Protests to mark anniversary of Michael Brown shooting

The occasions are amongst a number of this weekend in Ferguson and close by St. Louis.

Saturday’s rally was peaceful and heavily policed.

Employers from the Missouri Department of Mental Health, the Department of Natural Resources, home health care services and notably the Missouri Highway Patrol, among others, were all there hiring. And 40 percent of those polled said the U.S. needs new laws to combat racial discrimination.

About a dozen officers stood watch outside while many others were stationed inside police department.

Along the way police officers passed out water bottles to combat the heat.

Michael Brown Sr. along with family and friends stop to pray at a memorial to Brown’s son.

On Sunday, Brown Sr. will lead another march, beginning at the Canfield Drive intersection where his son was killed exactly one year ago.

Brown and his closest supporters wore t-shirts bearing a print of a widely circulated photograph of his son wearing high school graduation robes.

The ensuing days led to protests, violent protests, that stopped the cities cold.

Before the shots were fired, protesters were blocking traffic and confronting police.

“On the finish of the day, I nonetheless misplaced my boy”, he stated.

Wilson wasn’t charged in the August 9th, 2014, shooting of the black 18-year-old, whose death galvanized the “Black Lives Matter” movement and months of protests in the St. Louis suburb and beyond. That is because Brown’s body lay face down in the street for around four and a half hours after the shooting, until it was taken away.

About 30 people marching in Saturday’s parade began chanting “Hands up!” A young man came from Eastern Michigan University to participate.

“I think of him every single day”, he adds. “We do this for Mike Brown”. An attorney for Myers’ family says Myers was not armed.

Another march is planned for Sunday.

Mr Brown’s father, also called Michael, said: “Some families got justice through Michael Brown’s legacy, and that helped them”.

“No drama”, he said.

“Just as there are those who have awakened, we will have the Rip Van Winkles of the community…”

Saturday was full of events commemorating the anniversary of Michael Brown’s death in Ferguson past year. The decision not to charge officer Darren Wilson caused renewed anger. This weekend’s protests have looked much different.

Several protesters jumped over a barricade around the building and faced off with police officers, although the crowd eventually dispersed without violence. Officers in such gear last year drew widespread criticism. Rather, a small handful of officers calmly walked out and spoke with demonstrators.

Juanita Morris’ clothing store, Fashions R Boutique, was burned in November after the grand jury decided not to indict Wilson.

“It is not going to happen overnight, it is not going to happen in just a year”. “I was more devastated than angry”. “Just do what they ask you to do”. Donations totaled more than $23,000, ranging from $5 to $500 each. “It was hard”.

The restrained response by Ferguson police served as an illustration of what city leaders said are their efforts to improve relations between the still majority-white police force and the city’s population, which is two-thirds black. Now, five out of the department’s 50 officers are black. He said it was important to be in the streets remembering his son. Gray smoke from the night fires has cleared enough to show us the shapes and sizes of the problems, and they are intimidating. “We need to screen our police better in the hiring process”.

“They’ve made some good positive steps in the right direction”, Gray said. “You can either put up or shut up”.

One of those new councillors is Wesley Bell.