JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The mayor of Ferguson says he tried in vain to get the National Guard deployed in his town as people burned and looted buildings in protest of a grand jury’s decision in the Michael Brown case.
Mayor James Knowles III was the lead witness Wednesday night as a Missouri legislative committee began hearing testimony on why the National Guard was not preemptively deployed in Ferguson when the grand jury’s decision was announced Nov. 24.
Jurors decided not to charge officer Darren Wilson, who is white, for the fatal Aug. 9 shooting of Brown, who was black.
Knowles said he was told that Gov. Jay Nixon decided not to place the Guard in Ferguson. After troubles started that night, Knowles said he tried to reach Nixon’s staff but couldn’t get through.
