A conflict that has lasted over three months came to head yesterday when a grand jury declined to indict Darren Wilson, the officer who fatally shot unarmed teen Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO.
Following yesterday’s decision, the streets of Ferguson once again became a war zone between protesters and the police. While the majority of protesters dispersed, some did not. Vandalism and looting began quickly and more than two dozen buildings were set on fire or burned completely to the ground. Within hours of the decision, police were employing tear gas, smoke canisters and non-lethal shotgun rounds in an effort to break up crowds as protesters flipped police cars and smashed the windows of local businesses.
More protests broke out in cities across the nation after the decision, going so far as to reportedly shut down parts of traffic in cities like Chicago. Protesters are heralding this decision as a supreme act of racial injustice in an epidemic of violence against young black men, while those who support the decision cite an astounding lack of evidence that any law was broken -- many initial witness testimonies were recanted as other witnesses testified and forensic evidence came to light.
Many Louisville citizens are now on social media, sharing their opinions and anger at the decision, while sharing a poster that calls for a protest today, November 25, at LMPD headquarters (7th and Jefferson). The protest is planned for 5 p.m.
Other protests and responses happening across the nation are now being collected by the Ferguson National Response Network.
Photo: Rena Schild/Shutterstock.com, fergusonresponse.tumblr.com
