Approximately 20 members of Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment (MORE) visited Ladue City Hall and the Clayton law office of Curtis, Heinz, Garrett & O’Keefe on March 12 in an attempt to meet with officials, judges and prosecutors regarding issues of racial disparities within the municipal court system.
In light of the Department of Justice report which was released on March 4, participants hoped to bring their concerns about racism within the municipal courts to Ladue in order to highlight stark disparities that exist across the entire St. Louis region. Although African Americans represent less than 1 percent of the population of Ladue, they represent 34 percent of those arrested as a result of traffic stops.
The group said they were denied access to a meeting with the mayor of Ladue, and spent about half an hour speaking with the police chief and a public relations volunteer instead. Tentative commitments were given to scheduling a follow up meeting with the mayor, but no indication was given that the City of Ladue was taking any action to address issues of racial disparity, MORE said.
“At the end of day, officials in areas like Ladue are completely oblivious of the everyday realities for people of color who are exploited by their racist police and court practices,” said Roslyn Brown, a member of MORE who has been active in the campaign to reform the municipal courts.
In addition to pressuring Ladue officials to address racial disparities, participants visited Clayton and attempted to meet with attorneys from the law firm Curtis, Heinz, Garrett & O’Keefe to encourage them to cease their involvement with the municipal courts. Instead, the group was met by heavy police presence and denied entry into the building.
Attorneys at the Clayton firm serve as prosecuting attorneys, judges, and city attorneys in nearly 20 municipalities, including Velda City, St. Ann, Normandy and Ferguson.
The group said that Keith Cheung, who serves as the judge in Ladue and a prosecuting attorney in St. Ann, Frontenac, and Normandy, is a perfect example of how the municipal court system functions as a mechanism to generate profit for private interests.
“Even despite the overwhelming statistics that indicate pervasive abuse of municipal courts, these municipalities and attorneys continue to dodge, evade and not speak directly to citizens,” said Derek Laney, an organizer with MORE. “We demand that they not only commit to solutions but dedicate to systemic change.”
