The mayor of Missouri’s St. Louis revealed to the media that she hasn’t stayed at her home since July due to protests in the vicinity, becoming the second Democratic politician forced to relocate by Black Lives Matter rallies.
“We have not lived at home for two months,” Mayor Lyda Krewson said in a text message to media outlet STL Today. Krewson and her husband relocated “to de-escalate” the situation and “save police resources” during a series of protests that took place outside her home in the Central West End.
Another reason for the move was that “our neighbors were being disturbed and threatened,” Krewson said, adding, “I ran for this job – my neighbors did not.”
The mayor said that she hadn’t stayed at her place since late July, and used her and her husband’s own money to temporarily relocate.
Throngs of Black Lives Matter protesters have gathered near Krewson’s house several times in June and July, fuelled by the nationwide outrage over the death of black Minnesotan George Floyd in police custody. Protesters demanded that she defund the St. Louis police department, which she refused to do. Krewson herself defended her stance, insisting that law enforcement need to be funded appropriately and that supporting them “should not be a partisan issue.”
Back in late June, demonstrators demanded that Krewson step down after she publicly read out the names and addresses of people calling for police reform. The Democratic mayor later apologized to the public, saying she did not intend “to harm anyone or cause distress” by broadcasting the addresses and names in question.
Interestingly, one such procession on June 28 passed by the house of St. Louis attorneys Mark and Patricia McCloskey who gained nationwide media attention for standing guard outside their property armed with a pistol and an assault rifle. The couple, who recently appeared among supporters of President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign, was then charged for illegal use of firearms.
Krewson is not alone in escaping the perils of living in the middle of Black Lives Matter rallies. On Wednesday, the mayor of riots-plagued Portland, Ted Wheeler, announced he left his lavish condo after rioters pelted the building with projectiles on Monday.
Staying there would be “unfair to all of you who have no role in politics or in my administration,” the Democratic politician explained.
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