This sounds promising
With Highway Patrol, hugs and kisses replace tear gas in Ferguson - The Washington Post
But Thursday night, when more than a thousand protesters descended on the remains of QuickTrip which was burned during riots on Sunday they had a new leader.
The man at the front of the march, was Missouri Highway Patrol Capt. Ronald S. Johnson, a Ferguson native.
Im not afraid to be in this crowd, Johnson declared to reporters.
Not only did Johnson march with the protesters, but he vowed to not blockade the street, to set up a media staging center, and to ensure that residents rights to assemble and protest were not infringed upon. Officers working crowd control, he said, have been told they must take off their gas masks.
Johnson hugged and kissed community members as they passed, slapping backs and sharing laughs.
After fielding more than a dozen questions, Johnson began walking toward the protests it had broken off its route and doubled back.
Johnson marched down the center of the street, trailed by media, as the marchs leaders brought hundreds of chanting and sign-waving residents.
They met head on.
Just wanna know where you are going, Johnson said.
Up to the Quick Trip and then stopping, the man with the megaphone responded.
OK! Go ahead, Johnson said, smiling and stepping aside as hundreds of residents streamed past him.
Moments later, as he rallied the crowd and demanded justice and information about the shooting, the man with the megaphone declared:
They respect us, referring to police. So lets respect them. Theyve given us the sidewalk so lets stay out of their street.
Police chief with a protester