As Ferguson braces for the grand jury's decision on whether to indict Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson with criminal charges related to the shooting death of Michael Brown--and the protests expected to follow--Mashable has chronicled several previous instances of unarmed black men killed or injured by police figures.
The video above shows the 1992 Rodney King beatings and subsequent riots in Los Angeles, along with the 2006 and 2009 killings of Sean Bell in New York the night before his wedding and Oscar Grant at Fruitvale Station Oakland. Trayvon Martin's death in Florida at the hands of neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman is also highlighted.
In all these cases, the white men responsible for the shootings were acquitted or served minimal time behind bars, spurring both peaceful and violent protests. The Los Angeles riots caused more than $1 billion in damage, and in 2006 in New York, protestors chanted "We are all Sean Bell! N.Y.P.D. go to hell!"
Officials fear further rioting if the grand jury does not indict Wilson. St. Louis County officials have agreed to abide by some rules of engagement to reduce violence, but they have left tear gas and rubber bullets on the table.