Protests resume after 120 arrests in St. Louis unrest

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Protesters chanting "free our people" gathered outside the jail in downtown St. Louis on Monday night to show solidarity with those who remain behind bars.

Police said that more than 120 people were arrested during Sunday's protests. Demonstrators outside the jail criticized authorities for keeping some of those arrested in jail nearly 24 hours after they were taken into custody. One organizer said over a megaphone that the protesters were prepared to "occupy" the facility.

Monday was the fourth day of protests over the acquittal of a white former police officer in the killing of a black suspect. In the morning, a racially mixed crowd of demonstrators marched through downtown.

The latest action follows three days of peaceful protests and three nights of van- dalism and unrest in the city that's been rocked since Friday, when a judge announced he found Jason Stockley not guilty in the 2011 death of Anthony Lamar Smith.

Smith's mother, Anne Smith, was among those gathered outside the downtown jail on Monday.

Hundreds of riot police mobilized downtown late Sunday, arresting more than 120 people and seizing weapons amid reports of property damage and vandalism. The arrests came after demonstrators ignored orders to disperse, police said.

"I'm proud to tell you the city of St. Louis is safe and the police owned tonight," Interim Police Chief Lawrence O'Toole said at a news conference early Monday.

Protesters marched through St. Louis' posh Central West End and the trendy Delmar Loop area of nearby University City on Friday and Saturday.

Protesters also marched through two shopping malls in a wealthy area of St. Louis County.

On Sunday, more than 1,000 people had gathered at police headquarters and then marched without trouble through downtown St. Louis. By nightfall, most had gone home.

But the 100 or so people who remained grew increasingly agitated as they marched back toward downtown. Along the way, they knocked over planters, broke windows at a few shops and hotels, and scattered plastic chairs at an outdoor venue.

According to police, the demonstrators then sprayed bottles with an unknown substance on officers.