Ferguson activists press ahead, undeterred by latest shooting

FERGUSON, Mo. - As the hunt for suspects in the shooting of two police officers in Ferguson, Missouri, extended into a third day, activists took the first steps on Saturday to force the mayor out of office while residents awaited signs of progress in the investigation.

A group called Organization for Black Struggle (OBS) said it is starting a petition to recall Mayor James Knowles. He is one of the few senior city officials still on the job after the police chief, a municipal judge and others resigned following a U.S. Department of Justice report March 4 depicting a Ferguson police force mired in racial bias.

An uneasy quiet prevailed in the St. Louis suburb, in contrast with the mayhem that erupted near midnight on Thursday when gunshot rang out during a protest rally, wounding a pair of officers.

The shooting sent a fresh jolt of tension through a city that has become a symbol of racial conflict since a black teenager was killed by a white police officer last August and a grand jury returned no criminal charges.

"There has been a lot of outrage here over the past seven months," Montague Simmons, executive director of OBS, explaining why activists were determined to press ahead with their demands. "We feel this could be a moment of transformation where people go from being outraged to being involved."

Antonio French, an alderman in nearby St. Louis, said the investigation would not distract from the issues exposed by the Department of Justice.

"Folks that were responsible for the culture that was described in the DoJ report, that allowed that culture to fester, they need to go," French told CNN.

Knowles, a Republican who was 31 when he was first elected in 2011 in a non-partisan election, said on Friday that it would be up to voters to remove him from the part-time job.

Residents will have 60 days to gather signatures from 15 percent of registered voters in the last mayoral election to prompt a special election, OBS said in the statement.

Steve Moore, owner of the Celebrity Soul Food Restaurant, said that when he moved to his current location, Knowles was one of his first customers, asking if there was anything the city could do to help.

"He's continuing to make changes and if people get behind him and hold him accountable he's a good leader for the city," said Moore. He added that he had lost about 80 percent of his business since the unrest began in August.

Some Ferguson residents said they were growing weary, especially after the latest spasm of violence, despite sympathy for protesters who have been out in force since the killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown.

"It's been emotional here. We all want justice for Mike Brown, but we also have to heal," said Jerome Parker, 26, who lives in the area and works in a store. "I support the protests, but I need to make a living."

Parker also worries about the impact the shooting of the officers will have on the push for reforms in Ferguson.

Authorities had nothing new to add to the scant information disclosed about the manhunt for suspects in the police shootings.

A day earlier, St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said investigators had dozens of leads and authorities had "a pretty good idea" where the gunshots had originated, but said no arrests were imminent. He had nothing to say about the kind of gun used, the shooter's motivation and any connection to the protesters.

In Thursday's shooting, a 41-year-old county police officer suffered a shoulder wound and a 32-year-old colleague from a nearby police department sustained a facial wound that left a bullet lodged near his ear. Both were treated and released from hospital.

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Policeman who shot dead Ferguson teenager resigns

FERGUSON - The white policeman who shot dead an unarmed black teenager in the St Louis suburb of Ferguson has resigned, but it failed to deter angry protesters demanding justice and reform.

Darren Wilson left the force citing fears for the safety of local residents and fellow police officers, according to a letter published by local media Saturday. Wilson wrote in his letter that "it is my hope that my resignation will allow the community to heal."

A grand jury decision on Monday not to charge Wilson in connection with the August 9 shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown touched off days of sporadic violence in Ferguson as well as demonstrations in several major cities across the United States.

The decision revived long-standing questions about how police, especially white officers, interact with African Americans -- questions raised again after last week's shooting in Cleveland of 12-year-old Tamir Rice.

"It was my hope to continue in police work, but the safety of other police officers and the community are of paramount importance to me," the letter from the 28-year-old Wilson said.

Dozens of demonstrators again gathered outside Ferguson police station despite his decision to quit, with protesters setting fire to a US flag and jeering at police officers.

One man, who gave his name as "Kenny," said: "I'm mad as hell. Every night we're going to be here."

There was also a brief standoff outside a bar between demonstrators and riot police before organizers moved protesters along.



- Justice march -

Earlier Saturday, a core group of about 100 marchers, many from other US states, set out on a 120-mile (192-kilometer) "Journey for Justice," heading from Ferguson -- a mainly black suburb -- to the Missouri state capital Jefferson City.

The marchers, organized by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), are demanding the sacking of the Ferguson police chief, nationwide police reforms and an end to racial profiling.

"We will fight until hell freezes over, and then we will fight on the ice," NAACP president Cornell William Brooks told supporters at Washington Metropolitan A.M.E. Zion Church before setting out.

"What we're endeavoring to do here is seek justice for a grieving family as well as systemic, fundamental reform in terms of policing for an outraged community.

"When you have a 12-year-old child who is killed with a toy gun in his hand, there is something fundamentally wrong."

Eugene Gillis, a trumpeter who plays at the nightly protests, said young protesters feel alienated and reject the older generation of activists molded by slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Most of these young people say these people are out here for photo ops and that's what aggravates the issue," Gillis told AFP.

