Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


          More Protests in US Against Use of Excessive Force by Police

   by VOA News

   Protesters plan a fifth day of demonstrations on Sunday in New York
   over police use of excessive force with minorities.

   Protests were planned again in New York, as well as in Chicago,
   Philadelphia, Miami, Minneapolis and dozens of other cities.

   Thousands of demonstrators have protested peacefully in New York and
   elsewhere since the announcement Wednesday that a grand jury would not
   indict a white officer in the chokehold death of an unarmed black man.

   In contrast to the relatively calm protests in New York City,
   demonstrations turned violent on the West Coast. In Berkeley,
   California, police arrested 13 people after several stores were looted,
   and in Seattle, police arrested seven people.

   Thrown objects, tear gas

   Berkley police Officer Jennifer Coats said trouble started when a
   splinter group broke off from a main demonstration.

   Police, pelted by objects thrown by protesters, fired tear gas in
   response, Coats said. One officer was hit by a sandbag and suffered a
   dislocated shoulder, and several police vehicles were damaged, she told
   Reuters on Sunday.

   By early Sunday, at least six people had been arrested, Coats said.

   In Seattle, officials said protesters threw rocks and attacked police
   who blocked them from marching onto State Route 99, resulting in seven
   arrests for assault and other charges.

   On Saturday, several dozen people held a "die in" on the floor of Grand
   Central Terminal and marched into stores in Times Square in New York
   City. There were no reports of arrests.

   Mourners held a funeral on Saturday for an unarmed black man shot dead
   by a white police officer in the stairwell of a Brooklyn apartment
   house a month ago.

   Protests have also been held in the past week in Philadelphia, Chicago,
   Miami, Las Vegas and a number of other cities.

   The Rev. Al Sharpton said a  march is planned in Washington, D.C., next
   Saturday, according to The Associated Press.

   Protesters outraged

   The shooting death of Akai Gurley, 28, at a Brooklyn public housing
   project was the latest in a series of incidents fueling outrage over
   what protesters say is a pattern of excessive force being used by law
   enforcement officers against African-Americans.

   The killings and decisions by grand juries to return no indictments
   against officers involved in them have rekindled a national debate over
   race relations in the United States.

   The district attorney in the New York City borough of Brooklyn said on
   Friday a grand jury would consider charges against Peter Liang, the
   officer who shot Gurley. Police have said Liang may have accidentally
   discharged his gun.

   Demonstrations began on Wednesday after a grand jury decided to bring
   no charges against Daniel Pantaleo, a New York City police officer, in
   the July death of Eric Garner, a 43-year-old father of six.

   That decision was announced nine days after a Missouri grand jury chose
   not to indict a white policeman for the shooting dead in August of an
   unarmed black teenager, spurring two nights of violence and arson in a
   St. Louis suburb.

   Material for this report came from Reuters and AP.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/protests-continue-against-use-of-exce
   ssive-force-by-police/2549367.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/protests-continue-against-use-of-excessive-force-by-police/2549367.html