While many of us were out finding bargains on Black Friday, residents in Clayton, Missouri, braved the cold to stand in front of the police station.
Were they protesting? Decrying police violence? Blocking traffic?
Nope. The group was out in the cold simply to thank Clayton police for the brave work they do, often thanklessly, and too often at peril to their own lives, as reported by Fox News.
The family of recently slain county police officer Blake Snyder gathered with other community members to hold a special fundraiser for the brave men and women in blue who risk their lives daily.
“In light of the officer that was shot last week and it being Thanksgiving yesterday, so many of these officers — thousands across the country — weren’t able to have Thanksgiving dinner with their families,” said Shannon Hoerle, a member of the Snyder family. “They left their families and served ours on the streets.”
In contrast to this little-known story which was received little media attention, calls for people to boycott stores, protest police and block entrances were widespread, with media coverage to match.
In Ferguson, Missouri, only 11 miles away, dozens of protesters circled a Walmart, preventing shoppers from entering, according to NBC. Nearby, they swarmed an indoor mall with signs, chanting and lying down on the floors like corpses.
Over a dozen people were arrested after protesters blocked a busy street.
The group giving thanks to Clayton police received monetary donations from people driving by and collected clothing and food for those in need. All of the money raised Friday will go directly to BackStoppers, a nonproft organization that provides financial assistance to the spouses and dependent children of police officers, firefighters and publicly funded paramedics and EMTs who lose their lives or suffer a catastrophic injury in the line of duty in 18 counties in Missouri and Illinois.
(via: Conservative Tribune)