Brooks, dressed in neat jeans and a sweater, prayed and fell to his knees in reflection at Brown's memorial while surrounded by a media scrum.

Mobbed by TV cameras, he then led the march in one direction before turning around and heading back the opposite way, marching into West Florissant Avenue, where some of the worst looting and arson took place after Monday's announcement that Wilson will not be charged.



- Washington 'die-in' -

Outside Ferguson, others rallied in Brown's memory and called for change.

Hundreds of people demonstrated in and around the US capital Washington, including some who laid on the ground for several minutes in a "die-in" at a shopping mall near the Pentagon.

The NAACP wants police to use body cameras, changes to the system of equipping police with military hardware, a promotion of diversity on the force and an end to the use of major force in cases involving minor offenses.

Adrian West, a technology trainer, waited nearly two hours for the marchers to show up late, potentially missing a memorial service for a friend killed in a fight.

But he still expressed support, hopeful that nationwide protests would yet bring change.

"I think this is enough to get the federal government's attention, strong enough to make them listen, and it's quite possible Darren Wilson could end up getting indicted by the federal government."

A federal probe into whether Wilson violated Brown's civil rights is ongoing.

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US protesters force closure of mall near Ferguson

US protesters forced a crowded St Louis mall to close for around two hours on Friday, demanding a boycott to post-Thanksgiving shopping and justice for an unarmed black teenager killed by police.

Scores of demonstrators, including young children, shouted "No justice, no peace," and "Stop shopping and join the movement" at the St Louis Galleria Mall.

Around 100 people lay on the floor for four and a half minutes to symbolize the more than four hours that 18-year-old Michael Brown lay in the road after being shot dead by a white police officer in the St Louis suburb of Ferguson.

In New York, police made "several" arrests at a protest in front of Macy's flagship store in Herald Square, a spokesman said, without explaining why the demonstrators had been detained.

About 200 people gathered in support of the boycott of "Black Friday", which comes the day after America's Thanksgiving holiday and sees stores offering steep discounts, leading to often-frenzied consumer spending.

In the San Francisco Bay area, protestors severely disrupted the BART mass transit system for more than two hours by blocking off a train station in Oakland, officials said.

The protestors chained themselves together at the West Oakland station, forcing trains to be stopped into and out of San Francisco, briefly stranding crowds including many heading to malls seeking Black Friday bargains.

The protests came four days after a Missouri grand jury decided not to indict the officer who killed Brown, sparking arson and looting in Ferguson.

At the St Louis mall, shoppers and store staff looked bemused, while others filmed or photographed the protest, or else clapped and shouted their support.

When police officers told AFP they were clearing the building, the protesters had already left.

The management office confirmed that the shopping center reopened at 3:15 pm, around two hours after stores were told police were closing the building.

Although most shops reopened, others kept their doors locked and shutters down even after the mall was back in business.

It was not immediately clear how much business had been lost.

Shop staff said police had ordered the closure for public safety.

"It ain't my decision," said Luke, a shoe store manager who didn't want to give his last name.

"The police thought it was in the best interest of our customers and our product to close down," he added.

Protesters claimed success.

"It is now a movement and it is spreading across the country and around the world. Black Friday is the next step," said journalist and activist Kymone Freeman from Washington.

"Hopefully we'll see more of this. I think Black Friday protests will continue throughout the Christmas season," he added.

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Ferguson cleans up, but passions still inflamed

Protesters tried to storm St Louis city hall on Wednesday after two days of nationwide protests against the decision not to prosecute a white policeman who shot an unarmed black teenager.

Extra police and a National Guard Humvee were drafted to protect the building, as events in Ferguson, Missouri inspired coast-to-coast anger in America and even a rally across the Atlantic in London.

But, despite simmering fury over Officer Darren Wilson's August killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown, there were signs that as night -- and a light snow -- fell on Ferguson the situation was stabilizing.

Volunteer clean-up crews, including children and families, were sweeping the streets of the St Louis suburb where on Monday and Tuesday angry crowds torched businesses and looted stores.

Heavy security -- police, state troopers and National Guard troops -- was still visible in the streets, but even Tuesday night had not seen the scale of destruction that followed Monday's decision.

"I think generally it was a much better night," St Louis County police chief Jon Belmar told reporters, despite a police car having been set on fire and more businesses having been attacked.

Beyond Ferguson, authorities were on the watch for more of the protest marches that sprang up across the country on Tuesday.

Many thousands of people joined demonstrations in dozens of cities -- a relatively rare occurrence in America, and evidence that the case has struck a raw nerve in race relations.

On Wednesday, the movement jumped the Atlantic to Britain, where thousands of sympathizers angered by Brown's treatment marched in London chanting the same slogan: "Hands up, don't shoot."

"We need to send a message to Mike Brown's family," said Carol Duggan, the aunt of Mark Duggan, a 29-year-old black man whose shooting by British police in 2011 sparked riots in London.

US civil rights leaders have called for more protests on Saturday.

Similar rallies were held last year after the acquittal on murder charges of neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, who shot dead another unarmed black teen, Trayvon Martin, in Florida.

Moving on

In Ferguson, where the National Guard presence was tripled to 2,200 on Tuesday in a bid to quell violence, residents said on the eve of Thanksgiving that they hoped looting and arson would stop.

