Rev. Jesse Jackson greets members of a motorcycle club at a memorial for Michael Brown on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2014, at the site in Ferguson, Mo. where Brown was shot by police a week earlier.
People hold hands in prayer on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2014, at a convenience store that was burned after Michael Brown was shot by police a week ago in Ferguson, Mo.FERGUSON, Mo. – Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency Saturday and imposed a curfew in the St. Louis suburb where a black teenager was shot to death by a white police officer a week ago.
Nixon said that though many protesters were making themselves heard peacefully, the state would not allow a handful of looters to endanger the community. The curfew will run from midnight to 5 a.m.
“We must first have and maintain peace. This is a test. The eyes of the world are watching,” Nixon said. “We cannot allow the ill will of the few to undermine the good will of the many.”
Tensions in Ferguson flared late Friday after police released the name of the officer who fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown and documents alleging Brown robbed a store before he died.
Nixon also said the U.S. Department of Justice is beefing up its investigation of the shooting.