JEFFERSON CITY — Today (11-19), Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis, called on the governor to withdraw the state of emergency he enacted on Nov. 17, based on the unconstitutional manner in which it was enacted.

“According to the Missouri Constitution, a state of emergency can only be instituted in response to an ‘actual occurrence’ of a ‘natural or man-made’ occurrence,” said Sen. Nasheed. “As this is not the case in Ferguson, and no actual occurrence has taken place, the state of emergency is both unnecessary and against the laws of this state.”

While a state of emergency can be instituted by either a proclamation by the governor or a resolution by the General Assembly, no state of emergency can be called before an “actual occurrence of a natural or man-made disaster of major proportions within the state such that the safety and welfare of the people is jeopardized (Section 44.010.6).”

“It is the governor’s job to ensure the safety of the citizens of this state. This illegally mandated state of emergency will only further feed the mass hysteria we are so desperately trying to avoid,” Sen. Nasheed said. “We need to think about the people that call this area home, and how we can best provide safety and security for our neighbors. Setting our communities up for failure before we are given a chance to respond peacefully is not the solution.”

Senator Nasheed and many other local elected officials have been meeting with community leaders to discuss peaceful responses, regardless of the pending verdict of the grand jury trial.