Community Corner
St. Louis Protests: Police Wrongly Used Chemical Weapons, Suit Says
More than 160 people have been arrested since demonstrations began Sept. 15 when former officer Jason Stockley was acquitted of murder.
ST. LOUIS, MO— Several days of mostly peaceful protests in St. Louis have followed a judge's acquittal of Jason Stockley — the white former police officer who fatally shot a black suspect. Now, the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri is suing the city alleging "unlawful and unconstitutional action" during demonstrations.
The lawsuit filed Friday accuses police of misconduct by using chemical weapons, interfering with video of police activity and violating due process.
More than 160 people have been arrested since demonstrations began Sept. 15 after Stockley was ruled not guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Anthony Lamar Smith. Most of those arrests were on Friday and Sunday nights, when some protesters smashed windows and threw items at police. (For more information on the protests and other St. Louis 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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A St. Louis County outlet mall was the latest target by protesters. Organizers called for supporters to gather Friday evening on the parking lot near Cabela's at the St. Louis Outlet Mall in Hazelwood.
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On Thursday, a "White Allies Only" protest in downtown St. Louis drew several hundred people, most of them white. They marched to Busch Stadium, where thousands of people were attending a Billy Joel concert. The protesters were raucous but law-abiding.
Email messages seeking comment from the office of Mayor Lyda Krewson and the police department were not immediately returned.
Photo credit: Christian Gooden/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP