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In what can only be described as a travesty of justice, a white St. Louis couple forced to protect their home from a Black Lives Matter mob trespassing on private property has been charged with felony unlawful use of a weapon.
St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, the city’s top prosecutor, charged Mark and Patricia McCloskey for the incident that took place on June 28, when a large number of protesters broke down a gate to gain access to the McCloskey’s affluent home, Fox News reported.
“It is illegal to wave weapons in a threatening matter at those participating in nonviolent protest, and while we are fortunate this situation did not escalate into deadly force, this type of conduct is unacceptable in St. Louis,” Gardner proclaimed in a statement. “We must protect the right to peacefully protest, and any attempt to chill it through intimidation will not be tolerated.”
Liberal billionaire George Soros, who backed Gardner, likely envisioned moments like this when he engaged in a national effort to instill progressive ideologues at the local prosecutor level.
After all the violence seen during Black Lives Matter riots across the country, Mark McCloskey said in an interview that he and his wife feared for their lives when they saw the mob descending on their home, and that some of the protesters threatened them.
“I was terrified that we’d be murdered within seconds. Our house would be burned down, our pets would be killed,” he said.
McCloskey appeared on Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight” after being charged.
“The circuit attorney has apparently decided that her job as a prosecutor isn’t to keep us safe from criminals but to help keep criminals safe from us,” he said.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson called Gardner’s decision to file charges “outrageous.”
“Kim Gardner’s action toward the McCloskeys is outrageous. Even worse, the Circuit Attorney’s office has admitted there is a backlog of cases and dozens of homicides that haven’t been prosecuted, yet she has accelerated this case forward,” he tweeted. “We must prioritize laws that keep our citizens safe over political motivations. Kim Gardner owes every single family who has had a loved one murdered an explanation on why she has acted on the McCloskey case instead of theirs. Her inaction is not fostering an environment of safety for the many communities and neighborhoods in St. Louis she serves.”
Kim Gardner’s action toward the McCloskeys is outrageous.
Even worse, the Circuit Attorney’s office has admitted there is a backlog of cases and dozens of homicides that haven’t been prosecuted, yet she has accelerated this case forward.
— Governor Mike Parson (@GovParsonMO) July 20, 2020
Her inaction is not fostering an environment of safety for the many communities and neighborhoods in St. Louis she serves.
— Governor Mike Parson (@GovParsonMO) July 20, 2020
Gov. Parson has already said that he would likely pardon the couple if they should be convicted.
“By all means, I would, and I think that’s exactly what would happen,” the Republican governor said Friday in a radio interview, when asked about a pardon.
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt immediately filed a brief which “respectfully requests that the Court dismiss this case at the earlier possible opportunity,” citing the McCloskeys’ Second Amendment rights.
“The right to keep and bear arms is given the highest level of protection in our constitution and our laws, including the Castle Doctrine, which provides broad rights to Missourians who are protecting their property and lives from those who wish to do them harm,” Schmitt said in a statement, according to Fox News.
“Despite this, Circuit Attorney Gardner filed suit against the McCloskeys, who, according to published reports, were defending their property and safety,” the release added. “As Missouri’s Chief law enforcement officer, I won’t stand by while Missouri law is being ignored.”
In a video shared on Twitter, Schmitt drew attention to Missouri’s Castle Doctrine, which says a person has “the absolute unmitigated right to protect his or her castle or family while on their property.”
In light of charges issued earlier today by Circuit Attorney Gardner, Attorney General Schmitt filed briefs supporting Missourians' Second Amendment rights. Read the briefs here: https://t.co/88HpuhBTyz and here: https://t.co/ryPcirkZdX
WATCH -> pic.twitter.com/lQhrNHlmQh
— Attorney General Eric Schmitt (@AGEricSchmitt) July 20, 2020
Schmitt had previously blasted Gardner for releasing back on the streets “every single one of the St. Louis looters and rioters arrested.”
In a stunning development, our office has learned that every single one of the St. Louis looters and rioters arrested were released back onto the streets by local prosecutor Kim Gardner. https://t.co/tMZVAyHssw
— Eric Schmitt (@Eric_Schmitt) June 3, 2020
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., asked Attorney General William Barr to launch a civil rights investigation into the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office “threatening to prosecute” the McCloskey family.
In a letter sent last week, Hawley called her investigation of the McCloskeys an “abuse of power.”
Attorney Joel Schwartz, who is representing the McCloskeys, said the filing of charges was “disheartening,” and told KMOV that he looks forward to defending the couple.
“I, along with my clients, support the First Amendment right of every citizen to have their voice and opinion heard. This right, however, must be balanced with the Second Amendment and Missouri law, which entitle each of us to protect our home and family from potential threats,” Schwartz said.
Albert Watkins, another McCloskeys attorney, had previously said it’d be “nothing short of the proverbial clusterf*ck” if Gardner decided charged the couple, and that clusterf*ck has now come to pass.
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The longest-tenured writer at BizPac Review, Tom grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills.
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