[Fredricka Whitfield, Cnn Anchor:] Hello, again, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. We begin today with brand new information about the investigation into the police shooting of an unarmed teen in Ferguson, Missouri. A law enforcement official tells CNN the Justice Department did not want local police to release surveillance video as yet allegedly showing Michael Brown committing a robbery at the store moments before he was shot and killed by a police officer. The reasons for that major rift straight ahead. But first, here's what we know about a new round of violence in Ferguson overnight. This was the scene in the early morning hours when angry looters blocked off a street and looted three stores. A SWAT team across the street didn't move in or arrest anyone eventually the crowd dispersed. And peaceful protesters helped protect the stores from more looting. The state's governor, Jay Nixon, in a tweet thanking those demonstrators and says he will visit the town of Ferguson today. And at this hour, people in Ferguson are planning a vigil to mark the moment when Michael Brown was killed exactly one week ago today in broad daylight. A rally is scheduled later on today about 12 miles away in St. Louis at the city's famous gateway arch. We're covering all angles of this developing story as only CNN can. Our team of correspondents and analysts all joining us. Rene Marsh at the White House, Ana Cabrera in Ferguson, L.Z. Granderson in Detroit, Michigan and Charles Blow in New York and Missouri State Senator Jamilah Nasheed joining us on the phone. All right, let's begin with Rene Marsh at the White House because we're talking about sources telling CNN, Rene, that the Department of Justice advised against Ferguson police to release that surveillance video because there were some worry or fear that it might really invoke more emotions there. Give us more.
[Rene Marsh, Cnn Correspondent:] That's right, Fred. This is new information we're getting from our justice reporter, Evan Perez. These sources are saying the Department of Justice warned Ferguson police it was not a good idea to release the video you are looking at on your screen there. Let's take you back to earlier in the week. We know that the Department of Justice had this discussion with the police department on Thursday. The reason that they gave, they said that they believed it would just increase tensions and we already know that tensions were pretty high within the community. And the Justice Department said it would make things even worse, so during that discussion on Thursday, the Department of Justice won. They did not release the tape. Then fast forward to Friday and the surveillance video was released. And we know that this happened again, federal authorities did not agree with this. They said that they should not do this. However, the police department went ahead and did it anyway. It is unclear at this point though, Fred, as to why the Ferguson Police Department felt the pressure or the need to release the video despite hearing from federal authorities that they were advising against it. That remains unclear. We do know that federal investigators had their own copy of this video, had no plans whatsoever to release it, but it is worth pointing out as far as the bigger investigation goes, you know, the Department of Justice is looking into this separately from the criminal investigation. They're looking to see was there some civil rights violation, so the fact that Ferguson police did not listen to their advice, there's really nothing that the Department of Justice can do about it, but it just speaks to the bigger issue here, Fred. They received this information from these investigators who were brought in and they clearly went against it. Unclear why.
[Whitfield:] Ana, let me bring you into this. You are there in Missouri. Have Ferguson police responded to what DOJ is saying or at least what sources are telling us advised that it shouldn't release the video, what's the police response to that. And then I wonder, too, how important is it for the governor to return to Ferguson today, as he promises in a tweet that he really wants that face time with the community there?
[Ana Cabrera, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, I think they were talking about two separate things, so let's start with the first piece, we have not heard from the Ferguson Police Department yet this morning. In fact, we haven't really heard from any law enforcement this morning and we have been reaching out, trying to ask questions about exactly what happened here last night. The fact that there was more unrest. Again, there was this new information released from the Department of Justice advising against releasing the video about the robbery. And so, we are trying to get those questions answered. We want you to know. As far as the governor coming into town, there was criticism by protesters and residents earlier in the week that he had not been present, he had not reached out very well to the community here in Ferguson. Particularly the African-American community, who have been outraged about how this investigation has been handled and about the incident itself involving Michael Brown and him being killed and whether or not that was justified. Now, we're here along the main drag, so to speak, where all that looting happened earlier in the week, where more looting happened last night. Just across the street over my shoulder here is the Ferguson market where that alleged robbery happened. That was sort of the central point of looting that happened last night where we're told up to 200 people were at one point trying to get into there and there was a standoff between looters and other residents or protesters who were trying to prevent looting from happening. And eventually lost and the looting did occur. We're also hearing from people here on the ground that things could have been much worse last night. Unfortunately, though, businesses are having to close up shop. If you drive along this drag, you will see boarded up businesses. And I had a chance to talk to one of the assistant managers at one of those businesses that has been damaged and property stolen. Listen to what she told me.
[Cabrera:] Had crews on the scene who described a very tense situation and there was fear that perhaps if police had confronted these people who were looting that maybe there could have been a gun battle and people would have lost lives. What do you think?
[Seretha Alford, Assistant Manager:] With that situation, it's so scary now, you don't know who to trust. You don't know who the good guys is and who the bad guys is because of this situation. So, out here, people are fearful. People are scared and they have the right to be scared.
[Cabrera:] People are scared. People are fearful and everybody wants to know what's going to happen next. It's so unpredictable. We do know there's that rally planned at noon today. It has now been exactly one week since the shooting occurred. It happened a little after noon last Saturday. So at noon, a rally is supposed to be held outside the police station. Another protest in which we're told those are gathering and trying to get out a message that justice must happen in this community and in this case Fred.
[Whitfield:] All right. L.Z. Granderson, Charles Blow also with us and State Senator Jamilah Nasheed. So L.Z., to you, this certainly seems messy because there are so many different tentacles to this entire investigation, but do you worry whether it's the looting or the recommendation of DOJ to not release the video Ferguson police decides to release it any way. Are all of these distractions from the questions at the very core of this case, which is what happened between Officer Darren Wilson and Michael Brown one week ago midday right there in broad daylight.
