As if tensions weren’t already high in Ferguson, Missouri, more fuel has been added to the fire after a memorial for Michael Brown was destroyed. After the slain teen’s body was removed from Canfield Drive on August 9, a makeshift memorial began to emerge over the bloodstains on the street.
Brown’s mother, Lesley McSpadden and Missouri State Representative Sharon Pace placed an array of candles and flowers at the memorial site as darkness fell. What allegedly happened next shocked and disgusted many onlookers. According to witnesses at the scene, one police officer allowed their dog to urinate on the memorial site.
After access to Canfield Drive was restricted to only police vehicles, it is alleged that several officers drove their vehicles over the memorial, smashing the candles and crushing the flowers that had been placed there. Since the 18-year-old was gunned down by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson on August 9, the city has been the scene of many protests and much unrest.
It appears these acts of the other police officers at the scene has further increased tensions in the city.
Officers were even forced to use tear gas on protestors, while a temporary curfew was set for the city at one point. The National Guard was also called in to help gain control of the city and return the area to a sense of normalcy following the shooting. The family of Michael Brown has asked for peaceful protests going forward. The teen was laid to rest on August 25.