Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
St. Louis cites nine protesters for trespassing during march
O’FALLON, Mo. — Nine protesters have been issued trespassing summonses for marching onto a private St. Louis street in June, a demonstration that prompted a couple to emerge from their home with guns to confront the demonstrators.
Mark and Patricia McCloskey were charged in July with unlawful use of a weapon in a polarizing case that landed them a spot at the Republican National Convention last month. On Friday, police spokeswoman Evita Caldwell confirmed that nine protesters had been issued summonses, but she 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.
On June 28, about 300 people protesting racial injustice veered onto the private street.
Mark McCloskey, 63, came out of the couple’s Renaissance palazzo-style mansion with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, according to a probable cause statement. Patricia McCloskey, 61, emerged with a semi-automatic handgun. No shots were fired.
But Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, a Democrat, said the guns created the risk of bloodshed.
The charges against the McCloskeys drew an angry response from President Donald Trump. The couple spoke on video at the RNC, saying they had a “God-given right” to defend themselves and warning that unless Trump is re-elected, America faces a future of lawlessness and mayhem.
Meanwhile, Republican Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has said he will almost certainly pardon the McCloskeys if they are convicted. Their case is still pending in court.
While the McCloskeys face felony charges, trespassing is a lower-level crime that is handled by the city counselor’s office, not Gardner’s office.
It wasn’t clear why just nine of the estimated 300 protesters were issued summonses. Police declined comment beyond a brief statement acknowledging the summonses.