an agent

While working as an agent, Schirmer helped establish the careers of Hollywood stars. He served as an agent for Lee Remick, Shirley Jones, and Sandy Duncan after discovering their talents. Schirmer also managed the careers of Carol Channing, Ethel Merman, Patricia Wilson, Peggy Cass, and Rosemary Kuhlmann.

In Wilson's autobiography, she describes Schirmer as:
Without question, one of the most unique people in my lifetime of meeting unique people: blunt, sentimental, irascible, tasteful, generous to a fault, and masculine, but candidly gay in a time when "politically correct" was forty years in the future. He had a built-in radar for talent, and one of the biggest hearts I've encountered in show business. When Actress Jet Macdonald recommended Schirmer to Wilson in 1954, she stated, "Gus Junior is one of New York's top talent agents. He knows everyone in theatre, from Ethal Merman to Rodgers and Hammerstein. And he's not intimated by anyone!"

Theatre career

In 1954, Schirmer directed the Broadway play Dear Charles, which starred Tallulah Bankhead; he later staged her nightclub act in Las Vegas. Shirmer also directed Broadway revivals, including the 1965 revival of Guys and Dolls and the 1970 revival of The Boyfriend, a musical starring Sandy Duncan. He produced shows Off Broadway that included A Party with Comden and Green at the Cherry Lane Theatre and Gay Divorce starring Beatrice Arthur.

Schirmer directed musicals at New York City Center, including Wonderful Town starring Elaine Stritch, Guys and Dolls with Sheila MacRae, and Pal Joey with Bob Fosse. He also directed A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and Desk Set with Shirley Booth at the Westport Country Playhouse in Westport, Connecticut.

Film and TV career

In 1972, Schirmer moved to Los Angeles, California to begin his career in Hollywood as a booking and casting director and consultant. He served as the casting director for The Muppet Movie, which theaters showed in 1979. Schirmer also served as the casting director for The Hills Have Eyes, a 1977 Wes Craven horror movie, and as a casting executive with The Muppets Take Manhattan.

Schirmer also served as a casting director, talent executive, and consultant for TV movies and specials. He served as a casting director for TV specials from Disney, Circus of the Stars on CBS-TV, and Musical Comedy Tonight on PBS. In 1985 and 1986, Schirmer served as a talent executive for broadcasts of the second and third inductions of the Television Academy Hall of Fame on NBC-TV. He also served as a casting consultant for The Love Boat TV movie, which aired in 1976, and Musical Comedy Tonight III in 1985.

References

External links

1918 births
1992 deaths
American talent agents
American theatre directors
American theatre managers and producers
American casting directors
American male stage actors
Film directors from New York City
20th-century American businesspeople
Morristown-Beard School alumni


title: The Spook School

text:
The Spook School were a British four-piece indie pop band from Edinburgh, Scotland. The name is a reference to the Glasgow School.

The band's lyrics explore "gender, sexuality and queer issues" with themes such as "fluidity and the lack of a binary in gender".

Their music is often compared to bands on the C86 compilation, such as The Shop Assistants, as well as The Buzzcocks; the band also lists David Bowie as an influence.

History
They met and formed in 2012 whilst attending the University of Edinburgh. Brothers Nye and Adam Todd met AC Cory and Niall McCamley  through the university's comedy society. Most of the band have previously been involved in live comedy shows, some of which were performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

After a self released CD-R single, "History" / "Hallam", they released an EP (recorded in Adam Todd's bedroom) on cassette with Scottish label Soft Power Records in 2012 with the title I Don't Know, You Don't Know, We All Don't Know the Spook School. It was followed by a single for Cloudberry Records later that year.

Fortuna Pop! label owner Sean Price signed the band after seeing them play at Indietracks Festival in 2012. They released music on the label until its dissolution in 2017, shortly after which they signed to Alcopop! Records.

They released their first album, Dress Up, in 2013. In 2014 they played N.Y.C. Popfest. That same year, the band were invited to do the music for the second season of the BBC Three show Badults.

