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3 LGBTQ Bars in St. Louis’ Grove Threatened by Caller | St. Louis Metro News | St. Louis

Published

2 years ago

January 30, 2023

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click to enlarge Vu Phong Prism is one of three LGBTQ bars in the Grove targeted by an anonymous caller this weekend.
Yesterday, an unidentified person called three LGBTQ bars in the Grove neighborhood and threatened to shoot them up, multiple bar owners say. All three bars that received threats are on Manchester Avenue in an area of St. Louis known for its LGBTQ nightlife. The strip is also frequently home to drag shows, which legislators in Jefferson City sought to place new rules on last week. Around 4 p.m. at Prism, bartender Jordan Cox answered the phone. “The caller off the bat started talking about how they were the Joker, and they were going to blow up the bar, send bombs and shoot up everybody,” Cox says, adding that it sounded like at least two people were on the other line. Just John owner John Oberkramer says that his bar received a menacing message on its voicemail, also around 4 p.m.”[The message] said they were going to come in at 3 o’clock in the morning and shoot the place up,” Oberkramer says. “And that they were tired of us ‘faggots.'” Bizarrely, the voicemail mentioned a Just John employee by name, whom the caller said they liked. “And they told us to make sure he wasn’t there,” Oberkramer says. Prism owner Sean Abernathy says that he and his staff had to make a split-second decision on what to do next, as there were two private events happening at Prism that night, one of them just was beginning just as the call came in. Abernathy says he informed the police and had extra security quickly brought in. The bar was also shut down to the public, and only those on the lists for the events were admitted.At Just John, Oberkramer says the fact that there had been a threat was communicated to staff. Security was extra vigilant, making doubly sure there was no way to get inside without passing security. Around midnight at Prism, St. Louis police officers showed up with members of law enforcement whom Abernathy says looked like they worked for agencies other than the local police. “Apparently the federal government is involved at this point as well,” Abernathy says. Someone with law enforcement told Abernathy that, in addition to the menacing phone call, investigators had received some other information about a possible threat to Prism.”It appears that Prism STL, Just John’s and Rehab all received calls from an unknown subject threatening to harm employees/patrons and/or threatening to shoot up the establishments,” the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department confirmed. There are no updates at this time and “the investigations remain ongoing.”Abernathy says that earlier in the night he’d heard rumors of Just John receiving threats of violence, which the police confirmed when they showed up at his establishment. Both Abernathy and Oberkramer say that they heard a third bar in the Grove had received a threatening call as well. Oberkramer says that he has co-owned Just John since 2009, and in that time, people have called in to the bar and spouted slurs at him and his staff. “But never have we been threatened to be shot up,” he says. “We’ve always wanted to have a safe space for people to come and be themselves, and we don’t plan on changing that. We might beef up security somewhat, but they’re not going to close us down because of a threat like that.” Abernathy points out these threats were made against the backdrop of proposed state laws attacking trans people playing sports and criminalizing minors seeing drag shows. “We’re getting threatened with not only hate crimes, but terroristic threats,” he says. “This is all coming at a community that’s just trying to exist. We’re not trying to hurt anybody. We just want to be able to exist and have a good time.” This story has been updated with an official statement from the police. We welcome tips and feedback. Email the author at [email protected] or follow on Twitter at @RyanWKrull. Coming soon: Riverfront Times Daily newsletter. We’ll send you a handful of interesting St. Louis stories every morning. Subscribe now to not miss a thing.Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

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Fenton Man Charged in Sword Attack on Roommate

Published

7 months ago

May 22, 2024

Natural Bridge

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A warrant is out for a Fenton man’s arrest after he allegedly attacked his roommate with a sword.

Police say that on Sunday, Angelus Scott spoke openly about “slicing his roommate’s head” before he grabbed a sword, raised it up and then swung it down at the roommate.

The roommate grabbed Scott’s hand in time to prevent injury. When police arrived at the scene, they found the weapon used in the assault.

The sword in question was a katana, which is a Japanese sword recognizable for its curved blade.

This isn’t the first time a samurai-style sword has been used to violent effect in St. Louis. In 2018, a man hearing voices slaughtered his ex-boyfriend with a samurai sword. His mother said he suffered from schizoaffective disorder.

As for Scott, 35, the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office was charged yesterday with two felonies, assault first degree and armed criminal action. The warrant for his arrest says he is to be held on $200,000 bond.

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Caught on Video, Sheriff Says He’s Ready to ‘Turn It All Over’ to Deputy

Published

7 months ago

May 22, 2024

Natural Bridge

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Video of St. Louis Sheriff Vernon Betts taken by a former deputy suggests that the sheriff has a successor in mind to hand the reins of the department over to, even as Betts is in an increasingly heated campaign for reelection.

