St. Louis Observer: March 25, 2022
SLDC, SLPS partnership to bring small biz services to North City; EPA's Bridgeton nuclear cleanup further delayed; County jail oversight board blocked from obtaining records in investigation
Editor’s Note
TW/CW: s*xual assault, domestic violence
This week, we’ve seen the phrase “believe women,” repeated, over and over, on social media and in news media. A family court affidavit, filed by Sheena Greitens, the ex-wife of disgraced former governor Eric Greitens, detailed explosive accusations of domestic violence and abuse that rocked national politics, and that filing re-opened an unfinished conversation that began in Missouri in March 2015:
What does “believing women” look like?
To us, “believing women” means standing in support of women and openly & publicly against the men who have abused them. “Believing women” means no longer donating to a candidate accused of rape, and similarly, it means not accepting money, gifts, or favors from said rapist. It means declining invitations to attend his parties and fundraisers, to be on his campaign re-election committee, or publicly appearing with him in support. “Believe women” means drawing a line in the sand and making the moral & ethical stand to affirm that you will not publicly or privately associate with a sexual predator.
“Believe women” means choosing a side - and sticking to it.
But why did we see more people flock in support of Sheena Greitens when she recounted her story of abuse by her ex-husband, versus the public vilification of Cora Faith Walker when she bravely and publicly came forward to share her story of sexual assault by then-state representative Steve Roberts, Jr.? What made the media & the public more willing to accept Greitens’ story and to question Walker’s? Why have so many Missouri Democratic lawmakers voiced their public support for Greitens, after those same lawmakers privately expressed their disbelief of Walker? And why are we so quick to decry Greitens’ domestic violence toward both his wife and mistress, when we know Roberts has multiple sexual assault allegations, too?
We would be remiss if we first and foremost did not acknowledge the racist elephant in the room. Black women not only experience sexual violence at a much higher rate than white women, but they are also less likely to be believed or to see their abuser investigated by police. For every Black woman who reports a rape, an estimated 15 Black women do not report. Black women further experience a higher rate than any other race of police-perpetrated sexual violence, and survivors have shared fears of further violence against them and their families if they report. To quote Walker, “I completely get why women don’t report. I completely get it.”
We further feel obligated to point out that humans prefer to see a situation as black and white with no grey area or nuance between, but this is simply not a realistic way to see the complicated world in which we live. A woman having drinks with a man is not an opportunity for that man to drug and assault her, just as a woman being married to a man is not that man’s entitlement to assault her because of that marital status. To be clear, both women are worthy and deserving of being believed and seen.
When we say “believe women,” we mean it - and we expect others who say those words to hold that line, as well.
In the News
Police, prosecutorial, and judicial accountability
Mayor Tishaura O. Jones has signed into law a new policy that would require SLMPD officers to stay with the Department for four years after graduating from the police academy, or otherwise be on the hook for repayment of those training costs. The measure addresses a frequent problem within SLMPD, where officers receive training from SLMPD then leave the City for municipal police departments. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Mark Schlinkmann]
St. Louis County officials have refused to release inmate medical records to auditors, hired in 2021 to investigate five in-custody deaths that occurred in 2019. Without the medical records, the Jail Services Advisory Board is unable to conduct an in-depth review of the deaths, where each detainee had complained of sickness or was found unresponsive. The jail’s former director resigned in August 2020 following multiple allegations of misconduct. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Nassim Benchaabane]
Former SLMPD detective Kevin Baroni has settled a federal civil rights lawsuit for $100,000 after the City of St. Louis refused to provide a legal defense for him. The City of St. Louis, in a separate legal action, in challenging a state law that requires the City to indemnify, or reimburse, Baroni for the settlement amount and his legal defense in relation to Baroni’s abuse during an unlawful stop and subsequent civil rights violations. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Dana Rieck]
The St. Louis County drug court diversion program has reported a decreased number of participants since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The program has a 35% overall success rate and has graduated around 2,200 people in its 25-year history - or 88 persons each year. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Joel Currier]
Economic development in St. Louis City and County
The St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC) Board voted to approve the creation of the Northside Economic Empowerment Center in partnership with St. Louis Public Schools. The Center, which will share space with Sumner High School, would provide small business & startup services and programs to alleviate barriers experienced by Black entrepreneurs. [St. Louis American/Karen Robinson-Jacobs]
The White House announced Wednesday a 21-step plan that would address racial bias in-home appraisals, redlining, and other obstacles for Black homeownership. Steps in the plan include launching a complaint hotline, required appraisal bias training, and identifying computer algorithms that perpetuate racial biases. [St. Louis American/Staff]
Further reading
Missouri Senate Republicans are targeting the voter-approved expansion of the state’s Medicaid program, advancing a proposed constitutional amendment to ask voters to override their 2020 approval. No one testified in favor of the bill during the Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Tuesday. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Kurt Erickson]
Following the expiration of federal and local eviction moratoriums, thousands of St. Louisans are at risk of losing housing as rental assistance programs terminate or experience excessively-long wait times. [St. Louis Public Radio/Andrea Y. Henderson]
In partnership with the Missouri Department of Corrections, St. Louis-based LaunchCode graduated its first class of computer program students earlier this month and has already helped recently-released persons gain employment in the IT field. The program currently runs at the Missouri Eastern Correctional Center in Pacific and has plans to expand to Algoa Correctional Center in Jefferson City. [MissouriNet/Alisa Nelson]
School board races across the St. Louis region have taken a frightening turn, as anti-equity, pro-privatization forces have fielded candidates who support removing books from school libraries and who have weaponized critical race theory to attack efforts to teach anti-racist principles. Conservatives and right-wing extremists in St. Louis County have pushed a violent narrative in public schools to undermine inclusive, anti-bias curricula that aim to help all students feel safe & welcome in education settings. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Blythe Bernhard]
The U.S. Department of the Interior is set to release a report detailing the history of abusive boarding schools and their impact on indigenous children and communities. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland stated that the Department is working to identify mass grave sites, similar to those found near Canadian boarding schools for indigenous children, and to coordinate needed information and resources for tribal communities after the report’s release. [Missouri Independent/Shaun Griswold]
Tenants with health conditions and disabilities who reside at a Festus apartment complex have requested a state inspection of the property, following a decade of complaints filed with the Missouri Housing Development Commission. Unresolved problems reported by tenants include lack of air conditioning in the summers, broken appliances, mold, and failure to submit required occupancy paperwork. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Jesse Bogan]
Cleanup efforts for the West Lake Landfill in Bridgeton have been delayed, primarily due to finding more nuclear waste that exceeded original estimates. The Superfund site has been called “one of the most complicated landfill remedies” in the history of the EPA and includes Cold War-era uranium waste that was produced by Mallinckrodt Chemical Works as part of the Manhattan Project. [St. Louis Dispatch/Jim Salter of the Associated Press]
Legislative & Legal Update
The St. Louis City Board of Aldermen presently is in recess and will return on Friday, April 18.
St. Louis City Board of Aldermen
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 since February 28.
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.
BB 184, sponsored by Alderman Tom Oldenberg (Ward 16), would distribute a portion of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to SLMPD for equipment and technology. The bill was read for a third time on March 11 and was placed on the Informal Calendar.
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 on the formal calendar for a second reading on March 28.
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. The bill’s executive session was completed on March 22 and was passed out of committee. The bill now heads to the Administrative Oversight committee.
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 was passed by unanimous consent from committee and is on the March 28 formal calendar for perfection.
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 and has had no further movement in the Senate.