Latest news with #ClaraBates
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
After state takeover, St. Louis police should maintain community-based intervention efforts
A St. Louis Metro Police car outside Carnahan Courthouse in downtown St. Louis (Clara Bates/Missouri Independent). The imminent return of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police to state oversight is rooted in the belief that policing remains a crucial force for crime reduction. Safer streets, in turn, fuel business growth and community development. These legislative developments — and the changes that come with them — will undoubtedly affect ongoing crime reduction initiatives. Yet, St. Louis stands at a pivotal moment. By official measures, the city has made progress toward reducing violence since 2020-2021, when there was a nationwide spike. Policing will play a key role in sustaining this progress, but other factors are critical as well. Research on strategic 'focused deterrence' policing, dating back to Boston's Operation Ceasefire in the 1990s, has a key takeaway: sustained violence reductions require both effective law enforcement and authentic community engagement. St. Louis has embraced this approach. Public-private partnerships have built a coalition comprised of public health leaders, community organizations, local government, clergy, businesses, credible messengers and residents to form a 'network of capacity' for violence prevention and intervention. This has since expanded to the Save Lives Now! Initiative and other community-driven efforts embodying a proven model: focused law enforcement, cognitive change and services. Such complementary police and community efforts target immediate violence and its harms while addressing risk factors to reduce violence in a sustainable way over the long term. As policing oversight shifts, it is crucial to assess these community-driven initiatives. We co-lead a research team at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, studying the implementation of community-based violence intervention strategies and whether they're making an impact. We've observed meetings, interviewed key players, analyzed administrative data, and supported efforts to track outcomes and build accountability. Government-led initiatives often face public skepticism, and even good ideas can falter in execution. Yet St. Louis offers promising signs. Examples include the Office of Violence Prevention's collaborative relationships with both St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and community-based service organizations in its Community Violence Intervention; the business community's early commitment to supporting violence reduction that has since expanded to become the regional Save Lives Now! Initiative; and neighborhood residents working directly with city departments to address location-specific violence risks in the St. Louis Public Safety Collaborative. Additionally, the Violence Prevention Commission funds and coordinates youth events to create safer, supervised spaces. Each effort reflects recommended implementation practices and helps strengthen neighborhoods, build trust with police, and support economic growth. This collaboration is promising, but the ultimate goal of these initiatives is to reduce violence. Recent data offers cause for optimism there as well. An analysis of official crime incident data shows that from 2022 to 2024, homicides dropped by 25% and aggravated assaults with guns declined 26%. In the 11 neighborhoods where the Office of Violence Prevention first focused its efforts, those official numbers dropped by 42% and 31%, respectively, during the same period. While more work is needed to ensure that all members of the community feel safe, the results suggest that community-based resource mobilization combined with targeted policing can have an impact and these efforts should be expanded to other areas of the city struggling with violence. Public policy is full of examples of once-promising programs that ran out of funding or faded over time. St. Louis cannot afford to let that happen here. Violence shapes both how residents experience their communities and how outsiders perceive the city — affecting everything from quality of life to economic investment. Maintaining a comprehensive, collaborative strategy is essential but it requires continued support and resource allocation from local leaders and state officials coupled with advocacy and engagement from community residents and organizations. St. Louis has reached a point where it has a rare opportunity to redefine what public safety looks like — one that blends strategic policing with community-based initiatives. This has proven to be a blueprint for successful violence reduction in other cities and it has begun to improve conditions for the better in St. Louis. Even as changes unfold, the city must hold onto this momentum by leveraging the community's growing capacity to effectively respond to violence.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Missouri sick leave law, minimum wage hike face rollback in legislature, Supreme Court
The Missouri Supreme Court Building in Jefferson City on Wednesday (Clara Bates/Missouri Independent). Months after Missouri voters overwhelmingly approved a minimum wage increase and paid sick leave requirements, the new laws face challenges this week in court and the state legislature. On Wednesday, the state Supreme Court Court heard arguments in a lawsuit seeking to strike down Proposition A, which guarantees sick leave for hundreds of thousands of workers and gradually hikes the minimum wage to $15. A day earlier, the Missouri House gave initial approval to a bill repealing the sick leave law and modifying the minimum wage. 'This is a one-two punch to businesses, and it creates a one size fits all approach,' said Republican state Rep. Sherri Gallick of Belton, who is sponsoring the legislation targeting the paid sick leave law. A coalition of business groups and individuals argued Wednesday morning to the Missouri Supreme Court that the minimum wage and paid sick leave laws should be thrown out for violating constitutional rules on ballot initiatives. 