Protests against grand jury verdict spread across US

Protesters have taken to the streets of various cities in America to protest the grand jury’s decision not to indict a white police officer, Darren Wilson, who killed a black 18-year-old, Michael Brown, in Ferguson, Missouri.

Ferguson has been struggling to return to normal after the 18-year-old Mike Brown was killed by Darren Wilson, a white Ferguson police officer, on Saturday, August 9. The grand jury however did not indict Wilson in the case, unleashing new waves of protests in Ferguson and other cities in America.

Demonstrators in their thousands on the night of Monday, November 24, rallied in New York, Los Angeles, Washignton DC, Chicago and a host of other cities. They led marches, waved signs like “Black lives matter,” “Jail killer cops,” and chanted “Hands up, don't shoot,” “No justice, no peace” and “Hands Up! Don't Shoot,” the slogans that have become a rallying cry in protests over police killings across the country.

Photos and videos spread around social media showing protesters walking down traffic lanes of the different cities.

In a bid to calm the nerves of the people, just minutes after the Monday night’s verdict, US President, Barack Obama had made a speech appealing for calm and understanding.

The President said that it was understandable that some Americans would be deeply disappointed even angered but called for peace and for the public to accept the grand jury's decision and to refocus on ways to make more progress in bringing police and their communities together.

“That won't be done by throwing bottles. That won't be done by smashing car windows. That won't be done by using this as an excuse to vandalize property. It certainly won't be done by hurting anybody,” Obama said in the statement.

The white police officer who killed Michael Brown has also released a statement saying that he “followed his training and the law” during the shooting of the black male.

“We need to work together to fix the system that allowed this to happen. Join with us in our campaign to ensure that every police officer working the streets in this country wears a body camera,” Darren Wilson said in his statement.