St. Louis Observer: June 3, 2022
Board of Aldermen's top leadership indicted on federal corruption, white collar crimes; DOC to pay more than $100 million for lost wages; state anti-homeless bill waits governor's signature
Editor’s Note
Yesterday, the Observer sat with other local media in federal court for the initial appearances, arraignments, and bond hearings for the President and Vice President of the Board of Aldermen. Lewis Reed and Jeffrey Boyd, each subject to multiple federal felonies stemming from a “pay-to-play” scheme, have refused to resign from their elected office.
Reed and Boyd have been accused, along with former alderman John Collins Muhammad, of taking bribes in exchange for awarding tax abatements through their respective roles on the Board of Aldermen. The indictment is a glimpse into the corruption that has driven the Board leadership since Reed’s election as president - and these charges likely are not the end.
Reed, Boyd, and Muhammad were caught in multiple audio recordings orchestrating a scheme, where a business owner with properties in the 21st and 22nd wards would pay the three aldermen in cash payments, campaign donations, vehicles (& vehicle repairs), and other “items of value” in exchange for tax abatements. The three aldermen likely implicated others in the St. Louis Development Corporation and in other City offices for their roles in rubber-stamping the deals.
But Reed and Boyd nevertheless appeared for this morning’s Board of Alderman’s regular weekly meeting - proceeding with business as usual. Both men mostly stayed off-camera for the hour-ish-long meeting. Boyd attempted to hold a debate on one of his board bills and even asked to schedule an upcoming hearing for the HUDZ Committee. Reed chimed in to give acting board president Ald. Joseph Vollmer (Ward 10) some direction on leading the meeting.
Just business as usual. And it is infuriating.
But We the People have already demonstrated our collective power in St. Louis, from passing Propositions D & R in recent years to shifting legislation & policy at the Board, to even banishing bad legislation to the informal calendar to die. We have the ability to demand Reed’s and Boyd’s resignations - and we hold the power to make that happen.
Our Take Action call, below, is dedicated to helping our readers share their voices and to express their concerns for the two remaining aldermen - caught in audio recordings, emails, and text messages - selling off tax abatements for shockingly little in return. We have provided samples for readers to use to write their own messages to the Aldermen, as well as the email addresses for the full Board.
Accountability for elected officials starts with the public. So, let’s go.
In the News
Police, prosecutorial, and judicial accountability
An investigation by the Kansas City Star has revealed that Black people in Missouri federal courts are disproportionately convicted and sentenced for illegally carrying firearms compared to white people. In the Eastern District of Missouri, for example, more than 80 percent of those convicted of illegal firearms charges were Black. [Kansas City Star/Humera Lodhi]
The State of Missouri is expected to pay out more than $100 million in settlement claims stemming from employment abuses by leadership in the Missouri Department of Corrections. The DOC previously refused to pay employees when they clocked into the prison facilities and instead paid them only for the time spent at their duty stations. [St. Louis Public Radio/Rudi Keller for the Missouri Independent]
Economic development & housing
A Republican-backed bill, expected to be signed by Gov. Mike Parson, would ban the City’s unhoused from sleeping on state-owned land and establishes a range of punishment for the new Class C misdemeanor of a $750 fine and up to 15 days of incarceration. The bill further strips state and federal funding from going to permanent, affordable housing and reallocates it to state-provided “mental health treatment” and temporary housing projects. [Missouri Independent/Rebecca Rivas; Riverfront Times/Monica Obradovic]
As part of its allocation of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, the City of St. Louis has announced that it will spend $2 million to improve accessibility to public buildings and spaces. Projects will include new curb cuts on sidewalks, improved access to City parks and recreation centers, and converting two men’s restrooms at City Hall into accessible facilities. [St. Louis Public Radio/Rachel Lippmann]
For decades, the lead industry used racial bias to distract the public’s attention away from the toxicity of lead paint and to minimize the impact on children. An investigative report by the Missouri Indepdentn and NPR’s Midwest Newsroom revealed the sinister, intentional tactics by the lead industry manipulated the problem of lead contamination and defined it as a problem of the “slums.” [Missouri Independent/Niara Savage]
Further reading
Three City officials, including Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed and Vice President Jeffrey Boyd, have been indicted on federal white-collar corruption charges in connection to a tax abatement bribery scheme. The indictments are the product of a two-and-a-half-year federal investigation, and prosecutors have cited wiretaps, dozens of subpoenas, and thousands of texts and emails as evidence of Reed’s and Boyd’s wrongdoing. [St. Louis American/staff; Riverfront Times/Monica Obradovic; St. Louis Public Radio; Kavahn Mansouri, Jason Rosenbaum, Rachel Lippmann]
Springfield police are investigating a swastika that was painted onto an outside wall of a historic Black church, treating the vandalism as a hate crime. The pastor of the church stated that the church was targeted following the racially-motivated mass shooting in Buffalo, New York. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Associated Press]
Memorial Day, celebrated earlier this week, began as an annual commemoration in the former Confederate States in 1866, as a way of honoring the traitors who died in their failed civil war against the U.S. The holiday originally was an attempt to bury the metaphorical hatchet between white southerners and white northerners. [Missouri Independent/Richard Gardiner]
The Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers have announced proposed changes to federal clean water regulations after a series of virtual hearings. The rules change what the federal government recognizes as a body of water for Clean Water Act protections. [St. Louis Public Radio/Jonathan Ahl]
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.
