Second Night of Protests in Berkeley, California Turns Violent

The second night of protests in Berkeley, California against the U.S. police and their actions in the killings of several Black citizens in New York and Missouri turned violent. Reports from the Associated Press and Reuters indicate that protesters in Berkeley on Sunday night, December 7, clashed with police by throwing stones and bottles, while the police responded by firing tear gas at them. These reports estimate the number of protesters to be around 750, gathered in two areas of Berkeley, near San Francisco, and ultimately, the police arrested several of them. Additionally, some protesters on Twitter claimed that the police shot plastic bullets at them, but this claim has not been confirmed. The protests in Berkeley initially began peacefully but turned violent on both consecutive nights, resulting in damage to several stores and multiple arrests by the police. A Reuters reporter noted that following the clashes on Saturday in Berkeley and the city of Seattle in Washington State, West Coast cities in the U.S. were prepared for protests on Sunday. In Seattle, about 200 people gathered on Sunday night, while over a thousand participated in the protest the night before. Since the court acquitted the white police officer involved in the death of a Black citizen in New York, protesters in New York and other American cities have been holding consecutive daily protests. The deaths of Eric Garner in New York and Michael Brown, an unarmed Black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri, have once again highlighted the relationship between Black Americans and the police, reigniting an old debate about racial tensions in the U.S. The U.S. court also decided not to indict the officer involved in Michael Brown's death, leading to two nights of riots in the suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri, prompting the National Guard to be deployed to the area. Previously, Barack Obama, the U.S. President, announced that he intended to discuss the challenges arising from 'the distrust between police and communities of color' with young civil rights leaders in America. In this context, U.S. police killed a 12-year-old boy who was carrying a toy gun. Following the court ruling, Ferguson became a scene of protests and clashes, and relative calm returned to Ferguson. The UN Committee Against Torture has called on the U.S. to investigate police violence. American protesters continued demonstrations against the police for the third night.