On Sunday, several hundred people gathered in Mill Creek Park. They marched through the Country Club Plaza to counter the white supremacist movement and racism in general. Militia members were there to meet them.
Like a number of people at the protest, Will Jones kept a wary eye on about two dozen armed men, dressed in camouflage and Kevlar, standing nearby.
"We’re not used to seeing something like this here," said Jones. "I know they’re everywhere, but you know, when you see it in person, with some of that military hardware like that, it kind of stresses you out. It becomes real when you see it in person."
The militia present were mostly members of the Missouri chapter of the Three Percenters. They declined interviews, but were on hand to counter the otherwise liberal, social justice, anti-racist protest.
Amanda Vean joined the demonstrators, idly swinging a baseball bat.
"Well, they came with guns, so I came with a baseball bat," Vean said. "If they attack us, I mean, we have to do something. I’m not just going to sit back and let it happen."
And nothing did happen, there was no bloodshed. But some demonstrators worry about future protests.
Frank Morris is a national correspondent and senior editor at KCUR 89.3. You can reach him on Twitter @FrankNewsman.
