Missouri mayor labelled 'absolutely sickening' for revealing names and addresses of protesters calling for police reform

When a small people of St Louis, Missouri, gathered to march for police reform, they can't have expected to be doxxed. Especially not by their own mayor.

Yet that's what happened.

On Friday, around 50 people attended a protest outside the Medium Security Institution, a penitentiary known as The Workhouse, which has been at the centre of a number of controversies over the years relating to poor living conditions, abuse of prisoners and use of penal labour.

The protesters called for reforming and defunding the police, and many wrote to their Mayor to demand change.

During a Facebook Live video, which was supposed to be a coronavirus briefing, Democrat Mayor Lyda Krewson pivoted to talking about the protest, and inexplicably decided to read out the names and addresses of the people who had written to her, along with their requests for how the budget should be spent.

Over the weekend her actions have sparked widespread outrage, with more than 14,000 people signing a petition demanding Krewson's resignation.

The ACLU of Missouri released a statement yesterday, in which policy director Sara Baker said:

Today adds to the list of things we never thought we would have to say. To be clear, it is shocking and misguided for Mayor Lyda Krewson of St Louis to broadcast the addresses of those who dare to express a different viewpoint on an issue of public concern.

It serves no apparent purpose beyond intimidation. We are stronger when we foster open dialogue.

The chilling of debate should bother everyone, no matter whether they agree or disagree with the mayor on this particular issue.

As well as signing the petition, people have taken to social media to express their concern over the incident.

Krewson has since issued an apology, saying:

"I would like to apologise for identifying individuals who presented letters to me at City Hall as I was answering a routine question during one of my updates earlier today. While this is public information, I did not intend to cause distress or harm to anyone. The post has been removed.”