St. Louis Observer: February 4, 2022
St. Louis County aims to toss diversity requirements; City Dems nominate first Latino Alderman; Medicaid Expansion sees increased enrollment with formerly incarcerated; State sets next execution date
Editor’s Note
St. Louis City is under attack.
But this isn’t new to us: since the Civil War, St. Louis has remained at odds with the Missouri legislature and governor, fighting for our self-governance in a state with an undeniably racist past.
This legislative session, Republican Rep. Nick Schroer (who represents some district in St. Charles; which district remains unclear) introduced a bill to return local control of St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department back to a state-controlled police board of commissioners - not unlike former governor Claiborne Jackson, the pro-slavery state leader who wanted to prevent St. Louis from a fair fight with Confederate white supremacists. Several Republican lawmakers have introduced legislation that would ban Missouri public schools from teaching historically accurate curricula that may make white children feel uncomfortable - not unlike Missouri’s antebellum laws that prohibited the education and literacy of free Black people. Never forget that we are the state of the Dred Scott decision, the landmark Supreme Court ruling that held that Black Americans were not citizens and did not have the same legal privileges as white Americans.
The Missouri General Assembly previously has pre-empted minimum wage, rent control, and gun control - each impacting St. Louis’ greater ability to serve and protect its residents from increased costs of living and the rise of violence that accompanies an unbroken cycle of poverty. When St. Louis manages to make two steps of forward progress, we can count on the State Legislature to set us back at least one step and then tie both hands behind our collective back.
But St. Louis has survived the state’s best efforts to undermine our progress for all of our residents: German Communists protected our City from the Confederates after the governor usurped control of our police (the genesis of “local control”) and abolitionists nevertheless taught Black Missourians to read and write. Our City’s activists have led the #FightFor15 statewide, a tenants’ bill of rights is being developed for City renters, and our leaders have found alternatives to policing programs that have reduced gun violence.
Maybe this is where we get our “grit” as a City - we live in a state where the legislature and governor have placed obstacle after obstacle before us. Amidst the battles, metaphorical and sometimes literal, we have remained confident in one thing: when St. Louis fights back, we win.
In the News
Police, prosecutorial, and judicial accountability
As part of the City’s efforts to transition away from traditional policing, Mayor Tishaura O. Jones has received national recognition for the expansion of youth programming and activities and jobs and the impact that the expansion has had on the reduction of violent crime in St. Louis. Jones’ administration defied national trends in 2021 after re-funding the Cure Violence program and “constructive outlets” for young people. [St. Louis American/Karen Robinson-Jacobs]
Two O’Fallon municipal police officers have been placed on leave after shooting 17-year-old Christopher Jones. St. Charles County police are investigating the circumstances surrounding Jones’ death, where the department has claimed that the two officers found Jones sleeping in a vehicle that had been reported as stolen, shooting the vehicle an undetermined number of times. It is unclear whether any of the vehicle’s occupants had pointed a gun at the police; body camera footage from the shooting has been turned over to investigators. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Katie Kull]
Economic development in St. Louis City and County
In an effort to address the roughly 25,000 vacant buildings and lots City-wide, an Oakville Republican state representative has introduced House Bill 2218, which would only impact St. Louis City and require the City Collector to sue property owners with “vacant” parcels. Under H.B. 2218, the land would then be sold at a sheriff’s sale. The bill is not supported by any St. Louis City representatives. [St. Louis Public Radio/Corinne Ruff]
St. Louis County Councilman Ernie Trakas has proposed that the County abolish its current diversity requirements for procurement contracts, claiming that minority inclusion standards have caused delays in the construction of a new police precinct in Affton. Yaphett El-Amin, executive director of minority contractor consortium MoKan, has advocated for the education of majority-white contracting firms to eliminate disparities of racial inclusion in County projects, rather than removing equity goals and “good faith” requirements for subcontracting with minority- and women-owned businesses. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Nassim Benchaabane]
Further reading
Harris-Stowe State University was one of at least a dozen historically Black colleges and universities to receive a bomb threat on Tuesday in what U.S. Rep. Cori Bush called a “violent backlash of white supremacy.” At least six HBCUs reported bomb threats on Monday and eight reported threats in the two weeks prior. No bombs have been found on any of the campuses, and police have not yet determined if the bomb threat at Harris-Stowe was connected to the bomb threat at St. Louis City Hall on Monday. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Katie Kull; St. Louis American/Staff Reports; Missouri Independent/Laura Cassels]
