End Police Violence Petition
End Police Violence Petition
AISE Y OUR V
OICE TO E ND P
OLICE V
IOLENCE
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SIGN ON + ACT + R
AISE Y OUR V
OICE TO E ND P
OLICE V
IOLENCE
● We demand that the Workhouse jail be closed immediately and that the money be
targeted to programs and initiatives that benefit North St. Louis City.
● We demand the immediate suspension of contract negotiations with the St. Louis
Police Officers Association until the current version of the pending contract is
released and there are multiple opportunities for public comment and oversight.
● We demand the immediate release of the full, most detailed, unredacted, line-item
budget for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Dept. for years 2015-2021. These
should be released and made easily accessible to the general public for an urgent
community conversation on defunding and reinvestment in non-police alternatives.
● We demand a budget and hiring freeze for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police
Department.
Policing is a profession founded in systemic racism. The deep resistance to change of St.
Louis’ policing culture reveals that we will never achieve racial equity and justice with surface
level tweaks and reforms. These reforms are insufficient, too narrow in scope, and ultimately
will fail to keep Black people safe. Furthermore, the failure of leadership in this moment to be
transparent, accountable, and responsive to transformative demands for change is
unacceptable. We must fight root causes by defunding and beginning to dismantle the current
system of policing, reimagine and transform public safety, and reinvest in Black communities.
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SIGN ON + ACT + R
AISE Y OUR V
OICE TO E ND P
OLICE V
IOLENCE
● We demand the immediate suspension of contract negotiations with the St. Louis
Police Officers Association until the current version of the pending contract is
released and there are multiple opportunities for public comment and oversight.
Police Union Contracts have and continue to serve as barriers to police officer accountability,
and ultimately barriers to justice in cases of police brutality. There is no path to accountability,
when there is a lack of transparency and radical listening to affected community input.
● We demand the immediate release of the full, most detailed, unredacted, line-item
budget for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Dept. for years 2015-2021. These
should be released and made easily accessible to the general public.
It’s undemocratic and unaccountable for City public safety leaders to refuse to share a full
line-item policing budget with the Board of Alderman and with the public. Our budgets reflect
our values. A look at the St. Louis City budget shows that since 2014 the share of the general
fund has increased from 31% to 34% while spending on essential services, systems, and
infrastructure have largely stayed stagnant. This has not increased safety for communities of
color. Health at Human Services receives only 0.3% of the general fund, and the Affordable
Housing Trust Fund is only just above the minimum funding requirement.
● We demand a budget and hiring freeze for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Dept.
Adding more officers to the department will not make St. Louis safer. Studies of 911 calls show
that stopping violent crime is a small fraction, about 4%, of what officers respond to in their
jobs. However, racial disparities show up in all police responses for service, regardless of
whether it’s a traffic ticket, mental health episode, or noise complaint. Functions currently
performed badly by police need to be accomplished through new community-based initiatives.
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