The city of Ferguson, Missouri has posted a letter to residents on its website about the city’s preparations for civil unrest in response to the expected announcements of decisions regarding the grand jury and other investigations in to the August shooting death of unarmed Black robber Michael Brown by white Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson.
In the letter, the city says the Ferguson fire department will be “well-staffed” and that the city will be assisted by neighboring fire departments.
In a 21st Century twist on rioting, Ferguson is also be making plans to disseminate information by other means should its website get hacked. In the wake of Michael Brown’s death, various left wing groups have been hacking accounts and calling for uprisings in Ferguson and surrounding areas.
Excerpts from the Ferguson letter:
“The Ferguson Police and Fire Departments will be well-staffed in the days surrounding any announcement and will be assisted by numerous other area fire and police agencies, in addition to St. Louis County Police and the Missouri Highway Patrol. During this period, St. Louis County will be in command of incident response as a part of the “Unified Command,” made up of the St. Louis County Police Department, St. Louis City Police Department, and the Missouri Highway Patrol. Those agencies will work jointly in directing response to any threats to the safety of area residents and the protection of property. Therefore, members of our community may see various area agencies in our community once the announcement is made and then for an undetermined amount of time following that announcement.”
…”The City would also encourage all members of the community to keep abreast of community activities by following information presented on the City’s website www.fergusoncity.com, as well as through the local news. You can also sign up for email and text notifications on the front page of the website under “Notify Me.” In the instance of service interruptions to our website, City staff will be working with the leaders of neighborhood and business associations to transmit information in other ways, including via social media. You can follow the City of Ferguson, MO Facebook page or @FergusonScoop on Twitter.”
The 1992 Los Angeles riots over alleged police abuse of Rodney King saw an estimated 3,600 fires set in the week-long civil unrest.