The family of Justin King, a Black man murdered by his white neighbor in a Bourbon, Missouri, trailer park, is demanding the resignation of the Crawford County coroner, who determined that the neighbor shot King in self-defense. The coroner previously made several public social media posts that repeated racist talking points and even likened the Black Lives Matter movement to white supremacists and domestic terrorist groups like the Ku Klux Klan. The coroner has been accused of conducting a questionable autopsy and then asking jurors to sign false statements during a coroner’s inquest into the murder. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch/AP Reports]
As new enrollment in the expanded Missouri Medicaid program continues to gradually increase, advocates have reported that more formerly-incarcerated persons have been applying for and obtaining health insurance coverage. The State has not actively promoted the new Expansion, which was estimated to cover an additional 275,000 Missourians. Nearly 60,000 new enrollees have signed up under the Expansion, with most of the enrollment efforts falling onto nonprofit organizations and healthcare advocates to fill in where the State has fallen short. [St. Louis Public Radio/Sebastián Martínez Valdivia]
The St. Louis City Democratic Central Committee has nominated attorney Michael Gras to succeed recently-resigned Alderwoman Heather Navarro. A special election will be held for 28th Ward voters on April 19, with Gras potentially becoming the City’s first Latino Alderman [St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Mark Schlinkmann]
A bipartisan bill has been introduced in the Missouri state house, to ban out-of-school suspensions and expulsions for students through the third grade. Most Missouri students who are suspended are disproportionately Black children or children with disabilities. The bill would apply to both public schools and charter schools; private schools would not be subject to the ban on suspensions and expulsions for young students. [Missouri Independent/Tessa Weinberg]
The State of Missouri has set an execution date for Carman Deck, whose death sentence has been overturned three times since his original conviction in 1998. The third stay of execution was issued by U.S. Disitrct Judge Catherine Perry, who found that Deck’s third penalty-phase trial was “fundamentally unfair.” Attorney General Eric Schmitt pursued that appeal, and the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned Perry’s order in fall 2020. Schmitt’s office filed a motion in October 2021 to set Deck’s execution date. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Taylor Tiamoyo Harris]
Legislative & Legal Update
City of St. Louis
BB 119, introduced by Ald. Todd and Ald. Ingrassia (Ward 6), would repeal the City’s current loitering ordinance and would provide a legal defense for the amended criminal charge of loitering. This bill has been held in the Public Safety Committee since November 16, 2021, with no further action taken.
Resolution 159, sponsored by Aldermen Sharon Tyus (Ward 1), Jeffrey Boyd (Ward 22), and Pamela Boyd (Ward 27), would resolve that any new or expanded facility for unhoused persons be constructed in the wards that do not already have facilities. This resolution was assigned to the Health and Human Services Committee on January 14, 2022.
State of Missouri
HB 1476, introduced by Rep. Nick Schroer (R-St. Charles), would remove the City of St. Louis’ control over its own police department and return to state control. The bill was read a second time on January 6, 2022.
HB 1800, introduced by Rep. Kimberly-Ann Collins (D-St. Louis), would amend minimum service of prison sentences laws based on a sliding scale and previous criminal histories. The bill was read a second time on January 6, 2022.
HB 1847, introduced by Rep. LaKeysha Bosley (D-St. Louis), would create a pathway for civil recourse for a person wrongfully convicted under Missouri law. The bill was read a second time on January 6, 2022.
HB 1849, introduced by Rep. Bosley, would require the Missouri Attorney General to create a statewide database to track police officers accused of misconduct. The bill was read a second time on January 6, 2022.
HB 1897, also introduced by Rep. Collins, would establish a Corrections Nursery Program, to keep incarcerated mothers and their infants together. This bill was referred to the Administrative Oversight Committee on January 31, 2022.
Quote of the Week
Too often, suppression, denial, distortion, false accusations, casting blame, engendering guilt and fear-mongering seem to be the more comfortable paths taken. These are the paths being chosen in state legislatures, Congress and in school board meetings across America opposing Critical Race Theory. But it need not be this way.
Janice Ellis for the St. Louis American
Take Action
The snow may have fallen, but the need to support the Safe Haven winter outreach program remains at an all-time high. Direct contributions may be made via Venmo or CashApp to @UnhousedSTL, or items may be purchased from Unhoused St. Louis’ winter wish list. If you are able to volunteer your time, you may sign up for shifts for the emergency shelter at Bethel Church. More information on Unhoused St. Louis’ winter outreach efforts and additional resources may be found here.