Angry activists in the areas of St. Louis and Ferguson say they’re planning a “weekend of resistance” in response to police shootings of two black men, both 18, in recent weeks, hoping the rallies will draw more attention to how law enforcement treats black people.
Hands Up United, along with other civil rights groups, have set the stage for a weekend filled with marches and rallies in the Missouri communities, Reuters reported. One of their main goals is to realize the arrest of Officer Darren Wilson, who shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown two months ago.
Protesters are also outraged at the police fatal shooting on Wednesday of a black teen, 18, in St. Louis. Then, a 32-year-old white officer with the St. Louis force shot and killed Vonderrit Myers Jr., Reuters reported. The police say Myers fired first, and then the officer, still unnamed, shot back 17 times, various media reported.
“We never advocate violence,” said Tory Russell, a leader of Hands Up United, Reuters said, of the planned protests. “But I do know that people were angry last night and they will be out this weekend. I don’t know what they are going to do.”
So far, 6,000 have registered on one of the organizing group’s website for the so-called “weekend of resistance” planned in and near Ferguson, Reuters reported. The rallies start Friday with a “justice now” march and will continue through to Monday with actions of “civil disobedience,” the media outlet reported.
Ferguson Mayor James Knowles said police are planning for massive crowds with attendees hailing as far away as Los Angeles.
“There are a lot of people coming into town,” he said, Reuters reported. “We are going to be prepared. There is intel out there that there are people wanting to do bad things. And people who want to cause a problem are going to use that [the shooting Wednesday] as a rallying cry.”
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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