New York, July 13 (RHC)-- A prominent civil rights group has criticized tactics used by U.S. police against people who were protesting at recent killings of African Americans.  The American Civil Liberties Union, the ALCU, of Louisiana says that Baton Rouge police "used violent, militarized tactics on groups of people who have gathered peacefully in protest of Alton Sterling's killing."

Hundreds of angry American demonstrators have taken to the streets in cities across the U.S. to protest and have been arrested by police.  Amnesty International put into question the high number of arrests made during protests over the past several days and whether it was a "proportionate response to peaceful protests."

The use of excessive force by law enforcement has become the focus of national debate, particularly over high-profile killings of African Americans by mainly white officers during the last several years.

Police in the United States killed over 1,150 people in 2015, of which at least 321 were African Americans, according to data compiled by an activist group that runs the Mapping Police Violence project.