SJNN – Ferguson, Missouri – The town of Ferguson has seen rioting and looting after a jury decided not to bring charges over the killing of a black teenager.
Michael Brown was shot by a white police officer, Darren Wilson, on 9 August, sparking protests.
St Louis County police chief Jon Belmar said rioters had fired 150 shots.
Many in the African-American community had called for Mr Wilson to be charged with murder, but after three months of deliberation a Missouri grand jury – of nine white and three black members – made no recommendation of charges.
President Barack Obama joined the teenager’s family on Monday in appealing for calm, urging Americans to accept the decision was “the grand jury’s to make”.
Authorities said more than 80 people were arrested amid chaos in several areas of St Louis overnight. Sixty-one of those arrests were in Ferguson, with charges including burglary and trespassing.
The fabric of the community, Mr Belmar said, had been “torn apart” in Ferguson, which is a predominantly black community patrolled by a mainly white police force.
As protesters charged barricades, hurling glass bottles, police responded with smoke and tear gas.
One protester, Charles Miller, told the media that while he did not advocate violence, he understood why people were angry.
“You can’t just go shoot an 18-year-old who’s unarmed on the street, despite what the story may have been,” he said.
Thousands of people also protested in other cities, from Los Angeles to New York.
In Oakland, California, they blocked traffic on a major highway in the San Francisco Bay area.
Mr Brown’s family said in a statement: “We are profoundly disappointed that the killer of our child will not face the consequence of his actions.”
But they also appealed for calm, saying: “Let’s not just make noise, let’s make a difference”, and calling for all police to wear body cameras.
Mr Brown’s mother, Lesley McSpadden, wept at news of the jury’s decision as she was comforted by supporters outside the police station in Ferguson.
Mr Brown’s family could yet file a wrongful-death lawsuit against Mr Wilson.
Meanwhile, a justice ministry investigation is still under way into whether the police officer violated Mr Brown’s civil rights.
Darren Wilson, 28, is currently on paid leave and has kept out of the public eye.
The ministry is also investigating practices at the Ferguson police department.
