Nine BLM Protesters Issued Trespassing Summonses For March Past McCloskey’s House In St Louis
Nine BLM protesters have been issued trespassing summonses for marching onto a private St. Louis street in June. One of the protesters confirmed the story on Twitter:
“I was just sent a summons to appear in court for “trespassing on private property” on Portland Pl aka the street Patricia and Mark McCloskey live on. I had a gun waved in my face by them but trespassing is what matters?”
“Whew for the folks that cant comprehend, this isnt an admittance to trespassing or validating the McCloskey’s story. It’s a comparison of walking down a street vs. threatening folks with a deadly weapon and policing. Police didn’t send the McCloskey’s citations but sent us them.”
From The Daily Mail:
Mark and Patricia McCloskey were both charged in July with unlawful use of a weapon in the case that landed them a spot at the Republican National Convention last month.
Police spokeswoman Evita Caldwell on Friday confirmed that nine protesters have been issued summonses but said the St. Louis City Counselor’s office is still deciding whether to issue charges on the citations.
The Rev. Darryl Gray, who led the protest, called the citations an attempt to intimidate peaceful protesters.
‘We’re not going to be threatened, and that´s what´s happening across this country,’ said Gray, who was not issued a summons.
‘You´ve got local governments and states who are trying to charge protesters, financially charge them, wanting them to pay costs. You´ve got others who want to make it a law against exercising our First Amendment right.’
On June 28, about 300 people protesting racial injustice veered onto the private street.
The McCloskeys said demonstrators ignored a ‘No Trespassing’ sign and broke through a gate, but protest leaders said the gate was open.
Mark McCloskey, 63, came out of the couple’s Renaissance palazzo-style mansion with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, a probable cause statement said.
Patricia McCloskey, 61, emerged with a semi-automatic handgun. No shots were fired. Missouri law allows homeowners to use force, even lethal force, to defend their homes.
But Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, a Democrat, said the guns created the risk of bloodshed.
A police probable cause statement said protesters feared ‘being injured due to Patricia McCloskey´s finger being on the trigger, coupled with her excited demeanor.’
Whew for the folks that cant comprehend, this isnt an admittance to trespassing or validating the McCloskey’s story. It’s a comparison of walking down a street vs. threatening folks with a deadly weapon and policing. Police didn’t send the McCloskey’s citations but sent us them.
— Ohun Ashe 🌻🌼🌞 (@Ohun_Ashe) September 12, 2020