Ferguson protests reach California

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The fallout from Ferguson, Missouri reached California overnight as angry but mostly peaceful demonstrators took to the streets of L.A. to protest the grand jury’s decision. But while protestors set fires to police cars and damaged businesses in Ferguson, none of that was evident here in L.A.

A group of protestors marched from Leimert Park to downtown after the announcement. They were accompanied by a heavy contingent of police officers and firefighters who tried to clear the way. All the while, LAPD helicopters were buzzing overhead.

At one point, a small group of people tried to enter the 10 Freeway at La Brea, but they were halted by police. Later, protestors did manage to walk onto the 110 Freeway downtown, shutting it down in both directions. Three people were arrested and it took police about an hour to clear the roadway.

Early this morning, police in riot gear fired foam projectiles into the ground to clear several dozen protestors who had gathered on Pico Boulevard downtown.

President of the Compton Branch of the NAACP, Paulette Simpson-Gipson says that for many African Americans, the decision had a painfully familiar ring, saying that after anticipating a verdict or a decision, it always “comes the down the opposite of what we think. Sort of like the Rodney King case, the Trayvon Martin case,” Simpson-Gipson says. “It’s going to be a continual let down of the justice system.”

Another local protest is planned for 3 p.m. this afternoon at Crenshaw and Martin Luther King Jr. boulevards.

Below, views of Ferguson:

This post was updated at 9:27 a.m.