After a 1/2-mile march through downtown, protesters gathered for a rally at Keiner Plaza organized in part by Hands Up Unite, an activist group that emerged after the Aug. 9 shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown in nearby Ferguson, Missouri.
The weekend protests in the St. Louis area got off to a tense start on Friday night. But they began more peacefully than previous demonstrations in local communities since the Ferguson shooting, many of which have featured clashes with police.
As of early Saturday, police said there had been no arrests, injuries or damage from the night's protests.
Civil rights organizations and protest groups have invited people from around the country to join vigils and marches from Friday to Monday.
On Saturday, the rally was joined by union members, gay rights activists, people from the Occupy movement and even supporters of the Palestine cause carrying placards reading "#Palestine2Ferguson."
Discussions about race and teach-ins about how to interact with police officers will follow the rally.
The demonstrations began on Friday afternoon with hundreds marching through the rain to the St. Louis County courthouse in Clayton, adjacent to St. Louis. Protesters have called for the arrest and prosecution of Darren Wilson, the Ferguson police officer who shot the unarmed Brown. A grand jury is considering evidence in the case and will decide on any charges.
Some 300 people later assembled outside the nearby Ferguson Police Department, chanting phrases like "Who are we? Mike Brown!" and "Indict. Convict. Send those killer cops to jail. The whole damn system is guilty as hell!" just inches away from dozens of officers clad in riot gear.
Into early Saturday morning, many protesters moved to the St. Louis neighborhood of Shaw. There, on Wednesday, 18-year-old Vonderrit Myers Jr. was shot dead by an off-duty white officer working for a private security firm in what police described as a firefight.
Ferguson Mayor James Knowles said law enforcement authorities in the area are planning for large crowds and possible violence, particularly given the killing of Myers. Police arrested eight people during chaotic protests on Thursday night, the day after the killing.