"I agree you can have your right to say what you feel like saying but when you go beyond that, I do not agree with that at all," said John Adams, who works at a car care center that was damaged.

"We're kind of out of a job right now until this is done," he said.

"I think if you're going to destroy stuff, destroy something of your own."

Karen Gold, who owns a shop selling repurposed furniture and handmade items from local artists near the Ferguson city hall, painted festive scenes on her boarded-up shop front Wednesday.

"Thanksgiving is tomorrow and I hope we can pull together as a community," Gold, who is white, told AFP.

"I want to move on from this."

Brown's mother, Lesley McSpadden, told CBS News that they hoped protests would remain peaceful.

"We continue to ask for calm," McSpadden said.

'Crazy'

Brown's parents however had harsher words for Darren Wilson, the officer who shot their son and said Tuesday he had a "clean conscience" about the August 9 incident.

The grand jury found that Wilson had shot Brown in self-defense after an altercation. A total of 12 shots were fired.

In his first televised comments since the incident, Wilson told ABC News he had feared for his life during the confrontation, believing Brown was attempting to wrestle his gun away from him.

The officer said he was comfortable that he had acted correctly.

"I don't think it's haunting. It's always going to be something that happened," he said, adding that his conscience was clear because "I know I did my job right."

A visibly emotional McSpadden said on NBC's "Today" show that Wilson's remarks added "insult after injury" and were "so disrespectful."

His father, Michael Brown Sr., said on NBC he felt the officer's version of events was "crazy."

"For one, my son, he respected law enforcement," Brown said. "Two, who in their right mind would rush or charge at a police officer that has his gun drawn? It sounds crazy."

The August shooting of Brown sparked weeks of protest and a debate about race relations and military-style police tactics.

The town's community of 21,000 -- which is majority black -- has been on edge since the shooting, and residents complain of racism and heavy-handed tactics by the predominantly white police.

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Chaos in Ferguson after no indictment charges

REDWOOD CITY, California - Buildings looted, set ablaze. Gunshots fired. A police car surrounded, vandalized. Media crews hit with smoke bombs as police and protesters faced-off in the streets in Ferguson, Missouri.

Authorities say the protest was the worst they have seen since the August shooting death of unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown.

Just hours before the chaos, a St. Louis grand jury declined to indict police officer Darren Wilson.

In August, Wilson reportedly shot and killed Brown during a confrontation.

Officer Wilson could still face a justice department investigation for possibly violating Brown’s civil rights and he faces an internal investigation by the Ferguson police.

Brown’s family reportedly plans to file a wrongful death lawsuit against Wilson.

Lawyers for the family spoke about strenuously objecting to the prosecutor and the grand jury process.

“We went through as much of it as we could, and saw how completely unfair this process was,” said Benjamin Crump, Brown’s family attorney. “We object publicly and loudly as we can on behalf of Michael Brown Jr.’s family, that this process is broken.”

Meantime, the mayor of St. Louis said the chaos and violence in Ferguson do not represent the people of the community.

"I want to first and foremost condemn the terrible violence that occurred in Ferguson,” said Mayor Francis Slay. “It’s unacceptable. It’s wrong. The vast majority of people living in our region condemn it as well.”

President Barack Obama said there is a need to recognize the chaos there as not just an issue for Ferguson but an issue for America.

“We need to recognize that the situation in Ferguson speaks to broader challenges that we still face as a nation,” said Obama. “The fact is in too many parts of this country a deep distrust exists between law enforcement and communities of color.”

According to the Pew Research Institute, there are more than 4,000 Filipinos in the county of St. Louis, which Ferguson is part of.

But specifically in the city of Ferguson, where the violence has taken place, the US Census of 2010 cites that there are only 14 Filipinos there.






The Philippine consulate of Chicago has jurisdiction over Missouri.

"Wala naman akong nabalitaang untoward na pangyayari. They are all safe and we are certain they know where to go. As of this moment, we haven't had any report of any injuries or untoward incidents (involving Filipinos)," Consul General Generoso Calonge told Balitang America via Skype from Chicago.

Calonge said they likewise have no information yet of Filipinos who have joined the protests.

"Wala kaming kilalang kasama sa protesta. Ang naririnig lang namin ay nasa mga lugar na safe lang sila. We are not in touch with anybody who has joined the protest," he said.








Meanwhile, a Filipino-American who is part of Amnesty International USA was gassed twice in the middle of the protests.

Kalayaan Mendoza recounted hearing cries which he described as if "people had lost someone" when decision was announced.

"From there, the grief spread," he said.

Mendoza also recalled being gassed twice.

"We were inside a cafe with several dozen other protesters and community members, people having tea just taking a moment to rest. All of a sudden someone said everyone get inside, and I felt fumes of smoke outside the cafe and the cafe suddenly started filling up with teargas," he said.

The scenario was "frightening" he said.

"No one should ever have to deal with it especially in this country," he said.

He believes that it was the police who incited the violence.

"No one was doing anything to provoke the police and all of a sudden they started shooting tear gas canister at the building and towards the people," he said.

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