St. Louis Protests: 'White Allies Only' Rally Now Planned Along With Steve Bannon Visit

ST. LOUIS, MO — A "White Allies Only" rally is planned for Thursday in St. Louis following days of protests over the acquittal of a white police officer in the fatal shooting of a black suspect — and President Donald Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon is scheduled to appear at a rally there Sunday to receive an award.

More than 160 people were arrested in protests over the weekend after a judge Friday cleared former police officer Jason Stockley of first-degree murder in the killing of 24-year-old Anthony Lamar Smith. While the daytime protests were largely nonviolent, police clashed with some protesters over several nights.

Now, another rally is planned in the city for 6:30 p.m. at Kiener Plaza in downtown St. Louis, but this one is expected to have mostly white demonstrators. People of many races are upset and angry about the treatment of blacks in St. Louis, organizer Cori Bush said. The rally will help support that contention, she said. (For more information on the St. Louis protests and other city 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.)

"I think it's great for people to know there are white people that believe black lives matter and aren't afraid to show it, that want to tear down systemic racism," Bush said.

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— Cori Bush (@CoriBush) September 21, 2017

The protest will take place blocks away from Busch Stadium. Billy Joel is scheduled to perform there Thursday. Security plans are in place, stadium officials said, but they didn't elaborate. Concerts by U2 and Ed Sheeran were canceled last weekend amid security concerns.

Bush declined to disclose plans for additional upcoming protests and said it was too early to say if demonstrators would show up at a Sunday appearance by Steve Bannon, who returned as chief of Breitbart News last month after exiting the Trump administration.

Bannon is scheduled to appear at the "Put America First Rally" sponsored by Phyllis Schlafly's Eagles, a spinoff of the conservative think tank Eagle Forum. A spokeswoman for Phyllis Schlafly's Eagles said the rally was planned long before the recent spate of protests. Schlafly, a conservative icon, died last year at age 92.

Bannon is scheduled to receive an award Sunday from the group and is later expected to appear at the organization's "Put America First Rally." Organizer Bush declined Thursday to speculate whether protesters will gather at Steve Bannon's appearance.

A spokeswoman for Phyllis Schlafly's Eagles says the rally was planned long before the recent spate of protests. Schlafly was a conservative icon who died last year aged 92.

Stockley killed Smith in 2011 after a police chase. Stockley testified he shot Smith in self-defense. Prosecutors alleged that Stockley planted the gun found in Smith's car. Judge Timothy Wilson ruled prosecutors didn't prove murder beyond a reasonable doubt.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that there have been more fatal police shootings in St. Louis so far in 2017 than in any year for a decade, even with three months remaining until year's end. Police have fatally shot eight people so far this year, up from five in all of 2016. Police say all of those shot by officers were armed.

Lt. Col. Rochelle Jones attributed the rise in police shootings to the rise in violent crime. But the Rev. Phillip Duvall, who has been active in recent protests, said the data suggests police are "not being too cautious."

Photo credit: Christian Gooden/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP