Protesters return to riot-scarred Ferguson streets

Protesters returned to the riot-scarred streets of Ferguson, a day after crowds looted businesses and set fire to buildings in a night of rage against a grand jury's decision not to indict the white police officer who killed an unarmed black 18-year-old, a case that has inflamed racial tensions in the US.

Hundreds of additional National Guard troops were sent to the St Louis suburb to help local authorities keep order.

Hours after nightfall, tensions escalated as a police car was set on fire outside City Hall, and authorities released tear gas.

Yesterday, Missouri's governor ordered hundreds more state militia into Ferguson after a night of violent protests over a grand jury decision's not to indict Police Officer Darren Wilson in the killing of Michael Brown.

Attorneys for Brown's family criticized the grand jury's decision as rigged but appealed for peace. Wilson, in his first public comments, defended his actions, insisting on national television that he could not have done anything differently in the confrontation with Brown.

The decision announced means Wilson faces no state criminal charges in the August 9 shooting, which reignited debates over relations between police and minority communities, even in cities far from Ferguson, the St. Louis suburb where Brown was killed.

In the aftermath of Monday's violence, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon more than tripled the number of National Guard soldiers sent to Ferguson, ordering the initial force of 700 to be increased to 2,200 in hopes that their presence would help local law enforcement keep order.

"Lives and property must be protected," Nixon said. "This community deserves to have peace."

About 50 protesters converged on a barricade guarded by 30 Guard members. The group chanted "Whose streets, our streets,"

"This is what democracy looks like" and "Hands up don't shoot," a slogan that has become a rallying cry for protests over police killings.

Outside police headquarters in Ferguson, one woman was taken into custody after protesters threw what appeared to be smoke bombs, flares and frozen water bottles at a line of officers.

Two other protesters wearing masks were arrested after defying police instructions to get out of the street. Other demonstrations were held across the US for a second day.

Hundreds of Seattle high school students walked out of classes, and several hundred people marched down a Cleveland freeway ramp to block rush-hour traffic.

In New York, thousands of people marched for a second night in Manhattan, gathering in Union Square before splitting into several smaller groups, chanting "No justice, No peace."