A grand jury Monday opted not to indict a Ferguson, Mo., police officer in the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown, initiating a fresh round of protests in the St. Louis suburb and around the nation — and pleas from the president for public calm.
Soon after Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch announced that grand jury’s decision, crowds in Ferguson took to the streets to protest the lack of an indictment against Officer Darren Wilson, who contends he acted in self-defense.
Live broadcasts by television news outlets showed protesters torching and looting Ferguson stores and throwing rocks and bricks, despite calls by the Brown family for peace. Authorities, who threw tear gas to disperse the crowds, also confirmed that gunshots were fired in the area.
Protesters also gathered outside the White House in Washington, as well as in New York City and Los Angeles, among other major cities.
The August shooting of Brown, an unarmed black teenager, initiated a broader conversation in Washington about the distrust between local police departments and predominantly minority communities.
And President Obama urged public calm in a rare, late-night address from the White House, but said that protesters’ concerns should be heard.
“This is not just an issue for Ferguson,” Obama said, imploring protesters to remain peaceful. “This is an issue for America.”
“There are still problems, and communities of color aren’t just making these problems up,” the president added.
Obama’s message came, however, as images of looting and smoke-filled streets dominated media coverage of the events in Ferguson.
Although the grand jury chose not to indict Wilson, the Justice Department is still conducting a civil rights investigation into the shooting.
“Though we have shared information with local prosecutors during the course of our investigation, the federal inquiry has been independent of the local one from the start, and remains so now,” Attorney General Eric Holder said late Monday. “Even at this mature stage of the investigation, we have avoided prejudging any of the evidence. And although federal civil rights law imposes a high legal bar in these types of cases, we have resisted forming premature conclusions.”
For his part, McCulloch said “these grand jurors poured their hearts and soul into this process.”
He repeatedly blamed the news media for sensationalizing coverage of the events in Ferguson and reporting “false” details about the scuffle between Wilson and Brown.
Brown’s mother wept outside the Ferguson courthouse, as the family of the slain teenager argued that justice had not been served by the grand jury’s decision. Still, Brown’s family told protesters to remain peaceful.
The White House has not yet indicated whether Obama will travel to Ferguson. He has faced growing calls to do so in recent days.
Earlier Monday, Gov. Jay Nixon, D-Mo., urged residents to respect the judicial process.
“Our shared hope and expectation is that regardless of the decision, people on all sides show tolerance, mutual respect and restraint,” Nixon said in advance of the grand jury’s decision.
The events in Ferguson in recent months prompted a debate on Capitol Hill about the demilitarization of local police departments.
But lawmakers largely refrained from political discussions Monday, calling for peace in Ferguson.
“While we await the conclusion of that independent investigation — and continue working together for solutions to systemic issues highlighted by this tragedy — I’m praying that the good people of St. Louis and local law enforcement will remain peaceful and respectful of one another,” said Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.
“We must balance the rights of Americans to exercise their free speech alongside the rights of people to live peacefully and safely in their communities,” added Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo. “I join Michael Brown’s family in urging protestors to do so peacefully.”
This story was updated at approximately 11:55 p.m.
