Why protest Ferguson in Chicago?

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago police officers shot 43 people last year, and 13 died - far more than Ferguson. But Chicago police didn't shoot Michael Brown, so why protest here?

"Chicago police have shot many other Michael Brown's in their quest for keeping the peace," Larone Ellison, a protester, said.

Among them was this man's friend, Rekiya Boyd, shot by an off-duty officer who fired into a crowd after feeling threatened. That officer was criminally charged.

"Mike Brown is not just Mike Brown. He became a symbol of 'I know somebody this happened to,'" Ellison said.

Last year, 29 of the 43 people, shot by Chicago police were black - 67 percent. In the first three quarters of this year, 82 percent of the people shot by Chicago police officers were black. Police say many were armed or posed a threat.

"There's a whole lot of folks who have just been beaten down and are hopeless, who have just thrown up their hands," said Rev. Michael Pfleger, St. Sabina Parish.

As Father Michael Pfleger held a peace rally and food drive Tuesday night, he points out no one knows the tipping point: who will be the next Michael Brown?

"If it does bubble up and people do react and nothing happens, what do you think is going to happen in America? We're on a time bomb," Pfleger said.

A police spokesperson says the department is increasing its communication with the public and community leaders after police-involved shootings. Their hope is to quickly explain the police-side of the story before rumor, speculation and emotion fills the streets.