By SADIE GURMAN
People protesting the Ferguson, Missouri, grand jury decision took to the streets in cities across the U.S. for a second day Tuesday, showing that the racially charged case has inflamed tensions thousands of miles from the predominantly black St. Louis suburb.
For many, the shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown by Officer Darren Wilson recalled other troubling encounters with law enforcement. The refrain “hands up, don’t shoot” became a rallying cry over police killings nationwide.
A look at some of Tuesday’s demonstrations:
NEW YORK
Thousands of people marched for a second night in Manhattan, gathering in Union Square before splitting into several smaller groups, chanting “No justice, No peace.” Some held signs saying “Jail killer cops” and “Justice for Mike Brown.”
One group marched uptown to Times Square, meandering between lanes of traffic as police followed. The protesters, disrupted traffic on the FDR Drive and congregated at the entrances to the Williamsburg and Manhattan bridges and the Queens Midtown Tunnel.
“As long as they remain nonviolent, and as long as they don’t engage in issues that cause fear or create vandalism, we will work with them to allow them to demonstrate,” Commissioner William Bratton said.
The NYPD says 10 people were arrested in Times Square. Four people were charged with resisting arrest and six with disorderly conduct. There were no injuries.
CALIFORNIA
In Oakland, protesters vandalized police cars and businesses in downtown, smashing windows at car dealerships, restaurants and convenience stores.
The crowd briefly shut down two major freeways and set several trash bins on fire across a major street before police in riot helmets forced them to disperse.
The California Highway Patrol in Oakland said several people were arrested.
In Los Angeles, protesters flooded the U.S. 101 freeway, bringing traffic to a halt. Officers chased the few dozen protesters off the freeway. Separately, hundreds converged on police headquarters.
About 150 people were arrested after failing to disperse during demonstrations, police said.
In San Diego, protesters disrupted traffic on Interstate 5 early Wednesday after demonstrators blocked a freeway and hurled bottles at officers the night before.
MINNEAPOLIS
A rally turned scary when a car struck a protester and then burst through a pack of others who surrounded it. A woman suffered minor injuries.
Several hundred people had gathered near a police outpost to show solidarity with Brown. The driver called police soon after to report the incident, which police say is under investigation.
OHIO
In Cleveland, several hundred people marched down a freeway ramp to block rush-hour traffic while protesting the Missouri developments and Saturday’s fatal police shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who had a pellet gun that looked like a real firearm.
“The system wasn’t made to protect us,” 17-year-old protester Naesha Pierce said. “To get justice, the people themselves have to be justice.”
In Cincinnati, more than a dozen people were arrested and officers had to shut down part of a highway briefly. The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that up to 100 people marched several miles through downtown, and some demonstrators climbed over barriers to stand on Interstate 75.
A municipal judge said 15 people were charged with civil unrest.
ST. LOUIS
Protesters disrupted downtown traffic for several hours by blocking major intersections, an interstate highway and a Mississippi River bridge connecting the city to Illinois. Riot police arrested several demonstrators who sat in the middle of Interstate 44 near the Edward Jones Dome. They used pepper spray to disperse the crowd.
ELSEWHERE
A couple hundred people from historically black schools in Atlanta, including Morehouse College, Spelman College and Clark Atlanta University held peaceful demonstrations.
Some people split off from a separate rally downtown and tried to block a freeway. Police said some windows were broken and 21 people were arrested, mostly for failure to disperse when asked, but one person faces a weapons charge.
In Portland, Oregon, a rally drew about 1,000 people who listened to speeches then marched through downtown. A splinter group of about 300 people kept going, marching across a Willamette River bridge. Bus and light rail traffic was disrupted, and police used pepper spray and made several arrests.
In Boston, dozens of people were arrested during a march that drew an estimated 1,500 people.
In Kansas City, about 100 protesters marched through an upscale shopping district to an entertainment area, where they encountered police barricades. A photographer for The Kansas City Star was among several people arrested.
In Dallas, protests were mostly peaceful, but seven people were arrested when they blocked part of Interstate 35 downtown.
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Associated Press writers Ann Sanner and Kantele Franko in Columbus, Ohio; Jeff Baenen in Minneapolis; Olga R. Rodriguez in San Francisco; Deepti Hajela and Ula Ilnytzky in New York; Nigel Duara in Portland, Oregon; and Joseph White in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.
