By AFP Staff
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R) said July 3 that he had pardoned the two St. Louis attorneys, who were targeted by local prosecutors after they stood outside their home with firearms to protect it from Antifa and Black Lives Matters protesters. The pardons for Mark and Patricia McCloskey, both in their 60s, were granted July 30.
Over the summer of 2020, at the height of the George Floyd protests, when voilent protesters were trashing private property and looting, the McCloskeys, armed with firearms, stood outside their home to protect it from demonstrators who had broken into their gated community and were threatening homeowners. No one was hurt. Words were just exchanged between the McCloskies and the protesters.
In order to avoid a lengthy and costly legal battle, the couple pleaded guilty to misdemeanors and were ordered to pay fines. Mark McCloskey pleaded guilty to misdemeanor fourth-degree assault for “threatening” the demonstrators with an AR-15 rifle and was fined $750. Patricia McCloskey pleaded guilty to harassment and was given a $2,000 fine. Neither lost their law licenses or right to own firearms.
Nine of the Black Lives Matter protesters were cited for trespassing on private property, but the local prosecutor refused to move forward.
Following the pardon, Mark McCloskey told reporters, “If you’ve got an ‘R’ behind your name, you’re subject to one kind of justice system and if you have a ‘D,’ you’re subjected to another.”
