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Violence erupted in Ferguson, Missouri Monday evening after demonstrators learned there would be no criminal indictment of police officer Darren Wilson for the August shooting death of teen Michael Brown. Protests soon followed across the country. VPC
Protesters lie down in a major intersection to block traffic in Los Angeles on Nov. 24 in reaction to the Ferguson grand jury decision.(Photo: David McNew, Getty Images)
Protesters from New York City to Oakland, Calif., marched and chanted their discontent with the decision by a Missouri grand jury not to indict a white police officer in the August fatal shooting of an unarmed black teen.
But the demonstrations lacked the ugly violence that marred the outrage in Ferguson, Mo., where Michael Brown, 18, was killed by officer Darren Wilson on Aug. 9.
YOUR TAKE: Seeing protests in your city? Share your view
In Oakland, 40 people were arrested after a peaceful march turned raucous, according to Mayor Jean Quan. Protesters lay in the middle of an intersection in silent protest, then marched down Broadway shouting, "Hands up, don't shoot," and "Black lives matter — all lives matter." Others set garbage cans on fire and vandalized or broke into stores.
In New York City, hundreds marched through Manhattan's Union Square on Monday holding signs saying "Jail Killing Cops" and "Resistance Is Justified." Protesters, initially penned in an area at the northern end of the square, pushed the metal police barriers aside and rushed toward the south toward Greenwich Village, passing holiday kiosks set up to sell crafts.
Anthony Sganga was in his Manhattan dorm around 12:45 a.m., when he saw hundreds of people marching downtown and chanting, "Hands up, don't shoot." However, by the time he got to the Brooklyn Bridge most of the protestors had already moved on(Photo: Anthony Sganga, Your Take)
Yelling "No justice, no peace, no racist police" and "Hands up, don't shoot," the crowd of several hundred marched north to Times Square for a rally. New York Police Commissioner William Bratton arrived there around 10:45 p.m., and almost immediately got splashed with fake blood by a protester. He wasn't injured, police said.
The crowd later marched south, disrupting traffic along the way, before passing City Hall and heading across the Brooklyn Bridge.
In downtown Tempe, Ariz., about 60 people showed up at Tempe Town Lake, splintering into two groups after a verbal dispute over protest tactics. One group walked toward the Tempe police station and courts building chanting expletives and anti-police sentiments. The other group calmly walked in a different direction.
In Philadelphia, several hundred protesters marched through downtown Monday yelling "No justice, no peace, no racist police!" A similar protest of about 50 people in Pittsburgh was short-lived. Activists said they planned to regroup Tuesday at the federal courthouse.
Your Take contributor Tyler Costill captured the scene on South Street in Philadelphia, right after the grand jury decision in Ferguson, Mo.(Photo: Tyler Costill, Your Take)
About 15 people gathered in front of the Theodore Levin U.S. Federal Courthouse in Detroit earlier on Monday night.
The small group prayed and joined hands in the bitter cold as they awaited the decision. Rev. Charles Williams II, senior pastor at the Historic King Solomon Baptist Church of Detroit and Michigan regional president for the National Network, said the protest was held to demand justice and call for the U.S. Department of Justice to step in and prosecute Wilson.
When the verdict came down, the crowd was visibly upset, but many said they weren't surprised. "We're saying, 'No more,'" said Rev. Sylvester Davis, who has been a Detroit resident for 65 years. "We're seeing a system where black men don't matter. We're open season. It's time for us to stop this mess. We want justice and equal rights."
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In Sanford, Fla., about two dozens protesters marched to the local county courthouse to listen to the verdict.
Many held signs and some tried to hold back tears as they expressed their anger and disappointment, WESH-TV reported.
Almost immediaely after the verdict was read, the group was led in prayer by Rev. Tyler Anderson.
"Our posture here tonight is not one of defeat. Not one of anger. Seems hard maybe to be able to say that, but our posture is prayer," said Anderson, WFTV reported. The group also honored the Brown family's request to observe four and a half minutes of silence.
Sanford is the site of the February 2012 shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, another unarmed African-American teen, by neighborhood watch member George Zimmerman.
In Chicago, several hundred people marched from police headquarters to the Loop Monday night, closing down Lake Shore Drive,
the Chicago Tribune reported. The group rallied downtown for several hours. Police diverted traffic from the drive and officers on bicycles rode alongside the demonstrators, the newspaper said.
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In Jackson, Miss., a group pf protesters blocked the Pearl Street bridge, backing up traffic. They held signs that read, "Defend black life" and "Justice for Mike Brown." Police said the protesters dispersed without incident when police arrived, The Clarion Ledger reports.
In Los Angeles, rocked by riots in 1992 after the acquittal of police officers in the beating of Rodney King, about 100 people gathered in Leimert Park.
Activist Najee Ali met with police last week to discuss plans for a peaceful gathering in response to the Ferguson case. Plans included having community members identify agitators who incite violence so officers can remove them from the crowd, he said.
