Jack Dorsey Explains Why He Took Part In The Ferguson Protests

Jack Dorsey is in London today to announce the global roll-out of Square Register, his payment software that lets business owners process payments through an iPhone or iPad.

During the Financial Times 125 event, hosted in the middle of London's finance district, an audience member asked Dorsey why he went to the recent protests in Ferguson, Missouri.

He explained that he grew up in St. Louis, a 15-minute drive away from the center of the protests which erupted after a police officer shot dead 18-year-old Michael Brown.

"St. Louis is my home and I care deeply about it," Dorsey said.

"There are so many experiences of Twitter being used to organise protests and surface conversations in the heat of revolutions - but that has always been outside of this country. To see people utilize those tools on the street was just stunning. I've never seen so much use of Vine."

Dorsey himself was on the ground during the protests and documented his experience on Vine:

"People were just bringing out their phones and recording everything," Dorsey said. "That was so important to people on the ground. It felt like the whole world was watching. It's so critical to make this world feel smaller, that is the power of Twitter."