St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson says it wasn't acceptable for police to chant "Whose streets? Our streets!" on Sunday after clearing out protesters and onlookers in the city's downtown, reports the Associated Press.
The mayor decried the chant during a news conference Tuesday. Officers in riot gear were heard chanting after making arrests when an organized protest ended and vandalism ensued. The chant is one that protesters commonly use.
Krewson says police are under a lot of stress but "that's not an excuse."
Krewson also says it was "inflammatory" for interim police Chief Lawrence O'Toole to say that "police owned" Sunday night.