A Ferguson protester who met with President Obama earlier this week was charged with assault stemming from an incident that occurred last week during protests over a grand jury’s decision in the shooting death of Michael Brown.
Rasheen Aldridge, 22, and two fellow protesters were charged with misdemeanor assault on Thursday, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Aldridge, who serves as director of Young Activists United and is a co-chair of Missouri Jobs with Justice, is seen in a video of the protest outside of St. Louis City Hall shoving a marshal who was blocking the entrance to the building. The protesters were chanting “We shut shit down!” as they tried to enter City Hall in order to demonstrate inside.
The protesters were upset over a St. Louis County grand jury’s decision to not charge Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson for killing Brown.
Two others were charged in the incident. According to the Post-Dispatch, Aldridge initially said that nobody touched city workers as protesters tried to enter the building.
On Monday, Aldridge was one of two members of a group called the Ferguson Commission to meet with Obama and civil rights leaders at the White House.
Obama mentioned Aldridge and the other activist, Brittany Packenett, by name during his remarks at the event.
“One of the most powerful things that happened today was I had the opportunity to meet with some young people, including a couple of young outstanding leaders from the Ferguson community, Brittany Packnett and Rasheen Aldridge,” Obama said following the meeting.
The pair were appointed to the Ferguson Commission by Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon to address community concerns stemming from Brown’s death and law enforcement’s response to subsequent demonstrations.
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