By Mustafa Caglayan in NY & Michael Hernandez in DC
NEW YORK
Authorities braced for more unrest through Wednesday morning, with thousands of demonstrators protesting a controversial grand jury decision not to indict a white police officer for killing an unarmed black teen in Ferguson, Missouri.
The St. Louis County suburb is again the epicenter of a nationwide protest amid fears that Monday night's chaos and violent clashes could erupt anew.
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon ordered additional National Guard troops to the region to quell protests, as part of precautions.
"Altogether, there will be more than 2,200 National guardsmen in the region," Nixon said.
Hundreds of protesters poured into the streets of Ferguson after a St. Louis County grand jury failed to bring charges against police officer Darren Wilson for fatally shooting unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown. Area businesses were looted, as well as cars and buildings set on fire and dozens of arrests.
Police in riot gear used huge amounts tear gas to disperse the protesters, according to reporters.
Other American cities, including New York, Washington, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia have also seen protests attended by thousands of demonstrators.
In New York City, several hundred protesters gathered Tuesday at Union Square and marched to the Lincoln Tunnel that connects midtown Manhattan to New Jersey.
They attempted to shut down the entrance to the tunnel during evening rush hour, but police blocked their efforts, an Anadolu Agency correspondent reported from the scene. Another group staged a sit-in on 11th Ave., briefly blocking the tunnel entrance at West 40th Street.
Protesters later marched to Times Square, where they tried to block 7th Ave. traffic. Police resorted to tear gas to stop some demonstrators with several arrests reported during the largely peaceful march.
In Washington, thousands of protesters rallied at Mt. Vernon Square before making their way through city streets and eventually assembling before the National Portrait Gallery. Along the way they briefly halted traffic at major intersections, but quickly returned to marching.
Prior to the beginning of the march, Chris Egbo said he was planning to march Tuesday night.
"I see what's going on in the country, and around the nation, to young men who look like me - even if I wasn't black it would be irresponsible for me not to show solidarity and voice my concern." He added that though the grand jury's decision was "unjust," it was "not unexpected."
Once marchers reached the gallery's stairs, protesters echoed past refrains of "Hands up, don't shoot," and held a brief rally. A small group in the crowd burned the American flag, while others held the flag upside down in the internationally recognized sign of distress.
Janessa Robinson, one of those involved in the flag burning, said "this is about the way America treats us."
"My people did not come to this country freely. My people didn't ask to be represented in that flag. And when we were brought here we were not citizens," she said. "And when we were granted citizenship it was three-fifths of a man," she said in reference to a now defunct law that counted slaves as three-fifths of a white citizen in order to maximize political influence.
A small group of protesters marched on to the White House after the larger group disbanded and there were no significant clashes with police during the Washington marches.
Also on Tuesday, Officer Wilson appeared in a television interview to defend shooting Brown.
In his first TV interview since the fatal shooting on Aug. 9, Wilson said he shot Brown because he perceived him as threat to his life.
“The reason I have a clean conscience is I know that I did my job right," he told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos.
When asked if he would have done the same thing if Brown were white, the officer answered "Yes."
President Barack Obama said Tuesday that there was "no excuse" for "burning buildings, torching cars, destroying property,”
"I do not have any sympathy for that. I have no sympathy at all for destroying your own communities,” he said. “But for the overwhelming majority of people who just feel frustrated and pain, because they get a sense that maybe some communities aren’t treated fairly or some individuals aren’t seen as worthy as others, I understand that," he added.
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