Wednesday is National Day Against Police Brutality. A local rally will be held at 4:00 p.m. at Poelker Park, across from City Hall at Tucker and Market. The “Tow Local Control BACK to St. Louis!” rally will be sponsored by the Coalition Against Police Crime & Repression. Participants are encouraged to wear all black.
Local control of the police department is an issue PubDef.net has covered for years.
In a 2006 interview with PubDef, Alderman Terry Kennedy said without local control the police department is similar to an “occupying force.”
In February, state and city officials came together to support a bill to return control of the police department to the city. The bill passed the committee, but never reached the floor of the House for a vote.
Earlier this year, even Mayor Francis Slay — who has for years opposed local control — came out in favor of the bill — although he has not done much of anything to move the issue forward since then.
The recent scandals in the St. Louis police department have fueled efforts to bring control of the department back to the people who pay the bills: the taxpayers of St. Louis City. Continue Reading
St. Louis demonstrated a united front yesterday in the State Capitol as the political friends and foes spoke in unison in a call for local control of the city’s largest department, its police force.
Mayor Francis Slay, Aldermanic President Lewis Reed, and 11 city aldermen from north and south St. Louis appeared before the House committee which heard testimony regarding House Bill 2117. Even some local activists who are working to remove Slay from office called a truce for the day and even praised Slay for his testimony in support of the legislation.
Here’s video from the press conference before the hearing. Check back later for more videos throughout the day.
