Protesters take to streets across US in solidarity with Michael Brown

For a second night in a row, racially charged protests took place around the US after a Missouri grand jury decided not to indict a white policeman in the fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown.

From coast to coast, thousands of protesters filled the streets to voice their frustrations with the grand jury’s decision and to show solidarity for the family of the teen whose death precipitated a much larger conversation about race relations and American policing.

Though the protesters’ rhetoric was fiery, the protests in more than 150 cities around the country remained largely peaceful. Here’s a look at how Americans – both black and white, and many young – reacted on Tuesday night.

New York: ‘We have to remember in the morning’

On the second night since the grand jury decision in Ferguson, a circle of about a hundred people once more gathered in Union Square to rally peacefully, chanting “I am Michael Brown!”

Flanked by dozens of police officers, the Union Square protesters then marched south, down Broadway, eventually reaching New York city hall where they formed a circle. A line of men kneeled before the crowd, hands raised, linked together by chains.

Together they chanted “Hands up, don’t shoot!” Above the noise, a woman’s voice rang out, her message clear: “We have to remember in the morning too!”

As many as 500 protesters marched through the streets of Harlem on Tuesday night to voice solidarity for the Missouri teenager. The crowd stopped to rally in front of the Adam Clayton Powell building, named in honour of the first black congressman from New York.

“There’s gonna be more Mike Browns,” a man shouted into a megaphone, “until we build a movement.” Shouts of “power!” rang out from the crowd.

At some point during the evening, the New York police department deployed pepper spray on the crowd to keep protesters from blocking the Lincoln tunnel and Triborough bridge.

A cop who had been following the march for more than three hours said of the protest: “I don’t think they’re taking it the right way.”

“One cop kills a guy, doesn’t mean we’re all killers,” he said. “NYPD-KKK?” he asked, quoting a popular chant, then add ed sadly: “I’m not a racist.”

Oakland, California: a crucible of black empowerment

Perhaps the most chaotic demonstration on Tuesday night was in Oakland where protesters lit bonfires made of debris and rubbish, creating a dramatic, improvised barricade across Telegraph Avenue. Some vandalised businesses, including a Mercedes Benz dealership, and looted stores.

Earlier in the evening groups lobbed bricks and bottles at police, and briefly shut down two freeways.

Historically, Oakland is a crucible of black empowerment and left-wing activism.

Washington DC: ‘We shall overcome’

Protesters in the nation’s capital blocked a major street as they marched peacefully through downtown DC and Chinatown, where some burned American flags.

View image in fullscreen

A crowd of hundreds convened at Mount Vernon Square in downtown DC, swelling to nearly 1,000 people at its height. Later in the evening, the crowd sang We Shall Overcome, an anthem of the civil rights movement, outside the National Portrait Gallery as the rally wound down.

Los Angeles: ‘Whose streets? Our streets!’

As the evening wore on, the crowd gathered in front of the Los Angeles police department headquarters became increasingly agitated, throwing rocks and traffic cones and rattling the metal fences manned by officers in riot gear.

“Fuck the police!” shouted one man. “We’ve got you surrounded LAPD!” shouted another. Others chanted: “Whose streets? Our streets!” The protest remained largely peaceful, however, and by 9pm local time some people started to drift away.

The rally started earlier in balmy sunshine – a contrast to the numbing chill in Ferguson – in Crenshaw, a predominantly African American neighbourhood. Several people lay down at intersections, blocking traffic, as they marched the seven miles to police headquarters.

Police helicopters hovered overhead and officers on the ground escorted the crowd but kept a distance, in keeping with police chief Charlie Beck’s instructions to let people peacefully protest.

Chicago: sit-in at the mayor’s office

In Chicago, about 200 members of the Black Youth Project staged a sit-in outside Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office, vowing to stay there for 28 hours. However, facing arrests, the group said they collectively decided to leave, and march through the streets where smaller groups of protesters were also rallying.

Baltimore: ‘No justice, no peace’

Hundreds took to the streets to march and rally in Baltimore, shutting down the entrance to a freeway.

Students at the historically black college of Morgan State University in Baltimore blocked several intersections near campus and formed a large square, and chanted “No justice, no peace,” the Baltimore Sun reported. Near the Maryland Institute College of Art, protesters carrying black umbrellas lined the street while someone scrawled “RIP Michael Brown” on the side of a mobile Baltimore police command centre in south Baltimore, the paper reported.

Minneapolis: car drives into protesters

In Minneapolis, a car ploughed into a group of protesters gathered for a solidarity rally and march for Mike Brown near police precinct headquarters.

View image in fullscreen

A Star Tribune reporter at the scene said the driver first began honking at protesters who were blocking the intersection, before driving through into the crowd and running down a woman at the start of the rally. Protesters reportedly jumped on the hood of the car while others helped free the woman’s leg caught under the car. She was taken to a nearby hospital and treated for minor injuries.

Later in the afternoon, the protest swelled to about 1,000 people in Minneapolis, while hundreds more gathered in St Paul, the state’s capital.

Atlanta: protesters condemn CNN’s Ferguson coverage

Several hundred students from the historically black colleges of Morehouse College and Clark Atlanta University protested in front of CNN’s Atlanta headquarters on Tuesday night, condemning the network’s coverage of the Ferguson protests. Other peaceful demonstrations were held around the city. As the night wore on, and tensions heightened, some protesters tried to shut down a freeway, while others broke windows and refused to disperse when ordered by police. By the night’s end, more than 20 people were arrested, police said.

Portland: police deploy pepper spray on crowd

More than 2,000 people joined a rally organised by faith leaders staged in front of the Justice Center in Portland, Oregon. Protesters, blocking a handful of streets in downtown Portland, called for systematic reform of America’s police departments.

As the march wore on, the Oregonian reported that police made several arrests and used pepper spray to disperse protesters.

Seattle: mayor joins march

View image in fullscreen

In Seattle, high-school students staged walkouts and joined a thousands-strong daytime march through the city under a police escort, the Seattle Times reported. Even the city’s mayor, Ed Murray, and police chief, Kathleen O’Toole, joined the march for a time.

Demonstrators carried signs that read “Jail Killer Cops” and “America Hates Black People” while speakers with blow horns lamented discrimination by law enforcement and riled the crowd. And though protesters were angry, the protests remained peaceful, with no reported arrests from Tuesday night, the Times said.