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Anonymous Bigot Sends Racist, Homophobic Letters Throughout Webster Groves | St. Louis Metro News | St. Louis

Published

2 years ago

August 4, 2023

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click to enlarge Courtesy Drew Hubbard An anonymous writer sent Drew Hubbard this letter about the pride flag hung outside their home year-round.

When Drew Hubbard opened their Webster Groves mailbox one day in July, they chuckled before a slight sense of fear landed in the pit of their stomach. A short note printed on a postcard-sized piece of paper solicited a terse request.

“Pride month has ended,” it read. “We are into patriot decorations this month. Please remove your flag it is no longer appropriate.”

The flag in question was Hubbard’s pride flag, which hangs outside their family home year-round. Hubbard, who’s non-binary, shared a picture of the note in a Webster Groves neighborhood Facebook group. “Bigotry is alive and well in Webster Groves in 2023,” they wrote.

Hubbard’s neighbors quickly lambasted the anonymous sender. Some vowed to put more pride flags up in protest. Others commented to say they received similar mail from unnamed writers. Apparently, so did several other people.

An untold number of Webster Groves residents and elected leaders have received numerous anonymous letters in the past two months criticizing pride flags or Black Lives Matter signs. Most assume they were written by the same person. Letters have even been mailed to all members of Webster Groves City Council, who each received at least three throughout June, according to Jennifer Starkey, director of public affairs and engagement for the city of Webster Groves.

One letter addressed to Webster Groves’ mayor, staff and council took issue with a photo the city posted on Facebook during Pride Month, in which staff pledged a commitment to equitable service along with a photo of them with a pride flag.

This didn’t sit right with the anonymous bigot. They mailed a photo back to City Hall, but with the U.S. flag superimposed over the pride flag.

“You’ve been conned by a debauched special interest group whose only agenda is to sexualize our kids, our city, our society,” they wrote in an accompanying letter, later adding: “My pronouns are U.S.A.”

One resident wrote to Hubbard that they received an anonymous letter about a Black Lives Matter sign in their yard. “BLM is recognized as a fraudulent organization that has never done one thing for black people,” the note, ironically mailed with a “love” stamp, read. “Please don’t keep embarrassing yourself, it might be time to remove the sign.”

Hubbard says they’ve lived in Webster Groves for five years and never encountered anything so blatantly homophobic in Webster Groves. The inner-ring suburb is a fairly inclusive community Hubbard says, but in some ways, it’s not. “It’s really white, very wealthy,” they say.

But overall, City Councilmember Emily Hixson Shepherd feels like the letters are not reflective of the culture of Webster Groves.

“This is definitely not the accepted norm,” Shepherd says.

Behavior like this is almost something Hubbard has come to expect as a resident of Missouri, though.

“I feel like you could ask any queer person ‘Do you feel a rising tide of opposition to queer and trans people?’ And just about everyone would say, ‘Yeah,” Hubbard says. “I guess it [the letters] felt like a confirmation of something that I’ve felt for a while now, given how Missouri and Texas seem to be in a competition for the biggest asshole state.”

There’s still no information on who sent the letters. Webster Groves city officials encourage anyone who receives a letter to call the local police department’s non-emergency line and report it.

“As no direct threats have been made, there is very little evidence or information to go on for an investigation,” the city said in a statement. “The police department will continue to monitor these letters and will coordinate with the postal inspector as needed.”

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Fenton Man Charged in Sword Attack on Roommate

Published

12 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

12 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

12 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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