Photo: People in Times Square, New York City, protest against the verdict announced in the shooting death of Michael Brown, November 25, 2014. (Reuters: Brendan McDermid) 
Photo: People clean up a business that was damaged during riots the previous night in Ferguson, Missouri November 25, 2014, after a grand jury chose not to indict Ferguson policeman Darren Wilson in the August shooting death of Michael Brown. (Reuters: Jim Young) 
Photo: Police officers look over a building that was burned in riots the previous night in Ferguson, Missouri, November 25, 2014, after a grand jury chose not to indict Ferguson policeman Darren Wilson in the August shooting death of Michael Brown. (Reuters: Jim Young) 
Photo: A man leaves a food and supply store during a demonstration in Oakland, California, following the grand jury decision in Ferguson, Missouri, November 25, 2014, not to indict a police officer over the fatal August shooting of an unarmed shooting of Michael Brown. (Reuters: Stephen Lam) 
Photo: A man watches a building burn in Ferguson where a demonstrators are protesting against a grand jury's decision not to indict the officer who shot black teen Michael Brown. (Reuters: Jim Young) 
Photo: Protesters run from a cloud of tear gas after a grand jury returned no indictment in the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. (Reuters: Jim Young) 
Photo: A local storage facility is set ablaze in Ferguson. Local police say more than a dozen buildings in the area have been set alight. (AFP: Michael B Thomas) 
Photo: Protesters vandalize a car outside the Ferguson Police Department in Ferguson, Missouri, after a grand jury returned no indictment in the shooting of black teenager Michael Brown. (Reuters: Jim Young) 
Photo: A car burns on the street after a grand jury returned no indictment in the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri November 24, 2014. (Reuters: Jim Young) 
Photo: A protester stands with his hands on his head as a cloud of tear gas approaches after a grand jury returned no indictment in the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, November 24, 2014. (Reuters: Adrees Latif) 
Photo: A woman approaches the barricade to confront the police outside the Ferguson Police Department in Ferguson, Missouri, November 24, 2014, after a grand jury chose not to indict Ferguson policeman Darren Wilson in the August shooting death of Michael Brown. (Reuters: Adrees Latif) 
Photo: Missouri State Troopers in riot gear stand in formation outside the Ferguson Police Department in Ferguson, Missouri, November 24, 2014, after a grand jury chose not to indict Ferguson policeman Darren Wilson in the August shooting death of Michael Brown. (Reuters: Jim Young) 
Photo: A protester wearing a Guy Fawkes mask carries an American flag outside the Ferguson Police Department in Ferguson, Missouri, November 24, 2014, ahead of a grand jury's decision on whether to criminally charge a white police officer in the August fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown. (Reuters: Jim Young) 
Photo: A member of the National Guard helps direct military vehicles parked alongside police vehicles in the back of a shopping centre after their arrival at Ferguson, Missouri, November 24, 2014, ahead of a grand jury's decision on whether to criminally charge a white police officer in the August fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown. (Reuters: Adrees Latif) 
Photo: Protesters shout slogans as they march during a rally in New York City, November 24, 2014, ahead of a grand jury's decision on whether to criminally charge a white police officer in the August fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown. (Reuters: Eduardo Munoz) 
Photo: Mailboxes are locked across from the Buzz Westfall Justice Centre in Clayton, Missouri on November 24, 2014, ahead of a grand jury's decision on whether to criminally charge a white police officer in the August fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown. (AFP: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) 
Photo: Protesters hold hands in prayer outside the Ferguson Police Department in Ferguson, Missouri on November 24, 2014, ahead of grand jury decision on whether to indict a white police officer over the fatal shooting of a black teenager. (Reuters: Jim Young) 
Photo: Police officers arrest a demonstrator on August 18, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. (AFP: Joe Raedle) 
Photo: People raise their arms while chanting "Hands up, don't shoot" as they stand near where St Louis police say officers shot and killed a 23-year-old man who was wielding a knife on August 19, 2014 in St Louis, Missouri. (AFP: Joe Raedle) 
Photo: Demonstrators stand in the middle of West Florissant Street as they react to tear gas fired by police during ongoing protests in reaction to the shooting of teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, on August 18, 2014. (Reuters: Lucas Jackson) 
