As a grand jury in St. Louis nears a decision on whether to indict a white police officer in the fatal shooting of a black teenager, activists are planning scores of protests across the nation, leading the FBI to warn of potential violence, says the New York Times. But with a few exceptions — most notably metropolitan St. Louis — law enforcement authorities appear to be greeting the prospect of demonstrations with equanimity.
From Detroit to Atlanta, officials said they expected little trouble or violence should the grand jury decide not to indict Darren Wilson, the Ferguson, Mo., police officer who shot Michael Brown, 18, after a dispute on Aug. 9. The exceptions are Oakland, Calif., where authorities have advised residents and businesses near downtown to protect their cars and reinforce their doors, and Pittsburgh, where a police official said his department was hoping for the best but girding “for the very, very worst.”