Try to Be Hopeful was issued in October 2015, again by the Fortuna Pop! label, as well as Slumberland Records in the U.S. The group's next appearance on record was Continental Drift, a split LP on Fortuna Pop! and Slumberland that also featured songs by the Mercury Girls, Wildhoney, and Tigercats.

After the 2017 holiday single "Someone to Spend Christmas With" on their new UK label, Alcopop! Records, in early 2018 the Spook School released with third album, Could It Be Different?.

The band announced that they were breaking up in March 2019, and went on a farewell tour later in the year. In a statement, they said "we just can't devote ourselves to the band the way we want to anymore" and that they would "rather go out with a fanfare" than "slip away".

On 22 May 2023 The Spook School announced two live performances would happen, one in Glasgow on 8 December and one in London on 16 December, to mark the 10 year anniversary of the release of their debut album.

Critical reception
Their debut album, released in 2013, is entitled Dress Up because it "relates to the idea of gender being a social construction, something that can be artificially appropriated". The record received positive reviews from Loud and Quiet, Under the Radar, and The Skinny.

Their second album, Try To Be Hopeful, released in 2015, has also received favourable coverage from music journalists. Often with emphasis that their world-view encompasses the fluidity of both gender and sexuality and that this gives their output "urgency and cheering freshness".

The band's third album, Could It Be Different? was released January 2018 - just before embarking on a US tour supporting New York state pop-punk duo Diet Cig. It has been described as a "defining statement", and a "a life-affirming return" which finds them "on the cusp of greatness". Clash called it arguably "one of the most important albums of 2018". It was long-listed for that years Scottish Album of the Year Award.

Discography

Albums
Dress Up - Fortuna Pop!, 12" LP, CD, MP3 (2013)
Try To Be Hopeful - Fortuna Pop!, 12" LP, CD, MP3 (2015)
Could It Be Different? - Alcopop! Records (UK) / Slumberland Records (US), 12" LP, CD, MP3 (2018)

Extended plays
I Don't Know, You Don't Know, We All Don't Know The Spook School - Soft Power Records, Cassette EP, MP3 (2012)

Singles
"History" / "Hallam" - Self release, CD Single, MP3 (2011)
"Here We Go" / "Cameraman" - Cloudberry Records, 7" Single, MP3 (2012)
"I'll Be Honest" / "Will You Always Be My Friend?" - Fortuna Pop!, 7" Single, MP3 (2013)
"Binary" / "David Bowie Songs" - Fortuna Pop!, 7" Single, MP3 (2016)
"Someone to Spend Christmas With" - Alcopop! Records, MP3 (2017)
"Still Alive" - Alcopop! Records, MP3 (2017)
"Less Than Perfect" - Alcopop! Records, MP3 (2017)
"Body" - Alcopop! Records, MP3 (2018)
"Keep In Touch" - Alcopop! Records, MP3 (2019)

Split releases
Continental Drift (with Tigercats, Wildhoney, and Mercury Girls) - Fortuna Pop! and Slumberland Records, 12" EP, MP3 (2016)

References

Underground punk scene in the United Kingdom
Scottish indie pop groups
Scottish indie rock groups
Musical groups from Edinburgh
LGBT-themed musical groups
Queercore groups
Musical groups established in 2011
Musical groups disestablished in 2019
2011 establishments in Scotland
Alcopop! Records artists


title: Rajni Razdan

text:
Rajni Razdan was an Indian Administrative Service Officer of 1973 batch of Haryana cadre. She assumed the post of Chairman of Union Public Service Commission of India. Ms. Razdan has been a UPSC member since 19 April 2010. Deepak Gupta was chosen as the new UPSC chairman in Nov. 2014 after the completion of tenure of Rajni Razdan.

References

Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Indian Administrative Service officers
Women in Haryana politics
Chairmen of Union Public Service Commission
Kashmiri Pandits


title: Woodlawn (Ellicott City, Maryland)

text:
Woodlawn or Papillon was amanor home in Ellicott City, Howard County, Maryland in the United States.

