About 50 people rallied in front of the Lucas County Courthouse on Tuesday afternoon to protest after Monday’s announcement that a grand jury did not indict the Ferguson, Mo., police officer who shot a teenager in August.

Protesters also voiced opposition to alleged racial profiling and other inequality perpetrated by police officers and the justice system.

Many present at the event carried signs with messages such as “honk for racial justice” and “end police impunity.”

“We all want change, that’s why we’re out here in the cold,” Jibril Bey said, addressing the crowd. The protesters participated in chants, including “no justice, no peace” and “no racist police.”

PHOTO GALLERY: Rally for Ferguson in Toledo

SEE ALSO: Protests pop up all over U.S.

A chorus of “black lives matter,” a popular phrase in the Ferguson conversation — especially as a hashtag on Twitter — was also heard.

Later, Mr. Bey said it was important for the community to develop preventative measures and conflict resolution so that “we have the kind of relationship with police that doesn’t jeopardize the community or the police. Young black people, we are the targets,” he said.

Taiyisha Foward came to the courthouse rally in a black-hooded sweatshirt with the word “justice” printed on the front.

“It’s important to let everyone know it’s not just Ferguson,” said Ms. Foward, a University of Toledo student. “When I look at these situations, these are our brothers and husbands and cousins.”

Participants called for justice for others killed by police, including John Crawford, who was killed while holding a pellet gun at Walmart in Beavercreek, Ohio.

A few Toledo police officers stood farther down the block from the peaceful protest but did not approach the group. The courthouse closed at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday as “a precautionary measure,” said Court Administrator Don Colby.

Protesters continued the evening by marching to the Kent Branch Library on Collingwood Boulevard, where they planned to have an open dialogue.

Local events coincided with dozens of demonstrations across the country, including in Chicago and Los Angeles. In Ferguson, months of protests and police clashes with demonstrators resumed Monday after the announcement that the grand jury did not indict Officer Darren Wilson.

Lucas County Prosecutor Julia Bates, who got to know St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch about 10 years ago when both served on the board of the National District Attorneys Association, said she was not surprised by the grand jury’s decision.

“I felt that there was a lot of smoke and mirrors about what happened,” she said, adding that the grand jury, not the public, heard the facts of the case and made its decision.

Mrs. Bates said Missouri has the same burden of proof as Ohio — a grand jury must find there is probable cause to believe a crime occurred and that the defendant committed it. Proving a case at trial requires a much higher burden, proof beyond a reasonable doubt.

“If you can’t get that low level of probable cause, you don’t have a case,” Mrs. Bates said, adding, “I’m sure those people took their responsibility seriously.”

Since 1999, when Lucas County experienced five officer-involved shootings, Mrs. Bates said her office has presented all such cases to a grand jury. She said it gives more credibility to the cases when members of the community make the decision of whether to charge an officer for a criminal offense.

“It’s a better way because of the allegation of conspiracy or cover-up, the thin blue line — prosecutors and police in cahoots with each other,” she said.

While few officers have been charged for firing their weapons in the line of duty, a Lucas County grand jury indicted former Ottawa Hills police Officer Thomas White for felonious assault with a gun specification in 2009 after he shot and paralyzed a motorcyclist he had stopped for speeding.

White was found guilty following a jury trial, although an appeals court later overturned his conviction.

The case is now pending before the Ohio Supreme Court.

Contact Lauren Lindstrom at llindstrom@theblade.com, 419-724-6154, or on Twitter @lelindstrom.

First Published November 26, 2014, 5:00 a.m.