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Hazelwood Schools’ Attorney Has a Blistering Takedown of AG’s DEI Probe

Published

1 year ago

March 27, 2024

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Who does Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey really represent? That’s one of the questions raised by an attorney for the Hazelwood School District in a scathing fact-check correcting the AG’s recent bid for attention.

Bailey announced last week that he is opening up an investigation into the St. Louis County school district’s diversity, equity and inclusion practices following a viral video that captured the brutal beating of 16-year-old Kaylee Gain by another student.

The video of Gain being repeatedly slammed into the concrete quickly spread through conservative and right-wing media outlets, most notably by Libs of Tiktok, which is known for its anti-DEI agenda. Gain suffered traumatic brain injuries and the teen who assaulted her is facing charges.

The assault occurred on a residential street near Hazelwood East High School, spurring Bailey to investigate how the district’s “radical DEI programs resulted in such despicable safety failures.” (Never mind that, as the RFT’s Ryan Krull reports, the only connection between DEI policies and the attack is county police officers’ failures to cooperate with them, leaving students without the presence of school resource officers.)

Cindy Reeds Ormsby, attorney for the district, penned her no-holds barred reply to Bailey in a letter dated March 26.

“It is disappointing to have an attorney general that intentionally disrespects public school district administrators and elected officials by sending error filled correspondence to intimidate and threaten their leadership,” Ormsby writes. “It is surprising that you are opening an investigation based on lies that you could have easily ascertained if you would have taken a few minutes to fact check prior to sending your correspondence.”

Ormsby proceeded to fact-check the integral points of Bailey’s announcement, even correcting the day and time at which the fight occurred. The fight actually occurred on March 8, not March 11 as Bailey claimed, and certainly did not take place “in the middle of the school day,” instead it happened after school hours a quarter-mile away.

Additionally she provides facts and information relating to the number of school resource officers serving the district, noting that they would not have been able to prevent the fight considering that it took place off school property and after school hours.

Finally, she notes that his idea of investigating this as a diversity, equity and inclusion matter is … an interesting choice.

“The Statement of Solidarity you refer to in your correspondence is not board policy. You have failed to identify a single ‘race-based policy’ that has led to the absence of [school resource officers] and how such policy was prioritized over student safety,” she writes.

Ormsby mentions in the letter that other districts, including Riverview Gardens, Ferguson-Florissant and Jennings, have had brutal fights and even a stabbing that were not publicized in the same way and did not draw his ire.

“You did not send letters to those districts copying the news media about your concerns. Is that because you have assumed, without official verification, that the March 8th altercation was between a white student and a Black student, while the other incidents were Black-on-Black student or student/teacher encounters? Do you value white students’ safety more than Black students’ safety?”

Because the fight involved minors, and because those minors are students, they are protected under FERPA and Missouri state law and their information and findings from the police investigation cannot be released, Ormsby says.

“Therefore, whatever investigation you purported to conduct into this matter is necessarily incomplete and your determination to reach self-serving and inaccurate conclusions is dangerous and will likely be an embarrassment to you and your office when and if the facts become known to you and the general public,” she says.

Bailey’s allegations that the district has violated the Missouri Human Rights Act is a false narrative, she says.

“Do you represent all citizens of Missouri? Or only the white citizens? Your lack of care about the accuracy of the allegations you make, combined with your false assumptions about the security provided by the HSD could lead to the belief that you are not the attorney general for ALL Missouri citizens, but rather only for those that look and believe as you do,” Ormsby says.

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Fenton Man Charged in Sword Attack on Roommate

Published

1 year 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

1 year 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

1 year 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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