A ST.
LOUIS PIZZA OWNER WAS TEARGASSED DURING PROTESTS, BY
THE
POLICE, AND HE WANTS THE POLICE CHIEF TO BE FIRED.
THIS IS PART
OF A GROWING MOVEMENT TO DISPLACE AND GET RID OF THE
TEMPORARY POLICE CHIEF IN ST.
LOUIS.
WHAT'S THE STORY OF THE
PIZZERIA OWNER?
WELL, HIS NAME IS CHRIS SUMMERS AND HE'S THE
OWNER OF PIE PIZZERIA, AND HE SAID THAT HIS PLACE A FEW NIGHTS
AGO WAS TEARGASSED BY POLICE OFFICERS WHO DIDN'T REALLY NEED
TO TEARGAS ANYONE BY HIS ACCOUNTS, IT WAS ESCALATING A
SITUATION THAT WASN'T GOING TO ESCALATE OTHERWISE.
THE POLICE
WERE ACTING INAPPROPRIATELY.
FOLLOWING THAT, THE POLICE UNION
AND THE BLUE LIVES MATTER MOVEMENTS POSTED ON FACEBOOK A
CALL TO ACTION FOR A BUNCH OF FOLKS OUT THERE TO ACTUALLY GO
AND CALL THE PIZZERIA UP AND ESSENTIALLY HARASS THEM AND TIE
UP THEIR PHONE LINES IN THE MEANTIME.
THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED.
THE ACTUAL QUOTE:
ANOTHER BUSINESS OWNER IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, WHO OWNS A
BOOKSTORE SAYS:
SO THERE YOU GO.
AND THEIR THEY ARE SAYING WHITE, I DON'T KNOW THE RACE OF
THE PERSON WHO SAID THAT, MEANING THAT IT IS NOT
REPRESENTATIVE OF THE COMMUNITY.
THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH
BEING EXTREMELY WHITE.
THEY ARE JUST SAYING THIS IS NOT POLICE
FORCE THAT'S FROM THIS COMMUNITY AND REPRESENTS THIS COMMUNITY,
AND YOU CAN TELL WHEN THE COPS CLEARED OUT THE PROTESTERS ON
SUNDAY NIGHT, WHEN THEY STARTED CHANTING, WHOSE STREETS?
OUR
STREETS.
WELL, NO.
YOU'RE WORKING FOR THE CITIZENS.
THAT'S THEIR STREETS, AND THEY PAY YOUR SALARY.
BUT THEY
CLEARLY IN THAT CHANT SHOW YOU THAT THAT IS NOT THEIR ATTITUDE.
IT'S NOT THEIR FRAME OF MIND.
THEIR FRAME OF MIND IS, US
VERSUS THEM.
THE CITIZENS ARE THE BAD GUYS AND NOW WE TOOK THE
STREETS AWAY FROM THEM.
REMEMBER, YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE POLICING THE COMMUNITY ON
BEHALF OF THE COMMUNITY.
I'M REALLY HAPPY THAT THE RESTAURANT OWNERS ARE SPEAKING
OUT.
SOME OF THEM ARE DOING SO WITHOUT DISCLOSING THEIR
IDENTITY BECAUSE THEY ARE WORRIED EVER TELL YOU SHE AND,
BUT THE FACT THAT THESE RESTAURANT OWNERS ARE NOW COMING
OUT AND SAYING NO, THIS INTERIM POLICE CHIEF IS A PROBLEM.
WE
SAW POLICE OFFICERS ACTING IN A WAY THAT ESCALATED THE
SITUATION.
THEY WERE USING DON LETHAL WEAPONS EXCESSIVELY, EVEN
WHEN THEIR WORDS PROTESTERS IN THE VICINITY AT THAT TIME, SO
LOOK, WE ALWAYS GET THE TWO SIDES AND IT'S THE SIDE OF THE
PROTESTERS, THE SIDE OF THE COPS.
THE COPS USUALLY HAVE A
WAY OF DOMINATING THE HEADLINES AND MAKING IT APPEAR TO BE A
NUMBER OF VIOLENCE VANDALS WHO ARE THROWING BRICKS THROUGH
WINDOWS AND THIS AND THAT, AND IT'S INTERESTING TO HEAR FROM
THOSE ACTUAL BUSINESS OWNERS WHO WERE SAYING, NO.
