A couple of residents of St .Louis' Central West End neighborhood ended up gaining quite a bit of viral infamy due to the way they behaved when a BLM protest rally was passing in the vicinity of their mansion.
According to Riverfront Times, the couple, who were identified as personal injury attorneys Mark and Patricia McCloskey, shouted at the protesters who "seemed to be just passing through the gated community" while en route to Mayor Lyda Krewson's house.
Several videos that emerged on social media also show the McCloskeys brandishing weapons – a rifle and a handgun – while interacting with the protesters.
The newspaper also points out that it's not clear what prompted the couple to "grab their guns and pop out front, shoeless but armed, to confront nonviolent protesters", or whether their firearms were loaded at the time.
As the story spread online, the McCloskeys found themselves facing a severe viral backlash, with some netizens calling them “Ken and Karen” and jokingly comparing them to action movie heroes and even video game characters.
At least one person even called for an effort to have the McCloskeys law firm marked as “public toilet” online.
Some, however, appeared to sympathize with Mark and Patricia.