When the protests were over Sunday night, the street cleared of demonstrators, and after those who didn’t leave were arrested, police clad in riot gear chanted “Whose streets, our streets,” a phrase commonly heard by protesters.
Three days of peaceful protests in the wake of a judge’s ruling that Jason Stockley was not guilty in the 2011 death of Anthony Lamar Smith have been met with nights of violence.
More than 80 people were arrested Sunday amid reports of property damage and vandalism.
"We're in control. This is our city, and we're going to protect it," Interim Police Chief Lawrence O'Toole said early Monday morning.
About 1,000 people gathered Sunday near police headquarters, then marched downtown, including through two shopping malls, without incident. Most of those people had gone home by the evening; however, about 100 people remaining started to knock over planters and break windows on their way back downtown, according to police.
"After the demonstration, organizers announced that the daytime protest was over," Mayor Lyda Krewson said in news conference early Monday morning. "But a group of agitators stayed behind, apparently intent on breaking windows and destroying property."
The remaining protesters also sprayed an unknown substance from bottles onto officers and threw rocks, authorities said.
Police arrested 80 people, including a reporter. Police said they also seized five weapons.
"I'm proud to tell you the city of St. Louis is safe and the police owned tonight," O’Toole said.
After the arrests, witnesses, including, David Carson, a photographer with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, heard police chanting the refrain.
"I spoke with the commander at the scene, he said he did not hear the chant, but said chant was not acceptable, said he would deal with it," Carson tweeted.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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