St. Louis Observer: March 18, 2022
City launches jail oversight board; Downtown alderman kills plan for housing City's homeless; federal COVID funds to go to SLMPD for police surveillance technology
Editor’s Note
Believe women.
In the News
Police, prosecutorial, and judicial accountability
The Board of Aldermen has approved a slate of nine appointees to the City’s new “Detention Center Oversight Board,” which includes two members who previously served on former mayor Krewson’s jail facility committee. Six appointees were named by the Mayor’s Office and three were selected by Ald. Joe Vaccaro (Ward 23). [St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Mark Schlinkmann]
Despite the City’s efforts demonstrating the success of reallocating public funding to policing alternatives, the Board of Aldermen continues to distribute more and more COVID-specific federal funding to ineffective police technology. ArchCity Defenders’ Executive Director Blake Strode discussed the pending board bills that stand to hurt the City’s progress in re-envisioning public safety. [St. Louis American/Blake Strode]
St. Louis Jail detainees have filed a class action against the City of St. Louis, alleging, among other things, that City Corrections officers repeatedly abused them with mace and deprived them of water for days. The lawsuit includes 38 declarations by detainees with similar and overlapping stories while being held in the St. Louis City Jail. [Missouri Independent/Rebecca Rivas]
Formerly incarcerated persons often struggle to find housing following their release from state custody, often taking decades to find adequate, affordable housing with a felony conviction. A Prison Policy Initiative study has found that formerly incarcerated persons are 10 times more likely to experience homelessness after release. [Kansas City Beacon/Josh Merchant]
The Board of Aldermen has voted to allocate more than $2.5 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds to expand the City’s network of real-time police cameras. Opponents of the bill point to the lack of detail contained in the bill and the wide discretion authorized without a more defined purpose in the City’s larger crime reduction plan. [St. Louis Public Radio/Rachel Lippmann]
Missouri prisons are planning to return to normal visiting hours starting April 1, lifting extreme and arbitrary restrictions that did little to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus within state correctional facilities. Returning to normal visiting hours also means that family access programs and external social services have reopened. [St. Louis Public Radio/Andrea Y. Henderson]
Economic development in St. Louis City and County
St. Louis has allocated $1.5 million in federal COVID funds to launch the Northside Economic Empowerment Center, to be housed in Sumner High School with the purpose of connecting students and other members of the surrounding community with employment and small business resources. Sumner High School was selected as a location in an effort to keep the school open in The Ville neighborhood. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Jacob Barker]
Healthcare workers with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1199 are protesting unlivable wages for local nursing home facilities, where starting wage for licensed practical nurses (LPN) is less than $20/hour, which is well below the market average. Ascension, a New York-based Catholic “non-profit,” has received extensive criticism due to its disconnect from St. Louis and abusive labor practices. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Annika Merrilees]
Further reading
Cora Faith Walker, St. Louis County’s Chief Policy Officer and former state representative, died last Friday from a health complication. Walker was best known for her local and statewide advocacy for women, newborns, victims of sexual violence, and reproductive justice. Her contributions to law and policy were expansive, and she worked tirelessly toward a more just and liberated society for all. [St. Louis Public Radio/Chad Davis]
Board of Alderman efforts to create a permanent, intentional encampment for the City’s unhoused have been shelved, following Alderman James Page’s (Ward 5)stated opposition to expanding housing projects. Page blocked a multi-million dollar investment with St. Patrick’s Center to establish the encampment, which would have also provided wraparound services, mental healthcare, and job training to residents of the encampment. [St. Louis Public Radio/Mark Schlinkmann]
St. Louis County is set to open its first charter school this coming August, already garnering pushback from the community and criticism from public officials. The Leadership School is supported by the Opportunity Trust, an organization dedicated to privatizing public education. [St. Louis Public Radio/Chad Davis]
U.S. Congresswoman Cori Bush is launching a new local initiative to provide high school students with an avenue to share feedback on politics, policies, and issues faced by young people. The “Congress in Your Classroom” program creates a safe space for students to relay their experiences with gun violence, mental health, and more. [St. Louis Public Radio/Kate Grumke]
The Judicial Redistricting Commission has redrawn and released the new state senate map, after a citizen commission failed to reach a consensus on redrawn boundaries. [Missouri Independent/Rudi Keller]
Nonprofit and community advocacy organizations are reporting lasting, positive impacts for formerly incarcerated persons who enroll in the State’s newly-expanded Medicaid program. Enrollment in the state health insurance program specifically has created a significant decline in recidivism, as re-entering persons are able to better access health and medical care. [St. Louis Public Radio/Sebastián Martínez Valdivia of Side Effects Public Media]
Legislative & Legal Update
BB 119 and BB 125, both introduced by Ald. Todd and Ald. Ingrassia (Ward 6), would repeal the City’s current loitering & panhandling ordinances and establish legal defenses against the charges. These bills have been stalled in the Public Safety Committee since November 16.
