St. Louis Observer: July 15, 2022
Aldermen move oversight board reform bill; Homer G. Phillips nurses file suit vs. McKee; KC tenants' right-to-counsel program has successful first month
Editor’s Note
The fight for abolition is inextricably intertwined with the goals of reproductive justice.
There can be no true liberation of all peoples without both. We cannot achieve one without the other.
Once a person is under the control of the state - whether as an arrestee, pre-trial detainee, or inmate - that person loses their authority over health decisions, bodily autonomy, well-being, sexuality, and reproduction. It is at this intersection that reproductive justice dictates abolition, as personal autonomy cannot exist within the carceral system by design. Achieving freedom requires a complete rejection of “carceral feminism,” or the support of increased prison sentences for sexual- and gender-based violence, reliances upon police and corrections facilities, and punitive policies that seek to respond to violence instead of preventing it.
We know that the criminal justice system does not support victims of violence, instead causing further harm to women, gender non-conforming, & trans people, especially in communities of color. We know that locking up abusers hasn’t helped to reduce sexual violence. We understand that mass incarceration - increasing by more than 500% over the last 40 years - is fueled by racist, arbitrarily-applied laws that have caused a nearly 1000% increase in non-violent drug-related sentences.
Yet despite that massive increase in prison populations, violent crime has remained unchanged or has even increased in parts of the U.S. The status quo upon which we rely to deliver justice to victims and to prevent future crimes simply does not do either of those things. Nothing fundamentally has changed since the 1980s with regards to how the criminal legal system supports and advocates for victims of sexual & gender violence, and women, gender non-conforming, & trans people are no safer because of the “law and order” policies that have been enacted since that time.
We cannot rely upon the current criminal legal system to deliver justice to a victim of sexual violence, let alone make them whole for crimes committed against them. The system is not built to center victims or to make them whole.
Thus, we believe that this intersection of abolition and reproductive justice is of the utmost importance if we are to truly be liberated from violence in all forms.
In the News
Police, prosecutorial, and judicial accountability
A serial sexual harasser in the St. Louis County Jail was fired after years of documented incidents, including accounts by multiple women who tried to raise the alarm and who were repeatedly ignored by jail leadership. Aaron Mitchell, a former jail supervisor, was the subject of his first sexual harassment complaint in 2002, but was allowed to stay at the job for twenty years, despite frequent violations [St. Louis Public Radio/Danny Wicentowski]
Mayor Tishaura O. Jones appeared with President Joe Biden this week as he signed the Safer Communities Act, establishing expanded background checks for persons under 21, disarming domestic abusers, and allocating public funding to community violence intervention programs. Although the legislation closed the “Boyfriend Loophole,” which previously allowed convicted domestic abusers to purchase firearms if they were not married to their victim, persons with domestic violence misdemeanors are restored their gun “rights” after five years. [St. Louis American/Staff]
St. Louis aldermen voted to advance a bill that would restructure the relatively-weak civilian oversight board of City police and jail facilities and bestow more power to the investigative body. The measure, sponsored by Ald. Shameem Clark Hubbard, would also give authority to Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner to establish a “public integrity unit” to investigate police misconduct and officer-involved shootings. [St. Louis Public Radio/Rachel Lippmann]
Economic development & housing
Kansas City’s new right-to-counsel program for its housing court was launched on June 1 and has already accepted nearly 140 eviction cases to defend, without legal fees to the tenant. Under this new service, every Kansas City resident is able to walk through the legal process with legal representation.[Missouri Independent/Rebecca Rivas]
Further reading
Following the threat of and eventual overturn of Roe v. Wade, the St. Louis Doula Project has expanded its services to clients to include driving pregnant persons to abortion clinics and helping them through that procedure. “…We know that parenthood looks different for very many people. And people want the access to choose what parenthood looks like for them,” said LaKisha Redditt, chair of the Doula Project board of directors. Abortions may become medically necessary if complications arise that endanger the life of the pregnant person, and the Doula Project has committed to helping their clients access these lifesaving procedures. [Riverfront Times/Olivia Poolos]
The Homer G. Phillips Nurses’ Alumni organization has filed a federal lawsuit against white wealthy developer Paul McKee for trademark infringement of the name, Homer G. Phillips. McKee announced in 2020 that he planned to build a private, three-bed urgent care facility and would use the name “Homer G. Phillips Hospital.” Community response has been loudly and resoundingly opposed to McKee’s plans. [Missouri Independent/Rebecca Rivas; St. Louis American/Alvin A. Reid]
Beyond the Paywall
To read these below articles in full, please visit SLPL.org and access these articles through the Digital Content tab. St. Louis City & County residents can read these publications for free using their library cards.
“Pro-Choice Missouri withholds support from Democrats who backed Steve Roberts,” by Jack Suntrup, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“Messenger: Daughter wants justice for dad’s arrest at BJC while he was a kidney patient,” by Tony Messenger, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“Kansas City struggles with Missouri over police funding,” by Margaret Stafford and Summer Ballentine, Associated Press
“Ex-FBI agent tapped to head new St. Louis agency to probe police misconduct,” by Mark Schlinkmann, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“Detainee dies after incident at St. Louis jail,” by Annika Merrilees, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Legislative Update
St. Louis City Board of Aldermen
Starting today, the St. Louis City Board of Aldermen will be in recess until September 16, 2022.
BB 26 and BB 29, sponsored by Ald. Green, would put before City voters the ballot issue of enacting a surcharge on developers who reduced the number of units for housing rehabs and redevelopment. The bills were assigned to the Neighborhood Development Committee on May 13.
BB 47, sponsored by Ald. Clark Hubbard (Ward 26), would strengthen the City’s Civilian Oversight Board and would add paid support staff, as well as create the new Division of Civilian Oversight within the Department of Public Safety. Finally, this bill would legislatively create the Public Integrity Unit through the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office. The bill was perfected on July 13 and goes before the full board for a final vote on July 15.
BB 56, also sponsored by Ald. Clark Hubbard, would allocate emergency funding for rental and other housing assistance. The bill was perfected on July 13 and goes before the full board for a final vote on July 15.
BB 61, sponsored by Ald. Annie Rice (Ward 8), establishes the Reproductive Equity Fund that would assist pregnant people in St. Louis with logistical support to access abortion services in other states. The bill was read for a third time on July 13 and placed on the informal calendar.
Learn more about how a bill becomes a City ordinance.
Quote of the Week
We who believe in freedom cannot rest.
Sweet Honey in the Rock, Ella’s Song