By Mustafa Caglayan
NEW YORK
Amnesty International urged U.S. law enforcement to protect the rights of peacefully protesters of Monday's grand jury decision not to indict a white police officer for fatally shooting an unarmed black teen.
"Following today’s announcement, there cannot be a repeat of the abuses that occurred in the policing of protests in August and the current state of emergency must not be used to violate human rights by any level of law enforcement," the human rights group’s U.S. executive director Steven W. Hawkins said in a written statement issued immediately after the grand jury's decision.
He said the actions of law enforcement in the next couple of days would be a test to instill trust within the community.
The Missouri grand jury ruled that police officer Darren Wilson would not face charges for fatally shooting 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, a decision that sparked fears of violent confrontations in the city between protesters and police.
Police in riot gear fired tear gas at protesters to disperse the crowds that assembled outside the Ferguson Police Department, according to an Anadolu Agency reporter at the scene. Television footage also captured images of police using smoke bombs.
In a report issued Oct. 24, Amnesty said police in Ferguson committed human rights abuses while handling the protests in the wake of Brown’s death on Aug. 9.
“The U.S. government must do much more to address systemic racial discrimination and ensure policing practices nationwide are brought into line with international human rights standards,” the report said.
The St. Louis area had been preparing for the grand jury’s announcement since last week, amid fears that the clashes previously seen on the streets of Ferguson could return should the jurors fail to issue an indictment against Wilson.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri also released a statement, reaffirming its commitment to fight for racial justice.
"The grand jury’s decision does not negate the fact that Michael Brown’s tragic death is part of an alarming national trend of officers using excessive force against people of color, often during routine encounters," according to a statement by Jeffrey Mittman, executive director of the civil rights group's Missouri branch.
"We must end the prevailing policing paradigm where police departments are more like occupying forces, imposing their will to control communities," the statement added.
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