Mayor Tishaura O. Jones Administration Statement on Planned Protest Friday, May 3, 2024

On Wednesday, May 1, a peaceful protest occurred on the campus of St. Louis University. No arrests were made by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. As part of the protest was on city streets, the SLMPD was on hand to direct traffic to ensure the safety of demonstrators, pedestrians, and drivers.

“I’m proud of St. Louis City,” said Mayor Tishaura O. Jones. “Demonstrators on Wednesday night participated in a peaceful protest, and Chief Tracy and the SLMPD kept our city safe. Peace was met with peace.”

This was not the first protest on the issue of the Israel-Hamas war to occur in the City of St. Louis, and will likely not be the last. It remains the top priority of Mayor Jones and the City of St. Louis to ensure that all members of the community are safe.

The administration and the SLMPD are aware of another planned protest for today, Friday, May 3, that will begin in Forest Park. As with the protest on Saturday, April 27, SLMPD will be on hand while protesters are within city limits. Protests that occur on the campus of Washington University are under the jurisdiction of the Washington University Police Department. Last Saturday, SLMPD was not involved in any arrests on campus.

We are hopeful that both the protesters and university administration can emulate the precedent set by Wednesday night’s protest. It is our belief that there were two essential factors that helped to ensure the safety of all in the community:

1. The community centered the rejection of violence in their demonstration.
2. St. Louis University’s administration provided clarity to members of the SLU community regarding their expectations for the protest well before the scheduled start time.

Our city and our region will continue to have difficult conversations about our community and its part in world events. Our hope is to continue to engage one another in a respectful and productive dialogue.