National
Amid Weekend of Protests, ‘World is Watching’ Ferguson
Yamiche Alcindor, USA TODAY
FERGUSON, Mo. (USA Today) — Hundreds of demonstrators peacefully kicked off a holiday weekend of protests dubbed “Ferguson October.”
Late Friday, people marched outside the office of St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch, confronted officers at the Ferguson police station and gathered nearby the scenes where two 18-year-olds, Michael Brown and Vonderrit Myers Jr., were fatally shot by police nearly two months apart.
Protesters from all over the country joined locals in what they said was an effort to show the national impact of both teens’ deaths. Throughout the day, emotions ran high but violence, rioting and looting were avoided.
“This is the turning point,” said Keith Jackson, 50, of Ferguson. “Day after day, there is a police shooting. It’s like the new lynching.”
Protesters organized four days of activities in Ferguson and surrounding areas over the Columbus Day weekend. Starting Friday, they expected as many as 6,000 people to take part in marches, rallies and a yet-to-be-detailed act of civil disobedience.
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