Local News

St. Louis Aldermen Divided Over Bill Making it Easier to Open Shelters

Published

1 year ago

April 2, 2024

[ad_1]

The St. Louis Board of Aldermen remains divided on a plan that would change the way new shelters for the city’s unhoused residents are approved — but the bill seems headed for a final vote at the end of the 2023-2024 session next week. There is just one more public hearing scheduled for today, likely the last public comment for the bill before the session ends.

The fast-tracked bill has led to some grumbling by opponents, as well as some aldermen. Last Thursday, the bill’s committee hearing was scheduled directly after a Public Safety Committee hearing on the Re-Envisioning the Workhouse report. This led to a disgruntled public, cut off public comments and a hurried vote as the meeting went into overtime.

Aldermanic President Megan Green’s office says the bill is a priority this session. Green is a co-sponsor of the legislation.

The bill would change the city’s current plat and petition process for new shelters. Instead of requiring a majority of registered voters or property owners in a 500-feet area around the site to approve the location, it would require one-third of those community members.

Despite some people claiming that this will silence the voices of neighborhoods, its sponsor, 7th Ward Alderwoman Alisha Sonnier, says it will do the opposite.

The idea that Board Bill 227 makes it easier to open a shelter in the city of St. Louis is a misconception, Sonnier says. Instead, it aims to make the process possible.

In 15 years, the city hasn’t built any new shelters due to the current process, according to Sonnier.

The bill would also require shelter operators to mail postcards to all households or businesses within 500 feet and will hold a minimum of three public hearings, allowing residents to ask questions and collaborate on shelter plans.

Once an application is filed, a public hearing will be scheduled. The periodic public hearings outlined in the bill will go hand in hand with a temporary permit process that will allow residents to have greater say if a shelter becomes a problem or issues need to be addressed as it settles into the neighborhood.

Additionally, signature verification will move to the Board of Election Commissioners, and the Department of Human Services will have the ability to review shelter plans and either support or reject them at every stage of the process.

“The current plat & petition process for shelters unfairly silences many residents. Only those within a narrow 500-foot radius can vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ — no voice for neighbors beyond that arbitrary line,” Sonnier says in a written FAQ statement to constituents. “This exclusionary system restricts public input and limits valuable perspectives from both neighbors and providers.”

Despite running as progressives, several aldermen have stood in staunch opposition to changes to the shelter approval process. One of these is Ward 9 Alderman Michael Browning, who activists have accused of standing in the way of the bill’s passage.

“Enough. Is. Enough. Michael Browning says he’s in the so-called ‘progressive majority’ on the Board of Aldermen. But BB 227 probs won’t pass on April 5 unless he votes for it,” activist Jake Lyonfields said in a post to X. “So let’s keep holding his feet to the fire, cause we finally have the opportunity to modernize how we open shelters in our city, and we can’t let some too-cautious white dude masquerading as progressive stop us.”

Browning voted “present” at the committee meeting. First Ward Alderwoman Anne Schweitzer was the sole member of the committee to vote against the bill. click to enlarge MONICA OBRADOVIC An encampment sat in the shadow of St. Louis City Hall last year.

Last year, Sonnier introduced the “Unhoused Bill of Rights,” which would make it easier to place shelters in the city, create intentional encampments with services and make it more difficult for officials to displace unhoused community members. The proposal set off a firestorm, leading Sonnier to write Bill 227 and focus it more tightly on reforming the shelter approval process.

“This legislation isn’t about BB’s 126, 127, or 128, forget about those proposals,” Sonnier writes in her FAQ. “BB 227 is about updating the plat & petition process to better serve our community.”

People opposed to the bill say they feel as though their voice is being taken out of the equation. Those in favor of the change argue that not only is it necessary to better serve the unhoused community, but that folks forget that the unhoused are their neighbors too.

David Rodriguez, secretary and treasurer for St. Louis Firefighters Local 73, said at last Thursday’s meeting that while he is not taking a stance on Board Bill 227 he wants to address the state of care for many unhoused people in St. Louis.

“As firefighters and emergency medical workers we respond to numerous calls from the unhoused community, often not for life-threatening emergencies but for ongoing care, prescription refills, mental health support or even shelter during extreme weather, ” he says. “These are often third-party calls for an unknown problem and some are from well-meaning bystanders, and some are also attempts to have those people relocated. When there is no continuum of care plan, when those people leave the hospital or the last social service that they received, it often falls back on our shoulders.”

Responding to these calls means resources are tied up with a fire truck and ambulance unavailable for other potential emergencies. It can also contribute to compassion fatigue and burnout among firefighters, he says.

“We hope that any legislation enacted will help us provide a comprehensive approach in responding to the diverse needs of the unhoused in the city of St. Louis,” Rodriguez says.

Following the bills passage out of committee, Sonnier posted a statement online saying:

“Today’s win is for the 20 percent of our SLPS scholars who are housing insecure, for the kids like me who had to escape domestic violence, and for the families who have been asking for this type of support from the city for years. We aren’t through the forest yet, but today was a giant step forward to ensuring that our city has a place for all to live, not just some.”

The last day of the legislative session is April 15. Board Bill 227 has had its second reading and the next steps before final passage include a debate and vote for perfection, perfection/the addition of any necessary corrections, and then a third reading and vote. If the bill passes the board, Green would sign it and it would then be sent to Mayor Tishaura Jones for her signature.

A spokesperson for the mayor’s office says she is still evaluating the bill and is unsure of whether she will sign it.

[ad_2]

Source link

Local News

Fenton Man Charged in Sword Attack on Roommate

Published

1 year ago

May 22, 2024

Natural Bridge

[ad_1]

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.

[ad_2]

Source link

Local News

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

Published

1 year ago

May 22, 2024

Natural Bridge

[ad_1]

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.”

[ad_2]

Source link

Local News

St. Louis to Develop First Citywide Transportation Plan in Decades

Published

1 year ago

May 21, 2024

Natural Bridge

[ad_1]

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.”

[ad_2]

Source link