#Ferguson Protesters Guard Stores From Looters

Chaos broke out in the streets of Ferguson on Friday night, the same day that policeannounced the name of the officer who killed unarmed teenager Michael Brown andreleased footage appearing to show Brown stealing cigarettes from a convenience store. Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson later said Friday the initial contact between Brown and officer Darren Wilson was not related to a convenience store robbery.

o-FERGUSON-facebook

A peaceful protest on Friday night turned into another confrontation with police after some in the crowd reportedly threw rocks and people began looting stores, including the convenience store that Brown was accused of robbing. Police formed lines and fired tear gas to disperse the crowd.

In the midst of it all, protesters took it upon themselves to guard stores against looting.

Some reporters on scene noted that police appeared to be hanging back from intervening with looters, and that a small minority of protesters was looting.