Obama to send top lawyer to Ferguson amid unrest

“While I understand the passions and the anger that arise over the death of Michael Brown, giving into that anger by looting or carrying guns and even attacking the police only serves to raise tensions and stir chaos,” Obama said during remarks televised Monday from the White House. “It undermines rather than advancing justice.”  The 18 year-old Brown was killed in a confrontation with a police officer. Details of the fatal encounter continue to be disputed but racial tensions flared between the majority black community and predominantly white police force following his death. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder will travel to Ferguson on Wednesday to meet with FBI and Department of Justice personnel who are working to independently investigate the circumstances surrounding Brown’s death. Holder will also meet with local community leaders. Obama’s announcement comes as Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon ordered the National Guard to help restore order to city early Monday morning after another night of violent confrontations.

Even so, Obama again appealed for calm, saying that now is a time for the community to heal.  "To a community in Ferguson that is rightly hurting and looking for answers, let me call once again for us to seek some understanding rather than simply holler at each other," he said. "Let’s seek to heal rather than to wound each other. Asked if he thought it was proper to militarize local police forces, Obama said that an examination of how U.S. tax dollars have funded police agencies is "probably useful.”  “There is a big difference between our military and our local law enforcement. And we don’t want those lines blurred,” he said. “That would be contrary to our traditions.”