A US grand jury decision not to indict a white police officer for the fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson last August sparked angry riots across the St louis, Missouri suburb on Monday night with buildings and cars set ablaze.
Protests erupted as soon as prosecutor Bob McCulloch announced the grand jury’s conclusion that “no probable cause exists to file any charge against officer (Darren) Wilson”. In protests that raged through the night, at least 12 buildings were damaged and several cars were gutted.
The decision by the grand jury, comprising nine white and three black members, also triggered demonstrations in major cities across America, including Washington, New York, los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle, with protesters carrying signs reading: “Jail Killer Cop”, “Justice for Mike Brown” and “Black lives Matter”.
Anticipating the explosion of anger, President Barack Obama went on national television immediately after the jury pronouncement, appealing for calm and urging both protesters and police to show restraint.
“We are a nation built on the rule of law, so we need to accept that this decision was the grand jury’s to make,” Obama said. At the same time, he stressed: “We need to recognise that the situation in Ferguson speaks to broader challenges that we still face as a nation. The fact remains that in too many parts of this country a deep distrust exists between police and communities of colour.”
The victim’s family, too, released a statement, voicing its profound disappointment at the decision to let the police officer go scot free, but at the same time asking the public to “channel your frustration in ways that will make a positive change” and “fix the system that allowed this to happen”.
But on the streets of Ferguson, few seemed to pay heed to the appeals by Obama or the Brown family. A section of the protesters threw bottles at police and smashed the windscreens of vans, leading to firing of teargas shells. Several shops, including the convenience store owned by an Indian-American, were looted or burned.
Amid reports of firing in the air by rioters, the authorities diverted or cancelled about 10 St louis-bound flights. Police said rioters fired about 150 shots. More than 80 persons were arrested. “We have no loss of life, but I am disappointed the night turned out this way,” St louis Police Chief Jon Belmar said.
The predominantly black community of Ferguson, backed by civil rights activists, has for the past three and a half months been campaigning for the arraignment of police officer Wilson for first-degree murder – right from August 9 when 18-year-old Brown died at his hands in the wake of a roadside altercation that followed the black teenager’s shoplifting at the Indian-American convenience store.Brown had walked away with a box of cigars without paying and pushing aside the store owner.
On Monday, after the prosecutor’s announcement that Wilson will not be indicted, the St. louis authorities released more than 1,000 pages of the grand jury documents, including Wilson’s testimony. In his testimony, Wilson said that Brown had hit in the face during their confrontation, prompting him to draw the gun. Asked why he felt the need to pull his gun, Wilson told grand jurors he was concerned another punch to his face could “knock me out or worse”.
Although the St. louis authorities have decided not to indict Wilson, he is still the subject of a separate federal investigation. The Justice Department is probing possible civil rights violations that could result in federal charges. It also remains to be seen if Brown’s family chooses to file a wrongful-death lawsuit against Wilson.