16 arrested as Ferguson protesters lash out

As many as 16 protesters were arrested in Ferguson, Mo., on Friday as local tensions remain high following a grand jury’s recent decision not to indict the officer who fatally shot Michael Brown.

Protesters forced several local businesses and up to three large malls in St. Louis to close their doors on Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, two of the busiest shopping days of the year. 

At the Galleria mall, a few miles south of Ferguson, around 200 protesters laid onto the floor while chanting, “Stop shopping and join the movement,” prompting authorities to close the mall for an hour.

Similar demonstrations broke out at two other nearby shopping centers, leading to more than a dozen arrests in total.

The individuals face charges that include peace disturbance and impeding the flow of traffic, a spokesman for the Missouri Department of Public Safety said, and two would be charged with resisting arrest and another with assault.

The arrests were the latest development following Monday night’s announcement that officer Darren Wilson, who is white, wouldn’t be indicted for shooting Brown, an unarmed black teenager, in August.

The announcement sparked violent protests around the country and led to dozens of arrests.

 More protests were held in Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Oakland.

 In Chicago, around 200 people held a protest near the city’s tourist-heavy Magnificent Mile shopping area.

“We want them to think twice before spending that dollar today,” said Kristiana Colon, a member of the Let Us Breathe Collective, which has delivered supplies like gas masks to Ferguson protesters. “As long as black lives are put second to materialism, there will be no peace.”

On Friday Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon announced he would call a special session of the state legislature to seek additional funding for public safety efforts related to the ongoing protests.

The increased presence by the State Highway Patrol and the Missouri National Guard has put the state on pace to exceed the funds it put aside for emergency duties, his office said in a press release.

This story was posted at 9:45 am and updated at 2:43 p.m.