Ferguson, Missouri Shooting News: Protesters Demand Justice for Michael Brown, Shut Down 3 Malls on Black Friday in St. Louis
Angry over a grand jury's decision not to indict Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of an unarmed teenager, protesters peacefully shut down several shopping malls and stores in St. Louis on one of the most profitable days in the retail industry.
Several stores closed their doors on Black Friday while protesters occupied three large malls demanding justice for Michael Brown and the other black men and boys recently killed by police, The Associated Press reported.
On Aug. 9, Brown was shot and killed by Officer Wilson after the two got in some type of confrontation. Several eye witnesses testify that the black teenager was shot execution style by Officer Wilson while he was surrendering with his hands in the air. However, the white cop said that the 18-year-old was the aggressor and reached for his weapon.
At the Chesterfield Mall, protesters chanted, "Arrest Darren Wilson." Meanwhile, the Galleria Mall closed for more than an hour, as at least 200 protesters laid on the floor and chanted, "Stop shopping and join the movement." The West County Mall also came to a brief standstill after about 50 protesters led demonstrations.
"We want to really let the world know that it is no longer business as usual," Chenjerai Kumanyika, an assistant professor at Clemson University in South Carolina, said at a rally at a Wal-Mart located in the Manchester, a St. Louis suburb.
Protests calling for reform in the criminal justice system also took place in other parts of the country, including New York, Chicago and Seattle. In California, about 125 demonstrators chained themselves to trains. As a result, train service from Oakland to San Francisco was interrupted and more than a dozen people were arrested, reports Fox News.
FBI statistics show that black teens are more than 20 times more likely to be killed by police officers than white teens, according to Vox.
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