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Associated Press

St Louis’ top prosecutor on Monday charged a white husband and wife with felony unlawful use of a weapon for displaying guns during a racial injustice protest outside their mansion.
Mark and Patricia McCloskey, who are both personal injury lawyers in their 60s, also face a misdemeanour charge of fourth-degree assault.
Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner told Associated Press that the McCloskeys’ actions risked creating a violent situation during an otherwise non-violent protest.
“It is illegal to wave weapons in a threatening manner – that is unlawful in the city of St Louis,” Gardner said.


A couple pointed guns at a group of protesters marching in St. Louis, Missouri. Read the story here: https://t.co/tssM2Jpbmi pic.twitter.com/i5i3SuHEfF
 — WDBJ7 (@WDBJ7) June 29, 2020

A lawyer for the couple, Joel Schwartz, in a statement called the decision to charge “disheartening as I unequivocally believe no crime was committed”.
Supporters of the McCloskeys said they were legally defending their US$1.15 million home.
Gardner is recommending a diversion programme such as community service rather than jail time if the McCloskeys are convicted. Typically, class E felonies could result in up to four years in prison.
Several Republican leaders have condemned Gardner’s investigation, including President Donald Trump, Missouri Governor Mike Parson and Senator Josh Hawley, who has urged Attorney General William Barr to undertake a civil rights investigation of Gardner. Parson said in a radio interview Friday that he would likely pardon the couple if they were charged and convicted.
Gardner said Trump, Parson and others are attacking her to distract from “their failed approach to the Covid-19 pandemic” and other issues.
White woman who called police on black birdwatcher charged for false report
St Louis, like many cities across the country, has seen demonstrations in the weeks since George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis, and the McCloskeys’ home was initially incidental to the demonstration on June 28.
Several hundred people were marching to the home of Democratic Mayor Lyda Krewson, a few blocks from the McCloskeys’ home. Krewson had angered activists by reading on Facebook Live the names and addresses of some who had called for defunding police.
The McCloskeys live on a private street called Portland Place. A police report said the couple heard a loud commotion and saw a large group of people break an iron gate marked with “No Trespassing” and “Private Street” signs.
A protest leader, the Reverend Darryl Gray, said the gate was open and that protesters did not damage it.

Mark McCloskey confronted protesters with a semi-automatic rifle, screamed at them and pointed the weapon at them, according to a probable statement. The statement said Patricia McCloskey then emerged with a semi-automatic handgun, yelling at protesters to “go” and pointing it at them. No shots were fired.
Photos emerged as memes on both sides of the gun debate.
Trump spoke by phone with Parson last week to criticise Gardner’s investigation. Parson, when he was in the Legislature, co-authored Missouri’s “castle doctrine” law that justifies deadly force for those who are defending their homes from intruders. He has said that the McCloskeys “had every right to protect their property”.
Gardner declined to discuss why she decided the castle doctrine did not apply.
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Schwartz said the McCloskeys “support the First Amendment right of every citizen to have their voice and opinion heard. This right, however, must be balanced with the Second Amendment and Missouri law, which entitle each of us to protect our home and family from potential threats.”
Gardner, St Louis’ first Black circuit attorney, has been at odds with some in the St Louis establishment since her election in 2016. Most notably, her office charged then governor Eric Greitens with felony invasion of privacy in 2018 for allegedly taking a compromising photo of a woman during an extramarital affair. The charge was eventually dropped, but Greitens resigned in June 2018.
A private investigator Gardner hired to investigate the claims against Greitens was later indicted for perjury for allegedly lying during a deposition. His case is pending.

Gardner also has butted heads with police leaders, especially after she developed an “exclusion list” of more than two dozen officers who were barred from serving as primary witnesses in criminal cases over what Gardner called credibility concerns. The move angered Police Chief John Hayden, who is also black.
In January, Gardner filed a federal lawsuit accusing the city, the police union and others of a coordinated and racist conspiracy aimed at forcing her out of office. The lawsuit also accused “entrenched interests” of intentionally impeding her efforts to change racist practices.
Several Black leaders in St Louis have expressed support for Gardner, including Democratic US congressman William Lacy Clay, who has said protesters “should never be subject to the threat of deadly force, whether by individuals or by the police”.



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Mark and Patricia McCloskey confront protesters outside their St Louis home in June. Photo: St Louis Post-Dispatch via AP

FILE - In a Monday, Jan. 13, 2020 file photo, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner speaks in St. Louis. Sen. Josh Hawley on Thursday, July, 16, 2020, urged Attorney General William Barr to launch a federal civil rights investigation of St. Louis' elected prosecutor, accusing Circuit Attorney Gardner of abusing her power in her investigation of a white couple who wielded guns while defending their home during a protest. Mark and Patricia McCloskey are being investigated by Gardner's office for the incident on June 28 when several hundred protesters marched by their $1.15 million mansion. (AP Photo/Jim Salter, File)

Protesters gather outside the home of Mark and Patricia McCloskey during a protest against racial inequality in St Louis, Missouri, U.S. July 3, 2020. REUTERS/Lawrence Bryant

Trump administration ‘escalating’ situation in Portland, mayor says, as protests continue

A demonstrator burns a flag during a protest against racial inequality in Portland, Oregon. City and state officials want federal police to leave the city. Photo: Reuters

Mothers participate in a demonstration outside the Justice Center during a protest against racial inequality in Portland, Oregon, U.S., July 18, 2020. Picture taken July 18, 2020. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs

A man is struck by a police officer during a protest against racial inequality in Portland, U.S., July 18, 2020, in this still image obtained from a social media video. THE PORTLAND TRIBUNE/via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES.

Demonstrators use garbage cans, umbrellas, and other materials as makeshift shields during a protest against racial inequality in Portland, Oregon, U.S., July 19, 2020. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs

Donald Trump says the Confederate flag is a proud symbol of US south

A member of the Ku Klux Klan holds a Confederate flag over his face during a rally. Photo: AFP

US President Donald Trump downplays virus, leaves open if he would accept election loss. Here he is depicted as he arrives to attend the third working session of the G20 summit.

New police footage reveals George Floyd’s final moments

People gather at the unveiling of artist Kenny Altidor’s memorial portrait of George Floyd in New York on Monday. Photo: AFP

Attorney Ben Crump speaks at a press conference outside the federal courthouse on July 15, 2020, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. - Crump announced he is filing a civil lawsuit against the city of Minneapolis and police officers, on behalf of the family of George Floyd. (Photo by Kerem Yucel / AFP)

FILE - This combination of photos provided by the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office in Minnesota on Wednesday, June 3, 2020, shows Derek Chauvin, from left, J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao. Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder of George Floyd, a Black man who died after being restrained by him and the other Minneapolis police officers on May 25. Kueng, Lane and Thao have been charged with aiding and abetting Chauvin. Video from the body cameras of two officers charged in the death of Floyd is being made available for public viewing by appointment on Wednesday, July 15 but a judge has so far declined to allow news media organizations to publish the footage for wider distribution. (Hennepin County Sheriff's Office via AP, File)

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Lawyers Mark and Patricia McCloskey’s actions risked creating violent situation during otherwise non-violent rally, prosecutor says
Couple’s supporters say they were legally defending their US$1.15 million mansion as George Floyd protesters marched down private street



Mark and Patricia McCloskey’s supporters say they were legally defending their US$1.15 million mansion as George Floyd demonstrators marched down private street.


Crime

Gun violence in the US

Racism and other prejudice

United States