Thousands demonstrate against US police killings

Thousands of American demonstrators took the streets in Washington and New York to protest against the recent grand jury decisions regarding the deaths of unarmed black men at the hands of police officers.

Organisers said that Saturday's marches would rank among the largest in the recent wave of protests against killings that have brought the treatment of minorities by police onto the national agenda.

Decisions by grand juries to not indict the police officers involved in the deaths of Michael Brown in Missouri and Eric Garner in New York have sparked weeks of protests in major cities across the country and hurled tensions over racial injustice and police brutality into the national spotlight.

The demonstrations were dubbed a “day of resistance”, against what protesters believe is rampant police brutality against people of color, especially young black men.

More than 20 people were arrested in Boston on Saturday, as hundreds gathered around the Massachusetts state capitol amid a heavy police presence. Largely peaceful protests took place in Chicago and Oakland.

Al Sharpton, a leading civil rights activist, called for "legislative action that will shift things both on the books and in the streets".

Sharpton, whose National Action Network organised the Washington rally, urged the US Congress to pass legislation that would allow federal prosecutors to take over cases involving police.

He said local district attorneys often work with police regularly, raising the potential of conflicts of interest when prosecutors investigate incidents, he said.

Families of Eric Garner and Akai Gurley, who were killed by New York police; Trayvon Martin, slain by a Florida neighbourhood watchman in 2012; and Michael Brown, killed by an officer in Ferguson attended the protest.

Politicians have talked of the need for better police training, body cameras and changes in the grand jury process to restore faith in the legal system.