Weekend Of Resistance: Ferguson, St. Louis Protesters Gear Up For New Protests, Here’s What To Expect

Two months after the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown, Clayton and St. Louis residents are gearing up for another wave of protests called the “Weekend of Resistance.” Protest organizers say they will demand the resignation of the local prosecutor who they claim cannot fairly investigate Brown’s case because he favors Ferguson law enforcement. Brown was shot and killed in Ferguson, Missouri, on Aug. 9 by police officer Darren Wilson.

The protests will begin Friday and end Monday, according to protest organizers. A schedule of events for the “Weekend of Resistance” includes movie screenings, panel discussions, a candlelight march and a rally. Events will take place in and around St. Louis, including in the suburbs of Ferguson and Clayton. The office of St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch, who will determine if charges will be filed against Wilson, is in Clayton, about eight miles south of Ferguson.

Brown's death incited clashes with law enforcement over what protesters said was a pattern of police aggression toward black residents that lasted for several weeks. Brown’s shooting catapulted the previously little-known suburb of Ferguson into the national spotlight and sparked discussions about race and authority in America. The backlash against the Ferguson police, whose force is almost entirely white, was swift and intense. Protesters underscored what they said was a history of racial discord in the country, typified by the shooting of Brown.

The “Weekend of Resistance” is expected to attract several thousand participants from around the country. Some protesters as far away as Knoxville, Tennessee, took to Twitter to say they were on their way to the protests.

“The mobilization this weekend is our attempt to connect justice for Michael Brown with a budding national movement against police violence across the country,” Mervyn Marcano, a spokesman for Ferguson October, which organized hundreds of local and national groups for the weekend, told MSNBC. “We are hopeful that people will come here and be energized by the movement in Ferguson and take that work back into their cities across the country.”

The protests follow another shooting of a young black teenager in St. Louis this week. An unidentified off-duty officer shot and killed 18-year-old Vonderrick Myers Jr., who, unlike Brown, was armed. The shooting prompted two nights of protests in the streets of St. Louis that included several flag burnings.

On Friday, activists will erect a Day of the Dead altar, a Mexican tradition usually held on Halloween, to memorialize Brown. The altar includes candles, flowers and photos, according to CNN. Saturday will see a march through downtown St. Louis and a rally. More events are planned for Sunday, organizers have said.