WASHINGTON: More troops were sent to the US Midwest on Tuesday after angry protesters ignored President Barack Obama’s appeal for calm and attacked businesses and properties during riots that had erupted overnight after a grand jury in the town of Ferguson determined that officer Darren Wilson, who shot and killed black teenager Michael Brown in August, should face no charges.

The jury had nine white and three black members. It was a majority decision.

The decision sparked protests across the country, including rallies and rioting in Ferguson.

“First and foremost, we are a nation built on the rule of law. And so we need to accept that this decision was the grand jury’s to make,” said President Obama soon after the verdict was announced.

“There are Americans who agree with it, and there are Americans who are deeply disappointed, even angry. But I join Michael’s parents in asking anyone who protests this decision to do so peacefully.”

Mr Obama also appealed to the law enforcement officials in Ferguson and the region to “show care and restraint in managing peaceful protests that may occur”.

Protesters ignored his appeal as violent protests were also reported on Tuesday from cities across the country.

More than two dozen buildings set ablaze, at least 61 people arrested

And Benjamin Crump, a lawyer representing Michael Brown’s family, explained why people were finding it difficult to accept the decision.

“We saw how completely unfair this process was,” Mr Crump said. “We object as publicly and loudly as we can on behalf of Michael Brown Junior’s family that this process is broken. The process should be indicted.”

In Ferguson, Missouri, fires still burned on Tuesday after a night of rioting and clashes with police that left dozens of people injured.

Protesters set police vehicles on fire, smashed windows and looted stores while police responded by firing nonlethal munitions and tear gas at crowds. By morning, more than two-dozen buildings had been set ablaze.

A Missouri newspaper, St Louis Post-Dispatch, reported that police had arrested at least 61 people on charges ranging from burglary and trespassing to receiving stolen property. Area hospitals reported a total of 23 injuries, including two gunshot victims.

The teenager’s death in an unprovoked police shooting became a national flashpoint on race relations in America. Weeks of protests followed the shooting that often turned violent.

And when the jury decided not to indict the officer, fresh questions were raised about the efficacy of the US justice system.

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon activated the National Guard ahead of the decision and early on Tuesday ordered that additional troops be deployed in Ferguson. The number of troops wasn’t provided.

St Louis County police chief Jon Belmar said most of the protests were violent and the situation had “spun out of control,” forcing the governor to call in the troops.

NBC News reported that the jury’s decision “touched off a spasm of public fury” unlike anything the city had ever experienced.

At least 150 gunshots were fired, businesses were ravaged, and police cars were vandalised. Demonstrators hurled bottles and batteries at police. Buildings burned out of control, the report added.

For a time, authorities directed airplanes away from the airport at St Louis, the area’s largest city, and cleared the sky over Ferguson.

Police chief Belmar said at least 10,000 personnel were needed to restore peace to this city of 21,000, mostly peaceful people.

Excerpts from officer Wilson’s testimony before the jury added to the fury of the protesters.

In his testimony, the officer portrayed the unarmed African-American teenager as “a demon”.

“When I grabbed him, the only way I can describe it is I felt like a five-year-old holding onto Hulk Hogan... that’s just how big he felt and how small I felt just from grasping his arm,” he testified. Officer Wilson is six feet, four inches tall, and weighs 210 pounds.

Published in Dawn, November 26th, 2014