Thousands march in St. Louis to protest police violence against black Americans

A protester marches through the streets during a demonstration in Clayton, Missouri October 10, 2014 in the wake of the fatal shooting of a black teenager, 18-year-old Vonderrit Myers Jr., by an off-duty white St. Louis police officer working for a private security firm on October 8 in what police described as a firefight. Relatives of Myers said he did not have a gun, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. The incident follows the fatal shooting in Ferguson, Missouri in August 2014 of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown. [REUTERS/Jim Young]

Thousands of people have gathered in St. Louis, Missouri last night and today to condemn police violence. The weekend of demonstrations is in response to the August shooting of unarmed black teen Mike Brown by a white police officer in the Ferguson suburb. The officer remains free, and not charged with a crime. The victim remains dead.

1 OF 11. Protesters march with their hands raised at a rally in St. Louis, Missouri, October 11, 2014.
[Reuters]

Reuters, covering the march today:

After a 1/2-mile march through downtown, protesters gathered for a rally at Keiner Plaza organized in part by Hands Up Unite, an activist group that emerged after the Aug. 9 shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown in nearby Ferguson, Missouri. The weekend protests in the St. Louis area got off to a tense start on Friday night. But they began more peacefully than previous demonstrations in local communities since the Ferguson shooting, many of which have featured clashes with police.

Photos from last night and today by Reuters photogs follow, below.

A woman wipes away tears during a candlelight vigil in St. Louis, Missouri, October 9, 2014. A 32-year-old white St. Louis police officer fatally shot 18-year-old Vonderrit Myers Jr. after the officer, who was off duty working for a private security company, saw Myers and two friends running and pursued them, according to a statement issued by the St. Louis police department. [REUTERS/Jim Young]

A memorial set up for Michael Brown is seen in Ferguson, Missouri, October 10, 2014. Brown was killed by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. Brown was unarmed when he was shot at least six times, and outrage over his death has fuelled weeks of sometimes violent protests. [REUTERS/Jim Young]