Culture

A Vehicle Struck A Group Of Protestors In St. Louis Following A Vigil For A Slain Transgender Woman

The events in Charlottesville are still fresh in many people’s minds, including the fatal attack by a white supremacist with his car that took the life of protestor Heather Heyer. The events have grown on the national stage thanks to the response from President Trump and the increase in demonstrations around the country in opposition to other planned rallies by white supremacists. It’s put the country on an edge again and any event, be it a presidential rally or an alleged “free speech” demonstration could spiral out into something more.

Take the events in St. Louis earlier on Wednesday, where a vigil for a slain transgender woman turned into a scary moment when a car ended up hitting protestors and leaving the scene. It was far from the terror that struck in Charlottesville, but it highlights the level that people seem to be on in its wake.

The vigil itself was in response to an incident with police where Kenny “Kiwi” Herring was shot and killed after officers responded to a stabbing and were reportedly attacked themselves according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

When officers tried to arrest the suspect, also 30, the suspect stabbed one of the officers with a large kitchen knife, police said.

“The suspect flourished a knife and slashed at the officers, slicing the one officer on the arm,” O’Toole said.

The injured officer and his partner both fired their weapons, striking the suspect multiple times, killing the person. Police did not release the name of the person who died.

The incident led to the gathering on Wednesday, with many attending a vigil for the slain woman and then proceeded to The Grove business district in St. Louis.

That is where the incident in question happened, with the driver of the car reportedly finding himself in the thick of the protest and looking for a way around. The Post-Dispatch reports that there are differing accounts of what happened next, but the result was luckily only some minor injuries and the suspect in custody:

The witness, Keith Rose, said the driver had his middle fingers raised before he accelerated through the group of people who were blocking Manchester Avenue and Sarah Street in the Grove neighborhood.

But St. Louis police said the driver stopped, honked and attempted to drive around the protesters before some of them surrounded his car and began hitting it with their hands and a flag pole.

The police statement, from spokeswoman Schron Jackson, said that three protesters were injured after they jumped onto the car and fell off when the driver pulled away.

Other drivers had reportedly turned before the intersection to avoid the group, but the driver continued forward and the incident escalated soon after. No word on what charges the driver could face, but he was taken into custody by police about a block from the incident after initially refusing to pull over.

It is far from the violent showdowns we’ve seen in Berkeley and Charlottesville over the past year, but it is an example of just where some people stand in terms of demonstrations. You hope cooler heads will prevail, but sometimes that doesn’t seem to the case. It’s also a frightening thing to have to deal with once again so soon.

(Via St. Louis Post-Dispatch)