Veterinary clinic in Ferguson vandalized during intense protest overnight

This morning, a dozen businesses smoldered after a night of protest and violence in Ferguson, Missouri. Glass fronts of buildings lay shattered-evidence of the night's destruction witnessed by daylight.

Veterinary assistant Rachael Anglin came in to work early. Dellwood Animal Clinic, located near the southwest corner of Chambers Road and West Florissant Avenue, is mere blocks from Canfield Drive, where white police officer Darren Wilson shot and killed 18-year-old African American Michael Brown in August. The St. Louis County grand jury decision not to indict Wilson on criminal charges Monday sparked a night of intense public outcry that, in part, evolved into looting and vandalism.

Anglin found the front window of the clinic broken out when she arrived. "Across the street, that Prime Beauty was burnt to the ground," she says.

Fortunately, there was no looting. She says the three dogs and two cats that were on site overnight were secure and unharmed. The clinic is closed today. She was waiting for someone to come and board up the window.

The staff left yesterday at 4:30 p.m. in anticipation of the grand jury's decision. All Anglin could do was watch the news from her home in Bellefountaine about 15 minutes from the clinic. "All we could do was hope that they didn't get us," Anglin says.

Anglin had attended a meeting in preparation for a possibly riotous night. "I was hoping it was going to be better, but you never know," she says. It's reported that approximately 12 buildings were set on fire, including Prime Beauty and a TitleMax just around the corner from the clinic. Looting was also reported at the O'Reilly Auto Parts nearby.

East on Chambers Road to Florissant Avenue, a Little Caesars and a Walgreen's were torched. Those two buildings sit about a block from Ferguson Animal Clinic, 483 Airport Rd. The phone went unanswered at that clinic Tuesday morning.

"Everybody's looking at the damage and whether they're going to rebuild or not," Anglin says. Dellwood Animal Clinic plans to be open tomorrow. She says they're going to keep an eye on the news and play it by ear.