When a prisoner in the St. Louis Medium Security Institution, commonly known as the Workhouse, died on August 2, the police wouldn’t release his name at first. Then, a group of activists who form the Close the Workhouse coalition did it for them. On August 8, they held a press conference condemning the Workhouse itself for the death of the man they identified as Louis “Lynn” Payton, age 48. According to the police report, Payton “suddenly collapsed” while at the Medium Security Institution and was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead.
At the press conference, the family of the deceased questioned the circumstances of Payton’s death. Along with members of Close the Workhouse, they advocated for the shutdown of the jail due to poor conditions and what they see as the jail’s systemic oppression of black people.
“Louis, like too many people, has suffered and died inside the Workhouse, and it needs to be shut down,” said Janice Washington, sister of Payton. “We want justice for Louis, and we don’t want any more families to have to go through this.”
Activists have questioned the safety of the conditions for years now. Last summer, inmates told the world that they lacked air conditioning in the extreme heat in a viral video, which led to large protests outside the jail and eventually to the installation of air conditioning. Problems with rats and mold, however, still remained inside the jail, according to inmates. A 2017 lawsuit against the jail cited those same concerns. Staff have admitted that they are understaffed, and that healthcare provisions inside the Workhouse is limited.
Payton is the second known person to die inside the Workhouse this year, after officials found 30-year-old Andre Jones hanging from a bed sheet in an apparent suicide last May. Out of a relatively small jail population – as of last summer, there were approximately 700 inmates, although the number varies – two deaths in only a few months is concerning.
Over 90 percent of those in the Workhouse are pretrial detainees, meaning they are incarcerated only because they are unable to pay bail, according to Close the Workhouse. Louis Payton was one of those detainees, and never got his day in court before his collapse and death in the Workhouse.
“The Workhouse is irredeemable,” Inez Bordeaux, Close the Workhouse campaign member, said at the press conference. “It is not fit for human beings and needs to be permanently closed. Louis’ death exposes St. Louis city’s ugly side – their disregard for black men and black families. We will not stand for any of that.”
Mayor Lyda Krewson said the city is making strides towards making the jail more livable, and that some portion of the funds from the recently passed Proposition 1 will go towards upgrades at the facility.
“Over the past 12 months, the city’s jail population has decreased 12 percent, mostly from the Medium Security Institution,” Krewson’s spokesperson said in a statement. “We are also continually looking for ways to keep the facilities up to date.”
Close the Workhouse advocates, however, said that this will not be enough for the families of people like Louis Payton.
“‘Close the Workhouse’ is our central demand,” said Michelle Higgins, lead organizer of the Close the Workhouse campaign. “The Payton family, we’ve never asked, ‘Can you guys say this?’ but they have felt deeply that that is part of what they need in terms of justice for Louis.”
She met members of the Payton family at a block party that ActionSTL, the black-led organization responsible for the #ByeBob campaign, hosted. “Louis has a very big family,” Higgins said. “He was very dearly loved.”
After receiving the news of their loved one’s death, the family approached ActionSTL and the ArchCity Defenders for help and became part of the Close the Workhouse campaign. They agree that renovations on the workhouse aren’t enough: The jail must be closed for good.