“Judge certifies class-action status in suit over St. Louis ‘workhouse’” by Taylor Tiamoyo Harris, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“Advocate: GOP-backed approach to homeless in Missouri is an ‘insane’ step backward” by Kurt Erickson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“St. Louis County jail adviser quits, calls for reform panel with subpoena power” by Nassim Benchaabane, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“Flush with funds, St. Louis plans to up its demolition game” by Jesse Bogan, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“St. Louis County says death report for inmate who died in 2015 doesn’t exist” by Nassim Benchaabane, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“State pays out $800,000 in settlement over homeless student issues in Riverview Gardens,” by Kurt Erickson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“Messenger: Federal jury in St. Louis awards $8.5 million in jail health care case” by Tony Messenger, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“St. Louis County Council advances bonds to pay for 2 police stations” by Nassim Benchaabane, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“Cost of discrimination case by Missouri prison officials tops $1 million,” by Kurt Erickson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“Fatal shooting of dog in St. Charles County sparks national attention, investigation,” by Taylor Tiamoyo Harris, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“Indictments shake St. Louis City Hall, cast cloud over upcoming Board of Aldermen meetings” by Mark Schlinkmann, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“St. Louis County couple awarded $300k over 2016 police incident in their home” by Taylor Tiamoyo Harris, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Quote of the Week
Paragraph 75 of the May 25, 2022, Indictment of Board of Alderman President Lewis Reed, Alderman Jeffrey Boyd, and Alderman John Collins Muhammad.
Take Action
In light of yesterday’s federal indictments - one for Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed and former alderman John Collins Muhammad (Ward 21) and two for Alderman Jeffrey Boyd (Ward 22) - the Observer is standing with the countless public calls for Reed’s and Boyd’s resignation.
We’re calling on our readership to submit their own emails or tweets in support and have simplified the process to help you call for their resignations:
Write your email to the Board of Alderman to demand the immediate resignations of Reed and Boyd. St. Louis PoliticClips’ Joshua Lawrence has created two samples for you to use - one version for Reed and Boyd specifically and the other version for the rest of the Board of Aldermen.
Once your email is drafted, locate the email addresses of the aldermen that you wish to contact. PoliticClips has a comprehensive spreadsheet here, where you can copy + paste all of the aldermen’s email addresses at once.
After you’ve made your voice heard, let us know! Tag @ObserverSTL on Twitter with a screenshot of your letter and feel free to share your thoughts, if you feel comfortable doing so!
Legislative Update
St. Louis City Board of Aldermen
BB 1, sponsored by President Reed and Ald. Marlene Davis (Ward 19), creates the City’s budget for the fiscal year 2022 - 2023. The bill remains in Ways & Means Committee and is scheduled for a public comment hearing tomorrow, June 4, at 10:00 a.m.
BB 18, sponsored by Ald. Megan Green (Ward 15), would establish the “City Youth Council,” comprised of children and adults, to serve as an advisory board on youth-related issues to both the Office of the Mayor and the Board of Aldermen. The bill was read for a second time before the full Board of Aldermen on May 26.
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.