Ferguson protesters stage peaceful 'die-in' ahead of verdict Grim reminder: Demonstrators on the ground in a mock protest over the shooting death of Michael Brown. Ferguson: Several dozen people gathered in a dim church basement here to share plans of what to do if a grand jury chooses not to indict the white police officer who shot Michael Brown, an unarmed black teen, three months ago. Among their ideas: descend in large numbers on the nearby county seat of Clayton at 7am on the day after the grand jury's announcement to snarl business. On Sunday, a couple of hundred demonstrators took to the streets of St Louis. Dozens of people lay down in the street pretending to have been shot in an action intended to evoke the memory of 18-year-old Brown, who died 100 days ago in Ferguson, Missouri. Marchers went on to briefly block a major intersection near Washington University and the event ended without any of the violence seen in Ferguson following Brown's shooting death by police officer Darren Wilson. Since August, a disparate array of demonstrators has been drawn here to protest not just the shooting of Brown, but also the broader issues of racial profiling and police conduct. Now, with the grand jury's decision expected soon, the groups are preparing with intricate precision to protest the no-indictment vote most consider inevitable. Organisers are outlining "rules of engagement" for dealing with the police, circulating long lists of equipment, including bandages and shatterproof goggles, and establishing "safe spaces" where protesters can escape the cold, or the tear gas. Yet the most important part of the planning may also be the hardest: how to prevent demonstrations from turning violent. Organisers say they want their efforts here to blossom into a lasting, national movement. So they say they hope the protests will be forceful, loud and unrelenting, without the looting or arson that could undermine their message. "We've come to the conclusion that we really don't want violence," said one organiser with Lost Voices, who goes by the name Bud Cuzz. We want to fix this. We still want to fight to make the laws change. We still want to raise awareness. But we don't want the city to turn upside down. However, Rockit Ali, a 22-year-old organiser of Sunday's demonstration, said violence could not be ruled out if the grand jury finds Wilson without fault. Rioting and looting are the tools of those without a voice. The rioting and looting, while I didn't participate in it, was necessary. Without it we would not be standing here today," Ali said. There is no revolution without violence. No doubt, protest leaders here say, there have been conflicts at times over leadership, tactics and even over individuals. But leaders here say that is the nature of a movement that has taken place, in part, on social media and that does not match an earlier-era protest structure where a single, outspoken leader might have led the way. "This is not your momma's civil rights movement," said Ashley Yates, a leader of Millennial Activists United. This is a movement where you have several difference voices, different people. The person in charge is really - the people. But the message from everyone is the same: Stop killing us.