Update (2020ET): While reactions to the gun-toting lawyers are sharply divided by political leanings, St. Louis police are investigating the incident as a case of trespassing and fourth-degree assault by intimidation against the couples.
And of course, not everyone agrees. Local circuit attorney Kimberly Gardner issued a statement on Monday characterizing the events as a “violent assault” on the protesters.
“I am alarmed at the events that occurred over the weekend, where peaceful protesters were met by guns and a violent assault,” said Gardner, who says she’s working with police to investigate the confrontation according to Fox19, “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.”
Gardner failed to mention that the protesters were on private property when the ‘peaceful protest’ occurred, or that the protesters ‘peacefully’ broke down a gate to gain entry.
Meanwhile, McCloskey attorney Albert Watkins told the Associated Press on Monday that his clients support Black Lives Matter, and only grabbed their guns after several white protesters ‘violently threatened the couple and their property and that of their neighbors,’ according to Fox.
“The most important thing for them is that their images (holding the guns) don’t become the basis for a rallying cry for people who oppose the Black Lives Matter message,” said Watkins. “They want to make it really clear that they believe the Black Lives Matter message is important.”
Update (1115ET):The St. Louis couple seen defending their mansion on Sunday have spoken publicly about what happened.
Personal injury lawyers Mark McCloskey, 63, and his wife Patricia, 61, told KMOV4that they were having dinner with family outside their home when the BLM protesters broke through iron gates marked with “No Trespassing” and “Private Street” and “rushed” towards their home.
“A mob of at least 100 smashed through the historic wrought iron gates of Portland Place, destroying them, rushed towards my home where my family was having dinner outside and put us in fear of our lives,” said Mark McCloskey.
According to police, the couple told protesters that they were on trespassing on a private street and needed to leave. Shortly after, the couple grabbed their guns after noticing several armed protesters in the crowd, shouting threats.
“This is all private property. There are no public sidewalks or public streets. We were told that we would be killed, our home burned and our dog killed. We were all alone facing an angry mob,” McCloskey told News 4. -KMOV4
A St. Louis couple armed themselves and stood outside their mansion as a group of Black Lives Matter protesters who had broken into their gated community shuffled past while chanting.
The couple, identified as attorneys Mark and Patricia McCloskey, engaged in a shouting match with the protesters, waving what appeared to be an AR-15 rifle and a pistol (albeit employing terrible muzzle and trigger discipline and without cover).
Residents bring out guns against peaceful marchers in St Louis, Mo #respectis #expectus #stlouis #lydakrewson pic.twitter.com/blBOtWjMWS— Ryanzo Perez (@RyanzoPerez) June 29, 2020
As the Gateway Pundit‘s Cassandra Fairbanks notes, the BLM protesters can be clearly be seen entering a gate into the McCloskey’s private community.
Following the incident people began calling for the McCloskeys to be doxed - resulting in at least one publication removing their address from a 2018 article detailing the extensive renovations they performed on the 1912 mansion.
Records show the McCloskeys have donated to both Republicans and Democrats over the years, including $4,000 to the Democratic party and at least $2,400 to the Trump campaign.
One of those calling for doxing the McCloskeys, ‘anti-racism executive coach‘ Kyle Dennis, restricted his Twitter account after he himself was doxed.
And now - watch the left try their hardest to cancel the McCloskeys for letting the protesters, who had broken into their gated community, that they would not be victims.
Meanwhile, the memes didn’t take long:
via zerohedge
