“We're under siege,” beleaguered Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson tells the New York Times, referring to the nightly protests outside headquarters. Speculation continues about his possible resignation, about a push to replace him, about St. Louis County taking over policing of the city. The chief called these recent weeks “horrible” and added, “It is not uncommon for me to pull up at a light and have someone yell something offensive or put up their hands” — the gesture of surrender that some say Michael Brown was making when he was shot in August.
Chuck Wexler of the Police Executive Research Forum in Washington, D.C., said that the Ferguson police department was paying a price for failing to develop a stronger relationship with its African-American constituency. “They're trying to build trust from a defensive position instead of having done it beforehand,” Wexler said. “They have a difficult job.” The expectation in the basement of police headquarters is that whether or not the grand jury indicts officer Darren Wilson, there will be unrest.