ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI) – Here`s an inside look at one of the most angry protestors, who`s lighting up social media over Ferguson and the deadly police shooting on Shaw. Fox Files investigator Chris Hayes sat down with St. Louisan Bassem Masri.
Warning: Language in this story may offend some readers and viewers.
A crowd chants to officers, “Whose streets? Our streets. Our streets. Our streets.”
It was October 8, the night an off duty officer shot and killed Vonderett Myers Jr. Crowds surround officers who back away.
A man holding a cell phone says, ‘What the f*** you doing here bro, get the f*** out a here with your coward ass boys.’ It was Bassem Masri who said this as he streamed video that was live at the time. Masri yelled at an officer, ‘Coward straight pig out here bitch! You gotta go. Your life is in danger homie.’
People appear to feed off of his energy. Masri told an officer, ‘What happens when we take your gun?’ That officer then protects his gun. Another officer protecting his gun was answered with screams, ‘He has his hand on his gun!’
Then citizens surrounded him and chanted, ‘Shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot.’
At one point you can hear Masri tell officers, while pointing at each one, ‘I`m praying for your death and you death and your death and your death.’
Bassem Masri sat down with us to answer to his tactics. He said, ‘We need to be talking about how we gonna fix the police, not how do we fix Bassem.’
Reporter Hayes asked, ‘It appears at times you`re trying to get an officer to strike you.’
Masri: ‘Maybe, nah. I don`t want to get hurt. I don`t want to go to jail. Hell no and you know what it is? Like I just stated earlier, I`m a citizen who`s mad.’
Masri came to talk to us with two other active live streamers who documented our conversation. He continued, ‘If the citizen is pissed, you don`t look at the citizen and say `oh he`s bad, he`s a terrorist` you look at the police and say `how come this man is mad at y`all.`’
Hayes followed up, ‘How you would respond if somebody said you are a coward bitch?’
Masri: ‘Hey, they work for me. I don`t work for them. I can say what I want to them.’
Hayes: ‘What about if somebody says `what happens when we take your gun?`’
Masri: ‘Yeah what happens when we demilitarize your police force? Are you going to keep the badge? What`s going to happen then? Are you still going to become a police officer then?’
Hayes: ‘What about saying `I`m praying for your death?`’
Masri: ‘Ah you know what, that`s like I say, that`s emotions, but like I say, I`ll state that again, that`s their job. Instead of me asking why I`m mad, you should ask the police why they`re not doing their jobs.’
SLMPD Police officer Joe Steiger said, ‘It`s taking a tremendous amount of restraint.’
Steiger is also President of the St. Louis Police Officer’s Association. He said, ‘It`s human nature for people to want to react to that.’
Steiger believes most citizens don`t realize what it`s like for officers on that front line. He explained, ‘It`s not sensational enough to get (media) coverage and that`s the perception of the police officers.’
Yet emotions continue ramping. Another protestor, going by the name Yakoub El Amin on Facebook, wrote a threat describing a plan where ‘police will be surprise assassinated.’ He said, ‘…catch them eating…anytime their guard is dwn (sic).’ He recommended ‘clean head shot.’ Police know about. They are investigating.
Steiger added, ‘I`ve seen so much of it here lately, I`m callous to it now. It`s a genuine threat. That`s one of the reasons why we`ve had an outcry about releasing the names of police officers.’
I showed Steiger a clip from Masri video, where a man points an object. Steiger said, ‘It looks like a firearm to me.’
It`s not clear what it is, when you analyze it at different angles, which is not a luxury police have at the scene.
Steiger added, ‘I`m assuming the officers in the car didn`t see that. If they had seen that, they probably would have taken action against them.’
Hayes followed up, ‘That could have led to a shooting in and of itself?’
Steiger: ‘It very easily could have led to that.’
After my interview with Masri, he asked me to view another video titled ‘St. Louis Police Pepper Spray and Attack Peaceful Protestors.’ It also happened in the Shaw neighborhood, on October 10th.
You can see Masri rub his eyes as he says police pepper sprayed him for no reason. He said police maced many people, including a woman seen lying in the street. Then a police officer appears to come to help and Masri said to him, ‘Y`all move back. Yeah terrorist. I`m talking about your bro. You`re a f***ing terrorist.’
In our sit down interview, Masri told me, ‘We can`t go nowhere without being harassed by police. So if they want our respect, they`re going to have to put in our shoes.’
Hayes followed up, ‘But are you going to get it by saying `I`m praying for your death?`’
Masri: ‘Hey, that`s on them.’
Masri says, bottom line, he`s expressing rage because of his fear of police after 40 arrests for traffic violations.
We looked at his Missouri DMV records that might explain those law enforcement contacts.
SUSPENSIONS/REVOCATIONS:
- Chemical Revocation (fail to submit to a chemical test issued by law enforcement):
Active: 12/23/2007
Eligible reinstate: 12/23/2008 - Failure to File Suspension (involved in an accident, he did not submit the form requesting insurance information for the accident):
Active: 02/29/2008
Eligible reinstate: 02/28/2009 - Security (Driver/Registration) (for damages owed as a result of the accident):
Active: 05/21/2008
Eligible reinstate: 05/21/2009 - Mandatory (Driver/Registration) (because he was not insured at the time of the accident):
Active: 05/21/2008
Eligible reinstate: 05/21/2008 - Failure to File Suspension:
Active: 06/26/2008
Eligible reinstate: 06/26/2009 - Security (Driver/Registration):
Active: 08/12/2008
Eligible reinstate: 08/12/2009 - Mandatory – 2nd (Driver/Registration):
Active: 08/12/2008
Eligible reinstate: 08/12/2008 - Judgment Suspension (someone sued him for damages owed from one of the accidents):
Active: 05/16/2009
Eligible reinstate: 02/17/2019 He can reinstate prior to 2019 if he sets up an installment agreement to pay $12,650.00 judgment plus court costs for an accident that occurred on 12/08/2007 (5 vehicles involved). He must also submit installment agreement (along with complying with the other requirements of reinstatement). - Instate Failure to Appear:
Active: 01/26/2012 (same eligible date) - Instate Failure to Appear (received traffic citation, didn`t go to court, court sent info to DMV to suspend):
Active: 03/02/2012 - Failure to Appear (same thing as above, but out of state):
Active: 05/05/2012 - Instate Failure to Appear:
Active: 07/11/2012 - Instate Failure to Appear:
Active: 07/11/2012 - Instate Failure to Appear:
Active: 10/15/2012 - Instate Failure to Appear:
Active: 11/16/2012 - Instate Failure to Appear:
Active: 01/30/2013 - Point Revocation (accumulation of 12 points (or more) within 12 months):
Active: 07/15/2013
Eligible reinstate: 07/15/2014 - Point Revocation:
Active: 12/27/2013
Eligible reinstate: 12/27/2014 - CONVICTIONS (conviction dates listed):
Fail to Produce Insurance, 4 points, 11/20/2013 - Driving While Suspended/Revoked/Denied (DWS), 12 points, 11/20/2013
DWS, 12 points, 06/04/2013 - Speeding, 2 points, 06/04/2013
DWS, 12 points, 06/04/2013 - Fail to Produce Insurance, 4 points, 06/04/2013
- Fail to Produce Insurance, 4 points, 06/04/2013
DWS, 12 points, 08/23/2012
DWS, 12 points, 08/23/2012 - Inattentive/Negl./Careless Driving, 2 points, 08/23/2012
DWS, 12 points, 08/23/2012 - Traffic Turn/Signal Violation, 2 points, 08/23/2012
DWS, 12 points, 08/23/2012
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