Reporting by Tim Lampley
Daily protests continue in St. Louis more than two weeks after the acquittal of white former St. Louis police officer Jason Stockley in the shooting death of Anthony Lamar Smith.
Protestors have blocked traffic on I-64 in several places Tuesday night (Oct. 3), with around 100 protestors marching on the interstate to further express their outrage over Stockley’s not-guilty verdict.
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“This is not a fly-by-night movement. This ain’t nothing that’s gonna go by in the next month,” Rep. Bruce Frank Jr. (D-St. Louis), a leader of the demonstrations, says.
He adds that the verdict has cost the city millions in lost revenue which has been the objective all along.
While the protests remain largely peaceful, there has been some violence, and dozens of arrests. Police reaction to demonstrations at an area shopping mall and downtown has led the ACLU of Missouri to file a class action lawsuit against the city of St. Louis. The lawsuit focuses on police misconduct using chemical weapons, interfering with video of police activity, and violating due process during the September 17th “kettling” incident downtown.
Timothy Lampley // REVOLT TV
Protester Maleeha Ahmad expressed her anger with police after being pepper sprayed without warning: “We were ambushed by cops who were being super aggressive with their bikes. They told us to get out of their way when they were about six inches from us.”
Some activists have a number of demands, among them, for several city officials to resign, including Mayor Lyda Krewson and interim police chief Lawrence O’Toole, as well as for arrested protesters to be released. But Rep. Franks, who does not support the call for Krewson’s resignation, says that alone won’t solve the problems.
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“We can throw out a million demands,” Franks says. “We can throw out legislation. One thing we get to realize is there is no legislation or a list of demands that can be put forward to get you to understand that y’all gon’ stop killing us. That’s why we’re out here in the street.”
Stockley fatally shot Smith, 24, after a police chase in 2011 over a suspected drug deal. Just before the shooting, Stockley is allegedly heard on video telling his partner that he was “going to kill this [expletive], don’t you know it,” referring to Smith.
Timothy Lampley // REVOLT TV
Timothy Lampley // REVOLT TV
Timothy Lampley // REVOLT TV