Police officer brands Ferguson protesters ‘rabid dogs’
August 23, 2014
A second officer in the Midwestern state was taken off the beat pending an internal review over a YouTube video in which he boasted about being a Jesus-loving "killer."
Meanwhile, some 150 demonstrators returned to the streets of the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson at sunset Friday to demand justice for the August 9 death of Michael Brown.
Funeral services for the 18-year-old -- whose shooting in broad daylight has renewed a national debate about race and law enforcement in America -- are set for Monday.
Police kept a low profile, in sharp contrast to previous nights when tear gas and rubber bullets were used to disperse hundreds of protesters demanding that Darren Wilson, the officer who shot Brown, be charged with murder.
Contempt for protesters
The police department in Glendale, another St Louis suburb, said Friday it had suspended one of its officers who had expressed contempt for the Ferguson protesters on his Facebook account.
"I´m sick of these protesters. You are a burden on society and a blight on the community," wrote Michael Pappert, in one of at least five posts that have gone up since Sunday.
"These protesters should have been put down like a rabid dog the first night," he added.
In a reference to the Boston Marathon bombing, he also wrote: "Where is a Muslim with a backpack when you need them."
The Glendale Police Department, in a statement, said it suspended Pappert upon learning about the posts on Friday. It also cancelled a neighborhood block party for fear it might be disrupted by protesters.
"The matter is being taken very seriously and a thorough internal investigation will be conducted to determine why the posts were made," it said.
