During a protest this past weekend, St. Louis residents Mark and Patricia McCloskey pointed guns at demonstrators who were peacefully marching through the area to demand the resignation of St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson, who’s been facing heavy criticism for revealing the names and addresses of individuals who’d written to her with concerns about police violence. The apparently Fox News-rattled McCloskeys were caught on camera waving their guns at the protesters, and they’ve faced heavy mockery for their wannabe machismo in the time since the incident. Now, Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner says that her office is investigating the incident, pledging to “use the full power of Missouri law.”
She commented:
‘I am alarmed at the events that happened over the weekend, where peaceful protestors were met by guns and a violent assault. We must protect the right to peacefully protest, and any attempt to chill it through intimidation or threat of deadly force will not be tolerated. My office is currently working with the public and the police to investigate these events. Make no mistake: We will not tolerate the use of force against those exercising their First Amendment rights, and will use the full power of Missouri law to hold people accountable.’
Check out her statement in full below:
Statement from Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner in regards to events over weekend: pic.twitter.com/KqqFHIvL9Q
— Circuit Attorney (@stlcao) June 29, 2020
The McCloskeys, of course, have claimed that they felt threatened before they brought out their weapons and pointed them at the protesters.
Mark offered a particularly unhinged attempted defense of his actions to local media. He claimed:
‘It was like the storming of the Bastille, the gate came down and a large crowd of angry, aggressive people poured through. I was terrified that we’d be murdered within seconds. Our house would be burned down, our pets would be killed.’
That cuckoo assessment of the situation is, by all appearances, staggeringly disconnected from reality. That unhinged gobbledygook is how the McCloskeys reacted to protesters who were walking by outside, and, at one point, seem to have opened a gate. The behavior that the couple displayed might be what Fox News does to your brain if you watch it for too long. It’s worth noting — Mark McCloskey made “many contributions to U.S. President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign,” Snopes reports.
