President Obama allocated $263 million for funds to law enforcement and police departments Monday for purchasing body cameras and improving training procedures, according to NBC.

Obama stated in his speech that he intended for the funds to assist in bettering relations between law enforcement officials and civilians.

“This is a national problem,” Obama said. “This will bring together state and local officials and law enforcement and community leaders and faith leaders to start identifying very specific steps that we can take to make sure that law enforcement is fair and is being applied equally to every person.”

The “mistrust” Obama mentions flared after the St. Louis grand jury’s decision on Nov. 24 not to indict former police officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of teenager Michael Brown on Aug. 9.

The grand jury’s decision has led to a national controversy over whether the choice not to indict was warranted.

“Especially in light of all the potential bias and questionable legal tactics that have come up lately, the decision to not indict isn’t just ridiculous in its own right,” Simran Singh (12) said. “It’s also a very overt sign that our judicial system has huge glaring loopholes that need to be recognized, because honestly even if people disagree on specifics, everyone needs to be on the same page that, yes, there are actually problems that need to be fixed.”

Others maintain faith in the grand jury and Wilson’s testimony.

“There were a lot of people who corroborated with the officer, including blacks,” Sandhana Kannan (11) said. “There are so many posts [on social media] where everyone’s like, ‘no justice has been served.’ They’re being political for the sake of being political and just going with the popular opinion.”

The initial outrage to the shooting fanned a national conversation about police brutality and other societal ills particularly affecting male black youth. The grand jury’s latest announcement sparked protests on both national and international scales. Protesters have gathered in public areas in cities across the U.S. spanning from Oakland to Washington, D.C., chanting slogans like “hands up, don’t shoot” with reference to eyewitness testimony that Michael Brown allegedly had his hands up when he was fatally shot in August.

“Before the racial angle is even considered, it was clear that a police officer shot an unarmed teenager,” Rishabh Chandra (11) said. “By choosing not to indict, the jury has in a way validated that Michael Brown posed a genuine threat to the officer, which seems unfair seeing as he was unarmed. For example, when the Ferguson police released video of Michael Brown allegedly robbing a store right before the shooting, it was wholly irrelevant. If he was to be apprehended for a crime, it is to be done in a lawful way without the taking of life.”

Other forms of protest included boycotting Black Friday on Nov. 28. The boycott movement gained traction on social media with the hashtag #NotOneDime, according to Fox 2 News, and activists throughout the U.S. marched through malls with signs and posters and also enacted four-minute “die-ins” to simulate the four hours that Brown remained in the street after his fatal shooting.

The St. Louis Rams, before their game with the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, entered the field with their hands symbolically raised, echoing the same gesture that other protesters have taken up in reference to Mike Brown.

Criticisms have begun to circulate regarding the perceived violent nature of some of the protests taking place in locations such as Ferguson.

“Protesters is probably too nice of a term,” said Harry Xu (12), who maintains that he disagrees with the grand jury decision. “It’s just [people] going around doing stuff that doesn’t even relate to this case, that is, looting, blocking freeways, and covering a memorial with a sign about Ferguson.”

Lisa Liu (11) supports the actions that activists have carried out across the globe.

“I think it’s great people are speaking up about the injustices that happened,” Lisa said. “Without these protests, Mike Brown and Tamir Rice and Trayvon Martin and a lot of others will be forgotten, and Ferguson will happen again and again. It doesn’t matter what race you are and what you believe or what political party you are affiliated with. I feel like we should all care a lot about this.”

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Darren Wilson resigned from the police force following the grand jury decision, mentioning “threats of violence” that spurred him to leave.

With his latest funding request, Obama hopes to focus on better oversight of the police force to prevent situations like Ferguson from transpiring again.

Sidhart Krishnamurthi (12) expressed doubt over whether additional body cameras would be effective.

“The heat of the moment actions would not be contained by cameras, because, for example, if a cop was being even slightly threatened, they may instinctively draw out their weapon and use it,” he said.

Obama has now also publicized the creation of a new task force for improving the quality of modern day law enforcement action.