STL Mayor: St. Louis 'on edge' awaiting police shooting verdict…

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  • Kat
    Kat Members Posts: 50,667 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Hurricane had me distracted, but this ? is infuriating. How can they explain this? He basically admitted to premeditation on that camera. He said he was going to ? him before he even knew about some alleged gun AND called him a racial slur.

    And then wants to run to Houston. I hope he gets run up on..
  • farris2k1
    farris2k1 Members Posts: 1,937 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I just peeped dudes twitter...if i havent actually seen him on tv id say theres no way hes black, that dude makes whitlock look like malcom x, that dude posts the same exact ? that racist cacs do, calling him a ? is an understatment
  • stringer bell
    stringer bell Members Posts: 26,212 ✭✭✭✭✭
    http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/weekend-of-disruption-takes-economic-toll-on-st-louis/article_344d0707-c0ac-5594-8d24-b92aa027cf79.html
    Weekend of disruption takes economic toll on St. Louis

    A weekend of protests following the not-guilty verdict in the murder trial of former police Officer Jason Stockley has delivered what some activists promised: disruption to the metropolitan area’s economy.

    For people who counted on big concerts downtown or small-business owners who banked on a weekend of sales, the loss is fairly easy to quantify. A smaller paycheck. An unexpected repair bill. Fewer customers.

    The longer-term effect on the region — one that was convulsed just three years ago by Ferguson protests — is unclear.


    Does the unrest make the seemingly quixotic bid to land Amazon’s second headquarters seem ridiculous now? Will the Washington Avenue entertainment district, which has had to wrestle with the perception that crime is on the rise, face an even bigger challenge in the wake of the vandalism that took place Sunday night? Will out-of-town parents who send their kids to Washington University think twice about housing near the Delmar Loop?

    For some hotels, restaurants and retailers, paying for plywood and replacement windows is only the beginning. Some businesses have trimmed operating hours before and after protests, resulting in lost revenue and fewer hours for employees.

    Three Kings Pub, a Delmar Loop restaurant that had its front window smashed by vandals late Saturday while diners were inside, warned on Twitter it would close its University City location at 5 p.m. Monday — six hours early — due to another planned protest in the Delmar Loop.

    Several other Loop businesses also said they planned to close early Monday, including HSB Tobacconist, a staple in the business district for 45 years.


    Jessica Bueler, HSB’s owner, started a fundraiser on GoFundMe.com to help other Loop small-business owners affected by the damages pay for expenses that aren’t covered by insurance. By Monday afternoon, less than 48 hours after about two dozen Loop businesses were damaged, more than $5,000 was raised by the GoFundMe effort.

    Bueler said she was at her home in pajamas around 11 p.m. when she saw on TV that some businesses were being damaged Saturday night. She and several other nearby business owners rushed to the scene and called a single company to board all of their broken windows. Her glass door alone cost several hundred dollars to board up, and she’s waiting on an estimate for glass replacement.

    “Even if a business has insurance, they may have a $5,000 deductible, and that’s a substantial amount for a small business,” Bueler said. “The costs are going to be astronomical,” she said of the damages to the area.

    Still, Sunday after the windows were smashed, customers came out in droves to help in the cleanup efforts and to make purchases.

    “I’m hoping I see that trend continuing,” she said. “We just have to get through this.”

    Blueberry Hill owner Joe Edwards, who chairs one of the Loop’s business associations, said 23 businesses had their windows broken during the weekend.

    Comedy shows scheduled for weekend performances at the Loop venues of the Pageant and Delmar Hall were postponed, and a concert scheduled for Monday night was also canceled.

    ‘This doesn’t help’

    In downtown St. Louis, about eight businesses had their windows broken Sunday evening, said Missy Kelley, president and CEO of Downtown STL Inc.

    The downtown booster group and tax-supported neighborhood improvement district Kelley leads is helping pay for paint and other supplies to decorate boards some businesses are putting over their windows. They’re also helping to assess the damage so businesses can apply for funds to help pay for repairs.

    Beyond physical damage, Kelley said the loss of foot traffic from closed offices on Friday and decisions by restaurateurs and retailers to shut their doors also hurt.

    “There were businesses that closed Friday night, Saturday and Sunday, so three days of lost revenue,” Kelley said.

