Obama tells Ferguson residents to ´keep protests peaceful´
November 22, 2014
A grand jury in the St Louis suburb of Ferguson is looking at the racially charged shooting, in which Officer Darren Wilson shot unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown.
The August 9 death led to weeks of violence, and Missouri´s governor this week declared a state of emergency and activated the state National Guard ahead of the decision.
"First and foremost, keep protests peaceful," Obama told ABC News in interview excerpts aired Friday.
"This is a country that allows everybody to express their views, allows them to peacefully assemble to protest actions that they think are unjust, but using any event as an excuse for violence is contrary to rule of law and contrary to who we are."
Obama´s comments came after Brown´s father and Attorney General Eric Holder also made separate appeals.
"Thank you for lifting your voices to end racial profiling and police intimidation, but hurting others or destroying property is not the answer," the victim´s father, Michael Brown Sr, said in a somber video plea.
"No matter what the grand jury decides, I don´t want my son´s death to be in vain."
In the United States, grand juries meet in secret to review some cases before deciding whether criminal charges should be brought.
The jury could indict Wilson, meaning he could face trial, or determine there is no case for him to answer.
Authorities have previously said they expect the grand jury decision any time between mid- to late-November.
