A couple in St. Louis is facing a backlash on social media after images and videos showed them aiming guns at protesters marching past their home on a private road.
Footage showed the couple, one with a pistol and the other with what appeared to be a semiautomatic rifle, shouting at the protesters and waving the weapons around. At times, they appeared to be pointing the firearms toward the demonstrators.
In remarks to local CBS station KMOV, the homeowner claimed that “a mob of at least 100 smashed through the historic wrought iron gates” of their private street, which were marked with “private street” and “no trespassing” signs, and put his family “in fear of our lives.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that police are investigating the incident.
The march was organized by Expect Us, which billed the event as “a call to action against the violence towards Black people.”
The route reportedly passed the home of Mayor Lyda Krewson (D), where protesters chanted: “Resign Lyda, take the cops with you.” The Post-Dispatch reported that demonstrators also painted “RESIGN” in the street outside her home.
Krewson is under pressure to step down after she read aloud the names and home addresses of constituents who had called for police reform during a Facebook Live video, a move critics said equated to doxing critics of the police.
She later apologized and deleted the post.