From New York to Los Angeles and dozens of cities in between,
protesters flooded the streets to denounce a Missouri grand jury's decision not
to indict Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson.
A day
after the country learned that Wilson wouldn't face criminal charges for
killing unarmed teenager Michael Brown, at least 130 protests sprouted up
across the U.S.
Some
demonstrations blocked bridges, tunnels and major highways. But unlike the
violence that erupted in Ferguson on Monday night, the Tuesday night protests were
largely peaceful. Continue..
The Public Enemy anthem pumping
from mounted speakers at a protest in downtown Atlanta captured the mood of the
crowd Tuesday night.
"Fight
the power," Chuck D and Flavor Flav shouted over the speaker. "Fight
the powers that be. ..."
About 300
people tried to follow the duo's advice. As helicopters circled above, black
college students, white urban hipsters in skinny jeans, middle-aged socialists
and black militants in berets gathered for a raucous rally to vent their anger.
"They
have given us no justice! We will give them no peace," the demonstrators
chanted at they amassed in front of the Underground Atlanta shopping district.
Protesters also gathered outside
CNN Center. Some held signs that read "Enough" and "We are all
one bullet away from being a hashtag."
One
demonstrator wore a T-shirt that read, "Racism isn't over but I'm over
racism."
"It's
a travesty; it's just not right," ShaCzar Brown said, holding up a sign
that said, "Stop killer cops."
Atlanta,
birthplace of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., also saw emotional reaction
Monday night when about 200 students gathered at Morehouse College to hear the grand
jury's decision. A collective gasp rippled through the crowd when it came.
Read what Darren Wilson told
the grand jury
Some of
the students at the historically black men's school looked at one another in
disbelief, others started to tear up and a few stared ahead as their jaws
dropped.
Police
sirens wailed in the distance as the students chanted: "Ferguson's hell is
America's hell."
Protests
have been organized in more than 30 states, the District of Columbia and at
least three other countries, according to information compiled by CNN and a site set up to help organize protest efforts.
Oakland,
California
Perhaps
the greatest concentration of turmoil Tuesday night was in Oakland, where
vandals smashed the windows of a car dealership and looted several businesses,
including a T-Mobile cell phone store.
Some also
set several bonfires in the city. One row of bonfires stretched across a road,
blocking off access, footage from CNN affiliate KPIX showed.
Some
people were seen adding more items to the fires.
A massive protest wound its way
from Union Square to FDR Drive and to the United Nations, Times Square and
Harlem.
"Now
it's not clear where we're going," said CNN's Miguel Marquez, who was
interviewing protesters as they continued marching after midnight.
One
demonstrator said he didn't even know about the protest until he saw it pass by
his workplace on Times Square. He decided to join in.
"I
just want to help bring about change. ... Sometimes I am profiled based on my
race," said the protester, who is black. "I think this is progress.
... Now we're going to make sure things are going to change."
'A thousand Fergusons across
America'
As they
marched, some protesters chanted, "Mike Brown! Mike Brown!"
Police,
who were nearby in large numbers, stayed back and let the marchers go.
Protesters
also briefly blocked one of the entrances to the Lincoln Tunnel on Tuesday
evening, but then headed off to the city's West Side.
Los
Angeles
A stretch
of the 101 Freeway in Los Angeles was shut down in both directions after
protesters took roadblocks from the streets, along with debris, and placed them
on the freeway, police said.
And
demonstrators gathered outside the Los Angeles Police Department headquarters,
Officer Sara Faden said. She said the protesters demonstrated peacefully.
An LAPD
spokesman said officers are allowing people to vent.
"We
have detained people. We don't have any property damage to speak of,"
Officer Jack Richter said. "We are letting (the people) exercise their
constitutional rights."
Boston
Mayor
Marty Walsh estimated about 1,000 protesters took to the streets Tuesday night.
The
gathering was largely peaceful.
"It's
a beautiful thing to see," demonstrator Daniel Jose Older said.
Complete coverage of what's happening in Ferguson
Denver
Several
hundred people took to the streets of Denver on Tuesday night, police said.
Officers
tried to prevent demonstrators from marching onto Interstate 25. Most
protesters dispersed peacefully, but a "small group" refused and grabbed
officers.
Officers
used pepper spray, and three people were arrested, police said.
Dallas
About
five protesters were arrested after marching on Interstate 35, CNN affiliate
WFAA said.
About 200
demonstrators gathered at Dallas police headquarters before marching onto the
interstate, the affiliate said.
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