Ferguson Reacts: Officer Who Shot Michael Brown Won't Face Charges
Amid calls for "peace, respect, and restraint" from Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, crowds clamored for justice in the streets of Ferguson on Monday night, with many demanding the indictment of the officer who shot and killed unarmed teen Michael Brown this summer.
The grand jury, made up of nine whites and three blacks, had decided not to indict Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson in the racially charged case, St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch said on Monday night.
"The law authorizes a law enforcement officer to use deadly force to defend themselves in certain situations," McCulloch said after detailing the work of the grand jury, which examined physical evidence and heard more than 70 hours of testimony from witnesses and experts.
Since the black 18-year-old was shot at least six times on Aug. 9, Ferguson has repeatedly erupted in heated protests that have pitted the local black community and their supporters against the mostly white police force.
The National Guard has returned to Ferguson after a four-day stint that began on Aug. 18 and was mostly limited to protecting local police. The crowd clashed openly with officers.
Brown's mother, Lesley McSpadden, could not hide her anguish—CNN reported that she was escorted away from the scene after the decision came down.
Mike Brown's mom in tears in #Ferguson crowd. pic.twitter.com/pi6fictPBf
— Koran Addo (@KoranAddo) November 25, 2014
In a livestream of protests in Ferguson, activists marched in the streets and chanted, "This is what democracy looks like," "No justice! No peace!" and the chant that became central to the earlier protests, "Hands up! Don't shoot!"
Protests drew hundreds of activists in cities across the country, including Chicago, Seattle, New York, Los Angeles, and Oakland, Calif. The grand jury's decision didn't surprise 41-year-old community organizer Yusef Shakur, who left Ferguson Monday after a week of working with protesters there.
"As a black man in America, that's the history," said Shakur in a phone call from Detroit.
"I have no faith in America when it comes to America policing itself in relationship to black me," Shakur said.