Return of Protests and Tensions to Ferguson and Other Cities in the U.S.

News agencies have reported the return of tension and unrest to the city of Ferguson and several other cities in the U.S. on Friday, November 7. Mike O'Connell, spokesperson for the Missouri Department of Public Safety, announced the arrest of 15 people in Ferguson during the latest round of protests against the exoneration of the police officer who shot a Black teenager in the city. The Associated Press reported that around 100 protesters gathered late Friday night, disrupting traffic and business in front of the Ferguson police and fire department headquarters. The spokesperson stated that the charges against the detainees included disturbing the peace and obstructing traffic. Two individuals were also charged with resisting arrest and another with assaulting a police officer. CNN reported the return of tensions to Ferguson late Friday night, noting that hundreds of protesters shouted at police and National Guard forces, asking, 'Who do you serve? Who are you protecting?' or 'We pay your salaries.' The St. Louis police tweeted that, apart from those arrested, the rest of the protesters were peaceful. Similar demonstrations occurred in Seattle, where protesters clashed with government forces, and in New York City, where some held a protest march. The Associated Press also reported that dozens of individuals who disrupted train services at the Oakland to San Francisco train station were arrested, wearing t-shirts that read, 'Black Lives Matter.' Protesters in various cities across the U.S., particularly in Ferguson, Missouri, are protesting a court decision not to indict a police officer who shot an 18-year-old Black teenager 12 times in August. While many of the protests have been peaceful, television broadcasts have shown multiple instances of looting by some protesters. Previously, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination urged the U.S. government to stop excessive police violence in the country. According to Reuters, this committee emphasized that minorities in the U.S., particularly African Americans, face 'inequality.' Nouredine Amir, head of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, stated that the killing of Michael Brown is not an 'isolated incident' but indicative of a 'larger problem' in America. He noted that this incident reflects 'racial bias among law enforcement officials, deficiencies in the proper enforcement of existing laws and regulations, and ultimately inadequacies in training law enforcement on the use of force.'