On Tuesday, St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson expressed her disappointment with St. Louis police who were caught on camera taunting protesters with the phrase: “Whose streets? Our streets.”
On Sunday night, after arresting several protesters during a chaotic night of protests against the acquittal of a white police officer, Jason Stockley, who fatally shot a Black man, St. Louis police were caught chanting the phrase that protesters had themselves been using only moments before.
–Nick Cannon spotted at Stockley demonstration wearing Kaepernick jersey–
“I wish that wouldn’t have been said,” Mayor Krewson said at a press briefing held on Tuesday. “That’s not appropriate for police officers to say.”
Krewson stood by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, but she did have additional criticism for their head, Lawrence O’Toole.
O’Toole had said of the handling of protests that “Police owned tonight,” and Krewson lambasted him for it.
“I think that’s an inflammatory comment. The police department is charged with protecting,” Krewson said.
However, she did still tell the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that she still felt O’Toole could lead the department well.
“I do have confidence. I do,” Krewson said.
During the third night of protests in St. Louis, more than 80 people were arrested, and police broke up the protests by dousing marching activists in pepper spray.