Over 50 demonstrators were arrested in Ferguson, Missouri, on Monday during a series of civil disobedience acts in protest of police violence relating to the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager by a white officer, Reuters reported.
Civil rights activists, clergy members and scores of emotional protesters took to several locations in Ferguson and the St. Louis area- chanting, praying and demanding justice for 18-year-old Michael Brown who was shot and killed by Officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson on Aug. 9.
"I'm taking a step forward now. I'm not resisting arrest," Communist Party representative Carl Dix said, as he and others slowly made their way toward a line of Missouri State Troopers. "I'm going to step forward. I demand to meet with Ferguson authorities. I want to demand justice for Mike Brown."
Police were forced to arrest Dix when he broke the line during the civil disobedience act, Reuters reported. He was later released. Dozens of other protesters were also arrested Monday, including noted activist and author Cornel West, WABC-TV reported.
Photos of the Day: https://t.co/lChj4tD21X (@CornelWest taken into custody during Ferguson protest. Jim Young/Reuters) pic.twitter.com/21Tddxt7cH
— NYT Photo (@nytimesphoto) October 13, 2014
Demonstrators gathered Monday for the last day of "Ferguson October," a four-day rally in protest over the black teen's fate. At a St. Louis football game, supporters waved banners that said "black lives matter." Demonstrations in other areas saw throngs of protestors occupy St. Louis city hall, as well as two Walmarts being forced to close.
Last night, the revolution was televised: https://t.co/HPyIzDe1OI pic.twitter.com/Onvi3gPWIX — The Root (@TheRoot) October 14, 2014
Aaron Burnett, a 45-year-old activist from the Organization for Black Struggle, said he witnessed some troopers break down in tears as prayers were said.
"We had a couple police officers crying. You've got pastors in front of you and people praying and they were feeling that," Burnett told the news agency.
Most of the protests were considerably peaceful compared to the rioting and looting that erupted in Ferguson following Brown's death.
A grand jury is currently underway to determine if Wilson, who has since been placed on administrative leave, is to face charges for killing the teenager. The Justice Department has also launched a civil rights investigation into the shooting.
#FergusonOctober pic.twitter.com/sf0JxutPOV — jelani cobb (@jelani9) October 13, 2014
Ferguson has seen an explosion of racial tension ever since, with Missouri law enforcement preparing for possible rioting if the officer is not indicted.
But the scene in the predominantly black suburb over the weekend was not completely divided among racial lines, as many protesters from other races joined the cause.
"I believe in my black brothers and sisters and the fact they feel they are threatened by the police and that racial profiling is going on," 22-year-old demonstrator Brenden Graczak, who is white, told Reuters.
