United States: Violent protests in Saint Louis Sep. 15-18 /update 1

Event

Violent protests continued for a third consecutive day in Saint Louis, Missouri, on Sunday, September 17. In all three cases the protests began peacefully before turning violent after nightfall. Sunday’s protest, the largest of the weekend with more than 1000 participants according to media reports, took place in front of the Saint Louis police headquarters and was broken up, again, by riot police after the gathering turned violent.

Some property damage has been reported, at least 80 have been arrested, and at least ten police officers have reportedly been injured since Friday. Further demonstrations with the potential to turn violent are possible in the coming days in Saint Louis and in other American cities. 

Context

The protests are being held to denounce the acquittal of a police officer involved in the fatal shooting of a black man in 2011. The white officer was found not guilty of first-degree murder in the death, which occurred during a traffic stop. The Saint Louis area, notably the suburb of Ferguson, was rocked by major unrest in 2014 following the police killing of a black teenager, Michael Brown.

Advice

Individuals in Saint Louis, and the US more generally, are advised to monitor the situation and avoid all protests as a precaution.