Protests In Ferguson DwindleST. LOUIS (AP) — As demonstrations in California heated up overnight, the robust protests in Ferguson dwindled in size and severity as Thanksgiving approached, a change from the days immediately following the grand jury decision in the Michael Brown case. People have begun cleaning up the battered suburban community of Ferguson and seeking something closer to normal. Meanwhile, a group gathered in downtown St. Louis on Thursday morning for what the organizer called a pro-community car cruise. Organizer Paul Byrd said the cruise — which consisted of a few vehicles, mostly pickup trucks — was meant to be peaceful and to counteract the violence seen earlier this week in Ferguson after Officer Darren Wilson was not indicted in the fatal August shooting of 18-year-old Brown, who was black and unarmed. Byrd, a 45-year-old construction worker from Imperial, Missouri, declined to say whether he supported Wilson but noted, I totally support police officers. The cruise, which started near Busch Stadium, was escorted by a city police vehicle. No protesters showed up. There were no reports of major confrontations or damage to property in Ferguson overnight — where about a 100 people marched in a light snow — and St. Louis County police said there were only two arrests. Troops with rifles were posted at intersections and parking lots in an area where stores were looted and burned Monday into Tuesday. Since the grand jurys decision was announced, demonstrators have been active in other cities throughout the U.S. Most have been peaceful. But at least 130 demonstrators who refused to disperse during a Los Angeles protest were arrested Wednesday night, while 35 people were detained in Oakland following a march that deteriorated into unrest and vandalism, according to police officials. Ferguson business owners and residents on Wednesday covered up broken windows, cleared away debris and hoped the relative calm would last into the Thanksgiving holiday. The footage people see on the news is such a small bit of whats happening here, said Kari Hobbs, 28. Theres so much donation and charity going on with the businesses that have been affected and the people that have been affected. There were no seats inside Cathys Kitchen — a restaurant near the Ferguson Police Department that had windows smashed during the violence — and a line had formed at the back of the building. Jerome Jenkins, who runs the restaurant with his wife, Cathy, said he never considered closing his doors. It really wasnt about wondering if the building would get torched or not, Jenkins said. Me and my wife, we expected it to get damaged ... we decided to go home, and we would live with whatever fate would give us. ___ Link to grand jury documents: ift.tt/1phC9LP. ___ Associated Press writers Andale Gross, Tom Foreman Jr., Jim Salter, Alex Sanz and Alan Scher Zagier also contributed to this report.More On Ferguson From HuffPost: Photographic Evidence Revealed | First Year Law Student Could Have Done Better Job | Ferguson Smolders After Night Of Fires | Protest Locations | Americans Deeply Divided | What You Can Do | Darren Wilson Interview | Darren Wilson Could Still Face Consequences | Timeline | Students Protest | Shooting Witness Admitted Racism In Journal | Peaceful Responses Show The U.S. At Its Best | Reactions To Ferguson Decision | Prosecutor Gives Bizarre Press Conference | Jury Witness: By The Time I Saw His Hands In The Air, He Got Shot | Thousands Protest Nationwide | Ferguson Unrest Takes Over Newspaper Front Pages Across The Country | Grand Jury ‘Should Be Indicted, Brown Lawyer Says | Grand Jury Documents Reveal Mistakes, Questionable Testimony | Parents Bring Young Kids To Bear Witness To Ferguson Protests | 12 Sobering Numbers That Define The Fight To Get Justice For Michael Brown | Saints Players Moving Reflection On Ferguson Goes Viral | Amid Ferguson Cleanup, Locals Look For Their Community To Rise Above The Damage | Theyre Murdering Our Kids And Getting Away With It | By Mollie Reilly ST. LOUIS (AP) — As demonstrations in California heated up overnight, the robust protests in Ferguson dwindled in size and severity as Thanksgiving approached, a change from the days immediately following the grand jury decision in the Michael Brown case. People have begun cleaning up the battered suburban community of Ferguson and seeking something closer to normal. Meanwhile, a group gathered in downtown St. Louis on Thursday morning for what the organizer called a pro-community car cruise. Organizer Paul Byrd said the cruise — which consisted of a few vehicles, mostly pickup trucks — was meant to be peaceful and to counteract the violence seen earlier this week in Ferguson after Officer Darren Wilson was not indicted in the fatal August shooting of 18-year-old Brown, who was black and unarmed. Byrd, a 45-year-old construction worker from Imperial, Missouri, declined to say whether he supported Wilson but noted, I totally support police officers. The cruise, which started near Busch Stadium, was escorted by a city police vehicle. No protesters showed up. There were no reports of major confrontations or damage to property in Ferguson overnight — where about a 100 people marched in a light snow — and St. Louis County police said there were only two arrests. Troops with rifles were posted at intersections and parking lots in an area where stores were looted and burned Monday into Tuesday. Since the grand jurys decision was announced, demonstrators have been active in other cities throughout the U.S. Most have been peaceful. But at least 130 demonstrators who refused to disperse during a Los Angeles protest were arrested Wednesday night, while 35 people were detained in Oakland following a march that deteriorated into unrest and vandalism, according to police officials. Ferguson business owners and residents on Wednesday covered up broken windows, cleared away debris and hoped the relative calm would last into the Thanksgiving holiday. The footage people see on the news is such a small bit of whats happening here, said Kari Hobbs, 28. Theres so much donation and charity going on with the businesses that have been affected and the people that have been affected. There were no seats inside Cathys Kitchen — a restaurant near the Ferguson Police Department that had windows smashed during the violence — and a line had formed at the back of the building. Jerome Jenkins, who runs the restaurant with his wife, Cathy, said he never considered closing his doors. It really wasnt about wondering if the building would get torched or not, Jenkins said. Me and my wife, we expected it to get damaged ... we decided to go home, and we would live with whatever fate would give us. ___ Link to grand jury documents: ift.tt/1phC9LP. ___ Associated Press writers Andale Gross, Tom Foreman Jr., Jim Salter, Alex Sanz and Alan Scher Zagier also contributed to this report.More On Ferguson From HuffPost: Photographic Evidence Revealed | First Year Law Student Could Have Done Better Job | Ferguson Smolders After Night Of Fires | Protest Locations | Americans Deeply Divided | What You Can Do | Darren Wilson Interview | Darren Wilson Could Still Face Consequences | Timeline | Students Protest | Shooting Witness Admitted Racism In Journal | Peaceful Responses Show The U.S. At Its Best | Reactions To Ferguson Decision | Prosecutor Gives Bizarre Press Conference | Jury Witness: By The Time I Saw His Hands In The Air, He Got Shot | Thousands Protest Nationwide | Ferguson Unrest Takes Over Newspaper Front Pages Across The Country | Grand Jury ‘Should Be Indicted, Brown Lawyer Says | Grand Jury Documents Reveal Mistakes, Questionable Testimony | Parents Bring Young Kids To Bear Witness To Ferguson Protests | 12 Sobering Numbers That Define The Fight To Get Justice For Michael Brown | Saints Players Moving Reflection On Ferguson Goes Viral | Amid Ferguson Cleanup, Locals Look For Their Community To Rise Above The Damage | Theyre Murdering Our Kids And Getting Away With It | ift.tt/1gB4pon
Posted on: Thu, 27 Nov 2014 16:25:34 +0000
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