WASHINGTON
More than 1,000 people gathered Monday night in front of the White House to protest a Missouri grand jury's decision not to prosecute a white police officer for fatally shooting an unarmed black teenager in the city of Ferguson.
Holding up signs reading "No justice, no peace" and "Black lives matter," the protesters walked towards the Congress buildings, watched by Washington police.
U.S. President Barack Obama urged Americans to keep their protests peaceful, in keeping with the wishes of the family of Michael Brown, the slain teenager.
"Michael Brown's parents have lost more than anyone," Obama said. "We should be honoring their wishes."
A Missouri grand jury declined Monday to indict white police officer Darren Wilson for fatally shooting Brown in August.
The crowd in front of the White House, the presidential residence and office building, was made up mostly of teenagers. They said the protests would continue.
"This is not moment, but a movement," some said.
Brown's family issued a statement urging that protests not turn violent or destructive.
"While we understand that many others share our pain, we ask that you channel your frustration in ways that will make a positive change," the statement said. "We need to work together to fix the system that allowed this to happen."
In advance of the grand jury decision, shopkeepers around the country, fearing violence, boarded up their stores. Protesters arranged passive resistance classes.
An Anadolu Agency correspondent reported from Ferguson that police used large amounts of tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters.
However, the St. Louis County Police Department denied that. "Police are not deploying tear gas. They are using #smoke to break up unruly crowds," the department tweeted.
Saint Louis County includes various towns and cities, including Ferguson -- but not the city of St. Louis, which is an independent municipality.
Television footage showed fires raging as some area businesses were looted.
On Nov. 12, Michael Brown's parents went to Geneva to testify before the UN Committee against Torture as part of its first review on the U.S.'s implementation of the UN Convention against Torture under the Obama administration.
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