200 Protesters Gather In Ferguson After Michael Brown Memorial Catches Fire
Tensions flared again in Ferguson, Missouri this week when a crowd of 200 gathered in the street after a makeshift memorial for teen Michael Brown was set afire.
The window to a beauty products store was reportedly smashed and a crowd of 200 formed after the fire at the makeshift memorial started. Local media outlets reported hearing shots fired and some rocks were reportedly being hurled through the crowd as protesters chanted against the local police force.
Although police have said it is unclear how the fire was started, local residents still expressed anger at law enforcement, accusing them of not working quickly enough to put out the blaze. Some media outlets have suggested that the fire was started accidentally, as several candles dot the makeshift memorials along with paper signs and stuffed animals.
However, other local residents argued that the fire was started intentionally. "Not one candle can put all the stuff that was up there on fire," one woman told CBS St. Louis. "Come on now. It's too moist out here."
One witness to Tuesday night's civil unrest tweeted that protesters were yelling "Burn It Down" after they smashed the windows of a beauty supply store. Another tweet indicated the crowd was yelling "Fight Back" and "Arrest Darren Wilson," referencing the Ferguson police officer who shot unarmed teen Michael Brown on August 9.
Police reportedly gathered at the scene to subdue the growing crowd, and at least two protesters were arrested during the unrest.
Tensions still remain high a month after the shooting of unarmed teen Michael Brown, who was reportedly shot by officer Darren Wilson after he refused to move out of the middle of the street. So far no arrests have been made in Brown's death, and local residents are questioning why the police officer hasn't been indicted.
