After spending five nearly non-stop days and nights of using social media to document and communicate the fallout out from the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson to the St. Louis region and, eventually, the entire country, Global Grind’s Editor-in-Chief, Michael Skolnik, noted his concern that St. Louis city’s 21st Ward Alderman Antonio French had been quiet for too long regarding the latest developments in the municipality.
“Haven’t heard from @AntonioFrench in over an hour,” Skolnik tweeted to his followers last Wednesday night via Twitter. “Anyone know if he is ok? #Ferguson.”
Skolnik’s concern was quickly validated, as reports of French’s arrest began to quickly spread on Twitter, sparking outrage in the community. French was booked on a 24-hour hold and detained at the Ferguson Police Station for “unlawful assembly,” he told local news stations Thursday morning after his release without bond.
“I guess within the law you can hold somebody without any real reason for 24 hours,” French stated.
He reports he was at a peaceful protest along with several hundred other people at QuikTrip on West Florissant Avenue. He was told by a resident that police officers were demanding that everyone be off the street by 9 pm. Information, French said, he shared with his followers on Twitter.
“All of a sudden officers got on the bullhorn and said that this was no longer a peaceful assembly,” French said, “and that everyone should leave.”
This was a demand police repeated twice before beginning to move in after issuing a final warning – an action that agitated the crowd, causing some young men to curse at officers, French reported.
“Police released smoke bombs into the crowd and people scattered thinking it was tear gas, he said. When some of the people began to return, police (dressed in riot gear) moved forward with their assault vehicles and tear gas. “And that’s when the chaos started,” he said.
French was sitting in his car, when he said he was dragged out by a police officer with an assault rifle. His hands were upright, armed only with a cell phone. He asked why he was being arrested. He was told it was because he wasn’t listening, but French believes the police picked up the wrong people.
“You have reverends in there,” he told officers, and “young people organizing the peace effort.”
He told reporters that he doesn’t believe he was targeted as a leader in the community, nor does he feel like his social media posts are inciting violence. He believes a heavy-handed “unprovoked” police approach is making the situation worse.
Freelance journalist Umar Lee was documenting peaceful protesters who had gathered outside the Ferguson Police Station when he heard of French’s arrest. It was also well into the early Thursday morning hours when Lee said two police tanks pulled up with rifles aimed at the crowd. Police carrying automatic weapons and dressed in full body armor positioned themselves in front of protesters. With upright hands protesters yelled, “Don’t shoot!”
An officer on a bullhorn threatened the crowd with arrest, if they did not disperse. Lee was among the last to leave and was walking toward his car when police officers came running from across the street, he said. “They surrounded us. Cuffed us up. Locked us up.” He was charged with failure to obey a lawful order and noise violations and was bonded out five hours later.
“I haven’t done a tour of the municipal jails in St. Louis,” Lee mentioned, “but that one was pretty bad.” He reports the jail cell was “dirty and cold.” Antonio French and Umar Lee were not the only controversial arrests made by Ferguson police that night.
Reports were widely circulated on social media that Washington Post Reporter Wesley Lowery and Huffington Post Ryan J. Reilly had also been arrested earlier that day at a McDonald’s.
“Media should be free to report,” Missouri Governor Jay Nixon said at a press conference held at Christ the KingChurch.
French said no laws were broken that night. Protesters were simply exercising their constitutional rights.
“We have a right to peacefully protest 24 hours of the day,” he said. “Our rights don’t expire at nine o’clock.”
Follow this reporter on Twitter: @BridjesONeil. E-mail this reporter: boneil@stlamerican.com.
