Curfew in effect in 'Ferguson

State of emergency declared by Missouri governor
following violent protests over US police shooting
of black teenager .
Police have fired multiple smoke canisters
into a crowd of defiant protesters in the St Louis
suburb of Ferguson where an unarmed black
teenager had been shot by a white police officer
while walking down the street .
A couple of hundred remaining
protesters chanted "No justice ! No curfew !" as
the deadline took effect on Sunday morning.
As five armoured tactical vehicles approached
the crowd , officers spoke through a loudspeaker :
"You are in violation of a state- imposed curfew .
You must disperse immediately . Failure to comply
may result in arrest. ''
The curfew will run from midnight ( 05 : 00 GMT)
until 5 am , according to Highway Patrol Captain
Ron Johnson , who has been appointed to oversee
security in the suburban St Louis community that
has been riled by the August 9 shooting of 18 -
year- old Michael Brown .
The governor of the US state of Missouri , Jay
Nixon, declared a state of emergency after a
week of racially charged protests after police
officer Darren Wilson , 28 , shot and killed Brown
as he and a friend walked down a street that
runs through an apartment complex where
Brown 's grandmother lives .
As the curfew approached , New Black Panther
Party leader Malik Shabazz roamed the street
with a bullhorn, encouraging people to leave for
their own safety . Many appeared to follow his
suggestion .
"The curfew is going to make things worse , " said
protester Phonso Scott , 24 . "I think the cops are
going to get violent tonight, but they can' t lock us
all up. "
'Antagonistic decision '
"I think it' s an antagonistic decision to not allow
people to express their freedom of speech. It ' s an
overreaction , '' worried another protester, Darren
Alexander, 57 .
On Saturday afternoon , Nixon and other officials
came face to face with angry members of the
community during a tense news conference at a
church near Ferguson .
"The eyes of the world are watching. This is the
test of whether a community , this community ,
any community , can break the cycle of fear ,
distrust and violence, and replace them
with peace , strength and , ultimately , justice , "
Nixon, a Democrat , told the gathering.
Some in the crowd reacted angrily to the
announcement of the curfew and said the police
officer who killed Brown must be prosecuted for
murder if peace is to return to the community .
Brown 's family and supporters have demanded
for days that the officer who shot Brown be held
accountable .
The US Department of Justice is investigating the
shooting for any civil rights violations , and the St
Louis County Police department also has launched
a probe .