St. Louis couple who pointed guns at protesters address RNC: Democrats 'want to abolish the suburbs'

(Image credit: Committee on Arrangements for the 2020 Republican National Committee via Getty Images)

published 25 August 2020

Mark and Patty McCloskey, the St. Louis, Missouri, couple that pointed guns at Black Lives Matter protesters outside their home earlier this summer and now face felony charges, delivered remarks at the Republican National Convention on Monday night.

Their address was a continuation of the mostly bleak tone set by the evening's earlier speakers who described the United States as a country that was on the precipice of being taken over by a "vengeful mob." The McCloskeys focused specifically on the state of suburban America, which they claimed Democrats "want to abolish altogether." That comment quickly drew criticism, with several observers noting it carries a strong racial subtext.

Watch the McCloskeys' full speech below. Tim O'Donnell

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.