[…] The Central Reform Congregation is the only Jewish congregation in the city of St. Louis. Prior to the verdict in the Stockley case in which a white ex-police officer was acquitted for the fatal shooting of a black driver, the congregation had decided to be a “safe place” for people who might be protesting. On Friday, Sept. 15, Shabbat services ended around 9 p.m. Members of the congregation noticed that a march was moving west down their street. It consisted of around 1,000 people peacefully going by.
Around 10 p.m., however, the officers started using force to clear the streets. The protesters were blocked and had little choice but to run into a neighborhood or into the synagogue. The gathered community of Central Reform Congregation opened its doors to let everyone rush inside.