A couple of lawyers pointed this Sunday afternoon with firearms at a group of anti-racism protesters who passed in front of his mansion in the direction of the house of the Democratic mayor of Saint Louis, Lyda Krewsom, to demand his resignation. Mark and Patricia McCloskey assured the KMOV television network that they faced an “angry crowd” and “feared for their lives.” The police, who are investigating what happened, reported that some protesters shouted threats at the white couple, according to the Associated Press, but the videos circulating on social networks do not account for it, although they are seen in the garden of home. “I think these owners were [haciendo algo] totally within their rights ”to defending private property, Mississippi Republican Governor Tate Reeves said on Facebook.
The nearly 500 protesters were protesting against the mayor after she read aloud last Friday the names and addresses of several neighbors who wrote letters asking to reduce funds to the police department. “As a leader, you can’t do those things … It’s okay for us to visit her at her house,” said state legislator Rasheen Aldridge, a fellow in the mayor’s Democratic party, by megaphone. “Give up, Lyda!”, “Take the police with you!” Chanted attendees as they passed the Portland Place luxury home development. The rally is part of the wave of protests that have taken place in the United States since African-American George Floyd died at the hands of a white agent on May 25.
“This is all private property. There are no public sidewalks or public streets. They told us that they would kill us, that they would burn down our house and kill our dog. We were alone in front of an angry crowd, “said McCloskey. Police described what happened as a case of intrusion and assault with intimidation against the couple, although no charges have yet been filed. Saint Louis is considered one of the most violent cities in the United States. According to the company specialized in security SafeWise, it leads the ranking with the highest number of violent crimes per 1,000 inhabitants with a 20.82.
President Donald Trump retweeted a message from the ABC News account with a video of the confrontation without comment. On Sunday the president also shared a video in which a white man shouts “white power!” during a trump march in Florida. The president thanked the retirees of The Villages district for their support, but hours later he deleted the message from his account. The White House maintained that the US president “did not hear the statement on the video,” which was repeated three times from the second nine.
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