Protesters march with an inverted American flag during a protest on October 10, 2014. (Associated Press)
Ferguson:
Hundreds of demonstrators stood within touching distance from officers in riot gear late on Friday at the start of what was expected to be a weekend of protests over the 2-month-old death of Michael Brown and other fatal police shootings that activists say are racially motivated.
Organizers of the four-day Ferguson October events expected 6,000 participants. The initial protest Friday outside a St. Louis County prosecutor's office didn't draw nearly that amount. Later, tensions increased, with protesters outside the Ferguson Police Department chanting anti-police remarks such as, "How many kids did you kill today?"
A wall of 50 officers in riot gear stood near them. The St. Louis County Police Department announced that it would arrest anyone who touched an officer.
Protesters renewed their call for prosecutor Bob McCulloch to charge Darren Wilson, a white Ferguson officer, in the August 9 death of 18-year-old Brown, who was black and unarmed. A grand jury is reviewing the case, and the U.S. Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation into Brown's death and a broader inquiry into the Ferguson police force.
"We are here to demand the justice that our people have died for," chanted protest organizer Montague Simmons of the local group Organization for Black Struggle. "We are here to bring peace, to bring restoration, to lift our banners in the name of those who've been sacrificed."
Police in Clayton reported no arrests, and officers escorted the several hundred demonstrators as they marched. Meanwhile, the St. Louis Police Department said it had encrypted its radio communications system because tactical information relayed to officers had been compromised during recent situations, putting officers and the public at risk.
Tensions remain high after another black 18-year-old's shooting death by a white police officer on Wednesday night in St. Louis. Police say Vonderrit D. Myers shot at the officer, who was in uniform but working off-duty for a private neighborhood security patrol. Myers' parents say he was unarmed.
The officer's name hasn't been released.
"It's important for this country to stand with this community," said protester Ellen Davidson of New York City, who was making her second trip to the St. Louis area since Brown's death. "This community is under siege. The eyes of the world are watching."
On Saturday, the protests shift to downtown St. Louis. And on Monday, a series of planned acts of civil disobedience are to take place throughout the region.
Brown's parents have called for peaceful protests.
Black leaders in St. Louis want the Justice Department to investigate Myers' shooting as well. Police said the officer fired 17 rounds after Myers shot at him. Preliminary autopsy results show a shot to the head killed Myers. The officer wasn't injured.
Online court documents show Myers was free on bond when he was killed. He had been charged with the unlawful use of a weapon and resisting arrest in June.
Organizers of the four-day Ferguson October events expected 6,000 participants. The initial protest Friday outside a St. Louis County prosecutor's office didn't draw nearly that amount. Later, tensions increased, with protesters outside the Ferguson Police Department chanting anti-police remarks such as, "How many kids did you kill today?"
A wall of 50 officers in riot gear stood near them. The St. Louis County Police Department announced that it would arrest anyone who touched an officer.
Protesters renewed their call for prosecutor Bob McCulloch to charge Darren Wilson, a white Ferguson officer, in the August 9 death of 18-year-old Brown, who was black and unarmed. A grand jury is reviewing the case, and the U.S. Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation into Brown's death and a broader inquiry into the Ferguson police force.
"We are here to demand the justice that our people have died for," chanted protest organizer Montague Simmons of the local group Organization for Black Struggle. "We are here to bring peace, to bring restoration, to lift our banners in the name of those who've been sacrificed."
Police in Clayton reported no arrests, and officers escorted the several hundred demonstrators as they marched. Meanwhile, the St. Louis Police Department said it had encrypted its radio communications system because tactical information relayed to officers had been compromised during recent situations, putting officers and the public at risk.
Tensions remain high after another black 18-year-old's shooting death by a white police officer on Wednesday night in St. Louis. Police say Vonderrit D. Myers shot at the officer, who was in uniform but working off-duty for a private neighborhood security patrol. Myers' parents say he was unarmed.
The officer's name hasn't been released.
"It's important for this country to stand with this community," said protester Ellen Davidson of New York City, who was making her second trip to the St. Louis area since Brown's death. "This community is under siege. The eyes of the world are watching."
On Saturday, the protests shift to downtown St. Louis. And on Monday, a series of planned acts of civil disobedience are to take place throughout the region.
Brown's parents have called for peaceful protests.
Black leaders in St. Louis want the Justice Department to investigate Myers' shooting as well. Police said the officer fired 17 rounds after Myers shot at him. Preliminary autopsy results show a shot to the head killed Myers. The officer wasn't injured.
Online court documents show Myers was free on bond when he was killed. He had been charged with the unlawful use of a weapon and resisting arrest in June.
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