Missouri governor declares state of emergency, curfew

A crowd of some 200 demonstrators defied a curfew that came into effect in Ferguson, Missouri early Sunday, days after police shot dead an unarmed black teen, triggering a wave of rioting. Missouri Governor Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency and a curfew starting at midnight Saturday (0500 GMT Sunday) until 5:00 am for the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, where 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot dead by police on August 9. Ferguson was mostly peaceful when the curfew began on Sunday, local media reported. But a crowd of about 200 protesters gathered in the area where Brown was shot and defied orders to disperse. Nixon said he ordered the measures ‘to protect the people and property of Ferguson’ after looters raided town stores and scuffled with police overnight Friday to Saturday. The goal is ‘to contain those who are drowning out the voice of the people with their actions,’ said Nixon, speaking at a press conference Saturday held at a local church, according to AFP.