Local News

Missouri GOP Candidate Burns Library Books in Unhinged Rampage | St. Louis

Published

2 years ago

February 7, 2024

[ad_1]

click to enlarge Screenshot from Valentina Gomez X video Valentina Gomez, a Republican Candidate for Secretary of State in Missouri, burns two queer library books in Springfield-Greene County.

A children’s story hour at Springfield-Greene County Library devolved into a bizarre political rally last Friday, and days later spiraled even further into a book-burning by a Republican candidate for Missouri’s secretary of state.

In a post to X (formerly Twitter), that has since been censored, an unhinged video shot outside of the library shows Valentina Gomez setting two queer books aflame and vowing to burn more should she succeed in securing public office.

Gomez, 24, who is endorsed by incumbent Jay Ashcroft, visited the library on Friday, and by Tuesday posted a video of the book-burning to X. In the video, she appears to use a homemade flamethrower decorated to resemble the shark-toothed aircraft popularized by the Flying Tigers in World War II to incinerate two library books on a stool.

One of the books that was burned was Queer: The Ultimate LGBTQ Guide for Teens by authors Kathy Belge and Mark Bieschke. The other was Naked: Not Your Average Sex Encyclopedia by Myriam Daguzan Bernier, a guide for teens about health.

“When I’m Secretary of State, I will BURN all books that are grooming, indoctrinating, and sexualizing our children. MAGA. America First,” Gomez wrote. The use of the term “grooming” has been historically used by politicians to demean the LGBTQ+ community and to hurl false stereotypes of inappropriate behavior. It pushes a narrative that queer people attempt to “recruit” children.

The video ends with Gomez wearing a tactical vest and holding a rifle, and it can be viewed here (warning: graphic language).

In another post since deleted from X, Gomez again shared a photo of herself holding the rifle, this time writing, “Thank you for your support, stay away from the children. I’m not asking.” This was in response to a different post of hers from an hour before wherein she said, “I will protect the children, even if the world is against me. I’ve got Jesus by my side.”

Interestingly enough, book-burning and book-banning aren’t mentioned in Gomez’s online platform, but the complete removal of electronic voting machines is. Still, Gomez isn’t the first Missouri Republican hopeful to flirt with book-burning as a political stunt. Bill Eigel, a gubernatorial candidate, came under fire last year for threatening to burn books and then incinerating “empty boxes that represented leftist policies,” as RFT reported at the time.

Book-banning, too, seems to be a favorite hobby of Missouri’s right-wing politicians, with the state topping national charts at No. 3 in the country for the number of books prohibited in schools, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Gomez could potentially face criminal charges for destroying public property owned by the library, but it is unclear if the library will press charges.

Library officials did not respond to requests for comment on the issue as of publication deadline.

The library’s event was supposed to be a children’s book reading with surfer Bethany Hamilton and swimmer Riley Gaines, who have come under fire for transphobic rhetoric towards trans athletes.

The event turned into something more political when current Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft and candidate Gomez spoke in opposition to DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) efforts and critical race theory, Brittany Dyer and her wife Heather Dyer tell the RFT.

The Dyers attended as part of a protest against the event, along with about 20 others.

Before any of the authors spoke, Gomez and Ashcroft addressed the crowd. Gomez held up the books she later burned, claimed they came from the children’s section, and promised to end LGBTQ, DEI and diversity efforts in the library, Brittany says.

Neither of the books Gomez referenced were shelved in the teen or children’s section, instead coming from the adult self-help section, the Dyers say. They quickly denounced the stunt — and the serious escalation it seems to represent.

“It’s definitely a harmful rhetoric that’s being introduced,” Heather says.

“There’s a direct reaction to this type of hate-filled rhetoric that spews from a political base that trickles down into personal lives and has deep and long-lasting impacts on people,” Brittany says. “Honestly, to say that it’s dangerous — it’s almost a nice way to put it. It’s genuinely deadly to some people in the community.”

[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