Riots erupt in US after Ferguson verdict
On November 24, a jury in St. Louis County, Missouri (USA) declared innocent the white police officer Darren Wilson, who shot and killed the black youth Michael Brown three months ago in Ferguson.
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US President Barack Obama urged protesters on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, in the US Midwest to remain calm and stop the violence. (Source: AFP/VNA) |
In a press release, St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch said a jury found Wilson not guilty after reviewing and weighing the evidence surrounding Brown's death last August.
With this decision, police Wilson will not face any charges related to the controversial murder case.
However, the US Department of Justice said that in the coming time, it will continue to conduct an investigation into the possibility that this police officer violated civil rights.
Brown's family immediately expressed "absolute" disappointment at the jury's final decision, but urged people not to take violent action.
Meanwhile, hundreds of people gathered outside the Ferguson Police Department to protest the ruling and angrily threw bottles at police officers guarding outside the building.
Others staged protests in front of the courthouse where the jury was sitting, accusing the verdict of favoring the police officer. Police were forced to use tear gas to disperse some of the protesters.
In several other major US cities such as New York and Chicago, people also held peaceful protests to protest the acquittal of police officer Wilson.
In a speech at the White House on November 24, US President Barack Obama called on people to be "calm" and "restraint" before the jury's decision.
Although expressing sympathy for the discontent of some people, the White House owner emphasized that the public needs to accept the above verdict and focus on building relationships between the police and the people instead of organizing violent protests that threaten the safety of the community.
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A police car burned on the streets of Ferguson on the night of November 24 (Source: AP) |
In an interview with ABC television last weekend, President Obama also called on Ferguson residents to protest peacefully and not use violence because it is against the law, and emphasized the importance of addressing race relations issues at the national level.
Previously, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon on November 17 declared a state of emergency and ordered the deployment of the state's National Guard to respond to acts of violence.
Explaining this executive order, Governor Jay Nixon argued that people have the right to protest peacefully, but citizens and businesses must also be protected from acts of arson like what happened in August.
The murder in Ferguson on August 9 sparked a wave of protests not only in this city of 21,000 people, mostly black, but also in many other cities in the United States, protesting the discriminatory behavior of white police officers that often leads to the deaths of people of ethnic minorities.
President Obama not only repeatedly called on all sides to exercise restraint, but also sent teams from the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to investigate the incident.
The death of the black youth Brown under the gun of police also sparked a nationwide debate about racism in the United States, forcing the Department of Justice to investigate the Ferguson police department./.
According to VNA