This year, the Better Family Life (BFL) annual Family Week for the St. Louis Community is coupled with their Amnesty Project, which allows people who have outstanding warrants for minor traffic, parking and MetroLink infractions to go before the courts without the fear of arrest.
On August 15 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. citizens can meet in the main auditorium at Harris-Stowe State University. In groups of 50, citizens will attend a 45-minute workshop on social responsibility after which they will receive a voucher for the corresponding municipality. Citizens will have up to three business days to use the voucher to deactivate the warrant and set a new court date.
“In 2001 there were over 225,000 people with outstanding traffic related warrants. That was in St. Louis City, and St. Louis County had similar numbers,” the Vice President of Community Outreach for Better Family Life, James Clark, said, “This is a non threatening way to engage the courts.”
One of the many programs that BFL participates in is the St. Louis Metropolitan Area Work Force Development in which citizens are properly prepared to work.
“The participants could pass the interviews, pass the drug tests, but they could not pass the police record check,” Clark said.
What the organization found is that many citizens were unable to get hired because of unpaid minor traffic violations, which resulted in a tainted police record. This problem has especially affected the African American community as black drivers were 67 percent more likely to be pulled over than White or Hispanic drivers last year according to the 2008 Missouri Vehicle Stops annual report. This disparity index has caught the attention of government officials including Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster, who calls the problem a “disturbing trend.”
According to the BFL report, citizens with these minor infractions often do not seek traditional forms of employment for the fear of arrest. This contributes to the economic strain on families as they find it difficult to live comfortably, which in turn can result in citizens finding unlawful ways to provide for their families. Also this increasingly causes stress and social pressure for citizens, which can translate into domestic violence, child neglect or drug abuse in the home.
“This issue can result in someone who finds himself unable to gain employment, get a home and can prevent people from participating in society,” Clark said.
These minor violations also negatively impact the local courts. Courts spend hours processing minor infractions which leads to back-log and courts are owed thousands of dollars in fines.
“This benefits all parties involved,” Clark said.
There are over 30 municipalities currently participating in the Amnesty Project, including the city of East St. Louis, Illinois, which has broadened the event to a regional activity. Pine Lawn Police Chief Rickey Collins is organizing many of the county municipalities that will be participating.
“This is great for people White and African-American,” Collins said, “It may sound simple, but it’s really powerful to start with a new beginning.”
This is the first time the greater St. Louis Metropolitan area is involved. BFL said 7,000 citizens participated in the first Amnesty Project in 2000. The next year, 9,000 citizens took part. BFL hopes that the Amnesty Project will continue to grow.
“We have the trust of government and the people in the community,” Clark said.
BFL is looking to extend the reach of the Amnesty Program to Kansas City in the near future.
Family Week 2009
The Aug. 6 kick-off to Family Week will be followed with The Art and Soul Café on Monday, August 10 at the World’s Fair Pavilion in Forest Park from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. with live local entertainment, vendors and refreshments.
On Saturday, August 15, Peace Fest 2009 will begin at 1 p.m. on the main campus of Harris-Stowe State University. This event will include the Who’s Who in Black St. Louis Celebrity Softball Classic, free back-to-school hair cuts for young students, a chicken wing contest, a car show and more.
For information about Family Week or the Amnesty Project, call 314-381-8200.