Violent uprisings occurred after the cop was declared "not guilty" of fatally shooting Anthony Lamar Smith, a 24-year-old African American resident of the Missouri city who was alleged to be a heroin dealer, in December 2011. Smith rammed Stockley's police car with his vehicle so he was pursued in a car chase and subsequently shot by the cop.
After the said verdict, Black Lives Matter (BLM) held protests daily. They even stormed a local hotel, the Cheshire Inn, and harassed patrons in their rooms and at the pool. The local police arrested around 80 protesters on the third day of rioting. But toward the end of the week of the violent riots, over a dozen cops were injured and several businesses were vandalized.
Officers confiscate bottles with unknown chemicals used against police tonight in downtown #stl pic.twitter.com/PUaJagBzn2
— St. Louis County PD (@stlcountypd) September 18, 2017
Despite all the chaos, the city's legislative body, the Board of Aldermen, stepped in and passed a resolution to honor Smith and the city government agreed to pay the settlement over allegations of police misconduct during mass arrests back in 2017. "[Smith's] death has sparked a universal cry for justice and accountability throughout the City of St. Louis," read the resolution, which bore the names of all 28 aldermen. It mentions Smith's interests in sports and the arts, as well as his dream of becoming a professional clothing designer.
St. Louis Board of Aldermen pays tribute to Anthony Lamar Smith https://t.co/Q3J6zvVZPG pic.twitter.com/Gudh29YTsM
— St. Louis Post-Dispatch (@stltoday) September 22, 2017
Back then, St. Louis Police Officers Association Business Manager Jeff Roorda reacted by saying the board's resolution unfairly portrays Smith as a hero and amounts to a slap in the face for city cops. "To see them honoring a person who tried to take a cop’s life is appalling," Roorda said. "I've never ever gotten this many calls and texts about anything the political class has done. My officers are furious about this." (Related: Kanye West: 'Everyone knows that Black Lives Matter was a scam. Now it’s over.')
As of August 4, a portion of the 84 protesters began receiving their respective shares of the $4.9 million settlement agreed upon earlier this year. The city denied wrongdoing as part of the settlement, which promises payouts between $28,000 and more than $150,000. Three others who had filed individual lawsuits settled for $85,000 each.
Protesters who looted and vandalized businesses are overjoyed for being incentivized a few years after committing "misconduct"
St. Louis joins the expanding list of cities where rioters, who caused widespread destruction of businesses and engaged in rampant looting, are being rewarded for their violence.
One of the recipients of the settlement payout was Dekita Roberts, who was surprised to receive the call informing her of the settlement. She shared that she plans to invest some of the funds and set aside a portion for her children. Another recipient, Ali Bey, 36, expressed his plans to use the money to kickstart his own construction company.
"St. Louis has paid more than $10 million altogether in connection with police actions on Sept. 17, 2017. That includes a $5 million payment to Luther Hall, a Black undercover officer who said he was assaulted by fellow police officers who thought he was a protester," ABC News reported. The news outlet added that in 2021, the city also agreed to pay $115,000 to a Kansas City filmmaker who said he was beaten and pepper-sprayed during the protests.
Meanwhile, in New York City, Washington D.C., and Denver, the local governments are shelling out millions in taxpayer money as settlements to the protesters and rioters involved in the violent "2020 Summer of Love" protests. Last month, Big Apple officials agreed to pay $13 million to violent protesters and rioters.
Over 1,300 protesters are eligible to be paid nearly $9,950 for police action during their violence, looting, arson, and property destruction at the riots following the death of George Floyd in Minnesota that year. This does not include the payments to roughly 300 protesters who were awarded nearly $12 million in individual lawsuits against the city, the Gateway Pundit reported.
In March, a federal jury in Denver awarded $14 million in compensatory and punitive damages to 12 BLM protesters injured by police during a riot over the death of Floyd. In 2021, Washington D.C. officials paid out over $1.6 million to the violent rioters who disrupted former President Donald Trump's Inauguration.
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