St Louis Protest Increases Tensions

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(Newswire.net — August 24, 2015) Las Vegas, NV — St. Louis is still reeling from several events earlier this month marking the anniversary of the death of Michael, the 18-year-old fatally shot last year by a police officer in nearby Ferguson.

On Wednesday more drama unfolded when at least nine people were arrested and St. Louis police used tear gas to clear a street of protesters after an armed man fleeing from officers was shot and killed when he pointed a gun at them, Fox News reported.

During a press conference later that day, St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson said the group of protesters blocked an intersection and threw glass bottles and bricks at officers and refused orders to clear the roadway. Inert gas was used and when that didn’t have any effect on the crowd, police turned to tear gas to clear the intersection, Dotson said. Those arrested face charges of impeding the flow of traffic and resisting arrest, he said.

It also emerged that officers responded to reports of burglaries in the area and the fire department was called after a car was set ablaze, according to Dotson.

The chief blamed the crimes on people seeking “notoriety” in a neighborhood “plagued by violence.”

Perhaps it is the people not the police who are to blame?

This is a hot topic of debate for By Lt. Randy Sutton (Ret.), who created the website Angel Shields specifically to tackle the increasingly fraught situation between the public and law enforcement.

He recently penned a story titled “The War On All Fronts” where he broached the subject of a police officer gunned down in Memphis.

He writes: “The killers of a Hattiesburg Police Officer only a few weeks ago is granted bail, as the Mother of that Officer looks on helplessly. A cop orders some food at a drive-through and the man that prepares it writes “PIG” on the wrapper. A County prosecutor decries police making car stops for minor violations as “Chicken-crap” when a car stop leads to the death of a black man. All of this takes place in the same few days and all of us involved in law enforcement and those who support us wonder, “How is this possible?’

Indeed, how is this possible?

Sutton, “The voice of American law enforcement”, goes on to explain that the job of police has and will never be easy because it’s increasingly difficult to enforce laws and be the good guy, so to speak.

Sutton’s solution is to bridge the gap between the community and the police.

“It is time again to believe,” he says. “To trust in those who are willing to lay their lives on the line. They won’t be perfect. They will screw up, just as humans have done since a certain apple looked awfully good to certain man.”

Essentially, there are always those who are going to defy the law, and those who abide by it, with the later resulting in a much better world to live in. As for those that pursue a life of crime for notoriety sake, they present a real problem for the police and society in general.

 

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About Angel Shields

Angel Shields is a grassroots organization that is turning the tide of fear, mistrust & hate. Angel Shields members showcase the honor, honesty and integrity of law enforcement through community awareness & involvement. Get your sticker today & proudly support cops and the citizens of the communities they serve.

Angel Shields

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