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  • End Police Violence Petition

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    Kelsi Anderson
    8K views3 pages
    This document outlines demands to defund and reform the police department in St. Louis, Missouri. It calls for (1) no CARES Act funds to go to the police, (2) closing the Workhouse jail and investing the money in community programs, (3) suspending police union contract negotiations until the public can provide input, (4) releasing the police budget details from 2015-2021, and (5) a hiring and budget freeze for the police department. It argues systemic racism is still present in policing and that bold policy changes are needed to ensure safety for all communities.

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    End Police Violence Petition

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    This document outlines demands to defund and reform the police department in St. Louis, Missouri. It calls for (1) no CARES Act funds to go to the police, (2) closing the Workhouse jail and investing the money in community programs, (3) suspending police union contract negotiations until the public can provide input, (4) releasing the police budget details from 2015-2021, and (5) a hiring and budget freeze for the police department. It argues systemic racism is still present in policing and that bold policy changes are needed to ensure safety for all communities.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    Download as pdf or txt
    8K views3 pages

    End Police Violence Petition

    Uploaded by

    Kelsi Anderson
    This document outlines demands to defund and reform the police department in St. Louis, Missouri. It calls for (1) no CARES Act funds to go to the police, (2) closing the Workhouse jail and investing the money in community programs, (3) suspending police union contract negotiations until the public can provide input, (4) releasing the police budget details from 2015-2021, and (5) a hiring and budget freeze for the police department. It argues systemic racism is still present in policing and that bold policy changes are needed to ensure safety for all communities.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
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    of 3

    SIGN​ ​ON​ ​+​ ​ACT​ ​+​ R

    ​ AISE​ Y​ OUR​ V
    ​ OICE​ ​TO​ E​ ND​ P
    ​ OLICE​ V
    ​ IOLENCE 
     

    TRANSFORMING PUBLIC SAFETY. 


    THE TIME IS NOW FOR BOLD CHANGE. 

    Systemic racism is alive and well in St. Louis policing 


    The brutal killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Nina Pop, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor have 
    sparked the largest mobilization against police violence in the history of the United States. For 
    weeks, St. Louis has stood in solidarity and mobilized thousands into the streets to demand 
    justice and transformation for our communities.  
     
    For St. Louisans, this moment reminds us of the uprising that captured the attention of the 
    nation in 2014. Mike Brown, Kajieme Powell, Vonderrit Myers, Kiwi Herring, Anthony Lamar 
    Smith, and far too many others killed by the police have sparked cycles of community protest 
    and then inaction by our civic leaders in St. Louis.  
     
    What remains clear is that ​systemic racism is alive and well in our region’s police 
    departments​. The time for change is now. This petition lays out the 5 immediate first steps on 
    the critical journey for St. Louis City to divest from and defund racist systems, reimagine 
    public safety, and equitably invest in community well-being. 
     
    What passes for public safety in St. Louis centers the comfort of white residents at the 
    expense of Black and Latinx residents. Physical police violence is only the most egregious and 
    visible effect of toxic department cultures and longstanding disparities in stops, fines, 
    discrimination, and intimidation that are well-documented to cause longterm economic, 
    physical, and emotional harm. St. Louis will not be safe until ​all​ of us are safe.   
     
    We need nothing short of bold, transformative policy 
    Nothing short of bold, transformative policy and systems change will ensure justice and 
    restoration for Black communities in the St. Louis region. ​The demand is simple—defund the 
    police and invest in our communities. ​It’s time for decisive action that makes St. Louis a 
    national leader in reimagining public safety. We must leave behind predatory policing that 
    disproportionately arrests and incarcerates Black residents and replace it with targeted 
    investment into neglected communities, anti-racist policies and practices, and government 
    transparency and accountability.  
     
    While we work to dramatically decrease this region’s overreliance on police, ​there are 5 
    immediate actions that leadership in St. Louis City must take​ as the first steps on the 
    journey to correct and repair St. Louis’ history of racial injustice.   
     
    ● We demand that ​no CARES Act funds for COVID-19 relief go to the police 
    department. 

    - 1 - 
    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.  
     
     

    DEMANDS ​FOR​ ​THE​ CITY OF ST. LOUIS 


     
    Accountable Bodies: Mayor Lyda Krewson, BOA President Lewis Reed, 
    Comptroller Darlene Green, Public Safety Director Jimmie Edwards 
    ● We demand that ​no CARES Act funds for COVID-19 relief go to the police 
    department. 
    It is particularly egregious that during a pandemic—where ​Black St. Louisans have 
    disproportionately been sickened​ due to racist health inequities and when resources should be 
    supporting communities devastated by COVID-19—that money is being allocated to the police, 
    a system that also enforces systemic racism.  
     
    ● We demand that ​the​ ​Workhouse jail be closed immediately and the money be 
    targeted to programs and initiatives that benefit North St. Louis City. 
     
    In our effort to defund racist systems and redesign public safety, the Workhouse should be the 
    first to go. The funds saved should not be used for policing and the arrest and incarcerate 
    system. All funds should be redirected to ​root​ ​cause​ and ​equity​ focused initiatives that benefit 
    Black St. Louisans. 

    - 2 - 
    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​. 
     
     

    THE UNDERSIGNED ​(add your name: b​ it.ly/stlcitydemands​) 


     
    ● Action St. Louis  ● Organization for Black Struggle 
    ● Forward Through Ferguson   ● Grassroots Accountability Movement 
    ● Arch City Defenders   ● Missouri Jobs with Justice 
    ● Deaconess Foundation  ● Empower Missouri 
    ● United Congregations of Metro East  ● WEPOWER 
    ● Loretto Community (Sisters and  ● Metropolitan Congregations United 
    Co-Members) - St. Louis. 
    ● The Peace Economy Project 
     
     

    - 3 - 

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