Photo: Members of a rowdy group of demonstrators stand with a road sign on West Florissant during protests in reaction to the shooting of Michael Brown near Ferguson, Missouri on August 18, 2014. (Reuters: Lucas Jackson) 
Photo: Dr Michael Baden points to an autopsy diagram, showing where the gun shots hit Michael Brown, during a press conference in Ferguson, Missouri, on August 18, 2014. (AFP: Joe Raedle) 
Photo: National Guard troops arrive at a mall complex that serves as staging for the police in Ferguson, Missouri on August 18, 2014. (Reuters: Mark Kauzlarich) 
Photo: Police officers react at the scene of a looting following protests against the shooting of Michael Brown turned violent in Ferguson, Missouri on August 17, 2014. (Reuters: Lucas Jackson) 
Photo: A protester picks up a tear gas canister to throw back towards police as demonstrations continue over the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri on August 17, 2014. (Reuters: Lucas Jackson) 
Photo: Members of Michael Brown's family react at a rally convened in reaction to the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri August 17, 2014. (Reuters: Mark Kauzlarich) 
Photo: Demonstrators protesting against the shooting death of Michael Brown gather together in the street on August 16, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. (AFP: Joe Raedle) 
Photo: Police start to fire canisters at a protest over the shooting death of Michael Brown after demonstrators remained on the street after a midnight curfew on August 17, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. (AFP: Joe Raedle) 
Photo: A masked man carries items out of a liquor store that had been broken into during ongoing protests against the shooting of Michael Brown, in Ferguson, Missouri, August 16, 2014. (Reuters: Lucas Jackson) 
Photo: Missouri Governor Jay Nixon declares a state of emergency and curfew in response to looting the previous night in Ferguson, Missouri August 16, 2014. (Reuters: Lucas Jackson) 
Photo: Police officers line up across the street as they maintain their distance from protesters during on-going demonstrations to protest against the shooting of Michael Brown, in Ferguson, Missouri on August 16, 2014. (Reuters: Lucas Jackson) 
Photo: Demonstrators gather along West Florissant Avenue in Ferguson, Missouri on August 15, 2014, to protest the shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown. (AFP/Getty: Scott Olson) 
Photo: A girl sits atop her father's shoulders, arms raised, chanting "Hands up, don't shoot" during a peaceful demonstration as communities react to the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri August 14, 2014. (Reuters: Lucas Jackson) 
Photo: Residents of the US town of Ferguson hold their hands up to protest a police shooting, August 2014. (AFP/Getty: Scott Olsen) 
Photo: Riot police stand guard as demonstrators protest the shooting death of teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri August 13, 2014 (Mario Anzuoni) 
Photo: Demonstrators protest the killing of teenager Michael Brown on August 12, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. (AFP/Getty Images: Scott Olsen) Gallery: Reaction to shooting of Michael BrownCalls for calm on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, have gone unheeded with mass riots taking place after a grand jury decided not to indict a white police officer for fatally shooting an unarmed black teen in August.
St Louis County police chief Jon Belmar said at least a dozen buildings were torched and that he counted about 150 gunshots during a night of looting, vandalism, arson and clashes between demonstrators and police that resulted in 61 arrests.
Flights over the area were restricted and police struggled to contain protesters who took to the streets of Ferguson, a suburb of St Louis, smashing shop windows and torching cars and businesses despite the president's calls for restraint.
Although no serious injuries were reported, Mr Belmar said the rioting was "much worse" than disturbances which erupted in the immediate aftermath of the shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson on August 9.
Protests were also staged in New York, Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles, Oakland and Washington DC over a case that has highlighted long-standing racial tensions not just in predominantly black Ferguson but across the US.
"Murderers, you're nothing but murderers," one woman shouted through a megaphone at officers clad in riot gear after the grand jury decision was announced.
Angry crowds gathered around the police department in Ferguson after the grand jury found there was no probable cause to charge Mr Wilson with any crime in the shooting.
St Louis police reported heavy gunfire in the area near where Mr Brown was slain, but Mr Belmar said officers did not fire a shot, even after they were pelted with rocks, bottles, batteries and other debris.
Police did fire volleys of tear gas and flash-bang canisters.
Shortly after the decision was announced, gunshots were heard and bottles were thrown as anger rippled through a crowd gathered outside the police department.
