Let me speculate a bit since I haven’t finished investigating what’s going on in Ferguson. When 90 people (including myself) were arrested at an animal rights protest in Minneapolis in 2001, US police were again using riot cops, tear gas, pepper spray against unarmed peaceful protesters. They had relaunched aggressive police methods at the 1999 WTO protests in Seattle–methods which the Civil Rights Movement had defeated along with the antiwar movement.
Of the 90 people arrested, nearly half were released as undercover cops. Most activists opted out of trial but I’ll be damned if I would. One of the smug-faced, nasty-assed undercover cops came to testify against me & the two other defendants. Videos disproved her testimony & proved ours.
Before people get carried away about looting & burning in Ferguson, it might be wiser to think police agents instigating trouble to discredit the Black community. Nice try but that won’t stop the rebirth of Black power. It will however justify repression in Ferguson so solidarity actions which are going on in 37 US states are of paramount importance.