Woodlawn was built by Thomas Beale Dorsey. The estate featured two entrances to avoid a toll on the old Frederick turnpike and a carriage house outbuilding. Between the 1880s and 1890s, it was the home of the Rodgers family (of Rodgers Avenue). Walter K. Plum of the American Oil Company named the estate Woodlawn Manor, the same name as an estate several miles westward. In 1947 the estate was the home of Dorsey Williams and Frances Lurman in 1947. In 1953 Dr. Allen Jones owned the property, followed by Keith Garret in 1970. In 1976 the owner attempted to convert the property to a motel. The estate was converted to a country inn. The property was owned in the 1970s by Investor's Developers inc, who subdivided the estate to 26 acres and converted the manor to the Pauvre Papillon restaurant serving French cuisine.

Following the Ellicott City fire of 11 November 1984, the owner of the Chez Fernand Restaurant attempted to relocate to Papillon. The asking price at the time was $3 Million dollars, and the owner chose to move to Baltimore instead. The estate was razed for a development of 112 townhouses in 1995 by Security Development Corporation, a company founded by family members of former county Commissioner Norman E. Moxley, and Robert Moxley chief land purchaser for the Rouse Company project of Columbia. The Howard County Department of Planning and Zoning approved the permits but claimed not to be aware that the site was historic. Vice president Steve Breeden told the press that nobody would want to live in the historic mansion, especially after recent fire damage. Woodlawn was one of many historical buildings in the region with valuable real estate that was developed after a fire set to the structure, including Troy Hill (1990), Avondale Mill (1991), St. Mary's College (1997), Ammendale Normal Institute (1998), Phelps Log Cabin - Moved from North Laurel to Elkridge (2001). Henryton State Hospital (2007), (2011)

See also
List of Howard County properties in the Maryland Historical Trust
Woodlawn (Columbia, Maryland)

References

Howard County, Maryland landmarks
Houses in Howard County, Maryland


title: 2005 K League Championship

text:
The 2005 K League Championship was the ninth competition of the K League Championship, and was held to decide the 23rd champions of the K League. After the regular season was finished, the first stage winners, the second stage winners, and the top two clubs in the overall table qualified for the championship. Each semi-final was played as a single match, and the final consisted of two matches.

Qualified teams

Bracket

Semi-finals

Final

First leg

Second leg

Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i won 6–3 on aggregate.

Final table

See also
2005 in South Korean football
2005 K League

External links
Review at K League
Match report at K League
K League history

K League Championship
K


title: European route E652

text:
European route E 652 is a European B class road in Austria and Slovenia, connecting the cities Klagenfurt – Naklo

Itinerary
The E 652 routes through two European countries:

 : Klagenfurt () - Loibltunnel

 : Predor Ljubelj - Naklo ()

External links
 UN Economic Commission for Europe: Overall Map of E-road Network (2007)
 International E-road network

International E-road network
Roads in Austria
Roads in Slovenia


title: Peter Noble (music promoter)

text:
Peter Bruce Noble  is an Australian entrepreneur active in the music industry for almost 50 years. He is best known as the festival director of the annual Bluesfest Byron Bay, which has been running since 1990 & that he became a partner of in 1994. The 5-day festival is now held every Easter at the Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm, just north of Byron Bay, a New South Wales beachside town.

Peter Noble's significant contribution to the industry was recognised in 2014 when he was awarded The Rolling Stone Australia Award for his services to Australian Music. On Australia Day 2016, he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to live and recorded music, to tourism, and to the community.

By the time Bluesfest turned 25 years old it had won 27 awards including four Australian Helpmann Awards for Best Contemporary Music Festival and Australian Event of the Year at the Australian Event Awards, nominations at the prestigious Pollstar Awards for Best International Music Festival, received 17 further award nominations. It was the only Australian festival listed in Billboard's 2014 Top 10 festivals.

Biography
Peter Noble has been a music industry professional for over forty years and his contribution to the industry has been recognised with many accolades including the Rolling Stone Award for his services to Australian music.

Drawn to music from an early age, the Sydney-born bassist played in rock, soul and blues bands during the 1960s and '70s, taking leading roles with artists including Clapham Junction, and Marcia Hines. Following extensive national and international touring, Peter settled in the US and set up Portland, Oregon's first International Jazz Festival, and was house booker at The Earth venue.

