America on fire: Protest images from around the nation

Michael Brown’s family had asked for four and a half minutes of silence following the grand jury’s decision on whether to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson for the death of their son. When Brown was shot and killed by the officer, his body lay in the street for four and a half hours without medical attention.

But when the indictment decision came down, some protesters in Ferguson couldn’t honor the request. Moments after the decision was announced, tweets from those on the ground described a chaotic scene.

As St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney David McCullough explained the legal reasoning behind the decision, things started to heat up.

Police began shooting tear gas in Ferguson

Shots were reportedly fired near the Ferguson police headquarters. As the crowd ran, some officers hid behind a car, according to various tweets at the scene.

https://twitter.com/MusicOverPeople/status/537079303221944320

And from there things just got uglier

As the night wore on, other protests began popping up in cities like D.C.,

Back in Ferguson, local shops were targeted by looters

Some store owners defended their property

But some activists said that:

Daniel Rivero is a producer/reporter for Fusion who focuses on police and justice issues. He also skateboards, does a bunch of arts related things on his off time, and likes Cuban coffee.