No, it was a private gate to their home. The mob had singled them out while trying to find rich white folk to attack.Wasn't the gate to the neighborhood in general, like a private gate to a path or something...?
From what ive found online, once they broke through the gate, they forfeit their rights......and lives......at least in Missouri.
However, most of what you read online is BS. But Missouri laws seem to back up this theory.