*At the Old Courthouse Monday in downtown St. Louis, protesters hung from two balloons a banner that read, “Racism still lives here #fightback.”
Below the banner, police steadily rounded up protesters as a county official declared a state of emergency, saying violence had marred demonstrations marking the one-year anniversary of Michael Brown’s death. “The recent acts of violence will not be tolerated in a community that has worked so tirelessly over the last year to rebuild and become stronger,” St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger said in a statement.
Overnight unrest in Ferguson created “the potential for harm to persons and property, ” the statement said.
The executive order puts St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar in charge of police operations in Ferguson and the surrounding areas, Stenger said.
Stenger’s order came as roughly 200 demonstrators marched from Christ Church Cathedral to the Thomas F. Eagleton United States Courthouse in St. Louis, according to CNN. The protesters carried signs, chanted and prayed and demanded the Justice Department take action, according to CNN affiliate KTVI.Â
Dr. Cornel West and rev Sekou have been arrested. #2 pic.twitter.com/lGFgFMBQoP — St. Louis American (@StLouisAmerican) August 10, 2015
At the courthouse steps, clergy members encouraged the others to spread anointing oil — a symbolic effort to bring equal justice to people of all races.
Several protesters, including Princeton professor and civil rights activist Cornel West, then hopped a temporary gate, linked arms and sat outside the building’s entrance.
“This is what democracy looks like,” the protesters chanted. After about 20 minutes, officers showed up and began taking them into custody. Among those led away in handcuffs were West and activists DeRay Mckesson and Johnetta Elzie. Â
They arrested Netta. https://t.co/1pDong9qxF
— deray mckesson (@deray) August 10, 2015
We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!
