This story from St. Louis is depressing but unsurprising. There is ample evidence that three St. Louis police officers specifically planned and then executed a plan to viciously beat protesters. One of the protesters that they beat was an undercover police officer, so there might be an actual consequence. Yet... probably not.
With a few exceptions - most recently in Chicago - police officers are rarely convicted of assault against civilians. Some of this is the nature of white juries siding with police and some is a consequence of District Attorneys not vigorously prosecuting police. DAs and cops are two sides of the same coin, and DAs require good relations with the police to do their jobs. It's little wonder that they don't go after cops who riot as vigorously as they go after corner boys dealing drugs.
Missouri is also showing some really troubling tendencies in its politics and race relations. Once an electoral bellwether, it's increasingly more like a populous Alabama.
The evidence against the officers seems overwhelming. I'm not convinced a jury will hold them accountable, though.
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