THE PROBLEM
HERE IS THE WAY THAT THE POLICING IS GOING DOWN.
WE NEED BETTER LEADERSHIP THERE.
YEAH, AND PART OF THE REASON THIS IS MAKING NEWS IS BECAUSE
UNFORTUNATELY, BUSINESS LEADERS HAVE MORE OF A VOICE THAT THE
MEDIA RESPECTS THAN THE AVERAGE CITIZEN.
SO WHEN BUSINESS
LEADERS ARE LIKE HEY, THIS IS NOT HELPING THIS AREA, PEOPLE
ARE LIKE WHOA, WAIT A MINUTE.
THIS AFFECTS MY MONEY.
WE
SHOULD TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY.
AND THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE,
BUT THE PERSON ON THE GROUND THAT I'M SUPER PROUD OF THAT HAS
LED A LOT OF THESE PROTESTS IS COREY BUSH.
COREY BUSH IS
ACTUALLY A JUSTICE DEMOCRAT.
SHE'S RUNNING FOR OFFICE, AND
IT'S NOT AN ACCIDENT.
PART OF THE REASON TO JUSTICE DEMOCRATS
PICKED HER IS BECAUSE SHE HAS BEEN LEADING PROTESTS, AND A
LEADER IN THE COMMUNITY ALL THROUGHOUT.
I'M GOING TO GO TO
GRAPHIC 15.
WHEN THEY STARTED
DOING THE PROTESTS IN THE FIRST
PLACE, COREY BUSH SAID:
NOW OF COURSE, THE REASON THAT PEOPLE WERE SO OUTRAGED IS
BECAUSE THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN IN THAT CASE WAS SHOT AND HE HAD NO
DNA ON THE GUN AND THE COP DID HAVE DNA ON THE GUN.
HE PAUSED,
FIRED THE LAST KILL SHOT.
I MEAN, AND HE SAID, I'M GOING TO
GO KILL THE GUY BEFORE HAND AND HE STILL WAS ACQUITTED.
IT WAS
A PARTICULARLY EGREGIOUS CASE AND COREY BUSH THEN LED A SILENT
PROTEST SO JUST TO MAKE A POINT, WHICH IS SUCH A GREAT IDEA.
THEY KEEP SAYING WE'RE CHANCING THE WRONG THINGS.
THEY KEEP
SAYING THAT WERE VIOLENCE, ETC.
YOU KNOW WHAT WE ARE GOING TO
DO?
FINE.
WE WILL HAVE A COMPLETELY SILENT PROTEST. 12
PEOPLE, LINES OF 12 PEOPLE LOCKED ARMS PROTESTING
THROUGHOUT THE STREETS AND SHE SAID AT THE END OF THAT PROTEST,
THE PURPOSE OF THIS ACTION WAS TO LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT OUR
PRESENCE IS POWERFUL.
THIS WAS POWER WALKING DOWN THE STREET.
AND SHE SAID, WE ARE NOT AFRAID OF BEING ARRESTED.
WE'RE NOT
AFRAID OF BEING TALKED ABOUT.
WE'RE NOT AFRAID TO DO WHATEVER
IT TAKES TO SAY TO THEM, YOU WILL STOP KILLING US.
THAT'S
POWERFUL.
SO THANKS TO COREY BUSH FOR DOING THAT.
SHE WAS
ACTUALLY THE VERY FIRST CANDIDATE FOR JUSTICE DEMOCRATS.
REALLY?
YEAH.
AND SHE'S RUNNING AN ELECTION AND IF YOU'VE GOT REAL
POWERFUL COMMUNITY LEADERS, WHO'RE ON YOUR SIDE, YOU SHOULD
BE ON THEIR SIDE.
GO BACK HER BECAUSE SHE WAS THERE FROM DAY
ONE.
SO GOD BLESS THE BUSINESS LEADERS IN THE COMMUNITY LEADERS
WHO ARE FIGHTING BACK TO MAKE SURE THAT YOUR VOICE IS
REPRESENTED.