If a St. Louis County, Mo., grand jury fails to indict the officer who killed Michael Brown, almost everyone in Ferguson thinks things will get worse, reports the Los Angeles Times. “They're not going to be looting next time,” said Kevin Seltzer, 30, who lives at an apartment complex near where Brown, 18, was shot. “They're going to burn the city down.” Far from finding peace after a round of summer protests and riots, Ferguson remains a city on the brink, its nearly every step troubled. The last week has been especially fraught.
In separate incidents, one Brown memorial went up in flames and part of another was run over. When Police Chief Thomas Jackson tried to speak to demonstrators, clashes broke out with officers. The city's newly hired spokesman, brought in to help Ferguson repair its image, was fired after it was revealed that he had been convicted of shooting and killing a man in 2004. Tensions rose further Saturday night, when officials a Ferguson police officer was shot in the arm during a foot chase behind the community center. Ferguson fears the worst is yet to come, especially if the grand jury does not indict Officer Darren Wilson. A decision is expected in November. With that deadline looming, residents and business owners debated the role police should play during protests.