US forces arrest 35 during anti-police brutality demo

State troopers and police forces in a nearby St. Louis suburb have arrested 35 demonstrators who were protesting against the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old unarmed African American by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri in August.

Earlier reports put the numbers of those arrested at 20.

Police said some 150 demonstrators gathered on Wednesday near Interstate 70 in a nearby St. Louis suburb and wanted to shut down the highway.

St. Louis County Police spokesman Brian Schellman said despite some protesters throwing glass bottles and rocks at police forces the demonstration was generally peaceful.

Police officials said most of the arrests were made due to protesters’ unlawful assembly.

The organizers described the demonstration as an act of non violent civil disobedience aimed at protesting the killing of Michael Brown by Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson on August 9.

Protesters are also angry about police’s refusal to arrest the officer who killed Brown and government’s security crackdown on peaceful protests.

The protesters who had gathered in an area not far from where Michael Brown was shot to death shouted: “No justice, no peace!” and “Hands up! Don’t shoot!”

“Our problem ain’t in Afghanistan, it’s right here with these racist police officers, that’s where our problem is. Our problem ain’t in no other country. Our black folk problem is right here in America with these racist white folks,” said one of the protesters.