Monday evening Michael Brown protesters entered the Maplewood Walmart and gathered at the back of the store chanting “What do we want…justice now” Fox2 News reported.
Maplewood Police escorted the protesters out of the store, which was then closed. About a hundred protesters continued to chant for about an hour out side the store, until after 9 p.m. The protesters were targeting 24-hour Walmarts, and are planning to boycott the Ferguson Walmart for two days in October.
One protester, Hezekiah McCaskill, an undergraduate student at Webster University, said he was there “representing equality and peace and justice.”
“We decided to protest at local Walmart locations because of the tragedy that happened with John Crawford, where he was fatally shot in a Walmart (on Aug. 5), for one reason or another,” McCaskill said. “This is about all of us, so we’re trying to represent all of us, and hopefully we’re doing a good job of that.”
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Update: Nine protesters were arrested Monday night; all were charged with trespassing. One of the nine was also charged as a fugitive of another department with outstanding warrants.
Of those arrested, one was from California, two were from Michigan, one was from Ohio and the rest were from St. Louis. All nine were released on $300 bond Tuesday at around 1:30 a.m., Maplewood Police reported Tuesday morning.
Gary, would you be saying that in Hong Kong? Better yet, would you be saying that in 1773, when Boston had its tea party? Remember, the American Revolution didn’t end until several years later.
What this article doesn’t mention is that the protests and the movement are larger than what happened to just one person, and happens across the country. The whole purpose is to draw attention to a system that is broken. Walmart was chosen because of what happened to John Crawford….the black man who was gunned down by police in Walmart in Beavercreek, Ohio…..because he happened to be holding a TOY GUN, walking through the store. That is why Walmart was targeted.
Elizabeth, I’ve added a quote to this article, which I obtained last night that refers to John Crawford.
Reading the comments to Doug’s FB post about last night truly made me sad and rather embarrassed for our community. If our tastes only trend towards artisan meats, eating local, and craft beer, then I believe the appropriate term to describe our city should be trendy rather than progressive. Any alternate voices that, like me, are heartened by the week-end and last night?
And to those of you up in arms about the protests that came to our community last night: would you have reacted the same in the 1960s? Would you have told those involved in the sit-ins to go home and stop disturbing the peace? Return to the back of the bus, Rosa! What a waste of energy a march on Washington is. Spend that time doing something more productive.
This, all of this.
I agree, Jane.
Isn’t this akin to yelling “fire” in a crowded theater? The First Amendment rights of speech and assembly have legitimate limitations. This is getting ridiculous. The really sad thing is none of this is about Michael Brown or the officer Darren Wilson: it is about importing personal agitators to mess with people’s minds.
I am really tired of their protests. They made their point and I’m losing sympathy for the Michael Brown, whereas before I thought the policeman overreacted and perhaps even behaved in a criminal manner. Enough is enough. Let the legal system figure it out.