Peter returned home to Australia at the beginning of the 1980s, and became a pioneer for blues touring in Australia. As a direct result of Noble's efforts, soul, jazz, blues and reggae artists found a promoter, and a wide audience in Australia for the first time.

He supplied two international acts for the East Coast Blues Festival with Canned Heat in 1990 & John Mayall in 1991 and became a director alongside founder Keven Oxford for the 1994 event. In December 2004 Noble along with four partners acquired founder Keven Oxford's 50% share in the event.

Peter became a pioneer for blues, jazz, roots and indie music touring in Australia, as well as running AIM Records, which became the first and only Australian independent label to win a Grammy Award in 2008 for ‘Best Zydeco Or Cajun Music Album’, by Terrance Simien & The Zydeco Experience. The same year the label got nominated for a second Grammy for Best Tropical Album 'Greetings From Havana'. Noble has worked in many areas of the music business including record producing, touring artists through his company Bluesfest Touring, artist management, setting up the Australian Artists Agency in the early '70s, event site development, and festival presentations throughout Australia and South East Asia.

Noble's long-standing dream to produce an Indigenous festival was realised in 2013 when he collaborated with leading cultural creative Rhoda Roberts, producing the inaugural Boomerang Festival: a ground-breaking Indigenous festival for all Australians held at the home of Bluesfest, the Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm, to extensive acclaim.

As the Director of the Byron Bay festival, Peter is passionate about social and environmental responsibility and is philanthropic, supporting many charities and community groups, and ensuring his events uphold their commitment to environmental conservation and animal welfare. This is reflected in the festival winning six International A Greener Festival Awards since 2007.

Bluesfest is respected for creating ongoing employment and contracts for individuals and small businesses in the Byron Bay and the Northern Rivers, a small regional part of Australia with limited employment opportunities. It contributes over $40 million annually to the NSW economy, and has provided countless opportunities for local musicians, artists and business people through performance platforms, stalls, and networks.

Peter Noble's son Otis Noble is a renowned figurehead of alcohol brand 'Fireball'.

Peter Noble is an ardent music aficionado whose work has shaped what is now cemented as one of the largest and revered music events in the world. He spends his time working and living between Byron Bay and Bali.

Awards

Awards summary – Bluesfest
1 win at the Keeping the Blues Alive Awards Memphis - For Festival Director Peter Noble
8 wins at the NSW Tourism Awards for Major Festivals & Events (6 Gold, 2 Silver)
6 wins at the North Coast Tourism Awards for Major Festivals & Events
4 wins at the Helpmann Awards for Best Contemporary Music Festival, Ceremony for Australia's most talented and celebrated performers and industry
6 wins at the Australian Event Awards for Australian Event of the Year
10 nominations at the Pollstar Awards (US) for International Festival of the Year (6 in a row from 2012- incl 2017)
1 nomination at the Pollstar Awards (US) for International Festival of the Decade

