Protesters smashed windows out of police cars and businesses, several of which were later set ablaze, and officers lobbed tear gas from inside armoured vehicles to disperse crowds Monday as violence overtook protests in Ferguson.
Some of the hundreds of people who gathered outside the Ferguson Police Department erupted in anger as St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch’s announced that Officer Darren Wilson, who is white, wouldn’t be indicted in the Aug. 9 shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was black and unarmed.
St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said in a press briefing just after 1:30 a.m. local time, “unfortunately this spun out of control.”
Belmar said about a dozen buildings were on fire and at least two police cars had been torched, adding that the damage was worse than on any night in August, when protests were a nightly occurrence.
“We were really hoping for peaceful protests, and I mean that,” Belmar said.
The police chief added that he was “heartbroken” for business owners who may not be able to rebuild, but said that on a positive note there were no reports of loss of life so far, despite reports of numerous gunshots.
At least 29 had been arrested, police said.
Protesters overran a barricade and taunted police. Some chanted “murderer” and others threw rocks and bottles. Gun shots rang out a several points during the night, though it was not immediately clear if anyone was hit or any arrests were made related to the gunfire.
The windows of a police car were smashed and protesters tried to topple it before it was set on fire, though some in the crowd tried to stop others from taking part in the violence. Officers responded by firing what authorities said was smoke and pepper spray into the crowd. St. Louis County Police later confirmed tear gas also was used.
A storage unit and a Little Caesar’s pizza shop were among buildings that burned.
When McCulloch read his statement, a crowd gathered around a car from which the news conference was broadcast on a stereo. Brown’s mother, Lesley McSpadden, sat atop the car. When the decision was announced, she burst into tears and began screaming before being whisked away by supporters.
A short time later, Brown’s family issued a statement asking people to keep their protests peaceful.
“Answering violence with violence is not the appropriate reaction,” the statement said.
The Federal Aviation Administration restricted the path of some flights into Lambert-St. Louis International Airport amid the unrest.
According to an advisory posted late Monday, planes were being rerouted out of an at least five-kilometre area near Ferguson. The reason cited was “to provide a safe environment for law enforcement activities.” An FAA spokesman didn’t immediately return a call from The Associated Press.
The airport posted on Twitter that only inbound planes, not departures, are affected, though it wasn’t clear how many. The facility remains open.
Rallies across the U.S.
Dozens of people in Oakland, California, protesting the Ferguson grand jury decision have gotten around police and are blocking traffic on a major highway in the Bay Area.
A crowd, consisting of students from Howard University and others, gather in front of the White House on Monday after the Ferguson grand jury decided not to indict police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown. (Jacquelyn Martin/The Associated Press)
Television images show people milling around cars, raising their hands in the air, and holding signs on Interstate 580. Officers in cars and on motorcycles are trying to corral the protesters, and others are standing in a line to keep more people from getting on the highway.
The demonstration in Oakland is just one of the rallies taking place in several U.S. cities after a grand jury decided not to indict a white police officer who killed a black 18-year-old in Ferguson, Missouri.
Officials in the majority of the cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Seattle, say the protests have been large and loud but mainly peaceful.
L.A. activists work with police to keep the peace
At Cleveland’s Public Square, at least a dozen protesters held signs Monday afternoon and chanted “Hands up, don’t shoot,” which has become a rallying cry since the Ferguson shooting. Their signs references police shootings that have shaken the community there, including Saturday’s fatal shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who had a fake gun at a Cleveland playground when officers confronted him.
Los Angeles Community activist Najee Ali said he met with police last week to discuss plans for a peaceful gathering in response to the Ferguson decision. The plans include having community members identify any “agitators” who may be inciting 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.”
But since violence erupted at the city’s rallies protesting the shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Florida, Ali said there was an effort to avoid repeat problems.
