Governor of Missouri Declares State of Emergency Ahead of Grand Jury Ruling Over Ferguson Shooting

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The governor of Missouri, Jay Nixon, declared a state of emergency Monday ahead of the grand jury's decision over the indictment of Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, CNN reported.

Nixon authorized the state's National Guard to assist the police in case violence erupts once the grand jury makes their decision. Instead of the police force from Ferguson, however, the order has called on the St. Louis County Police Department to monitor the protest, noted CNN.

"Our goal here is to keep the peace and allow folks' voices to be heard," Nixon said during a teleconference, as quoted in a Reuters report. "People need to feel safe and to achieve these goals, we need to be prepared."

The governor said that his decision was due to the "possibility of expanded unrest," reported CNN. While people have the constitutional right to protest peacefully, uninvolved citizens and businesses need to be protected, should situations get heated.

Nixon has been considering the addition of the National Guard for weeks, but has declined to comment on how many troops were being mobilized, according to The Age. "We need to be proactive and to have resources in place in advance of any announcements," he was quoted as saying.

St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay has shown his support for Nixon's decisions. He explained that the St. Louis County Police would be the ones directly taking charge, while other departments will only play a secondary role, The Age added.

Nixon and the police are not the only ones preparing for the grand jury's final deliberation, as demonstrators and activists are also making plans in anticipation of the announcement, according to MSN.

Several dozens of demonstrators were present at the streets of Clayton, Missouri on Monday to voice their pleas for Wilson to be indicted, MSN said.

"Something about the way Mike Brown was killed started a fire in me that I can't ignore," said Dhorbua Shakur, one of the protest organizers, as quoted in the Reuters report. "They can turn this off and on with a TV screen, but this is my reality. This is my life."

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has issued its own bulletin to all police forces across the country, cautioning them to be vigilant in the coming days, reported Reuters, citing ABC News.

The state of emergency will expire in 30 days unless extended by the governor, CNN noted.

It is unknown if the grand jury will chose to indict Wilson for fatally shooting the unarmed African-American youth Michael Brown on Aug. 9. According to CNN, prosecutors have stated that the jury will announce their decision by mid to late November.