New evidence suggests that Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon intentionally prevented the U.S. National Guard from being dispatched to protect property during the Ferguson protests and looting last November, and local business owners are furious.
Nixon was concerned that a National Guard presence would have resulted in a public relations disaster, negatively fueling the ongoing national debate over police militarization, internal Guard memos and emails obtained by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch indicate.
"Optics of various sorts are important as we head towards this mission," wrote one National Guard officer in an email. "We are deliberately constraining mobilization timelines to the last couple days to minimize public backlash ... We have coordinated for lower profile, less confrontational likely mission sets ... [to] minimize public militarization perception," concluding by noting that there is "much more than military planning and operational necessity driving the train."
The guardsmen eventually arrived late in the night of Nov. 24, after much of the town had been looted and set ablaze, but they were not authorized to use force to protect property, or even make arrests or stop people from committing most crimes, according to the Post-Dispatch.
Nixon maintains that the intensity of the protests and violence caught his administration by surprise, leaving him with two choices: protect property at the risk of civilian deaths, or allow the property to be destroyed and focus on preventing civilian deaths.
"Those buildings and businesses will be rebuilt ... but to say that that night we should have had a larger and broader gunfight? That would not have solved any problems," Nixon told reporters Wednesday.
"I think when people look back on this, they will appreciate that we showed an incredible amount of discipline," Nixon told reporters last week, reported The Associated Press.
According to Ferguson business owners, the problem is that at the same time the administration was attempting to downplay the use of militarized force to the media, officials including Nixon were making multiple promises to protect residents and business from violence.
"The residents and businesses of this region will be protected," Nixon said in one statement on Nov. 11. "Violence will not be tolerated."
Kurt Banks, owner of Complete Auto Body & Repair, told the Post-Dispatch that he was in a meeting the Thursday before the riots and was "promised there would be National Guard on my property."
"I was even told by (police officials), 'Don't board it up,'" Banks said. His business later sustained $40,000 worth of damage to its automobile showroom. "I'm sorry, but we pay our taxes, and 75 percent of our business is gone."
Phil Hurlbut was also promised during meetings with St. Louis County Police officials that the National Guard would protect his business, Dellwood Motor Mart. But once the verdict was out and riots erupted, the guardsmen were nowhere to be found. His business sustained $70,000 in damage and losses.
Former Ferguson mayor Brian Fletcher, who is now running for city council, told the Post-Dispatch, "[Nixon] promised he would protect the property and the people. The people that listened to him were looted, and in many cases their businesses were destroyed, for having faith in the governor. It's a real disgrace."
