Most Boston Protesters See Charges Dismissed

Most of the protesters arrested in Boston during Tuesday night's demonstrations over the Ferguson grand jury decision had their criminal charges dropped Wednesday.

Some 1,500 people came out to protest the grand jury's decision not to indict a white police officer for the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teen.

Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley's office said about 40 men and women arrested overnight had their criminal charges converted to civil infractions and then dismissed, meaning the offenses will not appear on their records.

One defendant, 26-year-old Segun Idowu of Mattapan, declined to have the criminal charges dropped and insisted on a trial. He was arraigned, released and ordered to return to court in January for a pre-trial hearing.

Two others had prior convictions and were not eligible to have the criminal charges dropped.

Most of the people arrested had been charged with disorderly conduct or disturbing the peace.

During Tuesday night's demonstrations, protesters marched from Dudley Square in Roxbury down Massachusetts Avenue to the South Bay area. Police blocked a ramp leading to Interstate 93 to prevent the group from attempting to block the highway.

Several hundred then marched up Massachusetts Avenue, through the South End and Back Bay. After being blocked from getting onto the Massachusetts Turnpike ramp, they marched along the Boston Common, into Chinatown, and onto Dewey Square, where they remained much of the night.

Smaller protests occurred in other cities across Massachusetts, including Springfield, Worcester, Northampton and Pittsfield. All were reportedly peaceful.

With reporting by The Associated Press and the WBUR Newsroom