Ferguson anxiety grows ahead of grand jury decision

No matter what a grand jury decides in the case of a white Ferguson police officer who shot and killed an unarmed black teenager, people will take to the streets, whether in anger or celebration.

While the St. Louis suburb holds its breath waiting to learn whether a grand jury will indict officer Darren Wilson, 28, in the shooting death of Michael Brown, 18, people from all parts of the community are preparing for a population to convulse. Police, city officials, schools, businesses and protesters meet daily in an effort to avert a return to the chaos that immediately followed the Aug. 9 shooting, when protesters clashed, sometimes violently, with police.

"It's a high-stress, low-trust environment," said Johnetta Elzie, 25, a protester who has demanded Wilson's arrest. "We are living day to day waiting on this announcement."

The grand jury convened Aug. 20 to hear evidence in the case. At issue is how Brown died. Police say Brown struggled with Wilson inside his police car, then reached for Wilson's weapon. Brown's family and some witnesses say Wilson killed Brown as he raised his hands in surrender.

The shooting sparked riots, protests, vandalism and clashes with police, who faced criticism for a heavy-handed approach that included military-grade weapons and equipment.

Ferguson Mayor James Knowles III has said he is preparing for "all worst-case scenarios" when the grand jury finally speaks. Police are gearing up for riots. Since August, police have spent more than $100,000 stocking up on body armor, tear gas, handcuffs and other crowd control items.

Protesters, activists and ordinary residents of the city say they, too, are taking precautions as the tension mounts.

Thomas Mitchell, owner of Comfort Zone Security, Protection & Investigations, says callers fearful of rioting and violence have overwhelmed his phone lines. So far, his firm has been hired to patrol an apartment complex, stand guard at an investment business and accompany a film crew on shoots around St. Louis.

"People are in a frenzy because they are trying to prepare for the unexpected," Mitchell said. "I really don't have the staff to fulfill some of the calls because I'm getting so many."

School superintendents worried that their students might get caught in potential unrest have asked St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch to announce the grand jury's finding after 5 p.m. on a weekday or on a weekend, when most kids are safely at home.

Demonstrators like Elzie have met in churches and homes to plot strategies to divert people from violent protests to safe houses where they can get food and water, medical treatment and mental health counseling. Elzie, of St. Louis, one of the most vocal and visible protesters, has met with police in an effort to designate contacts in the police department so protest organizers can reach someone if protesters and officers clash.

The Don't Shoot Coalition, a group of about 50 local organizations formed after Brown's death, asked McCulloch for 36 hours' notice before the announcement so they have time to organize volunteers and staff safe houses. The coalition created a list of 19 demands they called "rules of engagement," including a plea to police to avoid using armored vehicles, tear gas, rubber bullets or rifles, and to don riot gear only as a last resort.

Michael McPhearson, a co-chair of the Don't Shoot Coalition, said he worries that if police use menacing equipment it will fuel more anger and violence, as it did during the protests immediately following the shooting. He said the response then was "over-the-top, dangerous and put people's lives in danger."

"There is going to be agitation and demonstration​. It's just a matter of what kind," he said. "We aren't trying to quiet people's anger. We are just trying to direct it in a positive direction."

McCulloch's spokesman, Edward Magee, said the prosecuting attorney will inform police when the grand jury reaches a decision but will not reveal the substance of the decision. McCulloch's office is considering advance-notice requests but hasn't decided how it will announce the decision, Magee said.

The decision is expected on or after Nov. 15, Magee said.

Police from around the region have spent months creating a response plan and lining up resources, Sgt. Brian Schellman, a spokesman for St. Louis County Police Department, said. Police leaders have considered limiting days off and deploying officers for longer shifts.

Police won't rule out riot gear or other crowd control options. The department spent around $65,000 on riot gear including body armor, helmets, shields and batons, and more than $37, 0000 on tear gas grenades, smoke-and-gas grenades, pepper balls and plastic handcuffs.

It would be "irresponsible" for police to promise not to use armored vehicles, tear gas and riot gear, Schellman said.

"We have to make sure we have no loss of life and that businesses are protected," Schellman said. "We hope that there are peaceful protests and that there's no violence, but if there is violence or criminal activity that breaks out of the peaceful protests, we have to be prepared for that as well."