Missouri lawyer couple who pointed guns at protesters gave out autographed photos
The McCloskeys, who have been indicted for pointing guns at protesters this summer, are handing out autographed photos of the incident
The Missouri lawyer couple who pointed their guns at protesters outside their home has been indicted, but apparently, they’re not too worried about the consequences. A patron at a Missouri restaurant says Mark and Patricia McCloskey handed her server an autographed photo of the incident captioned with ‘Still Standing.’
As reported by theGrio, the McCloskeys went viral in June after brandishing guns when supporters of BLM walked through their suburban St. Louis neighborhood to advocate for the resignation of St. Louis mayor Lyda Krewson. Krewson earned the ire of protesters by reading the names and addresses of people who supported defunding police departments in a Facebook Live.
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The McCloskeys are prominent St. Louis lawyers who were recorded brandishing a handgun and a rifle when protesters walked through the gated community in Portland Place where Krewson also lived. The two were not approached by protestors in the video.
Still, the couple says they felt “threatened” and claim that their home would have been burned down had they not made the armed stand. A Missouri prosecutor disagreed, charging the couple with unlawful possession of a weapon, and just a week ago, on new charges of evidence tampering. They have pleaded not guilty on both charges.
Hailed by conservatives and invited to speak at the Republican National Convention, the McCloskeys are seemingly reveling in their newfound fame. A patron at the Original Pancake House in Ladue, Missouri told Missouri’s KMOV 4 News that the server was a surprised as anyone else to get handed the postcard by the couple.
“We were having breakfast and I noticed all this commotion around the table when they had left. The server was like ‘Oh my God, look what they left me,” diner Andrea Spencer told the outlet. “I saw it and thought ‘Oh my God.’ It was just flabbergasting think that you’re capitalizing on these 15 minutes of shame that you have, and to publicize it on a postcard. I thought it was strange.”
Al Watkins, an attorney who represents the couple, says they are often asked for autographs and created the postcards to facilitate those requests.
Spencer posted a photo of the postcard to her Facebook page.
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The McCloskeys may find themselves in even more legal trouble. The photographer who snapped the viral pic told KMOV that the McCloskeys do not have permission to disseminate the photo. Ironically, the McCloskeys, who have a lengthy history of suing others, including alleged “trespassers,” once sued the Central West End Association for including a picture of their home in a brochure.
The nine protesters who entered the Portland Place community were initially given trespassing tickets but were not charged in the demonstration in Portland Place, reports Law and Crime. The McCloskeys say that’s unfair given their right to “protect” their property.
Witnesses may be more likely to come forward in the case now that they know they are not being charged, reports KMOV. Those witnesses were referred to just by their initials, given how public the case has become.
“Given the international attention this matter has generated,” a prosecutor said in court documents, “and the violence and vitriol directed towards the Circuit Attorney’s office for the prosecution of this case, the witnesses were understandably reluctant to cooperate.”
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