According to reports, the Ferguson grand jury has made a decision in the matter of Officer Darren Wilson and his fatal shooting of 18-year-old Mike Brown.

Crowds of protesters in Ferguson, Mo. and anxious Americans across the country await word of their decision.

There are fears that regardless of the outcome, the city will be gripped with violent protests and rioting not seen since the weeks proceeding Brown’s death.

The longer it took for the grand jury to reach a decision, the more tension mounted in the community.

Fear of violence has head many businesses to close and to board up their establishments to prevent possible destruction and looting.

Lots of security precautions in place in Clayton. Mailboxes on lockdown. #ferguson pic.twitter.com/3xzuiYYQho

— Chris Nagus (@ChrisNagusKMOV) November 24, 2014

President Obama asked that whatever protest does occur be peaceful.

In order to minimize potential harm to children, the schools were given word of the grand jury’s decision ahead of anyone else.

It was reported that the Ferguson-Florissant School District has moved to cancel Tuesday classes for safety reasons.

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There is heavy speculation as to what the grand jury’s decision will be, but Mike Brown’s family is reportedly considering various avenues in their pursuit of justice for their deceased son.

Considering the racially charged nature of the crime and response, it is of little surprise that Americans who are emotionally invested in the outcome of this case are divided along racial lines: Fifty-four percent non-whites polled by CNN felt he was guilty and should be indicted for murder, while just 23% of white Americans polled agreed.

.@CNN ORC poll: Americans split on racial lines over #Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson charges http://t.co/e4W6WnJLrA pic.twitter.com/ajZBwvEHzn

— OutFrontCNN (@OutFrontCNN) November 24, 2014

However, one thing that most persons polled agreed on was that if Darren Wilson were not arrested, peaceful protests should be allowed.

UPDATE 6:14 PM The grand jury decision as to whether or not Officer Darren Wilson is to be indicted will be announced at 9:00 PM EST.

The grand jury announcement about the case of Officer Darren Wilson will be at 9 p.m. ET. http://t.co/Hvwg4atYnk pic.twitter.com/9V3fkfQJu1

— CNN (@CNN) November 24, 2014

UPDATE 8:35 PM As of a few moments ago, Mike Brown’s family has not been informed of the grand jury decision.

As of a few minutes ago, #MichaelBrown's family had not been told of #ferguson #grandjury's decision- @evanperez rpts pic.twitter.com/x9x8QM0Eyb

— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) November 25, 2014

Possibility they won’t learn until it’s officially announced at around 9:00 pm.

UPDATE 9:11 PM Reminder, there is NO official decision as of right now. Early word claiming there will be no indictment, but there are no confirmed reports of this as the grand jury decision.

UPDATE 9:27 PM OFFICIAL. The grand jury has decided against indictment of officer Darren Wilson. According to Prosecutor Robert McCulloch, the grand jury did not find sufficient evidence that would allow for a murder case.

#MORE: Grand jury decides not to indict #Ferguson Police officer in killing of #MichaelBrown: http://t.co/2ecu1M4aBx pic.twitter.com/F08JMHW8uJ

— WSB-TV (@wsbtv) November 25, 2014

UPDATE 9:34 PM

A statement has been released by the Brown family:

Brown family statement #FergusonDecision pic.twitter.com/w9YqVRCVE7

— Mike Hayes (@michaelhayes) November 25, 2014