[Content Note: Police brutality; racism.]
Earlier this afternoon, Jelani Cobb and others reported from Ferguson that police surrounded and entered a church that was being used as an aid station for protesters who have been gassed or were in need of other medical treatment. The police alleged it was being used as a shelter (even though it wasn't), and said "they violated housing policy by having people stay overnight."
Even if people had been staying there overnight, which the church disputes, the police have, for more than a week, filled the town nightly with teargas and/or pepper spray, which was so pervasive in homes near the protest area that people weren't able to turn on their AC or open their windows without choking.
As many folks (like @graceishuman, here) have pointed out on Twitter, religious structures are typically regarded as sanctuaries, all over the world. And Christian churches in the US routinely have youth sleepovers and lock-ins, as @amaditalks observed here.
This is just complete bullshit, used to justify further police harassment and abuse of power.
Speaking of which: At Deadspin, Greg Howard posts two videos of a police officer pointing an assault rifle at protesters and media last night, while shouting, "I will fucking kill you. Get back!" and then replying to someone who asks for his name, "Go fuck yourself." The officer continues to spin around, pointing his gun randomly at people, until another officer tells him to lower the weapon.
And at Al Jazeera, Aaron Ernst reports on being grabbed by a police officer who tells him, "Don't resist. I'll bust your ass. I'll bust your head right here."
Relatedly, this is an absolute must-read, with a content note that there is an image of an injury and images of officers pointing guns at the link: "A Former Marine Explains All the Weapons of War Being Used by Police in Ferguson."
And finally: Jane C. Timm with "5 things we now know about Ferguson," including that the grand jury hearings began today at noon. Maude help us if the grand jury doesn't come back with an indictment for Darren Wilson.
UPDATE: This is also a great piece by Jamelle Bouie [CN: descriptions of racist violence]: "Why the Fires in Ferguson Won't End Soon."
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