Across the U.S., mostly peaceful Ferguson protesters take to the streets

Demonstrations continued for a second night Tuesday in Ferguson, Missouri, and cities across the country, with people gathering to protest a grand jury declining to indict Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of unarmed teen Michael Brown.

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A crowd of 200 stood outside the Ferguson Police Department headquarters, and many marched to City Hall. In that area, some protesters threw bricks into windows, and an empty police car had its windows smashed out and was set on fire, the Los Angeles Times reports. Early Wednesday, St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar announced during a news conference that 44 arrests had been made, and authorities had seized a Molotov cocktail at City Hall. Tuesday night's protest had been easier to handle than Monday's, he said, adding, "we saw some protesters who were out there for the right reasons."

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In Los Angeles, New York City, Washington, D.C., and Boston, hundreds marched in mostly peaceful demonstrations. Several protesters tried to block a highway in Boston, but were stopped by police, while thousands successfully shut down both sides of FDR Drive and an entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel in Manhattan. A car plowed into a crowd of protesters in Minneapolis, injuring at least one woman.

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For brief periods of time, the 101 freeway and southbound lanes of the 110 freeway in Los Angeles were closed after some protesters attempted to make their way onto the roads to stop traffic. Several participants who spoke with the Los Angeles Times said that they were adamant that the demonstrations remain peaceful. "I support the protest, I support the stand against police brutality and the institution of racism, but the antics of protesters are what de-legitimize the protest as a whole," Wilder Bunke of Hollywood said.