Protests in St. Louis over the acquittal of a white police officer in the shooting death of a black man turned violent late Friday as demonstrators clashed with riot-gear-clad cops and surrounded the home of the city’s mayor.
Members of a crowd of about 1,000 broke at least two windows at the home of Mayor Lyda Krewson and threw red paint at the brick house before riot police moved in to disperse the crowd with tear gas, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
There was no indication that Krewson was inside the home at the time, the newspaper reported.
Police in bulletproof vests and helmets closed in and demanded protesters get off the lawn and out of the street in front of the house. Officers used tear gas to move the crowd out of the area and the protests were all but dispersed within the next two hours.
More than 20 arrests were made by early evening, and some protesters were pepper-sprayed during confrontations with authorities. St. Louis police reported that 10 officers had suffered injuries by the end of the night, including a broken jaw and dislocated shoulder, and some journalists reported being the target of threats from demonstrators.
A freelance Associated Press videographer said a protester threw his camera to the ground and damaged it, and he was later threatened with a beating if he didn’t put another camera away. A KTVI reporter said water bottles were thrown at him after a protester taunted him, drawing a crowd.
Activists said they would meet again Saturday to plan further demonstrations.
wpDiscuz
Protesters ?? The are domestic terrorists !