"It was kind of unprecedented," Ali said of the meeting. "We never collaborate with the LAPD. They do what they do, and we do what we do."
Contributing: Detroit Free Press; Associated Press
St. Louis County Police: Ferguson 'spun out of control'St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar expresses his disappointment in the minimal amount of peaceful protesters and the extreme measures that protesters took. VPC
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Gunshots slow down response to fires in FergusonFirefighters in Ferguson, MO were battling around 25 building fires early Tuesday morning, hours after the announcement that the grand jury would not file charges against Darren Wilson. Firefighters couldn't get to some fires because of gunfire. VPC
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Michael Brown charges at Officer Wilson explained in testimonyA grand jury declined to indict Ferguson, Missouri Police Officer Darren Wilson for fatally shooting Michael Brown, an unarmed African-American teenager and the grand jury revealed Wilson's testimony. VPC
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Cars burst into flames, explode at Ferguson dealershipFollowing the grand jury's decision not to indict Officer Darren Wilson chaos has ensued in Ferguson, a parking lot of cars have been broken into and set on fire. VPC
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Ferguson protesters looting, burning businesses, police carsReports of looting and business fires were reported in the area of Ferguson, Missouri after a grand jury did not indict Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown. VPC
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‘I honestly feel heart-broken’: reaction to FergusonProtesters in Oakland, Calif., where hundreds gathered after a grand jury decided not to indict Missouri police officer Darren Wilson in the death of unarmed teenager Michael Brown, explain their frustration and disappointment. Chris Wiggins for USA TODAY
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Darren Wilson thanks supporters in letterA letter written by Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson was released to KSDK-TV Monday night, after a grand jury did not indict him in the shooting death of Michael Brown. VPC
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Protesters tear down barricades in New YorkUSA TODAY reporter Alia Dastagir takes video on the ground in New York as protesters go quickly from chanting "Hands up, don't shoot" to tearing down barricades in response to the Michael Brown grand jury decision.
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Rumors of violence keep Ferguson residents on edgeTwo members of the New Black Panthers have been arrested on federal firearms charges ahead of a grand jury announcement in the Michael Brown shooting. Sources say the men had explosives, and were planning to use them to hurt police. VPC
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Gun sales surge ahead of Ferguson announcementThere is a surge of first-time gun owners in the St. Louis region. It is one more sign the entire area is getting ready for the grand jury announcement in the Michael Brown case. VPC
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Want to know more about Ferguson grand jury? Factors in its decisionEditorial writer George Hager breaks down the workings of the Ferguson grand jury including possible charges for officer Darren Wilson, the influence of the autopsies and a summary of the case being considered.
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Sharpton: Ferguson situation is 'very tense'Civil rights activist Al Sharpton says the situation in Ferguson is 'very tense,' as the community awaits word on whether a grand jury will indict a white police officer who shot and killed Michael Brown, a young, unarmed black man. (Nov. 19) AP
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Ferguson nervously awaits grand jury decisionA decision on whether Ferguson, Missouri Police Officer Darren Wilson, who is white, will be indicted for the Aug. 9 shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown, who is black, has the St. Louis suburb frozen in anxiety. (Nov. 18) AP
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Brown family attorney: Additional entry wound foundBenjamin Crump, one of the attorneys representing the family of Michael Brown, says that according to the pathologist, there was an additional bullet entry wound in Brown's chest. VPC
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Officials urge calm ahead of Ferguson decisionTop St. Louis city and county officials are urging residents to remain calm once a grand jury decision in the Michael Brown case is announced. (Nov. 12 AP
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Michael Brown's parents 'grateful' for international attentionSlain Ferguson teen Michael Brown's parents are in Geneva this week, testifying at the United Nations and saying that they are "praying for an indictment' from the grand jury. VPC
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Missouri governor: 'Violence will not be tolerated'Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon said he would activate the National Guard to respond to any unrest that erupts after the grand jury delivers its decision in the case of a white Ferguson, Mo., police officer who shot and killed an unarmed black teenager. VPC
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Parents of Michael Brown testify before UN committeeHuman rights experts from all over the world listened to the parents of Michael Brown Tuesday as they testified before a U.N. Committee Against Torture. VPC
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Rally shows support for police before Ferguson decisionSupporters of law enforcement marched in downtown St. Louis over the weekend to rally for peace before the upcoming Ferguson grand jury decision. VPC
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Michael Brown's new autopsy report out today | USA NOWThe St. Louis Post-Dispatch obtained St. Louis County Medical Examiner's report of Michael Brown's autopsy. Shannon Rae Green reports on the findings from an analysis done by experts working for the Post-Dispatch.
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Michael Brown's blood found on officer's gun, car doorA New York Times article offers insight into the testimony of Officer Darren Wilson, the man who shot and killed unarmed teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. VPC
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