The St. Louis Observer: April 8, 2022
Municipal Election Day brings accountability, infrastructure to St. Louis; #MOLeg to seek restitution for wrongfully-convicted; SLMPD under fire after officers caught lying about carjacking
Editor’s Note
Our first Election Day of 2022 may have passed this week, but the ability to make your voice heard as a civilian has not. There are numerous opportunities to share your thoughts & opinions beyond the polls, especially as they may relate to how the City and state plan to spend federal COVID-19 relief aid.
Hundreds of millions in pandemic assistance has or will be distributed to St. Louis and Missouri, and our leaders - elected and appointed alike - have asked for citizen input on how those funds should be spent. Current opportunities to weigh in on how these funds should be allocated include St. Louis City’s helping households, small businesses, impacted industries, nonprofits, and the public sector recover from economic impacts Community Needs Survey, seeking input to disperse $250 million and which can be completed online; and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, which has $400 in federal dollars to distribute through four grant programs and is hosting virtual webinars on May 11 & 12. One of the grant programs will address the replacement of residential lead service lines. St. Louis County recently wrapped up its series of public input sessions on how to spend its $193 million in federal aid, and the State Department of Transportation collected feedback for several months on how to use its allocation.
The City already has distributed $129 million as of March 2022, including $70 million for capital improvement projects (like repaving major streets, tree trimming, addressing illegal dumping, bridge replacement and repairs, vehicle upgrades for the Division of Refuse); $10.7 million in contracts for unhoused and housing unstable families, including mortgage assistance, emergency shelter, rapid rehousing, permanent supportive housing, wraparound services; and $2.5 million for a revolving loan fund for community development organizations and neighborhood-based planning efforts on the City’s North Side. Examples of other projects that these waves of federal aid can address include improvements to infrastructure in water, sewer, and broadband systems and helping households, small businesses, nonprofits, and the public sector recover from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
These broadly-defined categories open the door for the City and state - through citizen input - to launch new or tabled programs that stand to be transformative for our residents. Projects being considered by the City include a North/South MetroLink line, a universal basic income (UBI) pilot program, an eviction diversion program, and a revolving loan fund for women and minority business owners. Improving access to childcare and an expanded youth jobs program - also being considered - could change so many lives.
None of these important, beneficial programs just *happen* without further action, and your input is needed in order to achieve a better St. Louis for all of us.
In the News
Police, prosecutorial, and judicial accountability
State legislators are seeking to pass a bill that would establish a process for restitution payment to persons who are wrongfully convicted and do not have a legal pathway for reimbursement from the state for time spent illegally incarcerated. Current Missouri law allows for $36,500 per year of imprisonment only for exonerees who are released based on DNA evidence. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Grace Zokovitch]
St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell spoke to Washington University law students this week, sharing the success of his administration’s pre-trial Diversion Program and his stance on not seeking the death penalty in St. Louis County cases. Bell said the recidivism rate for the Diversion Program is 8%, compared to the State of Missouri’s recidivism rate of 45%. [St. Louis American/Staff]
The Missouri Supreme Court has set aside first-degree murder and armed criminal action charges for Keith Carnes, a Kansas City man who has been incarcerated for 16 years for a shooting that Carnes has denied doing. Carnes’ exoneration follows two key witnesses recanting their testimony and admitting that both police and prosecutors pressured them to make the false statements. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch/AP Reports]
The Missouri Department of Corrections may become the tenth state to enact a prison nursery program for incarcerated mothers, as Rep. Kimberly-Ann Collins’ House Bill 1897 continues to move through the Senate side of the legislature. Prison nursery programs have been linked to better maternal and childbirth outcomes, reduced recidivism rates, and [St. Louis Public Radio/Jana Rose Schleis]
St. Louis City prosecuting attorneys have declined to charge a man accused of attempting to carjack two SLMPD officers, in part due to video footage obtained from a local business that directly contradicted the officers’ story. The circuit attorney’s office reached out to the business, reportedly after SLMPD delayed turning over the officers’ own camera footage of the incident. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Kim Bell]
Further reading
The U.S. Senate has confirmed the nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court, where she will become the first Black woman to serve on the highest court. Jackson received 53 of 100 Senate votes; neither of Missouri’s senators voted for her historic nomination. [Missouri Independent/Jennifer Shutt; St. Louis American/Alvin A. Reid]
Lisa Matlock, a grandmother with two jobs, won the Hazelwood Ward 5 seat through a write-in campaign and became the first Black person to sit on the Hazelwood City Council. Matlock’s victory marks a significant change in North County's progress, historically held by remnants of wealthy white families who have all but migrated further into West County and St. Charles County. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Jesse Bogan, Josh Renaud]
Both Propositions R and 1 passed in St. Louis City this week, paving the way for ethical reform at the Board of Aldermen and funding for infrastructure projects, like potholes, bridges, and upgrades to the City’s fire department. The passage of Proposition R included the legal solidification of the City’s approval voting system, by removing the Board of Aldermen’s ability to undo voter-approved laws and ordinances. [St. Louis Public Radio/Rachel Lippman/St. Louis American/Alvin A. Reid]
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.
BB 184, sponsored by Alderman Tom Oldenberg (Ward 16), would distribute a portion of the 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 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 a City 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 in the State Senate 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 was read for a second time by the Senate on March 31 and was referred to the Seniors, Families, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee for perfection.
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 was referred to the House Administrative Oversight Committee 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 was read a second time on April 5 and referred to Progress & Development.
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.
Learn more about how a bill becomes a state law here.