I heard all of it—every word. I felt every emotion. I stayed until the end, until the mayor officially adjourned the City’s 4-hour Board of Estimate and Apportionment meeting.
I thought I was in the queue to testify, but halfway through the meeting, I found out my submission was late. I could’ve left at that point, but it was too compelling. Nearly 100 citizens showed up to express their outrage about the bloated police budget that is being rammed down taxpayers’ throats.
Opponents of the hostile, undemocratic state takeover of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD) have highlighted the police budget as another gangsta tactic used to get its way.
I choked up on Dr. Punch’s emotional testimony. I didn’t hold back the wry smile when I heard Tracy “Spirit” Stanton’s spoken word version of her testimony. Many who testified are on the frontlines of addressing the trauma, desperation, and suffering of St. Louis residents.
The lone voice to support the illegal police budget was David Rodriguez, an EMS employee. He reminded us that first responders like himself provide the critical link between our “living room and the emergency room.“
Opponents of the hostile, undemocratic state takeover of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD) have highlighted the police budget as another gangsta tactic used to get its way. They have used national studies to affirm that the SLMPD is undeserving of a performance raise. Research shows that we have one of the most brutal police departments in the country. St. Louis is one of the most over-policed cities in the nation. This is more than just about money; it’s about the unbridled power to control.
Two recent incidents added to the growing need for local control of the St. Louis Police Metropolitan Department.
Police overtime exploded from $5.5 in 2012 to $25 million in 2025. At the top of the list of highest-paid police personnel was Sgt. Frank Russo. He claims to have worked 90 hours every week last year. This is humanly impossible. Douglas Eatherton, an administrative assistant, made $231,000. At least a dozen employees made more than the police chief, whose pay grade is $175,000.
Where is all this overtime going? Northside residents constantly complain of the lack of response when they call for police assistance. It’s doubtful that the overtime went towards closing out the 1000 unsolved homicides.
Due to the deficiencies in the SLMPD, some affluent neighborhoods are hiring their own private security firms. Sometimes, St. Louis police are hired as their secondary employment. Confidential sources have disclosed that this is double-dipping, receiving payment from a private firm while on the clock for the department.
A thorough and independent investigation must be made into overtime payment and secondary employment.
The vicious attack on non-violent protestors at Mayor Spencer’s “State of the City” event gave a snapshot of the brutality of the police department. The attack on protestors was also an attack on freedom to assemble and on free speech. MAGA monsters have more repressive plans in store for us in the future.
Under state control, citizens can now expect to be confronted by an emboldened police force on the streets of St. Louis. It appears there will be no accountability or consequences from a pro-police Board of Police Commissioners. The economic crisis caused by an unhinged war criminal in the White House is predicted to turn our lives upside down. The overzealous police force will be ready to keep us in check.
The people have spoken. No more money for an over-funded police department in a city that is decreasing in population but increasing in collective rage.
Jamala Rogers is an opinion writer and one of the founding members of the Organization for Black Struggle, based in St. Louis.
Sorry, I respectfully disagree. The “defund the police” approach contributed to STL’s de-facto status as murder capital of the U.S. The police department has run with massive vacancies for years, and it shows. If you think there isn’t a crime problem you have a different vision of what a safe community looks like than many voters and taxpayers in the City of St. Louis.
There is not one time in this article where “defund the police” was used. What I heard was that officers of the law have been stealing time. If they are actually working the hours they say they are working, St Louis shouldn’t be the murder capital of the US should it? I think the keyword here is “accountability”. This is the Show Me State. Show us how you are working 90 hours per week. You need to read the article again with a clean lense.