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Thursday, September 14, 2017

Driver Speeds Through 'Convict Stockley' Protest in Kirkwood

Posted By Sarah Fenske on Thu, Sep 14, 2017 at 10:00 AM

click to enlarge

Screen Shot via Reb2.tv

A protest in Kirkwood last night took a potentially ugly turn when an SUV barreled through the crowd, horn honking.

The protesters had assembled in the St. Louis suburb to advocate for the conviction of former police officer Jason Stockley, who has been tried on a charge of a first-degree murder. The city is now in its fifth week of waiting for a verdict, a decision in the hands of a judge after Stockley waived his right to a jury.

"Stand up! Fight back!" the protesters shouted, with some brandishing signs reading, "Black Lives Matter."

The protest appeared to be well under control; the video shows police lights flashing nearby. But one driver in a white SUV got fed up with the chanting and took off into the crowd.

A video of the moment, posted below, shows a large rectangular object hit the window of the SUV, followed by a loud noise like glass breaking. The video continues as the driver stops briefly, then speeds away.

No one appears to have been injured in the fracas.

The video was captured by the livestreamer who goes by Rebelutionary Z. The St. Louis-based citizen journalist (real name: Jon Ziegler) was a frequent presence in Ferguson and also one of the first people to upload footage of the deadly incident in Charlottesville, Virginia, which resulted in a protester's death.

KMOV reports that, prior to the incident, the driver briefly spoke to the protesters before taking off into the crowd.

At one point during the protest, some of the demonstrators blocked the road. A man in a white SUV and some of the protesters talked for five minutes about the protest and why they were blocking the road.

During their conversation, an officer approached the driver and said something to him, the driver was then heard on video stating “Nah, I want in this” and the officer walked away while the protester and driver continued their conversation.

Kirkwood police did not return our call seeking comment this morning. We'll update this post if we hear back.

Last month, a driver plowed into a vigil for Kiwi Herring in the city's Grove neighborhood, hitting three protesters before fleeing the scene. The driver, later identified as Mark Colao, has been charged with resisting arrest, leaving the scene of an accident and operating a motor vehicle in a careless manner.

We welcome tips and feedback. Email the author at sarah.fenske@riverfronttimes.com

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