As Law Enforcement Presence Eases, 'Small Gains' Are Noted in Ferguson

FERGUSON, Mo. - As the 12th day since the shooting of an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown, by a police officer came to an end, Ferguson was quiet on Thursday. The formal protest ended before midnight, and for the most part there was hardly a hint of the tension of the past week and a half.

'It was a hot and muggy day, but the temperatures did not heat up on the streets of Ferguson,' said Capt. Ronald S. Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, pointing out that the high that day had reached around 97 degrees. Seven people were arrested, most on minor offenses, including three people from Detroit.

Gov. Jay Nixon of Missouri announced earlier on Thursday that the National Guard, which was brought in to provide security for the police command center here, would be withdrawn. But guardsmen, some of them more than ready to get home, still stood at their posts Thursday night.

Captain Johnson said the withdrawal of the guardsmen would begin on Friday. He did not say whether there would be other changes to the security plans for Ferguson.

On the street, the protesters who remained, about 70 or so who marched in a familiar circuit up and down West Florissant Avenue, pledged to keep coming back.

'It can go on for another week or it can go on for two more months,' said Derrick D. Robinson, a local member of the clergy. He attributed the smaller crowd partly to the police crackdown, and said the peaceful nature of the protest came about through the efforts of local leaders. 'Several of the clergy, we stepped in and helped police the crowd,' he said.

The week did not get off to a promising start. The protests on Monday erupted in violent clashes in which the police used tear gas and rubber bullets. Tuesday was considerably calmer, though it was not without its moments of confrontation; at the end of the night, the police announced that 47 arrests had been made.

Wednesday night was the quietest night since the protests began, though some wondered if that had been because of a thunderstorm that had swept through. But Thursday night seemed to show that calm had settled in.