Militarized US police face-off with Ferguson protesters

Demonstrators in Ferguson, Missouri, gathered on Saturday night to mark two weeks since white police officer Darren Wilson shot and killed Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, Reuters reports.

No arrests were made overnight, making it a third, relatively quiet night in a row for the turbulent St. Louis suburb.

Supporters of the police officer held a separate rally in Ferguson, saying the shooting was justified.

Hundreds of people marched through downtown Washington to protest the murder of the African-American teenager, Michael Brown, by the white police officer, Darren Wilson, in Ferguson, Missouri earlier this month.

People carried signs and chanted: “Justice for Mike Brown,”“I am Mike Brown.”

A Black-led protest is shutting down a major intersection in DC and it's awesome. #DCFerguson#Ferguson#MikeBrownpic.twitter.com/FCKlB9egAa

— sam r jewler (@LuddoftheFuture) August 24, 2014

US President Barack Obama reportedly ordered a Ferguson-inspired probe into into police use of military gear against Americans.

The probe will focus on whether the police should be receiving this kind of gear in the first place, on how it is currently being used, and whether the officers are being properly trained for it, according to senior administration and law enforcement officials quoted by the New York Times.

Thousands of people gathered on New York’s Staten Island on Saturday as they protested against police violence and called for justice in the case of an unarmed man Eric Garner killed by an officer via an illegal chokehold.

In addition to Garner’s death, protesters and speakers honored the lives of others who have been killed by law enforcement, including Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.

Organized by Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network advocacy group, the #WeWillNotGoBack march attracted close to 3,000 people from across New York City and New Jersey, according to initial estimates by the police.

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has ordered the United States National Guard to withdraw from Ferguson, citing "fewer incidents of outside instigators interfering with peaceful protestors, and fewer acts of violence,” according to ABC News correspondent Steven Portnoy.

.@GovJayNixon tells National Guard today to withdraw from #Fergusonpic.twitter.com/uVNAN5Zpaj

— Bill Raack (@billraack) August 21, 2014

US Attorney General Eric Holder met with the family of slain teenager Michael Brown upon arriving in Ferguson, Missouri on Wednesday.

Holder was reportedly briefed by federal prosecutors regarding the civil rights investigation now ongoing into the death of the unarmed black teen slain by a white police officer.

The Attorney General also met with local community leaders and elected officials, and took time to commend Captain Ron Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol for his efforts leading the security situation in the St. Louis suburb.Another photo of Holder, courtesy of DOJ #Fergusonpic.twitter.com/947uuWpaqw

— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) August 20, 2014

A police officer who quickly gained notoriety after he brandished a gun at several individuals recording demonstrators has been removed from his post by the St. Louis County Police.

The officer in question had threateningly brandished a semi-automatic rifle at bystanders. A person who had been live-streaming the scene, going by the name of 'Rebelutionary Z' can be heard in clips shared via social media telling the officer that his “hands are up,” to which the officer responds “I will f-ing kill you -- get back! get back!”

The officer became widely known via Twitter when he was asked for his name and responded “Go f-ck yourself.”

Jelani Cobb, a contributor to the New Yorker, tweeted that Pastor Tomme Pierson confirmed that police entered a church in Ferguson on Wednesday afternoon, but was uncertain if any items were removed as suggested on social media.

One eyewitness reportedly told the media that police were concerned that the church was being used to house demonstrators illegally. According to Cobb, church leadership denies that protesters have been sleeping there.

Law enforcement has reportedly raided a church in Ferguson, MO on Wednesday afternoon that was being used as a safe house for demonstrators who have descended on the city during the last week to protest the killing of Michael Brown.

Breaking now: #ferguson St. marks Missionary Church - home of medical triage and healing for community currently being raided by police.

— justified agitator (@Awkward_Duck) August 20, 2014

The police are raiding St. Marks Church in #Ferguson and taking all of the supplies like water & more. This place is a beautiful safe haven.

— Shaun King (@ShaunKing) August 20, 2014

A record 78 arrests have been made overnight in Ferguson, KSDK reported, including four residents of the neighborhood and 48 residents of the St. Louis area. All except three people were arrested for failure to disperse at police order. Two were arrested for unlawful use of a weapon, while another one for interfering with an officer.