ST. LOUIS (AP) — Thanksgiving eve brought relative quiet to Ferguson, with protests drawing the smallest crowd a grand jury's decision not to indict a white police officer in the death of Michael Brown, a black 18-year-old.

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THE LATEST:

A handful of people drove through downtown St. Louis on Thursday morning for what the organizer called a "pro-community" car cruise. Though organizer Paul Byrd would not specifically say whether he supported Darren Wilson, the officer who shot and killed the unarmed Brown during a struggle Aug. 9, he did note he supports the job of police officers, adding, "Those causing the trouble are making a bad name for everyone."

Dozens rallied Wednesday night outside the Ferguson Police Department, but there were no major confrontations with the Guard troops standing watch. City and county police officers were far less noticeable than they were the previous two nights. St. Louis County police said there were only two arrests — fewer than earlier in the week as buildings were set on fire and vandalized.

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NATIONWIDE RESPONSE

Some demonstrations elsewhere across the country Wednesday night appeared more combative than in the St. Louis suburb. At least 130 people who refused to disperse during a Los Angeles protest were arrested Wednesday night, while 35 people were detained in Oakland, California, following a march that deteriorated into unrest and vandalism, according to police officials.

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THE BEGINNING: Wilson shot and killed Brown, who was unarmed, shortly after noon in the middle of the street after a scuffle. Brown's body lay there for hours as police investigated and a crowd of angry onlookers gathered. Several days of tense protests in the predominantly black community followed, prompting Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon to call in the National Guard. McCulloch decided to present the case to a grand jury.

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THE ANNOUNCEMENT: Made up of nine white people and three black people, the grand jury met 25 days over three months, and heard more than 70 hours of testimony from 60 witnesses. McCulloch held a prime-time news conference Monday to reveal the decision.

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THE DOCUMENTS: More than 1,000 pages of grand jury documents were released Monday, including Wilson's full testimony in which he described the scuffle in his patrol car and recognizing the cigars in Brown's hand as possibly being connected to a report of a convenience store robbery. Wilson also said that Brown approached him: "And when he gets about ... 8 to 10 feet away ... all I see is his head and that's what I shot."

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THE FINAL SAY? The U.S. Justice Department has its own investigation into possible civil rights violations that could result in federal charges for Wilson, but investigators would need to satisfy a rigorous standard of proof. The department also has launched a broad probe into the Ferguson Police Department.