A hacker activism network has vowed to take action against the Ferguson, Missouri police officers who shot 17-year-old Michael Brown and left him dying in the streets, Gawker reported on Monday.
Members of Anonymous worldwide have encouraged protests against law enforcement officials, saying not a week goes by that a young person, usually of minority ethnicity, is murdered by police in the United States. Brown, who was black and unarmed, allegedly had his hands up before he was fatally shot more than once by police on Saturday, according to Gawker. He would have started college next week.
But Anonymous said they won't stop at simply obtaining justice for the young man and his family - members are also demanding Missouri congressional representatives introduce a national set of police standards of conduct and call it "Mike Brown's Law."
Police must treat any protesters with respect, because if they don't, Anonymous will "dox and release the personal information on every single member of the Ferguson Police Department," according to Gawker. This is the police department's only warning, the statement goes on to say.
The group created a website to set up cyberprotests on Brown's behalf, using the hashtag #OpFerguson. As of Monday, the group's Twitter account has been suspended.
Some city residents called for the National Guard's assistance as people took to the streets to protest Brown's death on Sunday, Sandra Rose reported.
Reports of looting, arson and rock-throwing surfaced overnight in Ferguson during the protests. There were 32 arrests and 2 officers were reportedly injured. Attorney General Eric Holder has instructed the government's civil rights division to monitor the developments in Ferguson in the aftermath of the teen's shooting.
Residents took to twitter to report on what was happening during the protests, Twitchy reported. User Elizabeth Matthews said bottles were being thrown at the police line, while Michael Skolnik stated he'd heard reports of tear gas being used on demonstrators.
