St. Louis Riots Over White Police Officer’s Acquittal

St.+Louis+Riots+Over+White+Police+Officers+Acquittal

Laura Mejia, Sports Editor

On Friday September 15, police announced that a white police officer named Jason Stockely was not guilty of killing a black male suspect, Anthony Lamar Smith. This ignited protests in St. Louis, Missouri. For the past three days it’s been peaceful protests during the day but violent in the night. On Sunday, September 17, according to authorities, more than eighty people were arrested for “attacking police, flipping trash cans, and breaking windows.” Unknown chemicals were thrown at police officers as well. According to various reports, after the arrests were made officers chanted, “Whose streets? Our streets!” More than a dozen police officers have been reported injured, and tens of thousands of dollars in damage has been caused to local businesses that had nothing to do with the Stockley verdict.  According to The NY Times, “Since the unrest in Ferguson, Mo., in 2014 amid a rising debate over how police treat black people, police departments around the country have responded to demonstrations calling for greater police reform and accountability.” The protests are still on going.

Source: NY Times; CNN.COM