In November 2014, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon, a Democrat, refused to send the National Guard into Ferguson after the Michael Brown verdict was announced. A court ruled that Officer Darren Wilson was innocent in the shooting death of Mike Brown after the Ferguson teen beat him and then charged him like a bull before Wilson shot him dead. Far left protesters then looted and burned down the business district for the second time in six months.
As a result of the governor’s decision to prevent the National Guard from protecting Ferguson, nearly half of the roughly 500 businesses operating in Ferguson and adjacent communities, such as Dellwood and Jennings, suffered property damage, were destroyed, or lost revenue as a result of the coordinated Ferguson protests and riots.
Governor Nixon allowed the rioters to burn down Ferguson businesses – for a second time after they were torched earlier in the year when Mike Brown was shot dead. Ferguson Mayor Knowles tried desperately to contact Governor Nixon the night of the rioting but was unable to reach him or his staff.
In fact, Governor Jay Nixon ordered the Missouri National Guard out of Ferguson, Missouri before the grand jury released its decision on Michael Brown’s shooting death.