BB 150, introduced by Ald. Ingrassia, would establish legal and property rights of unhoused residents living in St. Louis. This bill has been held in the Health and Human Services Committee.
BB 195, introduced by Ald. Bosley, would require new SLMPD officers to stay with the department for a minimum of two (amended from four) years, or risk having to repay for the cost of training if the officer leaves for another law enforcement job. This bill was perfected and passed by the Board on March 4.
BB 206, introduced by Ald. Oldenburg, would re-fund the Real-Time Crime Center using Corona Virus Local Fiscal Recover Funds originally allocated to cover SLMPD officer overtime expenses. The bill was passed on March 11 and delivered to the Mayor’s Office on March 14.
BB 208, introduced by Ald. Bosley, seeks to establish a Reparations Fund without any clear funding or distributions mechanism. The bill was passed on March 11 and delivered to the Mayor’s Office on March 14.
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 has been stalled in the Health and Human Services Committee since January 14.
Resolution 201, sponsored by Alderwoman Tyus, would declare that the City’s unhoused cause an increase in crime and a decrease in property value, would question the legality of pop-up and emergency shelters, and would encourage further hardship & deprivation to homeless residents. The bill was assigned to the Public Safety Committee on March 4.
Learn more about how a bill becomes an ordinance here.
State of Missouri
HJR 79, introduced by nine white Republican men, would detrimentally modify the citizen initiative petition process for statewide ballot initiatives, raising the minimum required number of signatures from 5% to 10%, and would require 2/3 vote to pass an initiative instead of the current simple majority. The resolution has been stalled since February 16.
HB 1897, introduced by Rep. Kimberly-Ann Collins (D-St. Louis), would establish a Corrections Nursery Program, to keep incarcerated mothers and their infants together. The bill has been perfected by the Senate and is scheduled to be read a second time on March 21.
HB 1919, also introduced by Rep. Collins, authorizes a tax credit for urban farms located in food deserts and establishes an agricultural outreach program for underserved and underrepresented communities. A public hearing on this bill was completed on March 8, and the bill comes up for executive session on March 22.
HB 2627, introduced by Reps. Mark Sharp (D-Kansas City), Raychel Proudie (D-Ferguson), and Shamed Dogan (R-Ballwin), would designate February as Black History Month and November as “Native American Heritage Month” in Missouri. The bill is scheduled for perfection by consent for March 21.
SJR 36, introduced by Sen. John Rizzo (D-Kansas City), would modify the current legislative term limits for Missouri state representatives and senators, from 8 years to 12 years. The bill’s public hearing was conducted on March 1.
Quote of the Week
The City is going to have to make a decision to look at the possibility of another site. We said that. We took heed - I took heed as a quote-unquote “activist.” ‘Rev. Gray, how can you say that we need to build another jail?’…and my response was, because I’m a realist, we live in a world where people are going to be detained…”
Rev. Darryl Gray at his March 16, 2022, advocating for the construction of a new jail facility at his confirmation hearing to the Detention Facility Oversight Board