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On Saturday, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon announced that he had declared a state of emergency in Ferguson. He also stated that there will be a curfew from midnight to 5 a.m. starting on the night of Saturday, August 16.
The curfew comes in response to looting during the night before. Most of the protesters rejected the looting and attempted to stop it, but a small group of teens reportedly took advantage of the situation to steal from stores, including the store Michael Brown is accused of stealing cigars from.
Missouri Highway Patrol Captain Ron Johnson, who's in charge of security in Ferguson, suggested security will resist a heavy-handed response while enforcing the curfew. "We won't enforce it with trucks, we won't enforce it with tear gas, we will communicate," he said.
Nixon acknowledged that a majority of the protesters didn't participate in the looting, but he said the curfew — and the declaration of a state of emergency that allows the curfew — were necessary to maintain law and order.
"This is not to silence the people of Ferguson or this region or others," Nixon said, "but to contain those who would endanger others."
To learn more about the protests in Ferguson, read the full explainer, Vox's timeline, and watch the two-minute video below:
