After Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency on Monday and authorized the state's National Guard to support police in case of violence ahead of a grand jury decision on whether or not to indict Darren Wilson, the Ferguson, Mo., police officer who fatally shot unarmed teenager Michael Brown, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People condemned the decision as "presumptuous."
The order, in effect for 30 days, instructs the St. Louis County Police Department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, and the St. Louis Metro Police to work together in policing violent protests that might erupt after a decision is announced, Breitbart reported.
But NAACP President and CEO Cornell Brooks denounced the state of emergency order, stating that it only threatened to "stir up tension" and is "both premature in its application and presumptuous in intention" to the "hundreds of peaceful demonstrators who have embraced their Constitutional right to protest."
"Governor Nixon's decision to declare a state of emergency without evidence of violence or danger only threatens to stir up tensions and denigrate the peaceful efforts of countless non-violent activists," he said in a statement. "We at the NAACP will work tirelessly to ensure that the civil rights of the demonstrators are upheld. And finally, we commend as well as stand with those practitioners of democracy who have stood strong for over 100 days."
Comparing the Ferguson protestors, some of whom have been accused of partaking in violent crimes, to the peaceful protesters that showed up to Washington, D.C., for Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, he stated that "the ability to protest is woven into the very fabric of our nation and should not be stifled by presumptuous leadership."
However, preparations are already being made to handle and control a scenario where even if 29-year-old Wilson is indicted, protestors and demonstrators follow through with violent riots in the streets of Ferguson, TheBlaze reported.
A supposed police officer in the Ferguson area spoke to "St. Louis Coptalk" forum about what he expects to happen in Ferguson in the coming weeks, urging community members to "protect" their families with firearms, Vocativ reported, adding that the man's identity as a police officer could not be independently confirmed.
"If you do not have a gun, get one and get one soon. We will not be able to protect you or your family," the man, who posted under the name "A Concerned Cop," wrote. "It will be your responsibility to protect them. Our gutless commanders and politicians have neutered us. I'm serious, get a gun, get more than one, and keep one with you at all times."
This warning comes after the FBI recently issued an intelligence bulletin stating that a grand jury's decision "will likely be exploited by some individuals to justify threats and attacks against law enforcement and critical infrastructure."
"This also poses a threat to those civilians engaged in lawful or otherwise constitutionally protected activities," the bulletin said.
Meanwhile, schools, businesses and law enforcement are also preparing safety procedures ahead of another round of unrest, possibly worse than in August, when weeks of protests followed the shooting of Brown, BBC News reported.
Although many have requested an advance notice of the grand jury announcement, officials have stated that no such notice will be provided ahead of its time, KMOV.com reported.