Bluesfest Awards
2022   Gold Major Festivals & Events, NSW Tourism Award
2019   Best Regional Event, Australian Event Awards
2018   Best Cultural, Arts or Music Event - Australian Event Awards
2018   Keeping the Blues Alive Award Memphis - For Festival Director Peter Noble
2017   Gold Major Festivals & Events - NSW Tourism Awards (After winning Gold 3rd time in a row Bluesfest entered the NSW Tourism Hall of Fame)
2017   Best Regional Event, Australian Event Awards
2016   Gold Major Festival & Events, NSW Tourism Awards
2016   Best Regional Event, Australian Event Awards
2016   Gold Major Festivals & Events, North Coast Tourism Awards
2016   Order of Australia Medal (OAM), Won by Festival Director, Peter Noble ‘For service to live and recorded music, to  tourism, and to the community.’
2015   Gold Major Festivals & Events, NSW Tourism Awards
2015   Gold Major Festivals & Events, North Coast Tourism Awards
2015   Pan Australasian Festival Of The Year, Canadian Music Week International Festival Awards
2014 	Best Contemporary Music Festival, Australian Helpmann Awards
2014   Best Cultural, Arts or Music Event, Australian Event Award
2014 	Gold Major Festival & Event, North Coast Tourism Awards
2014 	'The Rolling Stone Award' Won by Festival Director, Peter Noble
2014 	Silver Major Festivals & Events, NSW Tourism Awards
2013 	Silver Best Cultural, Arts or Music Event  Australian Event Awards
2013 	Gold Major Festivals & Events, NSW Tourism Awards
2013 	Gold Major Festivals & Events, North Coast Tourism Awards
2013 	Best Regional Event, Australian Event Awards
2013 	Best Contemporary Music Festival Australian Helpmann Awards
2013 	Business Excellence Award, North Coast Tourism Awards
2012/13 The International A Greener Festival Award
2012 	Silver Major Festival & Events, NSW Tourism Awards
2012 	Business Excellence Award, North Coast Tourism Awards
2011 	The International A Greener Festival Award
2011 	Gold Major Festivals & Events, NSW Tourism Awards
2011 	Business Excellence Award, North Coast Tourism Awards
2010 	Australian Event of the Year, Australian Event Awards
2010 	The International A Greener Festival Award
2009 	The International A Greener Festival Award
2008	Grammy Award, ‘Best Zydeco Or Cajun Music Album’, Terrance Simien & The Zydeco Experience (AIM Records artist)
2008 	The International A Greener Festival Award
2007 	The International A Greener Festival Award
2006 	Best Contemporary Music Festival, Australian Helpmann Awards
2005 	Best Contemporary Music Festival, Australian Helpmann Awards
1998 – 2013 Readers Poll Award, Rhythms Magazine – "Best Australian Festival"
1994 -96 Readers Poll Award, Rhythms Magazine – "Best Australian Festival"

BLUESFEST TOURING AWARDS
2017   Best International Contemporary  Concert for Patti Smith and Her Band Australia Tour 2017, Australian Helpmann Awards

BLUESFEST NOMINATIONS
2022   Pollstar Awards (USA) for International Festival of the Year
2022   Best Cultural/Arts Event, Australian Event Awards
2021   Pollstar Awards (USA) for International Festival of the Decade
2019   Pollstar Awards (USA) for International Festival of the Year
2017   Best Contemporary Music Festival, Australian Helpmann Awards
2016   International Music Festival of the Year, 28th Pollstar Awards (2017)
2016   Best Contemporary Music Festival, Australian Helpmann Awards
2015   International Music Festival of the Year, 27th Pollstar Awards (2016)
2015   Best Contemporary Music Festival Australian Helpmann Awards
2014 	Major Festivals & Events, NSW Tourism Awards
2014 	Best Cultural, Arts or Music Event, Australian Event Awards
2014 	Best Tourism Event, Australian Event Awards
2014 	Best Regional Event, Australian Event Awards
2014 	Best New Event for Boomerang Festival, Australian Event Awards
2013 	International Festival of the Year 25th Pollstar Awards (2014)
2013 	Best Tourism Event, Australian Event Awards
2012 	International Festival of the Year 24th Pollstar Awards (2013)
2012 	Best Cultural/Arts Event, Australian Event Awards
2012 	Best Contemporary Music Festival, Robert Helpmann Awards
2011 	Best Regional Event, Australian Event Awards
2011 	Best Achievement in Sustainability, Australian Event Awards
2009 	Best Cultural or Arts Event, Australian Event Awards
2009 	Best Overseas Festival, UK Festival Awards
2008	Grammy Award, ‘Best Tropical Latin Album’, Greetings From Havana - Cubanismo (AIM Records artist)
2008 	Best Contemporary Music Festival, Australian Helpmann Awards
2007 	International Music Festival of the Year from the esteemed US based Pollstar Concert Industry Awards

References

External links
 Bluesfest Touring
 AIM Records
 Timbre Rock & Roots

Australian businesspeople
Helpmann Award winners
Impresarios
Music promoters


Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department, sometimes referred to as Santa Clara County Parks Department or Santa Clara County Parks, is a government department in Santa Clara County, California. The department manages 28 parks with a total area over .

