Days ahead of a grand jury's decision whether or not to indict a police officer over Michael Brown's death, the governor of Missouri declared a state of emergency. Citing "periods of unrest over the past three months" and the criminal investigation into Brown's death, Jay Nixon's announcement means he can call the National Guard in to secure Ferguson and the St. Louis area. (Monday, activists disrupted traffic in nearby Clayton.) The state of emergency expires in 30 days unless its extended or canceled.