    The cancellation of two concerts over the weekend — U2 was supposed to play Saturday at the Dome at America’s Center and Ed Sheeran was booked for Scottrade Center on Sunday — will have an impact beyond the immediate loss of people who would have spent hours downtown, she said. Especially for such a huge name like U2, people traveling from around the Midwest to downtown St. Louis turned around this weekend.

    “They didn’t go to restaurants, didn’t go to hotels,” Kelley said. “That’s the short-term impact. Longer term, it’s a hit to our brand. It makes people think twice about coming.”

    Downtown hoteliers and restaurateurs were banking on the U2 and Sheeran concerts to be big revenue generators.

    “We were on track for a sellout on Saturday,” said Steve O’Loughlin, president and CEO of Maryland Heights-based Lodging Hospitality Management. When the concerts were scrubbed, guests canceled 300 rooms at LHM’s Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark Hotel, which has 675 rooms. At LHM’s St. Louis Union Station Hotel, 150 guests canceled out of 539 rooms. Additionally, revenue at LHM’s 360 Rooftop Bar atop the Hilton was down 50 percent.

    “With U2, that would’ve been a huge night,” O’Loughlin said of the impact.

    In the short-term, O’Loughlin said he’s expecting upcoming home Cardinals games to once again the fill the rooms at LHM’s downtown hotels. But longer-term, protests have the ability to negatively affect hotel bookings, as they did in the midst of Ferguson protests, he said.

    “As we’re booking conventions, obviously this doesn’t help,” he said.

    The St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission, which operates the Dome at America’s Center, said it had no way to track the economic impact from the weekend concert cancellations.

    “While we were disappointed, we understand the decision made by the promoters due to the strain events would have placed on manpower at the police department,” CVC spokesman Anthony Paraino said in a statement.

    The organization did not respond to a follow-up question about how much revenue the U2 cancellation cost the Dome, for which taxpayers are still making debt payments.

    Kelley said most downtown businesses appeared to be back open on Monday.

    “The thing I would say is most important right now is St. Louis needs to show up,” Kelley said. “We need to visit these restaurants and these retailers. … They are taking the brunt over something they have no power over. So we need to show up and support them.”


  • stringer bell
    stringer bell Members Posts: 26,212 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Amazon chase

    The unrest comes as St. Louis joined dozens of metropolitan areas across the country scrambling to put together bids to lure Amazon’s proposed $5 billion second headquarters.

    On Sept. 7, the day Amazon announced it was putting out a request for proposals for an office campus to accommodate up to 50,000 employees, St. Louis area leaders said they planned to make a competitive bid, even as some called it a long-shot effort.

    While the Stockley verdict and its aftermath dominated news coverage in St. Louis, other cities — including cross-state rival Kansas City — have been moving aggressively ahead with their Amazon planning. The Kansas City Area Development Council, for example, confirmed they hired Richard Florida and Joel Kotkin, two well-known experts in city planning and retaining business talent, as consultants in their bid, according to the Kansas City Star.

    At a press conference Saturday evening, St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson was asked whether the protests would derail the city’s chances to land Amazon or another economic development prize.

    “I don’t know the answer to that for sure,” she said at the press conference. “I think certainly it’s concerning, but I’m not going to make a prediction about that. I think St. Louis is putting together a very competitive proposal for Amazon, but I would also say to you that every city over 1 million in the United States right now is giving their media that same quote.”

    St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger said Monday area officials are still working at a “fever pitch” to put together a competitive bid for Amazon.

    The unrest and property damage from the weekend haven’t halted those efforts, he said.

    “I think we need to look at the situation relative to other large metropolitan areas,” Stenger told the Post-Dispatch on Monday. “While this is untimely that it’s happening while we’re working on our submission, the issues that St. Louis faces, they’re issues that are faced across the nation.”

    For St. Louis’ pitch to Amazon, Clayco Chairman and CEO Bob Clark is advising officials on the submission, in addition to Express Scripts Chairman George Paz, and staff from design firms Forum Studio and HOK, Stenger said.

    “We have a gathering of individuals who are pledged to make this happen,” Stenger said, adding the sites under consideration for St. Louis’ bid are still being evaluated. “This is a true regional effort, and there is no predetermined site. We want the best site in our region to be in the bid.”

    Still, some residents say the recent unrest likely ruins St. Louis’ Amazon chances.

    “I’m not happy that these marches inevitably lead to violence,” said University City resident John Rava.

