FERGUSON, Mo. — Cast as an olive branch by some, the Ferguson police chief’s attempt to march with protesters demanding charges in the killing of an unarmed, black 18-year-old by a white officer still erupted into a clash that activists Friday blamed on police missteps.
The trouble Thursday night came hours after Police Chief Tom Jackson released a videotaped apology to Michael Brown’s family.
The flare-up came after Jackson agreed to join marchers but failed to tell officers monitoring his safety to stand down, witnesses said Friday. That led to some officers forcing their way into the gathering, then pushing and shoving marchers, the witnesses said. Several protesters were arrested.
“It was absolute mayhem,” said protester Charles Wade, 31, of Austin, Texas. “Jackson decided to come out and broker some peace and pretty much asked what he could do to build a new level of trust, and police continued to come, come, come. … Police forced him out like he was a diplomat in a war zone.”