Whistles pierced the air as some of the hundreds of protesters tried to keep the peace, shouting: "Don't run, don't run.
Police who formed a wall of clear riot shields outside the precinct were pelted with bottles and cans as the crowd surged up and down the street.
Not far from the stretch of Ferguson that saw the worst of the rioting after Mr Brown's death, dozens of police and military vehicles were poised for possible mass arrests.
"They need to feel the pain these mothers feel at the ... cemetery," shouted Paulette Wilkes, 40, a teacher's assistant who was in the crowd at the police department.
A smaller calmer crowd of about three dozen protesters gathered outside the courthouse where the grand jury met, including one white woman holding a sign reading: "Black lives matter."
"That's just how the justice system works - the rich are up there and the poor are down here," said Antonio Burns, 25, who is black and lives in the Ferguson area. He said the police "think they can get away with it".
Officials urged tolerance and assured residents that the National Guard would provide security at critical facilities like fire stations, police precincts and utility substations.
"I do not want people in this community to think they have to barricade their doors and take up arms," St Louis county executive director Charlie Dooley said ahead of the grand jury's decision.
Earlier, St Louis County prosecutor Bob McCulloch told the court the grand jury found no probable cause existed to file any charge against Mr Wilson.
The officer could have faced charges ranging from involuntary manslaughter to first-degree murder.
"They discussed and debated the evidence among themselves before arriving at their collective decision," Mr McCulloch said.
"After their exhaustive review of the evidence, the grand jury deliberated over two days, making their final decision."
The shooting death of 18-year-old Mr Brown, a resident of the predominantly African-American city of Ferguson, sparked days of riots and protests.
Mr Obama said the decision of the grand jury was always going to be a subject of intense disagreement across the country and called for calm.
"First and foremost, we are a nation built on the rule of law," he said.
"And so we need to accept that this decision was the grand jury's to make.
"There are Americans who agree with it and there are Americans who are deeply disappointed, even angry. It's an understandable reaction.
"But I join Michael's parents in asking anyone who protests this decision to do so peacefully."
Mr Brown's family were upset by the grand jury's decision.
"We are profoundly disappointed that the killer of our child will not face the consequence of his actions," they said in a statement.
"While we understand that many others share our pain, we ask that you channel your frustration in ways that will make a positive change."
Before the decision Michael Brown senior said he did not want his son's death to be in vain.
"I want it to lead to incredible change, positive change, change that makes the St Louis region better for everyone.
"We live here together, this is our home. We are stronger united."
The shooting death has become a flashpoint for strained race relations in the US.
The grand jury, with nine white and three black members, had been meeting since late August and heard evidence including witnesses called by the prosecution as well as a private pathologist hired by the Brown family to review the shooting.
A total of nine jurors needed to agree to drop the charges. Mr McCulloch declined to say if the jury's decision was unanimous.
A separate federal probe into the shooting is continuing, and US attorney-general Eric Holder emphasised the justice department investigators had not reached any conclusions.
Mr McCulloch described a tangled mass of conflicting testimony from 60 witnesses about what happened during the incident that led to Mr Brown's death, but said much of it did not square with the physical evidence.
Lawyers for the Brown family said the teen was trying to surrender when he was shot at least six times, while Wilson's supporters said he feared for his life and opened fire in self-defence.
Brown was suspected of having stolen cigars from a nearby convenience store shortly before the incident.
He and a friend had been walking down the middle of the street when the police officer approached them.
Mr Obama said the case highlighted "broader challenges" the US faced and asked police officers in Ferguson to work with the community over coming days.
"I also appeal to the law enforcement officials in Ferguson and the region to show care and restraint in managing peaceful protests that may occur," he said.
"As they do their jobs in the coming days, they need to work with the community, not against the community, to distinguish the handful of people who may use the grand jury's decision as an excuse for violence ... from the vast majority who just want their voices heard around legitimate issues in terms of how communities and law enforcement interact.
"The fact is, in too many parts of this country a deep mistrust exists between communities of colour.
"This is tragic because nobody needs good policing more than poor communities with higher crime rates."
Reuters/AFP
Topics: courts-and-trials, law-crime-and-justice, police, united-states First posted November 25, 2014 11:12:50View the original article here
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