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Ferguson shooting: Protests spread across US | Ferguson shooting: Protests spread across US |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Crowds have rallied across the US to protest against Monday's decision not to charge a policeman over the killing of black teen Michael Brown. | |
Demonstrations from New York to Seattle were mostly peaceful but rioting broke out in Oakland, California. | |
In and around the St Louis suburb of Ferguson, scene of major riots on Monday, 2,200 National Guard troops were deployed to stop further unrest. | In and around the St Louis suburb of Ferguson, scene of major riots on Monday, 2,200 National Guard troops were deployed to stop further unrest. |
The white officer who killed Mr Brown there says he has a "clean conscience". | The white officer who killed Mr Brown there says he has a "clean conscience". |
Darren Wilson shot the 18-year-old on 9 August, sparking weeks of unrest in the Missouri town. | Darren Wilson shot the 18-year-old on 9 August, sparking weeks of unrest in the Missouri town. |
Many in Ferguson's predominantly African-American community had called for the officer to be charged with murder, but the grand jury's decision means the police officer will not face state criminal charges over the shooting. | Many in Ferguson's predominantly African-American community had called for the officer to be charged with murder, but the grand jury's decision means the police officer will not face state criminal charges over the shooting. |
Lawyers for Mr Brown's family denounced the grand jury's decision as "unfair" while condemning the violence that followed the decision. | |
'Black lives matter' | 'Black lives matter' |
With the number of troops more than trebled, the situation in Ferguson was calm for most of Tuesday, though demonstrators briefly closed a major road in central St Louis and rallies were staged outside the federal court house. | With the number of troops more than trebled, the situation in Ferguson was calm for most of Tuesday, though demonstrators briefly closed a major road in central St Louis and rallies were staged outside the federal court house. |
Late in the evening, however, tension began to rise. Protesters set a police vehicle alight after failing to overturn it, and police began to clear streets, firing smoke bombs and tear gas, making a number of arrests. | |
Protesters carried signs saying "Black lives matter". They chanted "Hands up, don't shoot," a reference to claims by some witnesses that Mr Brown had his hands raised when he was shot. | |
In Oakland, in the San Francisco Bay area, rioters vandalised police cars and businesses in the centre during a second night of unrest in the port city of 406,000 people. | |
Looting was reported in several locations, including a classic car dealership and a mobile phone store, while a main road was briefly blocked, the US broadcaster CBS reports. | |
On Monday night, 43 arrests were made in Oakland as police struggled to control a crowd of some 2,000 people. | |
Protesters also briefly stopped traffic in central Los Angeles before police moved in to clear them off. | |
At the scene: Joanna Jolly, BBC News, Ferguson | At the scene: Joanna Jolly, BBC News, Ferguson |
There's been confrontation outside Ferguson City Hall where a police vehicle was burnt earlier and tear gas still hangs in the air. There's a heavy police presence with several armoured cars and vehicles. | There's been confrontation outside Ferguson City Hall where a police vehicle was burnt earlier and tear gas still hangs in the air. There's a heavy police presence with several armoured cars and vehicles. |
There is tension as police try to move people from the area - officers are saying anyone standing in the street will be subject to arrest. Some are giving chase to people in the surrounding streets and tonight they have dogs with them. A police helicopter is hovering overhead with a spotlight. | There is tension as police try to move people from the area - officers are saying anyone standing in the street will be subject to arrest. Some are giving chase to people in the surrounding streets and tonight they have dogs with them. A police helicopter is hovering overhead with a spotlight. |
Further along, police and the National Guard face off with an angry crowd in front of the Police Department. There are fewer protesters, but a larger media presence. The crowd is jittery and there is a sense there could be further clashes. | Further along, police and the National Guard face off with an angry crowd in front of the Police Department. There are fewer protesters, but a larger media presence. The crowd is jittery and there is a sense there could be further clashes. |
Elsewhere in the US | |
Speaking from Chicago on Tuesday, President Barack Obama said there was "no excuse" for destructive behaviour and criminal acts of rioting, adding that those responsible should be prosecuted. | Speaking from Chicago on Tuesday, President Barack Obama said there was "no excuse" for destructive behaviour and criminal acts of rioting, adding that those responsible should be prosecuted. |
The frustration seen by the grand jury's decision, he said, had "deep roots in many communities of colour who have a sense that our laws are not being enforced uniformly or fairly". | The frustration seen by the grand jury's decision, he said, had "deep roots in many communities of colour who have a sense that our laws are not being enforced uniformly or fairly". |
He said he had ordered Attorney General Eric Holder to look at what steps could be taken to build trust in communities and make sure that "law enforcement is fair". | He said he had ordered Attorney General Eric Holder to look at what steps could be taken to build trust in communities and make sure that "law enforcement is fair". |
Much of the debate since August has centred on whether Michael Brown was attempting to surrender to Darren Wilson when he was shot. | Much of the debate since August has centred on whether Michael Brown was attempting to surrender to Darren Wilson when he was shot. |
Speaking to ABC News in his first public comments, Mr Wilson said there was nothing he could have done differently. | Speaking to ABC News in his first public comments, Mr Wilson said there was nothing he could have done differently. |
"The reason I have a clean conscience is because I know I did my job right," he said. | "The reason I have a clean conscience is because I know I did my job right," he said. |
He described Mr Brown as a "powerful man," saying he had felt "like a five-year-old holding on to [US wrestler] Hulk Hogan". | |
He denied witness statements that Mr Brown had put his hands up, insisting race had played no part in the confrontation. | |