St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell is set to join Congress in January, replacing Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., whom he defeated in a Democratic primary in August with the backing of $17 million from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. As one of his final acts as prosecutor, Bell is bringing felony charges against at least eight protesters who gathered outside the Ferguson Police Department in August on the 10th anniversary of the police shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown Jr.
Bell’s office alleges that the eight protesters tried to interfere with other arrests, caused damage to a gate at the police department, and attempted to disarm an officer. One individual is accused of assaulting a police officer, resulting in the officer sustaining a severe brain injury. The defendant is being held on a cash bail of $500,000. Two other defendants remain in custody, and their cases are pending in the St. Louis County circuit court.
A spokesperson for the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office clarified that most protesters were not charged with a crime and those who were charged were not targeted for protesting. “Protesting is not a crime,” stated public information officer Chris King. “In these cases, we didn’t charge protesters.”
“Almost all of the people who attended this protest were not charged with a crime because we were presented with no evidence that they had committed a crime,” King added. “All defendants are presumed innocent.”
The decision to prosecute those arrested at the protests under Bell’s office has led some to believe that little has changed in policing in Ferguson since Brown’s death a decade ago. Protests in 2014 following Brown’s killing propelled the Black Lives Matter movement to national attention. During his 2018 campaign for prosecutor, Bell positioned himself as a reformer and criticized his predecessor for not indicting Brown’s killer. Despite reviewing the case, Bell’s office ultimately chose not to prosecute Wilson. Prior to the primary election, Bell’s critics argued that he had not fulfilled the promised reforms. In a campaign video supporting Bush released in July, Brown’s family accused Bell of failing to reform the office and using their family for political gain.
The arrests of the protesters occurred shortly after Bell’s victory in the Democratic primary against Bush in August. Activists in Ferguson expressed frustration at the lack of changes in prosecution under Bell, especially as he transitions to a higher office after defeating Bush, a prominent Ferguson protest leader, with support from AIPAC’s super PAC.
“At present, the police narrative dominates the discussion,” said Sandra Tamari, a Palestinian organizer from St. Louis who was involved in the 2014 Ferguson protests. She serves as the executive director of Adalah Justice Project, a legal advocacy nonprofit, and spoke to The Intercept in a personal capacity. “We hope for the full recovery of the injured officer and for Elijah [Gant] to regain freedom soon,” Tamari added.
“The police department and Wesley Bell are now attempting to vilify a young Black man in this situation. This terrible incident, caused by police aggression and negligence, is being used to target this young activist who is now imprisoned with an exorbitant half-million-dollar cash bail,” she emphasized.
Photo: Christian Gooden/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/AP
Two organizers who were present at the protest in August stated that police acted abruptly without warning and later attempted to portray protesters as violent. Both organizers shared their accounts anonymously with The Intercept due to concerns about potential retaliation from law enforcement.
One organizer described the police response as indicative of the minimal changes in Ferguson over the past decade. “It was disheartening to witness the widespread pro-police narrative in St. Louis following the events and the unquestioning acceptance of the false accusations made by the police against the protesters,” they remarked.
“It was disheartening in the days following to see the mainstream narrative in St. Louis be overwhelmingly pro-cop.”
“It is evident to many of us that law enforcement is not an effective method of ensuring public safety, as officers often unnecessarily escalate situations and turn peaceful environments into violent ones,” they added. “In this instance, their escalation resulted in harm to their own officer and to a community of activists who continue to face intimidation not only from the police but also from a prosecutor who defends and perpetuates their dangerous falsehoods.”
The other organizer present at the protests observed violent arrests carried out by officers.
“The flashlight on the neck really tightly, people being carried, dragged,” they said.
The organizers expressed their initial hope when Bell campaigned on promises of reforming the criminal legal system and replacing his predecessor, Bob McCulloch, who had failed to indict Wilson in Brown’s killing. However, they now accuse Bell of charging protesters and receiving funding from AIPAC to secure Bush’s seat.
Prior to her election in 2020, Bush was a nurse and activist who played a significant role in protesting against Brown’s killing in Ferguson and St. Louis. Her leadership in these protests fueled her successful campaign amidst the nationwide demonstrations against police brutality in 2020, ultimately leading to her victory over a two-decade incumbent.
Bush joins the ranks of Squad members who have lost their seats this election cycle due to being targeted by AIPAC in Democratic primaries. AIPAC, having spent over $100 million in this cycle, aimed to remove progressive Squad members who have been vocal critics of U.S. military support for Israel’s actions in Gaza. Rep. Jamaal Bowman, another AIPAC target, also lost his primary to George Latimer in June.
