The Slatest

Protests in Ferguson Dwindle as More Than 150 Detained in California

A protester sits in theback of a Los Angles Police Departmet (LAPD) transport bus after being arrested at one intersection during a demonstration

Photo by David McNew/Getty Images

Ferguson welcomed Thanksgiving with a strange sense of calm as the streets were mostly empty Wednesday night and Thursday morning following two days of unrest. Cold weather and snow appeared to have pushed protesters to stay at home as only two arrests were made in the area overnight, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. After the huge protests of earlier in the week, only around 100 people, many of whom were media, gathered in Ferguson at around 8 p.m. Wednesday night. By midnight, only around 12 demonstrators and eight members of the media remained.

In California, however, it was a different story. Los Angeles police arrested at least 130 people Wednesday night after demonstrators ignored police orders to disperse, reports the Los Angeles Times. The police said a group of around 300 demonstrators had become unruly and were blocking traffic. Meanwhile, around 35 people were detained in Oakland as police took on more aggressive action against protesters who allegedly became disruptive and turned toward vandalism, causing damage to local businesses and private property for the third straight night, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. It wasn’t all violent in California though as around 300 protesters marched peacefully in San Diego, according to Reuters. “Ferguson, we’ve got your back,” they chanted.