Demonstrations nationwide planned following grand jury announcement

PBS Newshour will live stream events from Ferguson following the announcement of the grand jury decision.

Protesters spread word of coordinated demonstrations nationwide on social media in anticipation of today’s grand jury’s announcement over whether or not to indict police officer Darren Wilson for shooting to death 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.

From Boston to Portland, Oregon, social media users in more than 120 cities across the United States and in Canada are taking to Twitter and Tumblr with details on marches and prayer vigils. Some of the instructions even suggest how to dress for cold weather. A handful of demonstrations are expected to begin as soon as the grand jury’s decision is announced. Many more are scheduled to begin simultaneously at 7 p.m. EST Tuesday.

Protests are expected around the country after the announcement from the St. Louis County prosecutor’s office on the grand jury’s decision involving police officer Darren Wilson.

Some of the demonstrations are linked to the Ferguson National Response Network, which encouraged protesters to observe four minutes and 30 seconds of silence immediately following the grand jury’s announcement.

Protesters in Knoxville, Tennessee, are planning to wear black and to march. While protesters in Philadelphia were told to prepare for a”vigil of prayer and witness.”

While social media users shared news about the protests with their networks on Monday, law enforcement in Los Angeles issued a “citywide tactical alert,” according to local media reports. In Baltimore, police would not elaborate on how they were preparing for protests, but they did say that the “goal is to allow demonstrators to fully exercise rights,” Baltimore Sun crime reporter Justin George tweeted Monday.