Ferguson, Missouri (CNN)As police rounded up protesters at several rallies Monday, a top St. Louis County official declared a state of emergency, saying violence had marred demonstrations marking the one-year anniversary of Michael Brown's death.
"The recent acts of violence will not be tolerated in a community that has worked so tirelessly over the last year to rebuild and become stronger," St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger said in a statement.
Overnight unrest in Ferguson created "the potential for harm to persons and property, " the statement said. The executive order puts St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar in charge of police operations in Ferguson and the surrounding areas, Stenger said.
Stenger's order came as roughly 200 demonstrators marched from Christ Church Cathedral to the Thomas F. Eagleton United States Courthouse in St. Louis. The protesters carried signs, chanted and prayed and demanded the Justice Department take action, according to CNN affiliate KTVI.
At the Old Courthouse in downtown St. Louis, protesters hung a banner from two balloons. It read, "Racism still lives here #fightback."
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