ST. LOUIS — A group of more than three dozen people who live in the private neighborhood where a couple brandished guns at protesters Sunday night released an open letter Wednesday condemning the couple.
Sunday night, video of homeowners Mark and Patricia McCloskey brandishing guns at protesters in front of their Portland Place home spread widely on social media.
In multiple interviews, Mark McCloskey said he and his wife feared for their lives and that the group broke down the gate to the private neighborhood. Protest organizers said they did not break the gate and that the McCloskeys had no reason to be fearful.
An open letter from the neighbors of Westmoreland Place and its adjoining street, Portland Place, said the actions of the couple Sunday night did not represent their historic neighborhood.
One of the neighbors who signed the letter confirmed Thursday that the letter was authentic.
"Some of us choose to speak up following the horrific event that transpired on Sunday evening near our homes. As the undersigned, we condemn the behavior of anyone who uses threats of violence, especially through the brandishing of firearms, to disrupt peaceful protest, whether it be in this neighborhood or anywhere in the United States," the letter reads.
The letter, which is signed by 38 people from 24 different households, says they chose to live in the neighborhood in part because of the "sincerity, empathy and neighborliness" most of the residents show.
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