Governor Greitens, I want to believe that it wasn’t the media, the many signatures, the phone calls and continued pressure that allowed you to stay the execution of Marcellus Williams. But no matter the reason, this shows your ability to see things from a different perspective. I would hope that you make the right decision in many more situations. I hope you will embrace instances when you see bipartisan efforts to make life better for all Missourians, and trust the people that represent each district in Missouri.
I will hope the governor who stood up to social injustices before he was governor would show up more often. I hope the conversation you had with the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus about police accountability, police/community relationships, and addressing challenges and barriers in black and economically distressed communities wasn’t just for optics. I was elected to fight for not only the 78th House District but all Missourians, even if they don’t agree with me, and I hope that you share this same sentiment.
With the Marcellus Williams case in mind, I will remain an optimist and refuse to believe that your conscience told you that signing SB 43 was right. The fact that we will be rolling back civil rights 60 years, making it nearly impossible to prove discrimination in the workplace, is immoral and wrong. You have chosen to stand against other forms of discrimination, but in this case you decided to stand with a state senator who filed a self-serving bill to protect him and other business owners from the very thing he is being sued for.
You held a special session because you wanted to bring jobs to New Madrid. The black woman who is suing the business of the senator who introduced SB 43 is from New Madrid. So exactly whose jobs security and future were you fighting for down there in New Madrid? I’m sure she would have loved for the man who opposed SJR 39 and stood against the terrible acts of vandalism at the Jewish cemetery in St. Louis to show up for her in New Madrid.
Moreover, I refuse to believe that you don’t want people of St. Louis making livable wages. To allow the people of St. Louis to work hard to raise the city’s minimum wage, only for it to be stripped away, is not acceptable. We fought, businesses fought, the people fought to raise the minimum wage, and politics shouldn’t decide the livelihoods of everyday people who just want to survive.
Unfortunately, on August 28, laws that will set us back went into effect, and laws that would actually help us did not. In a bipartisan effort to save HCB 3, both chambers were able pass the bill, yet you vetoed it. Moreover, the legislature made is so that the city of St. Louis could raise their wage, and you defeated our efforts.
Not listening to the people of Missouri, you fought to bring Right to Work to our state, ignoring numerous studies and other real evidence that shows all of the issues associated with being a Right-to-Work state. The people didn’t agree. Unions organized around Missouri and collected enough votes to take it to the people, and rightfully so.
Now we look to you to show true leadership and use your office to advocate for all residents of Missouri, regardless of differences in political ideologies. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “There comes a time where you must do something not because of politics or because it’s safe but because your conscience tells you it’s right.”
Bruce Franks Jr. (D-St. Louis) represents the 78th House District in the Missouri House of Representatives.
