Since Ferguson…
It all started with Ferguson
August 9, 2024, marks the 10th anniversary of Michael Brown’s death during a confrontation with a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri.
At that moment in time, many citizens, and in particular African American citizens, were seething because they believed that police, in general, were harassing them, needlessly arresting them, and, in some cases, injuring and even killing them.
When Brown was killed, the lid blew off the powder keg. Civil unrest erupted in Ferguson. The period was marked with peaceful marches, but also assaults and arsons. Some people left the scene feeling empowered -- appreciating the solidarity with fellow protestors, while others left with physical and emotional injuries sustained during the demonstrations.
A lot has changed since then, for better and/or worse.
For the better…
The state of Missouri passed legislation that effectively banned municipalities from funding municipal operations primarily with revenue derived from traffic tickets.
In a relatively small, largely black swath of suburbs in north St. Louis County, dozens of small municipalities were writing thousands of tickets for traffic and related violations. The poorest areas suffered the most; citizens were often jailed for failure to pay tickets.
The police officers involved were not setting the policy—that came from municipal officials. But the intense over-policing was a major contributor to the tension between police officers and the public. The new law drastically changed that level of ‘policing’ by strictly limiting the percentage of revenue a city could raise through predatory ticketing.
For the worse…
The open hostility toward police officers by protestors and many politicians led to a steep decline in police morale and their ability and/or willingness to continue a police career. Many (most) departments saw a sharp decline in the numbers of police officers and continue to encounter great resistance when recruiting.
The man-power shortage has led to record numbers of unsolved crimes and dire police shortages in some patrol areas. Some scholars argued that deadly police shootings in five cities (including Ferguson) and the heightened public scrutiny of law enforcement that followed led to decreased police proactivity (significant decreases in arrests) that caused crime to increase.
The new politicians…
Many, many young people were inspired to seek public office in the aftermath of Ferguson. Many labeled themselves as ‘Progressives’ and sought to create real change in our policing and prosecution practices.
St. Louis was the epicenter of this movement and we saw new faces emerge – many who now hold public office here.
Chief among St. Louis’ new leaders was US Representative Cori Bush. She was elected to Congress in 2021 after defeating Congressman William (Lacy) Clay, a 20-year incumbent. The ‘reform’ agenda was also embraced by Dr. Megan Green, President of the St. Louis Board of Alderman, City District Attorney Kim Gardner, St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones, and several members of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen.
What was the agenda?
Defund the police
The stated agenda of the Progressive politicians has been reform of the criminal justice system. As discussed below, some of this agenda has been implemented in St. Louis—and other agenda components have been implemented in cities throughout the country. The results and reviews are in.
This phrase has come to mean different things to different people. In essence, it describes a fiscal tactic whereby funds that normally are spent on police officers and related activities are diverted to pay for other services, such as social workers and behavioral health treatment. Cori Bush and Megan Green are leading supporters of this strategy.
Stop prosecuting minor offenses (major offenses, too)
Former Prosecutor Kim Gardner was elected St. Louis City Circuit Attorney in 2016.
Gardner was backed by George Soros and related funders, who were dedicated to slowing the pipeline of African American men to prison. They sought to accomplish this by:
a) Reducing or eliminating the prosecution of minor offenses.
b) Requiring more evidence before bringing charges and incarcerating suspects.
c) Reviewing old cases and reopening them if it appeared justice was not served.
Ms. Gardner embraced these tactics, and the effects were seen in the community almost immediately. Veteran prosecutors were appalled at the first two of the methods listed above, and more than one-third of them resigned from her office. Due to the exodus, Gardner’s office descended into an office that couldn’t, rather than wouldn’t, prosecute cases.
The collapse of prosecution in St. Louis happened quickly, and the citizens were increasingly aware of the disaster in the courthouse. And yet, Gardner was re-elected to a second term in 2020, thanks in large part to the continued support and endorsements from Congresswoman Cori Bush, Mayor Tishaura Jones, and St. Louis Board President Megan Green. These women were well-aware of the disaster that was unfolding in the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s office under Gardner’s leadership but used their political clout to re-elect her.
By 2023, Gardner’s performance was illuminated by some major failures. A teen-aged girl in St. Louis for a volleyball tournament was run down by a motorist and lost both of her legs. The public became very angry upon learning that the driver of the car was out of jail on house arrest as he awaited trial for armed robbery.
Initially, when the armed robbery case was brought to trial, Gardner’s office was not prepared. As a result, the suspect was released from jail on house arrest. When the accident with the volleyball player occurred, he was still on house arrest, which he was found to have violated 51 times.
Finally, state government began the process of removing Gardner from office, and she resigned in May 2023.
Governor Mike Parson appointed Gabe Gore to the office, and veteran prosecutors are rejoining the staff. Orderly prosecution has returned.
“Crime is up.” “Crime is down.”
As a community we spend a lot of time arguing this point. Consider this: maybe what matters is whether our citizens feel safe as they go about their lives. Maybe what matters as well is whether sports fans and concert-goers feel safe attending events downtown.
If we want to be safe and feel safe, we must start examining our elected leaders’ policy views to ensure that we’re comfortable with them!
Ultimately, it’s OUR responsibility to stay informed and speak-up when necessary.
We sincerely hope this information helps inform our neighbors and, occasionally, inspires you to activism.
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Nancy Rice
