St. Louis Observer: January 28, 2022
St. Louis Observer: January 28, 2022
St. Louis County's first Black police chief appointed; U City schools embrace 1619 Project; Eighth Circuit rejects SLMPD officers' bid for qualified immunity
Editor’s Note
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD) has not had a good week.
Since last week’s Observer, in the span of three days, four SLMPD officers were injured in the line of duty: two were struck by a motorist on Hwy 40/I-64 while responding to an accident in the center median on Monday, and two City officers were shot while attempting to make an arrest in St. Louis County on Wednesday. Three of the four officers have been confirmed to be in their 20s, and one was still in his probationary period as an officer.
Instead of focusing on the literal one job that a labor union has - advocating for better working conditions, training, and pay for its membership - St. Louis Police Officers Association (SLPOA) has instead engaged in a messy, short-sighted publicity stunt that involves doxxing a private citizen and spreading yet another wave of malicious lies about City leadership.
SLPOA’s lawyer, lobbyist, and Chief Distraction Officer Jane Dueker took to her Twitter feed and expressed her faux outrage at a Black man in St. Louis City who was arrested and charged for domestic assault. Although nothing in the court file indicates irregularities of the man’s legal proceedings, Dueker decided to bear the cross of doxxing and exposing his entire identity to the world - including his full name, date of birth, social security number, and home address.
All without redaction and potentially exposing herself to legal and ethical liabilities, Dueker has twice posted court documents that are not publicly accessible. But her vile smear campaign against this private individual didn’t stop there. As a representative of the SLPOA - and arguably a member of the side prosecuting the man - Dueker went out of her way to locate the victim (the man’s co-parent) and further exploited her by soliciting and posting graphic photos, purportedly of the woman, following the assault. This comes less than a year after Dueker was caught originating the false narrative that SLMPD’s domestic abuse response team (DART) was disbanding due to “de-funding,” and even went so far as to manipulate a victim advocate into sending an email to the Family Violence Council that repeated the blatant falsehood, was posted on social media, and caused unnecessary strife for victims across the region.
That the majority of SLMPD officers choose to be represented by a person who has publicly demonstrated a blatant disregard for civil rights, due process, and the criminal legal system, is telling. This is, after all, the City of segregated police unions, a police department with its history rooted in organized slave patrols, and different criminal legal systems where the outcome depends on the color of your skin.
But when SLPOA and its representatives create distractions, that is our call to pay attention to what lies beneath the surface: pro-police extremists are losing. In the last year, SLPOA has fumbled negotiations of a new collective bargaining agreement with a then-friendly administration; their members continue to lose bids for qualified immunity protection in federal courts; and the SLMPD “slush fund” created by vacant, unfilled jobs has been drained. St. Louis has shown that alternatives to policing work better for our City, and instead of recognizing that the era of “defunding” the police is supported by the very communities that their officers are sworn to protect and serve, SLPOA has doubled down on its racist rhetoric, blaming nearly every Black leader, doxxing private citizens, and generating more lies to distort the fact that they are, in fact, losing their power to We the People.
In the News
Police, prosecutorial, and judicial accountability
Lt. Col. Kenneth Gregory has been named as St. Louis County’s next Chief of Police, and he becomes the first Black police chief since the department began in the 1950s. Gregory’s appointment appears to be well-supported by St. Louis County elected officials and the Ethical Society of Police and arrives at the helm of the Department amid several pending lawsuits by Black officers who have alleged racism and discrimination in promotions and transfers. [Riverfront Times/Jenna Jones; St. Louis Public Radio/Rachel Lippmann]
Marc Tragesser, municipal police chief of Marble Hill in Bollinger County, pleaded guilty to a federal misdemeanor and admitted to unlawfully forcing a mother to give her children to another individual who had no custodial rights. Tragesser allowed the individual to enter the mother’s home and remove property while the mother was away, and Tragresser then physically assaulted the mother when she asked for a copy of the court order that Tragesser claimed to award custody of the children to the other individual. Sentencing is scheduled for May 24. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Robert Patrick]
Staffing shortages in the Missouri Department of Corrections have left more than 220 people in need of medical treatment stranded in county jails for months at a time. The Missouri Department of Mental Health stated that there is approximately a six (6) -month backlog for treatment, but more than 150 of those left stranded are awaiting “competency restoration” evaluations, a process used when an individual charged with a crime is found by a court to be incompetent to stand trial. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Kurt Erickson]
O’Fallon, Missouri, city councilwoman Katie Greenwood has been removed from elected office after she was accused of violating city rules for investigating O’Fallon’s former police chief. In January 2021, Greenwood made public statements that concerns misconduct involving the former chief had been brought to her attention, and she had reached out to the former chief’s previous police agencies to ask about his work there. The police chief in question resigned in June 2021 and claimed that Greenwood had “interfered” with his duties by inquiring into his previous work history. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Robert Patrick & Katie Kull]
The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected several SLMPD officers’ requests to invoke qualified immunity related to their misconduct and abuse during the 2017 Stockley protests. The three-judge panel upheld the district court’s finding that the officers were not shielded from liability under the doctrine of qualified immunity, as the plaintiff’s claims of unreasonable seizure and excessive force were factually supported by evidence. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Robert Patrick]
Economic development in St. Louis City and County
The Gravois Park’s Art Place Initiative has completed its first of an expected twenty (20) rehabbed or newly-constructed single-family residences as part of a community land trust within the neighborhood, with the intent of selling the homes to low-to-moderate income artists. The Initiative seeks to address historic redlining, discriminatory, and predatory practices within local real estate, and plans include further development of community green spaces and commercial spaces. [St. Louis American/Danielle Brown]
