Protesters Torch Ferguson Businesses
Smoke billowed from burned-out buildings and sidewalks were strewn with broken glass Tuesday morning after Ferguson erupted over a grand jury’s decision not to indict a white police officer in the killing of unarmed black 18-year-old Michael Brown. Firefighters were dousing the blackened remains of some businesses and at least one was still ablaze. Some Ferguson stores that weren’t burned had smashed display windows, but the streets of the St. Louis suburb were mostly clear. Monday night’s protests were far more destructive than any of those that followed Brown’s Aug. 9 death, with more than a dozen businesses badly damaged or destroyed. Authorities reported hearing hundreds of gunshots, which for a time prevented fire crews from fighting the flames/Associated Press. More here. (AP photo: Protesters take their pictures in front of the burning Juanita's Fashion R Boutique in St. Louis, Mo. early Tuesday)