History
Santa Clara County's first parkland was purchased in on January 24, 1924 from Joseph M. Mac Donough and Bessie P. MacDonough, a  parcel near Cupertino which eventually became Stevens Creek County Park. Mount Madonna park was acquired in 1927. The Parks and Recreation Department was founded in 1956. A major expansion with numerous additional parks became possible in the 1970s with the availability of state funds and voter-approved tax setasides. A Master Plan was adopted in 1972 which called for major regional parks throughout the area as well as recreational corridors along creeks. In 1995 the county adopted a Master Plan for trails emphasizing connections between park trails and trails of other agencies.

A separate agency, established in 1993, is the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority (SCCOSA). While the jurisdiction of the SCCOSA lies entirely in Santa Clara County, it is not directly a part of county government.

Parks

The parks managed by the department are:
Almaden Quicksilver County Park, including the Guadalupe Reservoir: former site of the New Almaden mercury mine; purchased by the County in 1976. In 1978 the County also purchased the historic Casa Grande and converted it into the New Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum.
Alviso Marina County Park
Anderson Lake County Park
Calero County Park
Chesbro Reservoir County Park
Chitactac-Adams Heritage County Park
Coyote Creek Parkway
Coyote Lake Harvey Bear Ranch County Park
Ed R. Levin County Park
Field Sports Park
Hellyer County Park
Joseph D. Grant County Park
Lexington Reservoir County Park
Los Gatos Creek County Park
Martial Cottle Park
Motorcycle County Park
Mt. Madonna County Park
Penitencia Creek
Rancho San Antonio County Park (operated by Mid-Peninsula Regional Open Space)
Sanborn County Park
Santa Teresa County Park
Stevens Creek County Park
Sunnyvale Baylands (operated by the City of Sunnyvale)
Upper Stevens Creek County Park
Uvas Canyon County Park
Uvas Reservoir County Park
Vasona Lake County Park
Villa Montalvo County Park

Park Ranger Division

County Park Rangers act as the public safety branch for the Santa Clara County Parks, ensuring the safety of park visitors and protection of park resources. County Park Rangers are considered "generalists" and perform the full range of Park Ranger duties including enforcing State laws and Department rules as peace officers, providing information to visitors, checking in campground and picnic reservations, conducting interpretive and public education programs, responding to medical emergencies and accidents to provide medical aid, performing search and rescue activities, fighting wildland fires within County Parks, managing volunteer events, performing resource management work in the areas of habitat conservation & restoration, and performing maintenance work.  Park Rangers patrol the parks by truck, foot, boat, bike, and motorcycle.  County Park Rangers also serve as boating safety officers and investigate vessel accidents and boating under the influence (BUI) violations on County reservoirs.

Junior Ranger program
Since 1998 the Park Rangers have offered an after school "Junior Ranger program" for children ages 9–11. Jr. Rangers meet in four two-hour sessions and learn about Park Ranger duties, wildlife, habitats, and the Ohlone Native American culture.  At the end of the program students are invited to overnight campout with Park staff. Graduates of the program age 12 through 17 may move on to the Jr. Ranger II Program.

Interpretive facilities
Santa Clara County Parks operates a number of interpretive facilities.  The Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum at Casa Grande showcases the history of the mercury (quicksilver) mining operations that occurred during the Gold Rush in the area of what is now Almaden Quicksilver County Park, Casa Grande being the former home of the mine superintendents.  Chitactac-Adams Heritage Park offers a unique view into the Native American culture of Santa Clara County before and after the arrival of the Spanish, and includes a self-guided interpretive walk and a replica of a tule hut used by the Ohlone Indians.  The Bernal-Joice-Gulnac Ranch at Santa Teresa County Park is a former home of the owners of the Rancho Santa Teresa land grant, operated by the Bernal family from 1834 until its acquisition by Santa Clara County in 1980.

In the news
Santa Clara County bought 490 acres for $4 million to expand Mt. Madonna County Park.

Restored Casa Grande landmark reopens at Santa Clara County Park, November, 2010.

14 miles of new trails coming to Santa Clara County park.

Silicon Valley holdout: 287-acre farm in the heart of sprawl on the way to becoming public park.

Gilroy Dispatch: County to explore takeover of Coe Park

References

External links

Government of Santa Clara County, California
County parks departments in the United States
1956 establishments in California
Government agencies established in 1956
County Parks in Santa Clara County, California


title: J-Bus

text:
J-Bus is a Japanese manufacturer of buses and coaches established in 2002 as a joint venture between Isuzu and Hino. The venture was formed by merging the previous bus and coach operations of both manufacturers and started operations in 2004.

