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Inmates Riot At St. Louis Jail, Setting Fires And Breaking Windows

For the second time this year, inmates at a jail in downtown St. Louis broke into a small riot.

On Sunday, videos and other pictures shared on social media showed inmates of the St. Louis Justice Center hanging out the broken windows of their cells. The men threw chairs and other objects to onlookers down below as they chanted, "We want court dates!"

Social media posts from local reporters on the scene show the inmates setting a fire on the third floor of the building, according to KMOV4 in St. Louis.

Jacob Long, spokesperson for Mayor Lyda Krewson's office said "two violent and dangerous disturbances" originated from two units on the third floor beginning at approximately 8:30 p.m.

Detainees covered security cameras, smashed windows and destroyed property, Long said.

Officials for the St. Louis Police Department and the St. Louis Justice Center didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Inmates of the same jail caused a similar disturbance in February, according to local reports. It took law enforcement hours to calm that riot. During that outbreak, detainees were able to manipulate their cells' locks and walk around the jail.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Jaclyn Diaz is a reporter on Newshub.

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The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

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