MSNBC host Al Sharpton warned Americans not to be placated by the demilitarized situation among police forces in Ferguson, Missouri, pointing out that the community was still deeply upset about the shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed teenager.
Sharpton reminded the panel that he had experienced such incidents more than once, and he cautioned them not to think that the situation was under control just because reporters weren’t getting arrested and military equipment was no longer in the street. “We are not out of the emotions because we all of a sudden had one good night of marching,” he said.
Sharpton stated that he would return to Ferguson, Missouri, on Sunday to march with the family of Michael Brown, as well as Martin Luther King III.
He insisted that the streets of Ferguson were peaceful Tuesday night after he held a rally with the family, but he blamed the police force for causing more violence. “We were able to get people calm for one night. Then the militarized police force is what made it worse,” he said. “I felt like we were in a war zone.”
Sharpton also called for “real dialogue” about the issue. “It’s great they demilitarized the police, but that doesn’t solve the problem, and we will be back here again if we don’t deal with it,” he declared.
Sharpton insisted that the circumstances behind Brown’s death should still be the focus going forward.