Crime & Safety
St. Louis Protests: Watch Marchers Take To Streets In St. Charles
Protests have been held all over the St. Louis area since a judge acquitted former officer Jason Stockley in the death of a black suspect.
ST. CHARLES, MO — About 150 protesters gathered outside the St. Louis Outlet Mall in Hazelwood, but the mall and all of its stores — expecting the demonstrations — closed early, so organizers had everyone carpool to nearby St. Charles where thousands were attending an Oktoberfest event.
The protesters marched on St. Charles' Main Street. No problems were reported.
Protests have been held all over the St. Louis area since a judge on Sept. 15 acquitted Jason Stockley, a white former St. Louis police officer, of first-degree murder in the 2011 shooting death of Anthony Lamar Smith, 24, who was black. (For more information on the protests and other St. Charles stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)
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Video Friday night shows protesters chanting "Who shuts s--- down? We shut s--- down!," and singing "We Ready," as they march down Main Street.
Couple hundred protesters marching down Main Street in St. Charles #stlverdict https://t.co/a8N4RoMyVg
— Lisa Brown (@LisaBrownSTL) September 23, 2017
Marching down St. Charles Main Street. "Whose streets? Our streets." #JasonStockley #STLVerdict pic.twitter.com/rMNTJFHDje
— Sarah Kloepple (@skloep) September 23, 2017
Another video shows a young white man yelling "Blue lives matter!" at the protesters to show support for police.
Find out what's happening in St. Louisfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Kid shouting, " blue lives matter" about to start a fight. pic.twitter.com/Q2gK0qghxV
— Search4Swag (@search4swag) September 23, 2017
St. Louis aldermen Friday unanimously passed a resolution honoring Smith as his mother, Annie Smith, looked on. Alderman John Collins-Muhammad said he invited Annie Smith to show her that aldermen "share her pain, frustration and dissatisfaction," the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
Mayor Lyda Krewson and aldermanic President Lewis Reed hugged Annie Smith after the vote.
Jason Stockley and his partner wanted to question Anthony Smith after seeing what they thought was a drug deal. Following a police chase, Stockley shot Smith five times and said Smith had a gun. Prosecutors said Stockley planted the weapon in Smith's car.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri on Friday sued the city over what it calls "unlawful and unconstitutional action" during demonstrations that followed the acquittal of a former police officer in the killing of a black man. The suit alleges police misconduct by using chemical weapons, interfering with video of police activity and violating due process.
A spokesman for Mayor Lyda Krewson says the mayor's office has not seen the lawsuit, and declined comment.
More than 160 people have been arrested since demonstrations began.
On Thursday, a "White Allies Only" protest drew several hundred people, most of them white. They marched to Busch Stadium, where thousands were attending a Billy Joel concert. The protesters were raucous but law-abiding.
Photo credit: Christian Gooden/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP