Protesters angered by the fatal shooting of a black 18-year-old by police faced off with officers in St. Louis for a second night as accusations of racial profiling prompted calls for a federal investigation ahead of a weekend of planned rallies and civil disobedience.
State and city leaders have urged the Justice Department to investigate the death of Vonderrit D Myers Wednesday night, fearing he was targeted because he was black. Police say the white officer who killed Myers was returning fire, but Myers' parents say he was unarmed.
Myers' death comes two months after the Aug. 9 fatal shooting of Michael Brown, a black unarmed 18-year-old, by a white police officer in nearby Ferguson. Brown's killing sparked dozens of often violent protests in the St. Louis suburb. A state grand jury is deciding whether Officer Darren Wilson will face charges in his death.
Late last night following a quiet candlelight prayer vigil for Myers, hundreds of people joined a more rowdy gathering to protest his death.
"This here was racial profiling turned deadly," state Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, a St. Louis Democrat, said at a news conference yesterday.
Police in riot gear lined up on a high street, flanked by brand name stores and restaurants. Protesters yelled abuse and profanities to taunt the officers, who silently stood their ground. Police helicopters buzzed above the neighborhood. Officers used pepper spray to force the crowd back.
One officer was injured when he was struck in the arm by a thrown brick, police spokeswoman Schron Jackson said. Eight protesters were arrested five for unlawful assembly, two for property damage and one for possession of marijuana. Jackson said one business, the Medicine Shoppe, was damaged, as were two police vehicles.
Some protesters burned the American flag, while others banged on drums and shouted "This is what democracy looks like!" Some slammed the sides of police vans. Broken glass littered the street. Eventually the protesters backed off, moving a couple of blocks away. Riot police remained in the area.
Organisers say thousands of activists and protesters from around the US are expected to come to the St. Louis area for four days of rallies, marches and civil disobedience to protest the Ferguson shooting, racial profiling and police violence. The events, which start today and include a march tomorrow in downtown St. Louis, have taken on added urgency in the wake of Myers' death.