'Both on the statutory side and the constitutional side, voters were misled,' Marc Ellinger, an attorney representing the plaintiffs, told the court. 'The constitution was not complied with.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE The lawsuit, filed late last year, argues the election results should be overturned because of several alleged constitutional violations, including violations of the state constitution's single-subject requirement and a lack of a clear title. It also contends that sick time and minimum wage are distinct issues that violate the single-subject rule, which should result in the election outcome being invalidated. It requests a new election be held, alleging the ballot title, which includes a summary of the proposition and its potential cost to the state, was misleading. 'This case is an example of where all of those procedures have been ignored,' Ellinger said. A lawyer for Missouri Jobs with Justice, which led the campaign in support of Proposition A, said the court should uphold the law if at all possible, since voters approved it. 'The challengers ask you to overturn the will of the voters who exercised their fundamental right of the initiative,' said attorney Loretta Haggard, 'based on technical issues that were not raised before the election.' The measure won by a margin of over 400,000 votes. Haggard and other attorneys representing the responding parties wrote in a recent filing that the plaintiffs are asking the court 'to tell these voters that their votes do not matter, and the court, not the people, will decide whether Proposition A should stay in effect,' calling it an 'extraordinary request.' Andrew Crane, an assistant attorney general representing the Secretary of State on Wednesday, defended the single subject of employee compensation, saying sick leave and pay 'logically relate together… these are the kind things that employees and lawyers consider in any hiring decision.' Robert Tillman, representing the auditor's office, defended the fiscal note summary and said the plaintiffs didn't prove any alleged irregularities that would have impacted the election. 'Even if contestants could establish election irregularities, they must then demonstrate that such irregularity sufficiently cast doubt for the entire election, to justify a new election.' Tillman said. '…As you can see from the record, contestants have offered no such evidence.' The judges asked a few questions about whether they have jurisdiction to review the case, or whether a lower court would be the more appropriate venue. Prop A passed with 58% of the vote and had the support of numerous unions, workers' advocacy groups, social justice and civil rights organizations, as well as over 500 business owners. A group of businesses filed a friend-of-the-court brief in this case defending the proposition. Under the law, beginning May 1, the law requires employers with business receipts greater than $500,000 a year to provide at least one hour of paid leave for every 30 hours worked. Employers with fewer than 15 workers must allow workers to earn at least 40 hours per year, with larger employers mandated to allow at least 56 hours. On Tuesday, a bill in Missouri's House to overturn the sick leave provisions and modify the minimum wage provisions was given initial approval. It needs to be approved one more time in the House before heading to the Senate for consideration. Because the measure changed state law and not the constitution, the legislature can modify or overturn it without returning for a new vote of the people. Gallick's bill would repeal the paid sick leave provisions approved by voters. It would also modify the minimum wage increase by no longer indexing it to inflation, a policy that has been in place since 2007. The minimum wage would still increase to $15 per hour in 2026, as voters approved, but it would not be adjusted for inflation thereafter. Gallick has argued employees will 'abuse' the sick leave. In states that have adopted sick leave mandates, employees take, on average, two more sick days a year than prior to the law going into effect, a National Bureau of Economic Research report found. Studies have found that offering paid sick time can increase workers' productivity and reduce illness, and generally adds little or nothing to business expenses. Republican state Rep. Scott Miller from St. Charles said 'just because 57% of the people that voted that day, voted in favor of something, that doesn't make it right. 'They're taking away the choice of businesses to engage in free market.' Businesses are not equipped to handle the additional expenses from the proposition, said Republican state Rep. Jeff Vernetti of from Camdenton. 'I know that the will of the people will be brought up several times in this and I think that we've also got to represent the 87 counties that did not vote for this,' Vernetti said. 'I think it's our duty to respect the will of the people, but also at the same time, safeguard the long term prosperity of Missouri.' Rep. Eric Woods, a Democrat from Kansas City, pointed out that Prop A passed in rural counties as well, including Clark, Adair, Mississippi and Henry. 'This isn't a situation where Proposition A just passed in the cities,' he said, 'this was a broad acceptance percentage wise.' Lawmakers are wrong to treat voters as having been oblivious to what they were voting on, said state Rep. Keri Ingle, a Democrat from Lee's Summit. 'The part that irks me is that you guys repeatedly call your constituents dumb,' Ingle said.'You say that they're too stupid to understand what they voted for,' Ingle said. 'I mean, you don't use those words, but they hear you loud and clear, and they continue to vote for these policies.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Missouri on the verge of taking over St. Louis police, a return to Civil War-era policy
