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RIOT PREP? Officials Hunker Down Ahead of Ferguson Grand Jury Decision [PHOTOS]

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CLAYTON, Mo. — Crews set up rings of barricades in front of and around government buildings in Clayton, Mo. where a grand jury has been deliberating the fate of Darren Wilson, the police officer in nearby Ferguson who shot and killed Michael Brown on Aug. 9.

The announcement of any grand jury decision this weekend appears doubtful at this point.

At the same time, government officials in Clayton and throughout the St. Louis area are clearly gearing up for an imminent announcement and the possibility of protests and subsequent violence.

All day Saturday, workers in the upscale St. Louis suburb of Clayton were out in force ringing city blocks with hundreds of steel, crowd-control barricades and — at certain points near building entrances — rows of plastic barricades filled with water to make them heavy. They also closed parts of a few streets.

Business owners in the immediate area of the courthouse where the grand jury is deliberating told The Daily Caller they expect an email from government officials at least one day before the decision. No such email had been sent as of Saturday evening, one business owner said.

An employee at a Starbucks at the corner of Forsyth Boulevard and Central Avenue about 100 yards from the courthouse told The Daily Caller that store management had planned to close the store on Saturday but had a change of heart and remained open.

An employee at a Chipotle across the street indicated that she knew of no plans for the restaurant to close. It would be business as usual on Sunday and Monday as far as she knew.

Just one retail storefront — a law office across the street from the festively decorated St. Louis County Police Headquarters — appeared to be boarded up.

Ben Crump, the attorney for the Brown family, told the Associated Press prosecutors had promised to contact him before a decision was announced. He said he has heard nothing yet.

Here are some photos of the scene in Clayton on Saturday:

Clayton photo by Eric Owens

Clayton photo by Eric Owens

Clayton photo by Eric Owens

Clayton photo by Eric Owens

Clayton photo by Eric Owens

Clayton photo by Eric Owens

photo by Eric Owens

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All photos by Eric Owens

Tags : ferguson
Eric Owens