A nonprofit organization, A Red Circle, seeks to redevelop abandoned commercial properties in North St. Louis County into a community-owned grocery store, with the stated goals of feeding residents, creating jobs, and raising tax revenue for local public schools. The project is still in its fundraising phases and aims to “promote community betterment in North County through a racial equity lens.” [St. Louis Public Radio/Emily Woodbury]
A proposed agreement between the First Mid Bank & Trust and the Jefferson Bank & Trust has been reached, merging the two financial institutions and making accessible small business loans and branch locations in under-served parts of St. Louis. Community advocacy groups like St. Louis Equal Housing and Community Reinvestment Alliance (SLEHCRA) and the Woodstock Institute had protested the merger but eventually agreed to enter into a Community Benefits Agreement with the bank to open two new branches in low-to-moderate income communities and to establish lending goals for mortgages and small business loans to Black borrowers. [St. Louis American/Karen Robinson-Jacobs]
Mayor Tishaura O. Jones’ Administration is establishing clearer policies and guidelines for development deals and tax breaks, which historically have had a major impact on the City’s public schools and access to affordable housing. “Incentive framework” ideally would provide consistent benchmarks and goals for developers who bring a project to the City for approval, embracing the mantra, “public investment, public benefit.” [St. Louis Post Dispatch/Jacob Barker]
Further reading
The success of the St. Louis City’s Cure Violence program has largely been credited to conflict disruption, connecting residents to resources, and placing program staff directly in neighborhoods, as City leaders continue to analyze the decline in violent crimes and homicides in 2021. The program’s Dutchtown location especially has been successful and has expanded beyond the neighborhood to disrupt potentially violent situations, provide services, and connect residents to employment opportunities. [St. Louis American/Dana Rieck]
St. Louis County is seeking a $500,000 federal grant to renovate the historic Kinloch Park. The County has committed to match the award, which would pay for most of the anticipated $1.3 million project. Kinloch Park amenities have not been upgraded since the early 1970s, and plans for renovations include a new playground, shelter, basketball courts, fields for football and soccer, and a half-mile walking trail around the park’s perimeter. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Nassim Benchaabane]
The University City School District has expanded its curriculum to include material from the 1619 Project, which places slavery and its legacy at the center of American history. The District announced its collaboration with the University City Public Library, which will rent books to students who need them. [St. Louis Public Radio/Andrea Y. Henderson]
The Wentzville School Board voted to remove Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye” from the district’s high school libraries, becoming part of a national wave of public school boards banning books with themes of race, gender, and sexuality. Although the book was not part of any grade or school’s curriculum, white Wentzville parent Amber Crawford filed a challenge against “The Bluest Eye” and called it a “garbage book,” failing to articulate her specific concerns with the book. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Blythe Bernhard]
The political battle for recreational-use cannabis in Missouri has reached a stumbling block as more legal hurdles to implementing automatic expungements have arisen under ballot initiatives’ proposed language. Three initiative petitions and at least two Republican-introduced bills in the Missouri House all include time-restricted provisions that may be difficult to follow, while some plans would require individuals currently serving cannabis-related sentences to file and [Missouri Independent/Rebecca Rivas]
Legislative & Legal Update
City of St. Louis
BB 118, introduced by Ald. Jesse Todd (Ward 18) would allocate $1.1 million received under the federal YouthBuilds grant program, distributing the first $80,000 received to SLATE. This bill was passed by the full Board on January 24 and has been signed into law.
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.
BB 125, introduced by Ald. Todd and Ald. Ingrassia, would repeal the City’s current panhandling ordinance. The bill was held in the Public Safety Committee on November 16, 2021, and has made no further progress.
BB 150, introduced by Ald. Ingrassia, would set standards and procedures for unsafe living conditions for unhoused persons living on public property, and further would protect the rights and property of the unhoused. The bill was referred to the Health and Human Services Committee on December 10, 2021.
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 wards that do not already have facilities. The resolution was assigned to the Health and Human Services Committee on January 14.
State of Missouri
The Missouri State Legislature resumed on January 5, 2022. Below are some of the bills that were either pre-filed or made movement in the first few days of session.
HJR 83, introduced by Rep. Shamed Dogan (R-St. Louis County), would legalize cannabis use for adults 21 years or older and would further reform state labor & policing laws related to cannabis. The bill was read a second time on January 6, but has made no further movement.
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, and no further movement has been made.
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.
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; no further action has been taken.
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, with no further movement on the bill.
HB 1897, also introduced by Rep. Collins, would establish a Corrections Nursery Program, to keep incarcerated mothers and their infants together. On January 26, the House Judicial Committee approved the legislation with a recommendation of “do pass.”
HB 1919, introduced by Rep. Collins, would create a tax credit for urban farms located in food deserts. The bill was read a second time on January 6, with no further advancement.
HB 1922, also introduced by Rep. Collins, establishes an oversight board for the Missouri Department of Corrections. The bill was read a second time on January 6, and has had no additional movement.
HB 2333, also introduced by Rep. Rasheen Aldridge (D-St. Louis), would reform the state’s current cash bail system and would require county jails to conduct risk assessments of persons detained within 24 hours of arrest. The bill was read a second time on January 10; no further action has been taken since this time.
HB 2338, introduced by Rep. Aldridge, would decriminalize certain prostitution offenses and would redefine “unlawful commercial sex act” within state law. The bill was read a second time on January 10, and there has been no additional progress o the bill.
Quote of the Week
“We understand that there's a lot of rhetoric around [the 1619 Project], but this has been a topic that my white students have benefited from, my Black students have benefited from, and my students from other ethnicities. This is an all-of-us conversation, and so we don't know another way.”
- University City School Board Superintendent Sharonica Hardin-Bartley