Uprising at St. Louis jail as inmates break windows and rain debris onto the street below

An uprising at a jail in St. Louis broke out on Easter Sunday. In two locations of the City Justice Center, inmates broke free of confinement, broke windows, and shouted to onlookers who stood on the sidewalk below. This was in protest over conditions in the jail.

The video shows inmates several floors up smashing through windows and throwing things out. They shout and yell while screaming can be heard in the background. This follows rioting that took place in February, which resulted in boarded up windows, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Supporters joined the rioters, standing 50 to 70 people strong on the sidewalk below. Debris rained down onto the street. They spoke against the "inhumane conditions" inside the jail.

Some of the debris appeared to be on fire and firefighters on the scene sprayed water cannons in an attempt to put it out.

"They threw furniture, a computer, toilet paper and their own clothing to the street below, and started a fire on the exterior of the building. Some chanted 'We want court dates,' a reference to delays in court appearances and trials caused by the pandemic," the Post-Dispatch reports.

This before officers in riot gear arrived at the windows, about 10:15 pm, shortly after the rioters dispersed. But more windows were broken, at a different location on the third floor, around 11 pm. This time a chair came flying through the broken glass.

February saw a riot at the Justice Center that involved approximately 115 inmates on the fourth floor, who "set fires, clogged toilets, flooded parts of the floor and caused other damage."

Officers blame faulty locks on the cell doors, and said that though inmates are aware of this problem, they usually don't take advantage of it.