    “It’s really a shame — a black mark on our whole community. … It’s very discouraging. It makes the Amazon bid — it completely sabotages something like that.”

    For some in St. Louis, economic concerns are eclipsed by the social justice issues raised by the Stockley verdict.

    In a Facebook post on Sunday, the Rev. Traci Blackmon, a senior pastor at Christ The King United Church of Christ in North County and a member of the Ferguson Commission, wrote: “Let me be clear: I don’t give a damn about your broken windows. Because, clearly, you don’t give a damn about our babies’ bullet-riddled bodies. I will replace your window. You replace your killer cops ... and we still won’t be even.”
  • stringer bell
    stringer bell Members Posts: 26,212 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited September 2017
    http://www.kmov.com/story/36406241/st-louis-police-investigating-officer-who-posted-meme-calling-black-lives-matter-domestic-terrorists
    St. Louis officer accused of posting meme calling BLM 'domestic terrorists'

    ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOV.com) -
    The St. Louis Police Department (SLMPD) is investigating one of their own because of a Facebook meme that calls Black Lives Matter protesters "domestic terrorists." The meme also shows the wording "the ? with a tan."

    The officer reportedly posted the meme as a comment on a woman's post explaining why she participated in the past weekend's protests. The comment has since been deleted.

    "He needs to be let go, I think they need to send a strong message that this kind of behavior is unacceptable," said Lisa Clancy.

    Clancy said she saw the comment on her Facebook post about attending a protest for Anthony Smith, the man shot and killed by former St. Louis police officer Jason Stockley.

    SLMPD have confirmed they are investigating this person, who is indeed an officer, but they will not comment further at this time.

    "Letting that behavior happen undermines the very trust and relationships that are very important right now, especially when our community is in such a crisis moment," said Clancy.

    The most recent city salary database lists the individual as a 16-year veteran of the force.

    "I've heard about that, but I have not personally seen that," said St. Louis mayor Lyda Krewson. "If that is the case, first of all, I certainly disagree with that comment."


    Clancy claims she's reached out to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department several times on Twitter, but never received a response.

    "I think that their failure to condemn it publicly suggests that there's systemic racism in the institution."

    He must be one of the few bad apples...
  • stringer bell
    stringer bell Members Posts: 26,212 ✭✭✭✭✭
    http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/st-louis-police-union-hall-vandalized-they-re-trying-to/article_c2a24c13-be1b-50bd-ac32-fe539a7ac77f.html
    St. Louis police union hall vandalized; 'They're trying to intimidate us,' union leader says

    ST. LOUIS • Two windows at the St. Louis Police Officers' Association headquarters were broken, graffiti was spray-painted on the building and a private security vehicle was damaged sometime Monday night or early Tuesday morning, according to union officials.

    Union leaders have responded with a message on the plywood now covering the broken windows: "We're open, We won't be defeated."

    "Here's your peaceful protests," Jeff Roorda, the union's business manager, said of the vandalism, which comes amid days of protests following the not-guilty verdict in the murder trial of former St. Louis Police Officer Jason Stockley in the death of drug suspect Anthony Lamar Smith in 2011.

    Each day since Friday's verdict was announced has seen marches and protest gatherings, some of which turned to violence after dark on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

    The damaged vehicle belongs to a nearby business, Roorda said. The union interpreted some of the graffiti left behind as threatening Stockley's safety.

    "They're trying to intimidate us," Roorda said of the broken windows at the union hall. "Stories about us collecting food and water for cops immediately preceded this."

    "They don't want us rendering aid and comfort to our members and they are retaliating against our charitable efforts. They've declared war on the police. There have been 32 officers injured, bricks thrown at cops."

    Roorda said the union's message across its plywood is directed only at the vandals, not protesters.

    "They shouldn't condone this or violence against the police," he said of protesters.

    Roorda said supporters donated more than $10,000 toward the Shield of Hope nonprofit to help buy supplies as well as brought more than 400 cases of water and 100 cases of sports drinks along with pallet loads of nonperishable items.

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  • BIGG WILL
    BIGG WILL Members Posts: 2,611 ✭✭✭✭✭
    A group of youth football players in Cahokia, Ill., decided as a team to kneel to protest racial injustice in America, mirroring Colin Kaepernick’s original stand that got him exiled from football.

