NEW YORK—The St. Louis, Mo., grand jury’s decision on the policeman who shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown was scheduled to be released at 9 p.m. Monday, Eastern time, according to official sources.
About 250 people gathered in Union Square Monday night to protest police involvement in the deaths of Brown, Eric Garner who died after an officer put him in a choke hold in Staten Island, and unarmed Akai Gurley who was recently shot in a stairwell in Brooklyn. The protest was timed to coincide with the decision announcement.
Rev. Al Sharpton was poised to give a statement at 9:15 p.m., in Harlem following the release of the decision.
Many of those at the protest were young, recent college graduates. Some were even younger.
“We’re all young here!” exclaimed Kierra Branker, 19, laughing.
The atmosphere was full of energy, but not belligerent.
(NYC) Protest at Union Square awaiting the Grand Jury decision. #NYC2Ferguson #BlackLivesMatter #MikeBrown pic.twitter.com/V51MuZ592G
— Krystle Star (@krystle_star) November 25, 2014
Branker and her friend Taylor Wilson, 17, attended the rally upon receiving invitations from two student groups at The New School; Students of the African Diaspora and Feminist Collective.
“I didn’t know about this rally until this morning, but I came to say that I’m not going to take it. I’m not going to accept you killing my people like this,” said Wilson.
Branker said, “I’m tired of this. It makes me mad, so I came here to show support as myself.”
More than a dozen police watched as protesters, cordoned off by metal barriers, shouted slogans and huddled in an enormous circle, as one person beat a drum.
Crowd at Union Square, NYC chants: “turn up, don’t turn it down. We do this for Mike Brown” #Ferguson #GrandJuryDecision
— Annie Wu (@annieeenyc) November 25, 2014
