St. Louis couple point firearms at protesters outside home marching to demand mayor’s resignation
‘Keep moving!’ Moment lawyer couple brandish an AR-15 and a handgun at protesters marching past their mansion in an upscale St. Louis neighborhood
- Husband and wife, Mark and Patricia McCloskey could be seen aiming the guns at demonstrators who walked by their palatial property in St. Louis on Sunday
- At one point, the pair seemed to be unknowingly pointing their weapons at one another other while trying to keep protesters away
- Mark held a large assault weapon while his wife Patty held a handgun
- The protesters were en route to Mayor Lyda Krewson’s hometo demand her resignation
- Mayor Krewson released names and addresses of residents who suggested defunding the police department
- The couple are both personal injury lawyers and run McCloskey Law Center from inside their extravagant home
By Jemma Carr For Mailonline and James Gordon For Dailymail.com
Published: 02:05 EDT, 29 June 2020 | Updated: 08:17 EDT, 29 June 2020
A couple brandished an AR-15 and a handgun at protesters marching past their mansion in an upscale St. Louis neighborhood.
Husband and wife, Mark and Patricia McCloskey could be seen aiming the guns at demonstrators who walked by their palatial property in the wealthy Forest Park area at around 6pm on Sunday.
At one point, the pair seemed to be unknowingly pointing their weapons at one another other while trying to keep protesters away from their home – dubbed the Niemann Mansion.
The protesters were en route to Mayor Lyda Krewson’s home to demand her resignation after she released the names and addresses of residents who had suggested defunding the police department.
The pair are both personal injury lawyers and run McCloskey Law Center from inside their extravagant home.
Armed homeowners, Patty and Mark McCloskey, stand in front their house along Portland Place and confront protesters marching to St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson’s house on Sunday
The married couple came out of their house armed on Sunday to prevent protesters from walking onto their property
Mr McCloskey is representing a victim of police brutality. The man – who was identified by the initials I.F. – was kicked and struck by police officer David Maas in shocking dashcam footage that appeared to show him surrendering.
The initials match a 2019 civil lawsuit made by Isaiah Forman in which the same allegations are put forward.
Police at the time said Forman, then 21, was driving a car that had been taken by another man at gunpoint.
Forman pleaded guilty to crashing his car into a police vehicle during the chase and is serving a seven year sentence.
Maas was charged with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law.
Mr McCloskey said of the case: ‘I’m glad that the law enforcement agencies are subject to the same standard as everybody else.’
Mark McCloskey could be seen carrying a firearm as protesters entered his neighborhood
One video posted to Twitter shows the woman holding her gun at a protester who is wearing a t-shirt that reads, ‘Hands up, don’t shoot.’
The individual appeared to be trying to get people to move away from the house at the time.
The couple confronted the group of about 300 protesters after they broke down a gate in the neighborhood, according to NBC News.
An online petition started over the weekend calling for Mayor Krewson to resign has generated more than 40,000 signatures.
Husband and wife, Mark and Patricia McCloskey are both personal injury lawyers
Patricia McCloskey drew a firearm on protesters as walked in front of her house on Sunday
Mark McCloskey can be seen coming out of the front door to protect his home
In the pictures shared online, it doesn’t appear that anyone walking in Sunday’s protest calling for the resignation of St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson was trespassing on their palatial property
The protesters were en route to Mayor Krewson’s home to demand her resignation after she released names and addresses of residents who suggested defunding the police department
Twitter users were not happy at the St. Louis mayor releasing names and addresses of people who wanted to defund the police
On Friday night, Mayor Lyda Krewson issued a statement apologizing for her actions. The full statement read: ‘In an effort to be transparent and accessible to the public during the Covid-19 pandemic, for more than three months now I have been doing tri-weekly community updates on Facebook.
‘Tonight, I would like to apologize for identifying individuals who presented letters to me at City Hall as I was answering a routine question during one of my updates earlier today.
‘While this is public information, I did not intend to cause distress or harm to anyone. The post has been removed.’
A protester holds a flyer calling for the resignation of St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson as a couple defend their home during a protest against the mayor
An online petition started over the weekend calling for Mayor Krewson to resign has generated more than 40,000 signatures. Pictured: Police officers standing guard during the protest against Mayor Krewson
Protesters hold signs reading ‘wanted’ and ‘Black trans lives matter’ during a protest against Mayor Krewson
The word ‘resign’ is seen painted on the street in front of Mayor Krewson’s house in St. Louis
The ACLU of Missouri issued the following statement Friday evening regarding Mayor Krewson’s reading of names and addresses:
‘Today adds to the list of things we never thought we would have to say. To be clear, it is shocking and misguided for Mayor Lyda Krewson of St. Louis, to broadcast the addresses of those who dare to express a different viewpoint on an issue of public concern.
‘It serves no apparent purpose beyond intimidation. We are stronger when we foster open dialogue. The chilling of debate should bother everyone, no matter whether they agree or disagree with the mayor on this particular issue.’
The McCloskeys, who have one grown-up daughter, bought their palatial home in 1988 when Mark said it ‘had quarter-inch-thick carbon on it in some places’.
They renovated it to its original standards in a massive 30-year project which they spoke about at great lengths in a 2018 interview.
The enormous estate features a sweeping entry hall and an enormous dining room. One of its most-prized rooms is the 70-foot long ballroom modelled off a hall in the Palazzo Davanzati in Florence.
Signs left on the door of Mayor Krewson’s house are seen during a protest calling for her resignation
A sign reading ‘Krewson puts her own citizens in danger’ was left on the mayor’s doorstep
The home – dubbed a ‘Renaissance palazzo’ previously belonged to Edward and Anna Busch at the start of the 20th century.
Mrs McCloskey previously said the original owners’ goal was ‘to build one of the most lavish and grand houses in the Midwest’.
The house has five floors and is modelled off European Renaissance palaces. The original owners brought in a ‘village of Italian stonemasons that lived in a tent city in the side yard while they finished the stonework’ in the luxurious home, Mr McCloskey said.
Mrs McCloskey added: ‘There’s a Medici house in Florence where you come in the front door and it’s exactly like this. But we haven’t found it yet.’
