FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Racial Justice Organizations Release Prosecutor Watch Report, Demand Transparency and Community-Based Alternatives in St. Louis
PRESS CONTACT:
Marcel Hagens, Policy Coordinator, Action St. Louis
marcel@actionstl.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Racial Justice Organizations Release Prosecutor Watch Report, Demand Transparency and Community-Based Alternatives in St. Louis
March 11, 2024– On the heels of a tumultuous year for St. Louis prosecution, the Prosecutor Organizing Table (Table) has published Prosecutor Watch: An Introduction, the first of a series of reports that aim to lay bare the immense power of the office, share metrics for evaluating prosecutors, and release data that can be used to hold them accountable. Following the 2016 and 2018 elections of “progressive” or “reform” prosecutors Kim Gardner in St. Louis City and Wesley Bell in St. Louis County, the Table was formed in 2020 by Action St. Louis, ArchCity Defenders, Freedom Community Center, Forward through Ferguson, MacArthur Justice Center, and Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty. As a coalition of organizations leading decarceration and racial justice efforts in the St. Louis region, the Table is deeply concerned by the yawning gap between what the candidates promised and what they prioritized, as well as the nearly unchecked power that prosecutors wield.
The first Prosecutor Watch report introduces four things: (1) the Prosecutor Organizing Table, (2) the Table’s approach, (3) the role and significant power of prosecutors, and (4) questions raised to invoke transparency and evaluation of prosecutor actions.
“The Prosecutor Organizing Table represents a shift in how we as a community engage with prosecution in St. Louis,” remarked Marcel Hagens, Action St. Louis’ Policy Coordinator. “For too long, those negatively impacted by the decisions of prosecutors have been denied access to a transparent process and true healing. The Prosecutor Watch report seeks to empower the community, providing residents with the tools necessary to effectively engage and to hold St. Louis prosecutors accountable.”
Because prosecutors have the power to wreak long-lasting devastation, especially on the lives of people who are Black and poor, the Table has developed five metrics for evaluating prosecutors: Transparency, Charging Decisions, Pre-trial Detention, Conviction and Sentencing, and Commitment to Community-Based Alternatives.
The Table requested data on these five metrics from St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell’s office in person on August 24, 2023, then followed up on the request via email on October 3, 2023. To date, the Table has unfortunately received no substantial response to these requests. In March 2024, the Table will be requesting data from St. Louis City Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore, who took office on June 1, 2023.
The Table is committed to holding all prosecutors’ offices accountable, regardless of who holds the office.
“The county and city prosecutors are elected positions, which means that person could change as frequently as its respective election cycle,” remarked Nichole Murphy, Forward Through Ferguson’s Director of Community Partnerships. “That means the Table focuses on policies and systems that hold the office accountable as opposed to each individual that holds that position. We use a policy and systems change approach to transform the current public safety system from an arrest-and-incarcerate model to one based on community care.”
Prosecutors are at the front door to mass incarceration. In the last several years, a string of tragedies have repeatedly landed St. Louis in the national news for deadly and inhumane jail conditions.
“We’ve repeatedly seen prosecutors argue for ‘no bond’ recommendations, which result in judges making decisions to throw people in jail because they were homeless, jobless, detoxing, or in need of a doctor. Investments in housing, drug treatment, and universal health care would be more humane and effective,” said Mike Milton, Founder of Freedom Community Center. “What decreases recidivism and helps create a safer St. Louis is supporting municipal services, community stability, infrastructure and economic opportunities — not forcing people into a fatal carceral system that has killed at least 17 people in the past three years. The deaths of these citizens, who were incarcerated awaiting trial, have shattered the lives of many families, and left them in pain and suffering due to the jail’s deadly culture of negligence.”
Despite progress, St. Louis is witnessing a regression to “law and order” and an increase in the use of punitive measures in policing and prosecution in the City under Gabe Gore and in the County under Wesley Bell. St. Louis is at a critical turning point where the region can choose to revert back to policies that we know don’t work or commit fully to reimagining public safety. Prosecutors can help people access transformative justice or trap them in an endless cycle of poverty and punishment. At worst, they can consign them to death in jail or prison, even when they are innocent. The Table hopes that the public will become informed and locally engaged by demanding that prosecutors choose community-based alternatives and that their local and state representatives invest in holistic approaches to public safety that address the root causes of harm and violence.
The Prosecutor Organizing Table invites the public to view the Prosecutor Watch: An Introduction report at prosecutorwatchstl.org, share the report with the hashtag #prosecutorwatch, and stay tuned for upcoming report releases and action steps. Organizations that are interested in joining the Table are invited to contact Marcel Hagens, Policy Coordinator at Action St. Louis by emailing marcel@actionstl.org.
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Stay Connected on Facebook (search for organization name), Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter):
Action St. Louis: @actionSTL
ArchCity Defenders: @archcitydefenders (Instagram), ArchCityDefense (X)
Forward Through Ferguson: @stlchange
Freedom Community Center: @fccstlouis
MacArthur Justice Center: @MacArthrJustice (X)
Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty: @madpmo
