A large number of people have held a demonstration in the US city of Ferguson to commemorate the police shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown ahead of his first death anniversary.

Eighteen-year-old Brown was shot multiple times and killed on August 9, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri, by white police officer Darren Wilson, sparking months of violent protests across the United States.

In November 2014, a predominantly white grand jury -- of nine white and three black judges -- decided not to indict Wilson for killing Brown, causing months of more unrest across the country.

On Saturday, demonstrators marched in the streets of Ferguson and called for justice before Sunday which marks the first death anniversary.

Marchers were led by Brown's father and the rest of the family. They marched along one of the avenues scene of violent protests last November after the no-indictment decision by the St. Louis County grand jury.

Protesters shouted slogans such as "Hands up, don't shoot" and "We do this for who? We do this for Mike Brown." The rally ended at Normandy High School, which Brown attended.

Brown’s father said nothing has changed “for me” in the United States’ troubled race relations over the past year. “Some families got justice through Michael Brown's legacy, and that helped them. But I'm still trying to get through."

Brown’s death has restarted the national debate surrounding race and police brutality in the United States. Civil rights activists say the US has a strong degree of institutionalized racism against blacks and minorities.

According to a poll by the New York Times/CBS News, the majority of African-Americans have lost confidence in the justice system following the killing.

The poll found about six in 10 blacks said they had little to no confidence the investigation into Brown's shooting would be handled fairly.

The death of Brown has heightened racial tensions between the black community and Ferguson's mostly white police department.