With the recent St. Louis protests, we're seeing a disconnect between Gov. Eric Greitens' campaign rhetoric and his governing.
Still, he's doing a much better job than his predecessor did with the mess in Ferguson in 2014.
The Associated Press reported that, as a candidate, Greitens asserted there could have been peace "by the second night" if a governor with a calm and commanding presence had intervened in the violent protests in Ferguson after the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown.
The former Navy SEAL officer declared he would have been both caring and firm by listening to people's concerns and imposing a dusk-to-dawn curfew, the AP reported.
Peace hasn't come that quickly in the wake of protests over the acquittal last week of a white former St. Louis police officer who fatally shot a black drug suspect. The AP said daytime protests have been peaceful, but the first three nights were marred by broken windows, physical clashes with police and scores of arrests.
We give Greitens credit: He has consistently said while protests would be allowed, violence and vandalism would not. St. Louis police have followed his lead, perhaps a little too much. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported police themselves chanted "Whose streets? Our streets," which mimics the chants of protesters.
Cops also drew criticism for corralling and pepper spraying protesters in an incident that resulted in mass arrests. Police need to strike a balance between allowing the constitutional right to protest and keeping the peace. It's not always easy, and even the St. Louis mayor said they crossed the line in this instance.
Still, Greitens' "law and order" approach to governing, as it has been described, is welcome. It's what he campaigned on, and that message has been consistent since.
In the Ferguson protests, Nixon sided against law enforcement by calling for the "vigorous prosecution" of the officer who shot Michael Brown. When protests became unruly, he was caught flat-footed, calling in the Missouri Highway Patrol and National Guard too late.
Greitens, on the other hand, mobilized state resources in anticipation of trouble after the judge issued his verdict in the police shooting case.
Greitens, for his part, still must follow through on his campaign pledge to listen to protesters, many of whom believe minorities have been targets of overaggressive policing and an unfair criminal justice system.
Greitens said he has worked to build relationships within the black community, and we encourage him to do more. The governor owes them the decency of listening to their concerns and trying to work toward common goals.
News Tribune