“I ain’t here for all this rigmarole,” Betts says in the video while seated behind his desk at the Carnahan Courthouse. “The Lord sent me here to turn this department around and I’m doing the best I can and I think I’ve done a good job. I’ve got about eight months and I’m going to qualify for my fourth pension.”

He goes on, “Right now I can walk up out of here and live happily ever after and forget about all this…and live like a king.”

The sheriff then says his wife has been in Atlanta looking at houses and that the other deputy in the room, Donald Hawkins, is someone Betts has been training “to turn it all over to him.”

Asked about the video, Betts tells the RFT, “My future plans are to win reelection on August 6th by a wide margin and to continue my mission as the top elected law enforcement official to make St. Louis safer and stronger. Serving the people of St. Louis with integrity, honor and professional law enforcement qualifications is a sacred responsibility, and I intend to complete that mission.”

The video of Betts was taken by Barbara Chavers, who retired from the sheriff’s office in 2016 after 24 years of service. Chavers now works security at Schnucks at Grand and Gravois. Betts’ brother Howard works security there, too.

Chavers tells the RFT that she was summoned to Betts’ office last week after Betts’ brother made the sheriff aware that she was supporting Montgomery. It was no secret: Chavers had filmed a Facebook live video in which she said she was supporting Betts’ opponent Alfred Montgomery in the election this fall. “Make the judges safe,” she says in the video, standing in front of a large Montgomery sign on Gravois Avenue. “They need a sheriff who is going to make their courtrooms safe.”

In his office, even as Chavers made clear she was filming him, Betts told Chavers he was “flabbergasted” and “stunned” she was supporting Montgomery.

“I don’t know what I did that would make you go against the preacher man,” he says, referring to himself. He then refers to Montgomery as “ungodly.”

Betts goes on to say that not long ago, he was walking in his neighborhood on St. Louis Avenue near 20th Street when suddenly Montgomery pulled up in his car and, according to Betts, shouted, “You motherfucker, you this, you that. You’re taking my signs down.”

Montgomery tells the RFT that he’s never interacted with Betts outside of candidate forums and neighborhood meetings.

“I don’t think anyone with good sense would do something like that to a sitting sheriff,” Montgomery says.

Montgomery has had campaign signs missing and on at least two occasions has obtained video of people tearing them down. (Chavers notes that the sign that she filmed her original Facebook video in front of is itself now missing.)

One man who lives near Columbus Square says that he recently put out two Montgomery signs, which later went missing. “If they keep taking them, I’ll keep putting them up,” he said.

Betts says he has nothing to do with the missing signs. In the video Chavers filmed in Betts’ office, Betts says that his campaign isn’t in a spot where it needs to resort to tearing down opponents’ signs.

“If you sit here long enough, a man is getting ready to come across the street from City Hall bringing me $500, today,” Betts says. “I’m getting that kind of support. I don’t need to tear down signs.”

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St. Louis to Develop First Citywide Transportation Plan in Decades

Published

7 months ago

May 21, 2024

Natural Bridge

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The City of St. Louis is working to develop its first citywide mobility plan in decades, Mayor Tishaura Jones’ office announced Tuesday. This plan seeks to make it easier for everyone — drivers, pedestrians, bikers and public transit users — to safely commute within the city.

The plan will bring together other city projects like the Brickline Greenway, Future64, the MetroLink Green Line, and more, “while establishing new priorities for a safer, more efficient and better-maintained transportation network across the City,” according to the release.

The key elements in the plan will be public engagement, the development of a safety action plan, future infrastructure priorities and transportation network mapping, according to Jones’ office.

The overarching goals are to create a vision for citywide mobility, plan a mixture of short and long-term mobility projects and to develop improved communication tools with the public to receive transportation updates. In recent years, both people who use public transit and cyclists have been outspoken about the difficulties — and dangers — of navigating St. Louis streets, citing both cuts to public transit and traffic violence.

To garner public input and participation for the plan, Jones’ office said there will be community meetings, focus groups and a survey for residents to share their concerns. The city will also be establishing a Community Advisory Committee. Those interested in learning more should check out at tmp-stl.com/

“Everyone deserves to feel safe when getting around St. Louis, whether they’re driving, biking, walking or taking public transit,” Jones said in a news release. “Creating a comprehensive transportation and mobility plan allows us to make intentional and strategic investments so that moving around St. Louis for jobs, education, and entertainment becomes easier, safer and more enjoyable.”

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