A St. Louis Metro Police car outside Carnahan Courthouse in downtown St. Louis (Clara Bates/Missouri Independent). Missouri took control of the St. Louis police department just before the start of the Civil War, a gambit by state leaders to prevent the city from rising up against their conspiracy to align the state with the Confederacy. The arrangement persisted until 2012, when 64% of Missouri voters approved an initiative petition returning control of the department to local leaders. This week, the legislature is poised to reverse that vote, seize back control of the department and put it again in the hands of a board appointed by the governor. The Missouri Senate could approve a state takeover bill as early as Monday. It would then go back to the House for a final vote to send it to Gov. Mike Kehoe, who has declared the idea a key piece of his public safety agenda. The move caps a push for state control that began almost immediately after voters weighed in more than a decade ago, with Republican lawmakers arguing the return of the department to local hands was a failed experiment. State Sen. Nick Schroer, a Defiance Republican who sponsored the police bill, pointed to crime figures and population decline in St. Louis as the driving motivation behind the push for change. 'We're finally answering the call, finally backing the blue and not defunding it,' he said, later adding: 'It's going to be a game changer when it comes to public safety and moving our state in the right direction.' Critics of the legislation point to statistics showing a drop in violent crime in St. Louis under local leadership. They say Kansas City has fared no better despite being under state control since the 1930s. 'Someone who doesn't live in my district and wasn't elected by the people of my district wants to take away control of the police department,' said state Sen. Karla May, a St. Louis Democrat, later adding: 'Where were you when we had the highest crime we've ever had under 152 years of state control? The hypocrisy is real.' A filibuster by St. Louis senators fizzled last week after Democrats won concessions from the GOP super majority, including on the makeup of the state board that would run the department. 'After leading a filibuster that lasted nearly 10 hours, it was no longer feasible for Sen. May and I to continue our filibuster for the next two and a half months,' said state Sen. Steve Roberts, a St. Louis Democrat. Under the bill, St. Louis would join Kansas City as the only major U.S. cities with a police force under state control. The board running the department would consist of the mayor and five commissioners appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate. Several provisions were removed from the original bill at the insistence of Democrats, such as a mandated minimum number of officers required to be on the police force and an immediate requirement for the city to put 25% of its general revenue toward the department. Instead, the size of the force will be determined by the board, while the city's budget commitment will be phased in. The original bill also included a role for the police union in choosing up to four members of the commission, an idea Democrats insisted be removed. Democrats managed to add provisions banning the shackling of pregnant prisoners, establishing a fund for exonerated prisoners to receive restitution from the state and limiting what jails and prisons can charge inmates for phone calls. Republicans also agreed to remove a provision that broadened the definition of rioting, a change Democrats feared would have wide ranging unintended consequences. But the major focus of the legislation was control of the St. Louis police department. The move had support from St. Louis police unions, who argued the department was mismanaged under local leadership. But most importantly, it was a major priority of the new governor, who highlighted his support of the proposal during his first State of the State address in January. 'As the economic powerhouse of our state,' Kehoe told lawmakers, 'we cannot continue to let crime kill growth in the region and drive businesses and families to move outside of our state's borders.' St. Louis leaders have pointed to a drop in overall crime in the city, including a major decrease in the number of murders. But GOP lawmakers question the statistics and note that the city continues to lose population. The bill's likely passage this week comes days after St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones finished a distant second in the first round of balloting in the city's mayoral primary. Alderwoman Cara Spencer garnered 68% of the vote, setting up a showdown with Jones in the April 8 runoff election. Through a spokeswoman, Kehoe said the potential change in city leadership doesn't impact his support for the state takeover bill. 'Increased oversight and accountability of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department with a citizen board is an important tool to improve public safety in St. Louis,' the statement said, 'regardless of who wins the April 8 election for mayor.' The success of the GOP push for state control of the department led to a heated back-and-forth between Roberts and the mayor. Roberts laid the blame for the bill's success at Jones' feet, saying it has become clear that she 'no longer enjoys the confidence of the people in this building. 'She couldn't even be bothered to reach out to the senator who represents nearly the entire city of St. Louis,' he told reporters Thursday, 'nor could she engage with her natural Democratic allies.' Jones called Roberts a liar and accused him of trying to cozy up to a Republican governor for some future job opening. 'The senator is using the mayor as a convenient political punching bag to distract from the fact that he has not been at the table and is unwilling to stand up for the City of St. Louis in any meaningful way,' Jones' spokesman said in an emailed statement. 'Good luck to him on whatever appointment he is currently seeking from Gov. Kehoe.'