[L.z. Granderson, Cnn Commentator:] I think you hit it right on the head. We cannot get away from the core question, which is what transpired between Michael Brown and this police officer moments before Michael Brown was shot to death. But there are so many interesting tentacles to this story that I think it's good for us to have these nuance conversations. There's the conversation about the militarization of police, about obviously the black community had these individuals in Ferguson who have nothing to do with what they're trying to accomplish. They're looting and that leads to nothing but selfishness and more violence and they need to be uprooted from this movement and then you have the largest question, which Charles talked about earlier, which is this rioting you see, this protest, this doesn't just come from one particular shooting. This has come in this particular community because of decades and decades of oppression and disenfranchise. We've combed through now the arrest records, the number of times police officers pulled over black residents versus white residents. It's pretty clear there's been a pattern in that community for a long time and that was the straw that broke the camel's black and Ferguson is like a lot of communities we have across the country. Whether we're able to get to a larger conversation, I don't know from this case. But the more that the police and rioter and looters distract us from the ultimate question, what happened to Michael Brown and that police officer in those minutes, the further away we get to resolving this case.
[Whitfield:] And so, Charles, expound on that. You know, this moment in Ferguson is a moment that has happened in too many cities across America for a very long time. But that you hear from so many members of the community there in Ferguson, whether they were eyewitnesses or folks who simply live there and say this really does speak to a history of problems. Between the mistrust that community members have and the police department and you know, whether the federal government now being involved in its own investigation of this, how much does this assist this community or perhaps even you know open the door to assisting other communities dealing with the same problem.
[Charles Blow, Cnn Political Commentator:] Yes, I think it's important to look at it and say the federal government probably helps in the case by kind of diffusing or getting past some of the suspicious that local residents have of local officials. However, it's really important for us to recognize this is not a local issue, but a national issue, an issue that we all have to engage on a national stage and on an interpersonal stage. Whether or not you know, someone feels fear, they can legitimately feel fear. Is that fear reasonable and rooted in something beyond just the circumstances at hand and whether or not race plays into that. Whether or not the size and gender of this person plays into that. Whether or not being in a community of people who are poorer than you or who you perceive to be other than you plays into that. All of that is kind of interpersonal work that all of us have to do to examine ourselves. And I think this part of what the citizens of Ferguson are saying is that we are othered constantly and part of what black America says on a regular basis is we are othered. And that otherness diminishes our potential to be active and equal participants in the system and the ideals that are America. And until we get to the point where we have that discussion constantly, not just a discussion, but actively work to alleviate those barriers, to activate people's participation, you'll have flare ups like this.
[Whitfield:] Ana, let me bring you into this because we talk about the mistrust that's clearly been established there. People say they haven't trusted local police there in a long time. But now that you've got federal investigation underway, are you hearing from anybody there who says they're much more likely to talk to federal authorities and ask the same questions local authorities might ask?
[Cabrera:] Well, most of the people we've been talking to want to give their accounts about what happened to Michael Brown. If they actually witnessed it itself and we've heard from the federal investigators in press releases and statements that they are reaching out to anybody who was a witness of exactly what happened. And they in fact plan to go into the neighborhood, the apartment area near where Michael Brown was shot and killed to make sure that witnesses who haven't come forward yet feel like they can come forward and they're going put themselves in a position in order to do that. So, we're hearing that there's an effort at least on a much larger scale to try to engage the community with law enforcement, but I think it's very consistent that we're still hearing from people in this community that they don't trust law enforcement, especially at the local police department here. And in fact, it seems like every move along this story and every move that even local officials are doing to be more transparent is only making matters worse and really driving a deeper divide as opposed to helping the situation Fred.
[Whitfield:] All right, and State Senator Nasheed, still on the phone with us. In the coming hours if not days, what is your hope in terms of questions to be answered?
[State Senator Jamilah Nasheed , Missouri:] Well, we want to know what really happened. We want justice for Michael Brown. We don't believe as a community that justice occurred under the watch of Bob McCullough. That's why we're calling for an independent prosecutor because only then will the unrest [inaudible]. We need a prosecutor that is going to be unbiased. We don't believe Bob is that prosecutor. The bottom line is this here. What we have to begin to realize is that we had a young man, his only crime was walking town down the street, yes, was he seen as bully? Yes. Did he steal? Yes. But that doesn't justify the killing of an innocent young man who was unarmed, looking to move on with his life and be productive things. By the hands of the police department that was supposed to protect and serve him. We know there are a lot of undercurrent issues, elements in the black community. The racial profiling, police brutality, the lack of jobs. All of those things is a direct correlation of what we see happening in the streets here in the city of St. Louis as a result of that murder. So, what you want to see happen moving forward, we want to see some transparency. We would like to see an honest investigation that will bring about justice for Michael Brown. That's what we're looking for.
[Whitfield:] All right.
[Nasheed:] And again, that's why we have a petition. It's www.petitionforjustice.com. We are asking that individuals sign the petition so that we can take at least 20,000 signatures to the doorstep of Bob McCullough and let him know this is the opinion from the people. They don't want you there on this case. And you should be statesman enough to move aside in order to ease the tension that has occurred as a result of the murder of Michael Brown.
[Whitfield:] State Senator Jamilah Nasheed, Rene Marsh, Ana Cabrera, L.Z. Granderson and Charles Blow, thanks to all of you, appreciate it. Perhaps you still have questions you want answered about Ferguson, Missouri. The situation unfolding there or the tactics being used by both sides. Tweet us using #fergusonqs and we'll get some of your questions to our panel of experts throughout the day. We'll be right back.