The memorial at the site of Michael Brown's shooting in Ferguson, Mo. Greg Bajema, right, said he made a side trip on his way from Dallas to Chicago to see it on Wednesday. 

The following post is from The New York Times. 

By: New York Times Staff

A grand jury decision is expected soon on whether to indict the police officer who shot an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Mo., last August, inciting days of sometimes violent protest and putting the St. Louis suburb at the center of a national debate over police and race.

All around the small suburb in recent weeks, people have been bracing for the decision, with the wide expectation that the police officer, Darren Wilson, would not face serious charges for shooting 18-year-old Michael Brown six times. Government officials have said that forensics tests give credence to Mr. Wilson’s account that at one point he was pinned in his vehicle and struggled over his gun with the young man.

But protesters against police tactics, who have continued to hold marches in Ferguson in the three months since the shooting, envisioned larger, more volatile demonstrations should Officer Wilson walk free.

Fearing renewed unrest, police in the region have bought new riot gear, called meetings with nearby departments, and held special training seminars. School leaders reviewed emergency plans and urged officials to announce the grand jury finding outside of school hours. A coalition of protest groups that formed in the aftermath of the shooting asked local officials for 48 hours’ notice before the announcement.

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