VIDEO: Ferguson Chief Asks Why No Guard Help During Monday Riot
Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson is trying to find out why National Guard troops were not deployed to his city ahead of the Monday night grand jury decision announcement. He learned the Guard would not be on duty the first week in November.
“I asked what caused the decision, the change in mission, but I wasn’t able to get an answer,” he told KTVI TV.
Dozens of Ferguson and Dellwood businesses were damaged or destroyed Monday night as rioters and looters moved freely across the communities. Some set arson fires. Rioters, firing shots in the air, kept fire department crews from responding to the flames.
St. Louis County Police are in charge of protecting areas of Ferguson where protestors gather. Chief Jackson said initially Guard troops were expected to assist police.