St. Louis Post-Dispatch Ferguson coverage - Aug. 26

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T H E N O . 1 S T. L O U I S W E B S I T E A N D N E W S P A P E R

Tuesday • 08.26.2014 • $1.50

“What does God require of you? We sit like we have no requirements. But all of us are required to respond to this. And all of us must solve this.” The Rev. Al Sharpton

a time to mourn

calls to action RING amid remembrances of Michael Brown

Huy Mach • hmach@post-dispatch.com

Pallbearers place the casket of Michael Brown into a hearse Monday outside Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church in St. Louis. Brown, 18, was shot to death Aug. 9.

thousands GATHER FOR brown’s funeral

case spurs talk of Body cameras for POLICE

By Elisa Crouch • ecrouch@post-dispatch.com AND Doug Moore • dmoore@post-dispatch.com

By Nicholas J.C. Pistor npistor@post-dispatch.com 314-436-2239

The encounter in Ferguson that ended with a police officer fatally shooting unarmed teenager Michael Brown has spurred police departments in the St. Louis area to do some deep soul-searching. Many hope to avoid the uncertainty of chaotic events by having video to investigate officers’ interactions with civilians. Video recordings would allow judges and juries to see events unfold, helping to shed light through the often-conflicting or hazy recollections of

Robert Cohen • rcohen@post-dispatch.com

Lesley McSpadden (in red) is comforted during the funeral Monday for her son Michael Brown at Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church.

First day of school is families’ chance to move forward

Mourning Brown should bridge region’s great racial divide

Inside • A5

Editorial • A11

See CAMERAS • Page A6

Two dead after mortar shell explodes at recycling facility in Granite City By Joel Currier jcurrier@post-dispatch.com > 314-340-8256

GRANITE CITY • Police say they are

investigating what went wrong Monday when a mortar shell exploded at the Totall Metal Recycling plant, killing two workers and injuring a third. Police Chief Rich Miller said the two employees died at the scene and a third

TODAY

79°/97°

Camera ready?

PARTLY CLOUDY

TOMORROW

77°/94° STORMS POSSIBLE

Weather A16

was taken to a hospital in St. Louis for treatment. Officials would not identify the victims, give the condition of the survivor or describe the nature of his injuries. In interviews, relatives identified the dead as Rodolfo Romo, 46, of Fairmont City, and Tyler Muenstermann, 24, of See EXPLOSION • Page A3

See BROWN • Page A4

U.S. guarded on Syria military action, rejects warnings from Assad regime By Roy Gutman, Nancy A. Youssef and Jonathan S. Landay McClatchy Washington Bureau

ISTANBUL • The Syrian government on Monday warned the United States against launching unilateral attacks against the Islamic State extremist group on its territory, but Washington said it wouldn’t seek the Assad regime’s per-

mission to defend American lives. At the same time, President Barack Obama’s administration sought to tamp down expectations of imminent airstrikes against the Islamic State in Syria that top U.S. officials raised last week after the group ignited outrage by posting a video of the beheading of a captive See SYRIA • Page A3

Striking Emmy gold

Meet Shaun Hill

Bryan Cranston’s fourth ties a record.

Quarterback steps in for injured Bradford.

INSIDE • A10 POST-DISPATCH WEATHERBIRD ®

ST. LOUIS • Shortly before Michael Brown died, his stepmother was admitted to the hospital. He became convinced she wasn’t going to make it. “Because I’ve been dreaming about death,” Cal Brown recalled her stepson saying, recounting a conversation at his funeral Monday that the two of them had in early August. Several days later, a police officer shot Michael Brown on Canfield Drive. Members of Brown’s family believe he prophesied his own death. About 4,500 people filled Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church to pay their respects to Brown, the teenager whose death has stirred a movement. Many said the images of his body lying in the street on Aug. 9 sent a message of marginalization that they could no longer ignore. It brought people to his funeral who had never met Brown. It brought mostly African-Americans,

SPORTS • B1

2 M Vol. 136, No. 238 ©2014


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