    Members of the Junior Comanches football team demonstrated Sunday after kids asked team coaches about the protests in St. Louis over a not-guilty verdict of an officer killing a black man in 2011. Protests in the city over the unjust killing, sparked by a new verdict, have continued for days.

    Jason Stockley, a white officer, killed Anthony Lamar Smith in December 2011. Dashcam recordings showed Stockley saying he was going to “? that ? ” while he and another officer pursued Smith assuming he was a part of an earlier drug deal. Stockley ended up shooting Smith five times.

    xa2axwl5zekf.jpg
  • stringer bell
    stringer bell Members Posts: 26,212 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited September 2017
    http://www.kmov.com/story/36406241/st-louis-police-investigating-officer-who-posted-meme-calling-black-lives-matter-domestic-terrorists
    St. Louis officer accused of posting meme calling BLM 'domestic terrorists'

    ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOV.com) -
    The St. Louis Police Department (SLMPD) is investigating one of their own because of a Facebook meme that calls Black Lives Matter protesters "domestic terrorists." The meme also shows the wording "the ? with a tan."

    The officer reportedly posted the meme as a comment on a woman's post explaining why she participated in the past weekend's protests. The comment has since been deleted.

    "He needs to be let go, I think they need to send a strong message that this kind of behavior is unacceptable," said Lisa Clancy.

    Clancy said she saw the comment on her Facebook post about attending a protest for Anthony Smith, the man shot and killed by former St. Louis police officer Jason Stockley.

    SLMPD have confirmed they are investigating this person, who is indeed an officer, but they will not comment further at this time.

    "Letting that behavior happen undermines the very trust and relationships that are very important right now, especially when our community is in such a crisis moment," said Clancy.

    The most recent city salary database lists the individual as a 16-year veteran of the force.

    "I've heard about that, but I have not personally seen that," said St. Louis mayor Lyda Krewson. "If that is the case, first of all, I certainly disagree with that comment."


    Clancy claims she's reached out to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department several times on Twitter, but never received a response.

    "I think that their failure to condemn it publicly suggests that there's systemic racism in the institution."

    8n4xwwz5b1z3.jpeg


    https://lawnewz.com/crazy/the-? -with-a-tan-calls-for-st-louis-cop-to-be-fired-after-offensive-black-lives-matter-post/
    ‘The ? With a Tan’: Calls For St. Louis Cop To Be Fired After Offensive Black Lives Matter Post

    An officer with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD) is facing an internal investigation as members of the public are calling for him to be fired after he shared racially charged meme on Facebook.

    Officer Deron Riley, a 16-year veteran of the SLMPD with an annual salary of nearly $60,000, posted an image of Black Lives Matter protesters with racially offensive captions as a comment on the Facebook status of St. Louis resident Lisa Clancy.

    Clancy’s status was a public post explaining why she participated in the protests over the acquittal of killer cop Jason Stockley, a white former police officer who was charged with murder and suspected of planting a gun on the man he killed.

    Clancy’s explanation reads, in part:

    I want [my son] to live in a world where he doesn’t fear those who are different than him (Darren Wilson and Jason Stockley certainly did, as does our current President and his comrades), where he doesn’t have to fear for the safety and well being the black and brown people that he will come to love and care about, and where he sees and activates his own path to show up and make his voice heard when there is injustice.

    Those hopes were apparently a bit too much for Officer Riley, who responded to her status–even though he apparently doesn’t know Clancy–by posting a meme showing Black Lives Matter protesters marching down a street with a banner identifying their cause and the following two captions: “THE ? WITH A TAN,” and “DOMESTIC TERRORISTS.”
    Two days after posting the offensive meme, Riley deleted his comment. But Clancy took screenshots, which were publicized on various social media. Clancy then complained to St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson and the SLMPD via Twitter and by making multiple phone calls to their offices, but says she never received a response.

    As Officer Riley’s racially-charged response picked up media attention, however, the SLMPD was faced with the optics of another apparently racist cop amongst their ranks and said it was opening an investigation into the matter.

    Meanwhile, Mayor Krewson told the local CBS affiliate, “I’ve heard about that, but I have not personally seen that. If that is the case, first of all, I certainly disagree with that comment.”

    LawNewz reached out to the SLMPD for comment. They released the following statement: “The department has launched an internal investigation into the matter. The investigation is ongoing.”

    Clancy is now calling for Riley’s dismissal. She said, “He needs to be let go, I think they need to send a strong message that this kind of behavior is unacceptable.”