A statement circulating among small business owners is calling for perspective on the issue of police killings versus the broken windows resulting from recent protests.
Posted on Facebook on Friday, the statement has already received 50 sign-ons from area business owners and 60 more from their patrons. The list includes a wide variety of businesses from St. Louis city and county.
The letter comes out strongly in favor of those protesting the recent acquittal of Jason Stockley. A few broken windows, they say, are nothing compared to the ongoing injustices committed against black lives.
“We recognize that glass can be replaced, that profit is not everything and can eventually be recovered, and that fear of these problems heading to our business districts or our shops is fleeting,” they stated. “We further recognize that lives cannot be replaced, families do not eventually recover, and the fear of being murdered in the streets will haunt certain residents of our community forever.”
The statement also tackles the question of responsibility for what has occurred on the streets.
“While we believe in personal responsibility, we believe that deeper responsibility lies with our local governments and all those who have turned a blind eye to abuse,” they stated. “We must all take our share of the responsibility.”
Indeed, these business owners wonder if the police are making them less safe.
“We see police escalating tensions on the streets and then denying responsibility for the results. We see our innocent patrons caught up, brutalized and arrested in the Central West End, Loop and downtown. When media is arrested for doing their jobs, how do we tell our staff they are safe doing theirs?” they stated.
“It is not at all clear that police have our best interests at heart when they are preoccupied with macho attempts to ‘own’ the streets. Frankly, we have reason to wonder if we have more to fear from the police officers than from a small handful of vandals.”
The statement’s author, Eliza Coriell, owner of The Crow’s Nest, a restaurant in Maplewood, expressed hope that the letter would give police tacticians pause.
“We’re not arguing that police shouldn’t do their job. We do want them to operate with a higher standard and we want to keep the focus on black lives, and the legitimate issues voiced by the black community.”
Other businesses who had a representative sign the statement include MoKaBe’s Coffeehouse, Pi Pizzeria, Yoga Source of St. Louis, Golden Grocer, Sommer Property Investments, Engelbreit Art & Design and RISE Coffee House.
For the complete statement and list of those who signed it, visit https://tinyurl.com/y9ysa9sq.
