St. Louis officer’s acquittal leads to more protests
Demonstrations mostly peaceful on second day
ST. LOUIS—Noisy demonstrators disrupted shopping at suburban malls on Saturday and later marched through a popular district of bars and restaurants to protest a white St. Louis police officer’s acquittal in the killing of a black man, marking a second day of mostly peaceful opposition with sporadic incidents of vandalism and violence.
A few hundred people shouted slogans such as “black lives matter” and “it is our duty to fight for our freedom” as they marched through West County Center in Des Peres to decry the judge’s verdict Friday clearing ex-officer Jason Stockley of first-degree murder in the 2011 shooting of Anthony Lamar Smith.
Later, a group demonstrated at Chesterfield Mall and a regional food festival. No arrests were reported at any of the demonstrations.
As dusk neared, hundreds of protesters gathered in the Delmar Loop of the St. Louis suburb of University City, known for concert venues, restaurants, shops and bars.
The protests followed Friday marches in downtown St. Louis and through the city’s posh Central West End area duringthe night.
“I don’t think racism is going to change in America until people get uncomfortable,” said Kayla Reed of the St. Louis Action Council, a protest organizer.
Susanna Prins, 27, a white woman from University City, carried a sign reading, “White silence is violence.”
“Not saying or doing anything makes you complicit in the brutalization of our friends and neighbors,” Ms. Prins said.
Smith’s death is one of several high-profile U.S. cases in recent years in which a white officer killed a black suspect, including the 2014 killing of Michael Brown in nearby Ferguson, Mo., that sparked monthsof protests.
Federal prosecutors said Saturday they won’t open a new civil rights investigation, as the NAACP requested. Justice Department spokeswoman Lauren Ehrsam said the department concluded in September not to prosecute, but didn’t announce it then to avoid affecting the state criminal case.
Police were prepared for a second night of protests after Friday’s demonstrations led to several clashes — including rocks thrown at a police car and objects tossed at officers in riot gear — and culminated when protesters broke a window and spattered red paint on the home of Mayor Lyda Krewson. Police eventually used tear gas to clear the area. Ms. Reed said protesters went to Ms. Krewson’s house because despite her support on social media, she was not in the streets with the people.
Nearly three-dozen people were arrested Friday, police said, mostly for failure to disperse, resisting and interfering. Police said 11 officers were injured Friday, including a broken jaw and dislocated shoulder. Five officers were taken to hospitals. Police also said that 10 businesses were damaged, mostly broken windows.
Gov. Eric Greitens, a Republican, put the National Guard on standby, and some troops were deployed to guard fire stations and unspecified “critical infrastructure .”
Concerts Saturday by U2 and Sunday by Ed Sheeran were canceled because the police department said it wouldn’t be able to provide its standard protection for the event, organizers said.
The civil disobedience followed the acquittal of Mr. Stockley for fatally shooting Smith, 24, after the suspected drug dealer fled from officers trying to arrest him.
Mr. Stockley testified he felt he was in danger because he saw Smith holding a silver revolver when the suspect backed his car toward officers and sped away.
Prosecutors said Mr. Stockley planted a gun in Smith’s car after the shooting. The officer’s DNA was on the weapon but Smith’s wasn’t. Dashcam video from Mr. Stockley’s cruiser recorded him saying he was “going to kill this (expletive).” Less than a minute later, he shot Smith fivetimes.
Mr. Stockley’s lawyer dismissed the comment as “human emotions” during a dangerous pursuit. St. Louis Circuit Judge Timothy Wilson, who said prosecutors didn’t prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Stockley murdered Smith, said the statement could be ambiguous.