St. Louis Awards Highest Honor To Suspected Drug Dealer Killed By Former Cop Jason Stockley [VIDEO]

St. Louis Awards Highest Honor To Suspected Drug Dealer Killed By Former Cop Jason Stockley [VIDEO]

This past Friday, the City Of St. Louis honored a citizen with the highest award an individual or an organization can receive. The city council passed a resolution honoring the now deceased Anthony Lamar Smith. Smith, a suspected drug dealer with a record and jail time, was shot and killed by a St. Louis police officer in 2011 after a car chase. Anthony’s supporters would have us believe this man was as pure and good as an angel. The pictures we see all over the Internet are of him holding a child, or smiling and looking wholesome. But a guy with the record he had is far from wholesome. Of course none of that matters to those who protested, rioted, vandalized and looted in his “honor.”

According to Lauren Trager of KMOV, “Smith pled guilty once in January 2010 for possession and intent to distribute marijuana. Earlier, in 2007, he pled guilty to illegal possession of a firearm. In 2010, he was sentenced to prison for five years on the drug charge and three years on the weapons charge, to be served at the same time. He served 14 months and was released on parole in May 2011, almost seven months to the day before he was shot. It has also been said that Smith was “known to have a gun on him.””

The resolution was introduced by Alderman John Collins-Muhammad who then gave it to Annie, Smith’s mother. He said, “I invited her here today to let her know the city of St. Louis and the Board of Aldermen shares her pain, her frustration, and her deep dissatisfaction with the turnout of everything that has happened.”

In 2016, Officer Stockley was charged with the murder of Smith and recently in 2017 was acquitted. Of course the city of St. Louis took to the streets. None of them were in the courtroom. None of them heard or saw the evidence or know anything about the case. None of them were there when Smith was shot. But to the folks who want to wreck things and beat people up, none of that matters. It was little more than an excuse to riot.

What can be said of a city council that gives its highest honor, not to the many fine students in urban areas who are doing their best, not to young men who are married, working hard and supporting their families, not to kids who are raising money for causes and helping the homeless or the hungry, no, it was given to a criminal. Why? Because he was shot while being a criminal. Apparently being shot while committing a crime comes as a surprise to some folks.

How about if urban America takes a look at their own neighborhoods? The violence, the gangs, the crime, the murders committed; not by the police, but by criminals in their own neighborhoods. Hey urban America, when you get serious about cleaning up your own house and not rioting and looting every time you don’t like a verdict, maybe we will take you seriously. Because until you choose to clean up your own community and take it back from the killers and thieves, nothing changes. People will continue to commit crimes and get shot, mostly by people in the neighborhood.

Giving a city’s highest award to someone who did nothing to earn it and in fact has lived a life of tearing apart that city with crime, is beyond reprehensible and shortsighted. We can sympathize with the loss that his parents feel. But we do not have to reward criminal behavior. It sets a very bad precedent.

Maybe next time the award is given, go find a young man who is handing out coats to the homeless.

Sonja Bochow

I live in Newark, DE, am married, and the mother of four children; Liam, Brenna, Keira and Erin. I am also a full time Bible teacher and have a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from West Chester University.

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