The Slatest

Missouri National Guard Withdrawn From Ferguson as Clashes Subside

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon thinks Ferguson is peaceful enough for these guys to peace out.

Photo by Michael B. Thomas/AFP/Getty Images

After a night of relatively few arrests (six, compared to 155 overall), Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon announced on Thursday that the Missouri National Guard would be leaving Ferguson.

From the Washington Post:

Nixon’s decision came four days after he first called on guard troops to help contain the escalating protests over the police shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown on Aug. 9. The nightly confrontations between protesters and a heavily-armed police force wielding tear gas and rubber bullets have attracted global attention.

In the statement, Gov. Nixon said that he is giving the order “as we continue to see improvement,” perhaps referring to the comparative calm of Wednesday night. Meanwhile, St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch announced that he would not recuse himself from the investigation into what transpired between Officer Darren Wilson and Brown. State Sen. Jamilah Nasheed had presented a petition signed by 70,000 people to McCulloch’s spokesperson asking that he do so. Nasheed explained that the petition signifies that people “have no confidence in [McCulloch’s] ability to be fair and impartial, not just in the City of St. Louis and in Ferguson, but throughout the country.”