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St. Louis City’s First Baby Box Divides Aldermen

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What most people might assume is a topic both sides of the political spectrum can agree on led to a lengthy debate on the floor of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen this morning. The topic in question? Whether to place a baby box at a north city fire station.

Board Bill 232, sponsored by Ward 11 Alderwoman Laura Keys, would allow Fire Department Engine House #17 to install a baby box — sometimes referred to as a newborn safety incubator — in accordance with Missouri’s Safe Place for Newborns Act.

This would be the first such box in the City of St. Louis, Keys says. The first baby box in Missouri was placed in St. Louis County last year and proudly announced it had received its first surrender in February.

The box at the city fire station would be accessible from the exterior and would provide a safe place for parents to surrender their newborns in a climate-controlled environment. As soon as the door to the box closes, an alarm would sound allowing firefighters to retrieve the baby. 

Keys and proponents of the bill argue that this is a safe way to surrender a child and would provide an alternative to desperate parents who might otherwise abandon a newborn in an unsafe place. But some aldermen argued that the boxes are too anonymous and would prevent Child Protective Services from locating extended family of the child for placement — and could prevent the child from learning about their true medical history. They also drew pushback for being associated with the anti-abortion movement.

There was enough criticism that, despite yesterday being the last day of the 2023-2024 legislative session, Keys said she was asked to hold the bill. 

“I’m somewhat disturbed that this morning at 15 minutes prior to walking into session I am getting calls and text messages where people want me to hold this bill. I will not,” Keys said during the meeting. “This bill is not citywide although I would hope that other alders here would see that this is something that is needed.”

First Ward Alderwoman Anne Schweitzer responded saying she is one of the alders who proposed Keys hold the bill.

“This is a bill that, as I’ve learned more about it and as I’ve learned more about the topic, I’ve gotten increasingly uncomfortable with this as a concept,” Schweitzer said. “What I’ve learned about these baby boxes is that on the face of them, it seems like something that might offer help to a community, but when you start digging a little bit deeper you realize that this would sever the child completely from their family, would not allow any knowledge of the medical history of the baby.”

It may be better to explore other options like the safe places that already exist in the city, Schweitzer said.

Ward 12 Alderwoman Sharon Tyus supported the bill. She said she’s one of 32 first cousins, and one was abandoned in a trash can in Texas as an infant. 

“This is a safe thing and I think it’s a wonderful thing. I do understand the alderwoman’s concerns but first and foremost I understand keep the baby safe,” Tyus said.

The bill ultimately earned the narrowest of approvals, earning four “present” votes from members Rasheen Aldridge, Alisha Sonnier, Michael Browning and Shane Cohn, as well as two no votes from Aldermanic President Megan Green and Schweitzer. 

Sonnier explained her vote by citing the risks of the anonymity of the box and the lack of a paper trail for the child and social services. 

Tyus and Keys followed up and made clear that there is no rule stopping a parent from leaving a letter or other identifying information with the child, but pointed out that sometimes the point is anonymity because of shame or fear of drug-related prosecution. 

“You don’t have those resources when you drop them in the trash can, you just have less safe babies,” Tyus said. 

Technology has also advanced enough that many DNA tests can help children to locate relatives, Tyus said.

“You can’t force people to leave a trail,” she said. 

Ward 14’s Aldridge said he is worried about the “pro-life” community’s association with the boxes. 

“With doing my research on these baby boxes, what I found out [from] countless articles from the Guardian, New York Times is how these baby boxes are also being pushed on a national level — and I don’t think this is the alderwoman’s intent — but on a national level by pro-life groups throughout the country, even here in the state of Missouri,” Aldridge said. “I wouldn’t want us to push a narrative that we’re passing this and kind of being part of that national movement that is happening.”

Keys says the bill is about protecting children who are already here. 

“If you decide to have an abortion, hell I’ll drive you,” Keys said. “But I’m not going to do something that would not safeguard a child who is already here.”

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Fenton Man Charged in Sword Attack on Roommate

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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

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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

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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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