Our main Ferguson protest reporter called our managing editor on Tuesday, August 11 and said, “You need to call Chief Belmar and you need to tell him that he is going to ruin any progress he made with the community if he lets these Oath Keepers come out to protests in Ferguson carrying assault rifles.”
Our reporter was at the Ferguson protest on Monday, August 10 when a group of white men identified with the Oath Keepers group strutted through the throng of protestors. Belmar was on the scene, but neither he nor any of his officers stopped these heavily armed men to see if they had permits. In effect, their mere presence terrorized many protestors – our reporter said they made her fear for her life – but they were not dealt with as a threat by the chief or his officers. No one would argue that a black man carrying an assault weapon in the same tense situation would have been treated the same way.
“If those had been black men walking the streets of Ferguson with assault rifles, they would have been thrown to the ground and taken into custody,” our reporter said. “But these guys? Nothing. And at this same protest, people were brutally thrown to the ground and placed under arrest for slinging a little water. You need to tell Belmar he is going to lose all the ground he has made in this community if this keeps up.”
We did as she directed. We asked Belmar why he decided not to stop the Oath Keepers group, check their permits, and interview them for a threat assessment. His media coordinator responded with a statement: “The St. Louis County Police Department is going to consult with the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office about the legalities of the issue. Chief Jon Belmar stated, ‘Their presence was both unnecessary and inflammatory.’”
lol… Oh my, the irony of it all… I see the OK Website is down this morning, one can only wonder why.