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Cori Bush Says She’s ‘Deeply Troubled’ Over St. Louis Jail in ‘Crisis’ | St. Louis Metro News | St. Louis

Published

2 years ago

October 3, 2023

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click to enlarge RYAN KRULL U.S. Representative Cori Bush (D-St. Louis) visited the St. Louis City Justice Center on September 8.

Congresswoman Cori Bush expressed in a letter sent this morning to St. Louis Corrections Commissioner Jennifer Clemons-Abdullah that she is “deeply troubled” over the conditions of the City Justice Center.

Ten detainees have died at the jail since January 2021, with three fatalities in the past six weeks. Activists, members of the jail’s civilian oversight board and numerous attorneys have called for Clemons-Abdullah to either step down or for Mayor Tishaura Jones to fire her. Jones has stood by her appointee.

The Democratic congresswoman visited the jail on September 8, part of what her spokespeople said was an effort to gather information on the jail before taking a more detailed public stance.

Bush’s letter calls the situation at the jail a “crisis,” but stops well short of calling for the commissioner’s resignation. She does express numerous concerns about detainees’ access to medical care as well as basics like clean clothing, bedding and healthcare.

“I heard directly from numerous detainees at CJC that they are not receiving their prescribed medication for diabetes, seizures, mental health disorders and other chronic conditions,” she wrote of her visit last month.

She wrote that a new, non-profit healthcare provider needed to replace the current healthcare provider, Corizon, at the jail.

Bush also called out in the letter the jail’s use of solitary confinement as punishment, as well as the use of mace on detainees.

Bush wrote that in her meeting with Clemons-Abdullah, the commissioner said that “nobody ever asks about our staff.” Bush stressed in her letter that she was concerned about jail staff safety as well. “I have very serious concerns about whether staff at CJC who raise concerns about their workplace conditions face retaliation,” the congresswoman wrote.

Bush requested numerous documents from the jail head, including the policies and procedures related to healthcare, use of force and solitary confinement. She said that jail had until November 3 to respond to those requests.

“I was deeply troubled by the apparent and continuing issues regarding conditions at the facility and the treatment of detainees and staff,” Bush wrote. “These grave concerns have only been amplified in light of the most recent death of a CJC detainee over the weekend.”

Bush is referring to the death of Juwon Carter Saturday morning.

About six weeks before Carter died in CJC custody, 32-year-old Carlton Bernard passed away in jail custody as well. Yesterday, the attorney for Bernard’s family made public the results of an autopsy which showed that Bernard, who was diabetic, died from dehydration and a lack of insulin.

The mother of Bernard issued a statement through that attorney, Mark Pedroli.

“St. Louis city jail failed to treat my son Carlton’s diabetes. The jail and medical staff knew Carlton had diabetes, but without treatment he suffered, fell into a diabetic coma and died,” said Shantae Winston.

A Jennings resident, Bernard had been in jail for about two months on third-degree assault charges for pulling a woman’s Airpod out of her ear and striking her on the side of her face in the city’s Midtown neighborhood.

“Carlton didn’t deserve this. He was only 32 years old and had his whole life in front of him,” Winston said. Read Bush’s letter in full:

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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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