History
In January 2002, Hino and Isuzu said they had agreed to merge their bus/coach development and manufactuting operations. These were the subsidiaries Hino Auto Body Industries Co., Ltd. (a plant in Komatsu, Ishikawa) from Hino and Isuzu Bus Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (Utsunomiya) from Isuzu. In October 2002, the J-Bus joint venture was established, and the companies started the business integration process. The integration was completed in 2004.

In 2017, J-Bus announced the first articulated bus developed in Japan. Isuzu engineers were in charge of the body and chassis and Hino's of the engine and hybrid system. The bus was introduced by 2020. By 2018, J-Bus' Komatsu plant started to assemble the fuel cell bus Toyota Sora for Toyota. In February 2022, Hino and Isuzu said they planned to start assembling large electric transit buses at J-Bus by 2024.

Facilities

J-Bus has two assembly plants: Komatsu and Utsunomiya.

The Komatsu plant mostly produces coaches and houses the venture headquarters. It has administrative, engineering, design, and production facilities.  The plant complex buildings cover 72,379 m2. The Utsunomiya plant produces transit buses and covers 49,879 m2.

Products
, J-Bus assembles various coach and transit bus models.

Komatsu plant
Hino Selega/Isuzu Gala (high deck coach, short and long version)

Hino Melpha/Isuzu Gala Mio (short range coach)

Hino Poncho (small bus)

Toyota Sora (fuel cell transit bus)

Utsunomiya plant
Isuzu Erga/Hino Blue Ribbon (large size, internal combustion engined and hybrid transit bus)

Isuzu Erga Duo/Hino Blue Ribbon (large size, hybrid articulated bus)

Isuzu Erga Mio/Hino Rainbow (medium size transit bus)

References

Bus manufacturers of Japan
Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 2002
Hino Motors
Isuzu


title: Petrified Forest (California)

text:
The Petrified Forest is a petrified forest located in Sonoma County, California, in the United States. It is the only petrified forest in California from the Pliocene. It also has the largest petrified trees in the world. The forest is now open to the public to visit after restoration from damage caused by the Napa and Sonoma fires of 2017.

History

Geological history

Approximately 3.4 million years ago, a volcano eruption at Mount St. Helena caused the trees to become petrified in a process took thousands of years to complete. Diane Erwin, from the University of California, Berkeley, stated in 2012, that the petrified forest shows that redwood trees were once located more inland, unlike their contemporary descendants that are primarily coastal. The Palynological Society calls the forest "one of the finest examples in the world of an ancient forest."

19th century
The forest was discovered in 1870 by Othniel Charles Marsh. Marsh determined that the petrified trees were Sequoia langsdorfii from the Sequoia genus. There is also one petrified pine tree in the forest. Robert Louis Stevenson mentioned the forest in his book The Silverado Squatters (1883).

Today

Since the early 20th century, the same Calistoga-based family has maintained and operated the forest. The forest was bought by Ollie Orre Bockee, from M.C. Meeker, around 1912, for a total cost of $14,000. Bockee continued to purchase surrounding land and acquired a total of 845 acres. Bockee opened the property to tourists around 1914 and charged 50 cents per person. When Bockee died in 1950, her sister became the owner of the property, and Bockee's direct descendants maintain it today. It was listed on the California Historical Landmarks list on January 31, 1978. In 2012, the family started to send fossilized pollen samples to the University of California, Berkeley for research.

Many of the petrified trees in the forest have nicknames, including "The Queen", which is 8 feet wide and 65 feet long. The Queen was 2,000 years old when the volcano erupted. Additional trees include "The Pit Tree" and "The Giant". There are a cluster of trees named after Ollie Orre Bockee and a tree named after Robert Louis Stevenson.

References

External links

A historic photograph of the entrance of the forest by I.C. Adams

Parks in Sonoma County, California
Petrified forests
California Historical Landmarks
Eocene volcanism
Fossil parks in the United States
Paleontology in California