13 Photos From The Protests In Ferguson, Missouri, You Won't Believe Happened In The United States Of America

Livestream

Protests entered their fifth and most tense day in Ferguson, Missouri, in response to a police officer on Saturday fatally shooting 18-year-old Michael Brown, an unarmed black man, and it's hard to look at the photos and believe the scene is in the United States.

From heavily armed SWAT officers aiming rifles at unarmed civilians to the use of intimidating armored vehicles — it looks less small-town U.S.A. and more like Egypt's Tahrir Square during the Arab Spring. The behavior of police is similar — albeit less deadly — in the use of tear gas, rubber bullets, and a deafening loudspeaker meant to break up the demonstration officers had declared "no longer peaceful."

Various live streams showed a defiant but mostly peaceful crowd chanting and singing songs. But some protesters have indeed been seen, as St. Louis Post-Dispatch's David Carson tweeted , throwing rocks, bottles, and Molotov cocktails.

On Wednesday evening, the situation escalated as officers over a loudspeaker told the protesters they needed to go home, although they were told their "right to assembly is not being denied." Two reporters were later arrested while working inside a McDonald's restaurant nearby for no apparent reason. (They were both later released, with no charges filed.)

Soon after, the police moved in on the crowd, firing tear gas and rubber bullets, and police officers instructed people to turn off their cameras.

These are the unbelievable images we've seen so far:

AP Photo/Jeff Roberson

A member of the St. Louis County Police Department points his weapon in the direction of a group of protesters in Ferguson, Missouri, on Wednesday.

REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

AP Photo/Jeff Roberson

A man watches the police during a clash with protesters Wednesday in Ferguson.

More tear gas on another violent night in Ferguson. #MikeBrown #Ferguson pic.twitter.com/iFnElwJWAa

— Robert Cohen (@kodacohen) August 14, 2014

Livestream

More unrest in #Ferguson , Missouri, as police fire tear gas at protesters: http://t.co/k6gSxxbH1H pic.twitter.com/VFQYXasvtJ

— ѕyndιcalιѕт (@syndicalisms) August 14, 2014

Photo of teargas being fired in #Ferguson via @jonswaine pic.twitter.com/rgLGnpFg6I

— Paul Szoldra (@PaulSzoldra) August 14, 2014

This is someones front lawn in #Ferguson . pic.twitter.com/JCLQW4xxqJ http://t.co/eTUdOHT0BW

— grasswire (@grasswire) August 14, 2014

#Ferguson crowd threw rocks, bottles, Molotov cocktails, saw a gun, right before this stepped off pic.twitter.com/qNngeVLtVL

— David Carson (@PDPJ) August 14, 2014