People across US gather to protest recent police shootings

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Protests and related events nationwide Monday after the police shootings of black men in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and suburban St. Paul, Minnesota, and the deadly sniper attack on police officers in Dallas: COLORADO Police protests were calm and lightly attended in Denver on Monday, when a group of about 50 waved signs decrying police killings while a smaller group entered a fourth day of quietly mourning blacks killed by police in the last year. The demonstrations outside the state Capitol attracted a mixed-race crowd and supporters bringing water, fruit and sandwiches to support the efforts. A handful of police stood watch from about a block away. The Denver observations were a marked contrast from charged police protests in some cities. None of the protesters attempted to block the streets during a busy lunchtime hour. Instead the protesters kept to a park to wave signs and mourn. Protesters say they were inspired to protest by cases around the country of police killing young black men. ___ GEORGIA Authorities say they will enforce an 11 p.m. closing time at city parks in Atlanta as protests over police shootings of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota are expected to continue. A statement issued Monday by the Atlanta Police Department says anyone staying in parks after the 11 p.m. closing time in city ordinances "will receive a warning." It also says that "failure to comply with the warning can result in an arrest." Demonstrators gathered for a fifth consecutive night, blocking the road outside a mall in Buckhead before marching to the governor's mansion, where they were staging a sit-in. Mayor Kasim Reed said earlier Monday that about 15,000 people attended various protests this weekend in Atlanta. Reed said 14 people were arrested Saturday and Sunday by the Atlanta Police Department, and two others were arrested by the Georgia State Patrol. ___ ILLINOIS Protesters marched peacefully through Chicago Loop in another day of demonstrations over police methods sparked by the fatal shooting to two black men by white officers in Minnesota and Louisiana. Monday's demonstration was organized over social media by teenage girls who said they were determined to keep it peaceful. Demonstrators met in a park along the Lake Michigan shore. Organizers said many protesters put tape over their mouths to symbolize the way police brutality silences African Americans. The group then marched to a downtown plaza where they joined several hundred more protesters for a rally. The combined group, escorted by police, some on bicycle, then marched through the business district, disrupting traffic. The demonstrations in Chicago in recent days have been relatively peaceful, though police scuffled with some protesters Saturday, resulting in 16 arrests. ___ KENTUCKY Dozens of people attended a vigil in Louisville to protest the recent police killings of black men. The Courier-Journal (http://cjky.it/29vNW2i) reports the "Breaking White Silence" event began at noon Monday outside Metro Louisville Police Department headquarters. It was organized by Louisville Showing Up for Racial Justice. A statement from the group says the gathering is part of a national effort to get more white people to voice concerns about racial justice. Tensions between black citizens and police have risen since last week's killings of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge and Philando Castile in Minnesota by white officers, and a retaliatory attack on police by a black sniper in Dallas that killed five officers and wounded others. The group said it will read the names of people killed by police and the names of the officers killed in Dallas. ___ LOUISIANA A Louisiana civil rights group is criticizing law enforcement officers over their treatment of protesters. The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana said Monday that Baton Rouge police "used violent, militarized tactics on groups of people who have gathered peacefully in protest of Alton Sterling's killing." At times, police have used riot gear and military-style vehicles in demonstrations. Sterling, a 37-year-old black man, was killed Tuesday by two white police officers. His death, captured on video by bystanders, has sparked days of protests. Authorities have arrested about 200 demonstrators since Friday. Monday night's protests were largely peaceful. ___ TENNESSEE Memphis officials are asking protesters who occupied a key bridge over the Mississippi River Sunday night to attend a meeting where they can voice their concerns. Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland and Interim Police Chief Michael Rallings said Monday morning that the meeting would be held at 4 p.m. at Greater Imani Church in Memphis as a way to start a dialogue on how to unite the city. Traffic on Interstate 40 was blocked in both directions for hours after hundreds of angry Black Lives Matter protesters marched onto the bridge to show their anger about police killings of black people. Police in squad cars tried to stop them, but several hundred had already made their way up the ramp, and the crowd swelled to more than 1,000. Rallings locked arms in solidarity with people marching off the bridge. Several hundred remained until riot police with shields slowly pushed them off. ___ Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Kristen Wyatt in Denver; Kathleen Foody in Atlanta; Herb McCann in Chicago; and Adrian Sanz in Memphis, Tennessee.;