As of Wednesday morning, the city of Ferguson, Missouri is no longer in a state of emergency. Missouri Gov. Jay Dixon lifted the nearly 3-week-old order, which mobilized the National Guard in response to unrest following the shooting of Michael Brown by local police. The National Guard closed down operations last week, and the governor’s move, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports, also “effectively ends the possibility of a special prosecutor in the investigation of Michael Brown’s death.” Supporters of Michael Brown had pushed for Dixon to use his temporary emergency powers to replace St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch, who has close family ties within the police.
“Over the past week, we’ve seen students getting back to school, businesses reopening their doors and folks getting back to their normal routines,” Gov. Nixon said in a statement. “This progress is a testament to the efforts of community and faith leaders, working alongside state and local law enforcement officers, to bring peace to the streets of Ferguson and much-needed stability to its citizens.”
