St. Louis Observer: November 19, 2021
St. Louis City evictions suspended for remainder of 2021; residents, community leaders protest McKee urgent care center; tens of thousands of City, County properties found to contain racial covenants
Editor’s Note
Over the past few weeks, as temperatures continue to plummet, local natural gas monopoly Spire Energy has been engaging in a campaign to intentionally mislead the public about the STL Pipeline. Construction of the pipeline, which cuts through North County and ends just above the City/County line, began in 2019 while Spire defended the issuance of its permit in administrative and federal courts. On November 4, Spire’s President Scott Carter sent out an email to all Spire Missouri customers, warning them that an “environmentalist group” “out of New York City” was threatening the pipeline’s existence and that 650,000 regional customers were at risk of losing heat this coming winter. Even when the plaintiffs, the Environmental Defense Fund, announced to both the public and the federal court that they supported extending the current temporary permit, allowing the pipeline to continue operations through the winter, Spire Missouri nevertheless continued its campaign of fear-mongering and manipulation.
But in reading between the lines - and reviewing the court record - Spire’s less-than-noble intentions were revealed: the gas company, as it turns out, has been credibly accused of skipping required steps for building and operating the STL Pipeline, including sufficiently analyzing whether the pipeline was necessary; failing to weigh the benefits of the pipeline against adverse effects, including impacts on ratepayers, landowners and communities in the vicinity of the pipeline; and refusing to address evidence of self-dealing by Spire. Spire Missouri’s only supporting documentation for the pipeline permit was a contractual agreement with its subsidiary, Spire STL. And, instead of correcting those deficiencies - including conducting a public benefit analysis and environmental impact study - Spire Missouri instead has incited panic and worry from St. Louisans who are afraid to lose their heat this winter.
This week, we would like to challenge our readers, and those who received Spire’s multiple emails, to think critically and to question the narrative that Spire is attempting to push. Who actually benefits from the STL Pipeline? At whose expense is the pipeline being constructed? And are there ever appropriate circumstances where corners should be cut, public benefit studies be skipped, and environmental impact research be damned?
In the News
Police and prosecutorial accountability
Lawyers for Dustin Boone, the St. Louis Metropolitan police officer who was convicted by a jury for beating an undercover Black colleague, are seeking a reduced sentence for Boone and blame “police culture” within St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department for Boone’s actions. The Ethical Society of Police, SLMPD’s Black officers’ union, stated that “a department’s culture is not an excuse for any officer to receive a reduction in their sentence for any crime, much less a civil rights violation. Officers must be held accountable for their actions and behavior.” [St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Robert Patrick]
A St. Louis City Circuit Court judge acquitted Brandin Neil, a fired former SLMPD officer, of felony assault while off-duty and in plainclothes. Neil was alleged to have provoked the encounter with an unarmed Black man, who he beat and tased, and was acquitted because the prosecutors failed to prove that Neil lacked the authority to make an arrest while off-duty and that Neil used an “appropriate amount of force” in arresting the victim. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Erin Heffernan, Joel Currier]
Jesse Kline, a fired former Ferguson police officer, was spotted outside of the Kenosha County Courthouse during the Kyle Rittenhouse trial. Kline, who was terminated in 2018 for off-duty misconduct, was asked by deputy sheriffs to leave the courthouse grounds after he attended with a firearm for which he did not have a proper license and because he was within 1,000 feet of a school. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Adam Rogan]
Delivery of public benefits and COVID-related assistance
Despite receiving increased federal funding to support Missouri’s food stamps program (or “SNAP”), the Department of Social Services has rejected a record number of applications requesting this assistance. How the state is spending these funds in the absence of approving applications remains unclear. [Missouri Independent/Rebecca Rivas]
The Sheriff of the City of St. Louis has temporarily suspended nonpayment evictions through the end of the year. The Sheriff’s Office also has partnered with St. Louis Public Schools to provide information and resources for families facing eviction, like housing referrals, academic support, transportation assistance, school supplies, and enrollment. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Janelle O’Dea]
A 16-year old girl in the custody of the embattled Missouri Department of Social Services’ Children’s Division was sexually assaulted by a staff member at the Annie Malone Children and Family Services Center. After the assault, the Center suspended intake of additional children and further was found to be noncompliant with licensing requirements. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Joel Currier]
Further reading
Dozens of community activists, residents, and elected officials gathered on Saturday in protest of millionaire developer Paul McKee’s plans to use the Homer G. Phillips Hospital name on a private, three-bed urgent care clinic in North St. Louis. McKee has refused to attend any town halls or community meetings to discuss the misuse of Homer G. Phillips’ name. [St. Louis American/JoAnn Weaver; St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Jacob Barker]
A nationwide investigation into property records has uncovered racial covenants that prohibit Black persons and people of color from owning parcels in nearly every state. Although the racial covenants were struck down as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1948 in a landmark case out of St. Louis, nearly 30,000 properties in St. Louis City and 61,000 properties in St. Louis County still include the racial covenants [NPR Morning Edition/Cheryl W. Thompson, Cristina Kim, Natalie Moore, Roxana Popescu, and Corinne Ruff]
Quote of the Week
“The fact that of similarly situated African American and white families in a city like St. Louis, one has three generations of homeownership and home equity under their belt, and the other doesn't. It's a huge difference to your opportunities.” --
Professor Colin Gordon speaking on the recent report that more than 30,000 St. Louis City properties still contain racially-restrictive covenants.
Legislative & Legal Update
City of St. Louis
BB 101, introduced by Ald. Vollmer (Ward 10) and President Reed, would allow the Board of Aldermen to redraw their own ward boundary lines in consideration of voter-approved ward reduction and recent census numbers. The bill remains in the Legislative Committee with five versions presented to the public for comment and revision. The next Legislative Committee meeting is November 20 at 10:00 a.m.
BB 132, introduced by Ald. Bret Narayan (Ward 24), would repeal local ordinances related to the possession of cannabis and paraphernalia in the City of St. Louis. The bill further would reorganize law enforcement priorities and amends the standards of “probable cause” & “reasonable suspicion” used by St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. The bill was still under debate before the full Board on November 19 at the time of publishing.
State of Missouri
The Missouri State Legislature is on recess until January 5, 2022.
Take Action
As temperatures continue to drop, we would like to ask our readers to consider supporting St. Louis’ Winter Outreach program, an all-volunteer collective that seeks to disruptive the cycle of homelessness and to provide resources to persons who are unhoused or at-risk of being unhoused. Blankets, gloves, socks, hats, and scarves are presently being accepted by Winter Outreach, and more information on donating can be found here.