Jim Young/Reuters
Tensions in Ferguson, Missouri, eased Wednesday night as a cold rain fell, and business owners continued to clean up after widespread looting and arson in the wake of a grand jury’s decision not to indict Officer Darren Wilson in the killing of Michael Brown. A group of protesters centered around the Ferguson Police Department never reached more than a few hundred in number. Local police stayed largely out of sight, with the Missouri National Guard providing the bulk of the presence in the streets. Under steady sleet and rain, demonstrators waved signs, sang protest songs and marched, and religious leaders worked to keep people calm. The night’s lone moment of tension came when about 60 protesters headed north for about a half a mile along the sidewalk, before taking over an intersection at Hereford Avenue and North Florissant Road.