Clergy members and elected officials gathered at St. Peter African Methodist Episcopal Church in North St. Louis to call for greater police accountability on Monday, September 25. Speakers demanded that St. Louis’ civilian oversight board be given subpoena power and investigations be opened on all levels of government to look into police misconduct.
The press conference was called after a protest on September 23 took an unexpected turn. The protests at the Galleria Mall seemed peaceful until around 1 p.m., when mall management called the police. Videos from the scene show police officers appearing to violently arrest a number of protestors. St. Louis County Police said the peaceful protest was disrupted when someone threw a trash can at a police officer. The Richmond Heights Police Department said protestors were then given three warnings to disperse and more than 150 people left, but some did not and 22 were arrested.
A leader at St. Peter, Rev. Karla Frye, was arrested at the Galleria protest. Frye, an official elder at St. Peter, was charged with a felony for allegedly assaulting a police officer, who qualifies as a “special victim” under state law. This “special victim” status allowed County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch to charge Frye with a more severe, Class D felony, rather than a Class E felony, which is charged when the person allegedly assaulted is not a “special victim.”
St. County Police claim Frye jumped on the back of the arresting officer, injuring his back. Photos of the incident by Christian Gooden of the Post-Dispatch show her at least reaching around the officer.
Other images show her doing so as her 13-year-old grandson being restrained by an officer who has his arm around the boy’s neck.
She also was charged with rioting and resisting arrest.
Frye, along with others arrested at the protest, were released on bond after more than 24 hours. Legal observers complained that County government locked the Justice Center and would not let them speak with their clients.
Marjorie Theodore, who protested at the Galleria, said if the police called for protesters to disperse, she was not able to hear them in the crowd. She said her son, who was arrested at the event, was not told what he was being charged with or offered legal counsel.
“The police took a peaceful situation and committed violence,” Theodore said.
State Rep. Bruce Franks (D-St. Louis) said if members of the St. Louis community cannot rely on the police for protection, they will have to rely on each other.
“There’s a difference between peace and nonviolence,” Franks said. “Peace is not an option. Non-violence is. We will continue to disturb your peace. We will continue to make you uncomfortable.”
The assembled clergy members and activists called for government action, as well as for members of the press to honestly report on the events taking place at protests. Rev. Steven Shepard of St. Peters had a message not only for St. Louis police officers, but for Missouri governor Eric Greitens.
“The real cowards are racist police officers who stand behind their badges and your bad policies,” Shepard said.
Rev. Karen Anderson, the board chair of Metropolitan Congregations United, said the events at the Galleria seemed designed to create fear among those present. She drew attention to the arrest of a 13-year-old boy, Frye’s grandson.
“I am appalled at the fact that police in this city, and in the county, feel like they have a right to practice domestic terrorism on the citizens of St. Louis,” Anderson said.
St. Louis County Police said that officers on the scene permitted peaceful protest until a trash can was thrown at an officer and Galleria management asked them to declare an unlawful assembly and order protestors to leave private property.
“It’s sad when we have the ‘Blue Lives Matter’ law in effect that protects egregious police officers, but won’t protect peaceful protestors,” Shepard said. “We’re here to say that we demand investigation. We’re here to say that we’re going to stand up for our rights as citizens.”
Jessica Karins is an editorial intern from Webster University.
