If you’re new here and haven’t seen the incident yet, go check out this article first and then come back. We’ll wait.
The armed couple consists of Mark and Patricia McCloskey, who are both attorneys in the St. Louis area. Their attorney, Al Watkins, is setting the record straight on a few details of the encounter.
The McCloskeys support Black Lives Matter, Watkins said, pointing out that their client base largely consists of persons of color in personal injury and civil rights cases.
Watkins went on to explain that peaceful protesters were not the subject of scorn or disdain by the couple, and the McCloskeys were expecting and supportive of the message of the protesters.
“Their actions were borne solely of fear and apprehension, the genesis of which was not race-related. In fact, the agitators responsible for the trepidation were white,” Watkins said.
via news10.com
Watkins said that two white males had threatened the couple. These two men were a part of the estimated 500 protesters. The couple responded to the threats by calling police, immediately followed by getting their firearms and being prepared to defend themselves and their property.
“There were two individuals that stuck out like sore thumbs because they were violent. They ripped a 100-year-old wrought iron gate and bent it. They did so in a fashion that was accompanied by derisive commentary,” Watkins said.
“Bad things were said. They weren’t the message of Black Lives Matter. They were threats. They were hostile…my clients weren’t there with guns. (Mark McCloskey) went in and got his guns…these two people have spent a career serving and addressing the civil rights needs of people of color. (They) were not frightened of peaceful protesters.”
Being attorneys, the couple also wants the public to know that they have done work over the years to help protect civil rights of clients, specifically clients who were “victimized at the hands of law enforcement.”
He pointed to the couple’s involvement with the Isaiah Forman case.
“The McCloskeys want to make sure no one thinks less of BLM, its message and the means it is employing to get its message out because of the actions of a few white individuals who tarnished a peaceful protest,” said Watkins.
The McCloskeys likely have a long road ahead, and to kick that off is the St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner with the following statement:
I am alarmed at the events that occurred 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 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.
The video of the attorney interview can be seen below.
What can the couple do, after being labeled radicals by many? For starters, they’ve boarded up their law office to try and fend off any attacks. They live in a gated and private community, which offers some protection against anyone looking to do them harm. After this incident, however, we know that gates and barriers can be taken down if people are determined enough.
And that’s just one more reason why we have the 2nd Amendment.
