MOSCOW, November 19 (Sputnik) – Ferguson police should allow peaceful protesters to exercise their constitutional rights ahead of a grand jury decision over the killing of an African-American teen by a white police officer, Human Rights Watch said Wednesday.
"Respect for protesters' rights should be at the heart of an effective law enforcement response to any demonstrations in Ferguson," criminal justice researcher for HRW's US program Alba Morales was quoted on the watchdog's official website.
"Far from improving public security, disproportionate responses to protests only fuel anger and resentment, while endangering protesters and bystanders," Morales stressed.
On August 9, 18-year-old African-American Michael Brown was shot dead by Darren Wilson, a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri triggering heated racial protests and violent clashes between protesters and police officers.
According to HRW, police used "unnecessary and disproportionate force" to quell protesters following the deadly August 9 shooting.
On Monday, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon declared a 30-day state of emergency ahead of possible unrest if the grand jury decides against indicting Wilson later this week. Expecting protests to break out in the black-majority town with a white-majority police force, the victim's family urged the public and police to refrain from violence.
