143 arrested after protest blocks St. Louis highway traffic

ST. LOUIS — Police arrested 143 people after protesters blocked traffic on a busy highway near downtown St. Louis as part of the ongoing demonstrations against the acquittal of a white former police officer in the 2011 killing of a black man.

Protesters gathered Tuesday evening and marched to Interstate 64, where some walked onto the roadway and blocked traffic for several minutes. Police began arresting people after protesters left the highway.

Police haven’t said what charges they will face. A spokeswoman for the Circuit Attorney’s office said they likely will be charged in municipal court.

Authorities have made more than 300 arrests at demonstrations over the Sept. 15 acquittal of former officer Jason Stockley in the shooting death of 24-year-old Anthony Lamar Smith following a high-speed chase.

Protesters and civil liberties groups have accused the authorities of using heavy-handed tactics against demonstrators.

In a lawsuit filed after about 120 people were arrested Sept. 17, the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri raised concerns about a police tactic known as “kettling,” in which lines of officers move protesters into a limited area. The lawsuit also accused police of unnecessary use of tear gas and pepper spray, arresting bystanders and journalists, and taunting some of those who were arrested.

Police have defended their actions, saying protesters threw rocks and other items at officers, sprayed some with unknown substances and shattered shop windows.

The Rev. Darryl Gray, a protest organizer, was arrested Tuesday night for the second time in five days. He also was arrested Friday during a protest near Busch Stadium.

“They kettled us again,” Gray said in a phone interview shortly after being released from jail on Wednesday. “No one resisted.” He said two social media journalists and others not involved in the highway blockage were among those arrested.

Protests have occurred in the suburbs, too, including a Sept. 23 demonstration at the St. Louis Galleria shopping mall in Richmond Heights, Mo., that resulted in 22 arrests.

Earlier Tuesday, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner outlined to a city board a proposal that her office take over and lead all use-offorce investigations involving the police.