St. Louis Unrest Is The Same Old Song
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St. Louis…
Ferguson. Dallas. Charlottesville. St. Louis. No matter the location, it’s still the same old song.
Current Events
Over the weekend, riots took place in St. Louis, Missouri, after yet another white police officer was absolved of murdering a young black man. The former officer, Jason Stockley, was charged with first-degree murder after shooting and killing Anthony Lamar Smith in 2011. His acquittal on Friday prompted the rioting.
According to Stockley, he and his partner thought they saw Smith dealing drugs outside a restaurant, so they pursued him in a high-speed car chase. During the pursuit, Stockley was recorded saying “Gonna kill this motherfucker, don’t you know it,” while telling his partner (who was driving) to ram Smith’s car.
When they eventually caught up to their presumed suspect, Stockley ran to the window of Smith’s car and, without warning, fired 5 shots into the vehicle, killing the new father who was engaged to be married.
Stockley claimed he saw Smith holding a gun, but prosecutors said he planted the gun in Smith’s car after the shooting to corroborate his excuse for pulling the trigger.
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“I did not murder Anthony Lamar Smith. I did not plant a gun. I can feel for and I understand what the family is going through, and I know everyone wants someone to blame, but I’m just not the guy.” – Officer Jason Stockley
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Originally, the case seemed cut and dry. A team of white St. Louis police officers stopped a young black man they “assumed” had committed a crime, then shot and killed him without asking any questions. Guilty, right? WRONG! St. Louis Circuit Judge Timothy Wilson set Officer Stockley free, setting off the emotions of yet another Missouri black community in a state where blacks feel as if it’s the Jim Crow era all over again.
Peaceful protests broke out on Friday in the streets of St. Louis. However, the event turned violent by midnight after 11 officers were injured, prompting police to declare the gathering an unlawful assembly. Demonstrators reassembled and marched again on Saturday, demanding justice. According to police, “the unruly crowd became a mob” at dusk when protesters threw bricks, rocks, and projectiles at officers trying to disperse crowds. At least 9 people were arrested on Saturday night.
Demonstrations continued into Sunday, as protesters threw rocks at the mayor’s home and called on city leaders to step down. Earlier in the day, protesters held a ‘die-in’ rally outside police headquarters, where they laid on the ground as if they were dead. The crowd also observed 6 minutes of silence, which symbolized the 6 years between Smith’s death and Stockley’s acquittal. Afterward, they chanted “stop killing us” and “this is what democracy looks like.”
Current Events
Interestingly, although scores of “Black Lives Matter” posters were seen throughout the crowd, the demonstrators were mostly white. Additionally, singer Ed Sheeran and the rock group U2 each canceled their concert dates in St. Louis, out of respect for the protests and because police could not provide adequate protection for their large concert venues.
In this renewed era of white police officers killing unarmed and innocent black citizens, the names Philando Castille, Sandra Bland, and Eric Garner (among others) come to mind. However, the story seems to always be the same: A black person is stopped by a white police officer; the black person is shot and killed; they are determined to be unarmed and innocent; a court acquits the police officer of murder and sets him free; a series of riots and protests occur; then the entire cycle resets and starts all over again with the next shooting.
Are police correct to claim that they are justified in their shootings? Are demonstrators making a difference by marching and protesting? Will the seemingly regular practice of blacks being killed by white police officers ever change, or is it here to stay? Tell us what YOU think!
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A sad post but a much needed discussion DJ in that this tragedy (the cold-blooded murder of another UNarmed Black man by a White cop who is then found “NOT guilty” of murder) is indeed “the same old song” So your questions area as follows: 1. Are police correct to claim that they are justified in their shootings? When, and only when, concrete and IRREFUTABLE evidence bares out that claim. Otherwise the answer is No. It’s First-degree Murder. Period. But I must also add this troubling side-note: I do not understand WHY there a High-speed chase to begin with? Did Mr. Smith take off running in his car when the police lights signaled for him to pull-over? If he wasn’t doing anything illegal, why did he run? 2. Are demonstrators making a difference by marching and protesting? Yes. But only if more and more WHITE Americans join the Peaceful protests…especially… Read more »