The Ferguson riots should serve as a stark civil unrest wake-up to all Americans. Regardless of how you feel about the Michael Brown shooting and the Darren Wilson grand jury indictment, a lesson should be learned from not only how rapidly the rioting occurred, but also from the massive amount of destruction which resulted at the hands of just a few hundred people.
In spited of scores of police officers and Missouri National Guard members on hand, at least 12 businesses were burnt to the ground during the first night of the Ferguson riots. If a similar civil unrest scenario occurs in your town, how would you put food on the table if your business or place of employment no longer existed? Grocery store shelves emptied due to looters and even more criminals were armed to the teeth and all liquored up after gun stores and convenience stores were robbed.
Ferguson quickly erupted into violence, looting, and flames after the Darren Wilson verdict was read. A viral video of Michael Brown’s stepfather, Louis Head, shouting, “Burn this b***h down” is now part an an inciting riots investigation by state law enforcement officials. Police officers had to secure an area around a local beauty salon, the first small business set ablaze, before firefighters could safely enter the area and attempt to stop the fire from spreading. Multiple other businesses burned as the fire department was stretched to its limits amid the Michael Brown shooting riots.
A total of 61 individuals were arrested during the first few hours after the Mike Brown shooting verdict was read. The Ferguson business owners and their workers could very likely have great difficulty putting food on their tables, making rent for quite some time. Putting Christmas presents under the tree is likely a fleeting desire for many of those who lost a business or paycheck due to civil unrest which sparked riots and arson.
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“Protests were probably much worse than the worst night we ever had in August. I don’t think we were underprepared. But I’ll be honest with you, unless we bring 10,000 policemen in here, I don’t think we can prevent folks who really are intent on destroying a community,” Chief Jon Belmar said. The chief also stated that during the initial unrest after the Darren Wilson grand jury verdict he instructed his officers to back off and behave as if the protests were similar to those at after a baseball game or festival. But the Ferguson verdict protests soon “spun out of control” and Chief Belmar ordered armored vehicles to roll and lobbed tear gas at the Michael Brown shooting protesters.
Many of the businesses burned to the ground during the Ferguson riots were also targets of looting during the August Michael Brown shooting protests. Some of the businesses burned after the Darren Wilson grand jury decision was read, include, Beauty Town, Little Caesars, O’Reilly Auto Parts, JC Wireless, a Conoco gas station, and Auto Zone. Walgreens and Sam’s Market were among the businesses heavily looted during the riots.
The body of DeAndre Joshua, 20, was found “shot dead” inside his car during the Ferguson civil unrest. Joshua’s family believes that “somebody killed him” during the rioting, looting, and fires which began not long after the Ferguson decision was announced in the Michael Brown shooting case of Darren Wilson.
DeAndre Joshua’s body was found inside a car approximately 20 yards from where Michael Brown was shot by the Ferguson police officer in August. Joshua worked at the local Walmart and was deemed a “good kid” and “not into drugs” by those who knew him.
According to DeAndre Joshua’s grandmother, Renita Towns, the young man who has become the first fatality of the Ferguson riots graduated from Beaumont High School. Police officers have towed Joshua’s white Pontiac Grand Prix away from the alleged murder scene and are currently interviewing possible witnesses.
Ferguson rioters attempted to loot a Papa John’s, but a female manager tackled them and subdued them with her bare hands as they kicked in the windows of the restaurant. Masked looters upset over the Darren Wilson verdict kicked and punched their way through the pizza joint until the brave woman put a stop their criminal acts.
A video from the Ferguson Papa John’s shows the female manager defending the restaurant as looters ran up and down the street wreaking havoc and setting fire to cars. The unidentified woman relentlessly pushed the masked looters away, even as he intently focuses on punching in the windows around her.
The Papa John’s female manager uses her body to block the Ferguson rioter and appears to be attempting to reason with him to stop trying to destroy the property and loot. The masked man then appears to jabs his fingers into her face multiple times in order to gain entry into the Papa John’s.
As the Michael Brown shooting rioters keeps kicking and punching at the glass windows of the Ferguson Papa John’s, a second looter joins in to help. The second man appears to yell closely into the female manager’s face, but she steadfastly refused to back down and let them into the business.
Local control over the rioting was non-existent during the civil unrest in Ferguson. Politicians concerned about either perceived bias by local police, or racism, or both, usurped the power of police officers and public officials elected by the citizens. The state and federal government both weighed in on how the rioters should be responded to, and held back the first evening – a decision which appears to have resulted in an extreme amount of damage in the town. The anger and lawlessness which occurred in just a few hours in the St. Louis suburb could happen anywhere that civil unrest goes unchecked.
When preppers think of civil unrest and dangerous marauders scenarios, the conversation usually focuses on a massive disaster scenario where police officers are not present and the panic is caused by a power grid down situation, terror attack, or pandemic. The Ferguson riots point out how just one national headline-making news story can destroy a town and threaten lives.