23 Aug 2014

National Guard troops leave Ferguson

4:59 pm on 23 August 2014

Protests in Ferguson, Missouri, were muted for a third straight evening as US National Guard troops begin withdrawing from the St Louis suburb racked by nearly two weeks of racial turmoil.

Demonstrators protest the death of Michael Brown on 21 August 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri.

Demonstrators protest the death of Michael Brown on 21 August 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. Photo: AFP

It was sparked by a white police officer shoooting an unarmed black teenager to death.

Reuters reports that dozens of protesters marched along a street near the site of the 9 August slaying of 18-year-old Michael Brown, chanting "hands up, don't shoot".

The acting police commander, a black highway patrol captain placed in charge last week, ventured out to greet demonstrators.

Clergy volunteers wearing bright orange shirts mingled with the marchers to help keep the crowd calm.

Meanwhile, a police officer has been suspended after he voiced his contempt via Facebook for the protesters, saying they should have been put down like a rabid dog the first night.

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