Pastor: Vegas police, firefighter prepared for Ferguson announcement

Las Vegas police, Clark County firefighters and community leaders aren’t expecting a riot this week, but they are prepared for one.

That is according to pastor Troy Martinez, one of nearly a dozen area nonprofit and community group leaders who sat down with the agencies to “start a conversation” about a grand jury announcement expected out of Ferguson, Mo., this week.

Grand jurors in the St. Louis suburb will decide whether to charge a white police officer in the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown, an unarmed black teen. Attorneys for Brown’s family have urged protesters to exercise restraint.

Metro said in a statement that “extaordinary preperations” are not required but that officers are always ready because they deal with large-scale events such as New Year’s Eve and the Electric Daisy Carnival.

The possibility of violence came up in the meeting, Martinez said, but attendees had “not necessarily identified spots” where that violence could erupt.

Police, firefighters and community members came up with a Twitter hashtag, #KeepjusticeLV, which Martinez hopes will raise awareness about the grand jury decision.

“We want to give people an opportunity to voice their opinions in a peaceful, responsible way,” said Martinez, who heads the East Vegas Christian Center and leads a group called 10,000 Kids. “Even if the decision says ‘we’re going to acquit,’ that doesn’t mean it’s over.

“The (Department of Justice) has opened an investigation into this and plenty of people are looking into it,” Martinez said. “So this week’s announcement is not the end of the process.”

Community and church groups are making a special effort to spread that message to a younger audience, Martinez said, aiming for those 14 and younger in neighborhoods that “might be more at-risk” for announcement-related violence.

Clark County Fire Department spokesman Jeff Buchanan didn’t attend the talks and said he didn’t know where those at-risk neighborhoods might be.

He applauded Martinez and others for reaching out to help others “stay vigilant” ahead of the Ferguson announcement.

Contact James DeHaven at jdehaven@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3839. Follow him on Twitter: @JamesDeHaven.