Via VIBE:
Protesters have begun a string of unannounced acts of civil disobedience in Ferguson for justice in the killing of Mike Brown. Dubbed “Ferguson October,” the four-day string of marches, rallies and sit-ins included a demonstration at the city’s police department building yesterday (Oct. 13), in which protesters demanded action be taken in improving officer conduct. Their standoff resulted in the arrest of about one dozen people, including author and professor Dr. Cornel West.
See Related Article: St. Louis Residents React to Yet Another Local Police Shooting: ‘Who Can You Trust?’
According to The New York Times, protesters advanced past a yellow line sectioning them off from officers in riot gear. West was taken into police custody after being knocked down during the incident. Clergy members were also on hand at the station, encouraging officers to take spiritual action in support of the cause. Willful arrests were a part of the demonstration.
“It’s a beautiful thing to see people on fire for justice, but I didn’t come here to give a speech,” West said on Sunday (Oct.12). “I came here to go to jail.”
Demonstrations continue around Ferguson and have also taken place in St. Louis, where another Black teen was killed by police last week. Darren Wilson, the officer who shot and killed an 18-year-old Brown, is currently having his case decided by a grand jury.
Read the full NY Times report here.
Photo Credit: Reuters