Peaceful protests were held on the streets of Ferguson in Missouri in the United States on Thursday evening.<br /><br />Just a handful of arrests have been made over the past two nights.<br /><br />There had previously been days of protests and unrest after an unarmed black teenager was shot dead by a white policeman.<br /><br />Local people, including members of the clergy, walked in laps around the spot where Michael Brown was killed on August 9.<br /><br />The state governor who had controversially brought in the National Guard – a military force – to control protests ordered them to start withdrawing on Friday.<br /><br />Captain Ron Johnson from the Missouri state highway patrol said:“The Governor said that there is going to be a decrease in the size of the National Guard. We should start seeing that tomorrow (Friday.) We will actually look at the operational plan and like I said every night we will make adjustments, to make this community safe and also give this community back to the citizens of Ferguson.”<br /><br />The US attorney general, Eric Holder, warned that the shooting had brought up old racial tensions.<br /><br />“In my conversations with dozens of people in Ferguson yesterday, it was clear that this shooting incident has brought to the surface underlying tensions that have existed for many years. There is a history to these tensions and that history simmers in more communities than just Ferguson,” Holder said.<br /><br />A private autopsy showed that the 18-year-old had been shot at least six times.<br /><br />Darren Wilson, the officer who killed Michael Brown has been suspended with pay. The Justice Department says it will conduct a “thorough and fair” investigation.<br /><br />A funeral for Michael Brown will be held on Monday.
