At a panel event at Harris-Stowe State University on Wednesday, November 15, panelists were asked not what St. Louis could do to address police violence and racism, but whether government policy could create effective change at all. That question was reflected in the title of the event: “Policy after Protest: Is it enough?”
The panel was in many ways a response to the earlier Harris-Stowe event “Protest to Policy.” One of the panelists at the previous event was Mayor Lyda Krewson, and the forum was disrupted by calls for Krewson to fire interim Police Chief Lawrence O’Toole.
At “Policy after Protest,” however, there was little interruption from the audience – and little suggestion that change in St. Louis could come from the top down.
The event featured two panels, each moderated by KMOX news anchor Carol Daniel. The first panel featured St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura O. Jones, student activist Antoine White, St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Tony Messenger, St. Louis Community College professor Terry Freeman, and Keith Williams of the Institute of Justice and Accountability.
The panel discussed what many of them saw as the primary obstacle to making progress in the wake of the not-guilty verdict for police officer Jason Stockley and the protest surrounding it — police culture.
Jones said while she is “cautiously optimistic” about newly appointed Director of Public Safety Jimmie Edwards, she thinks the makeup of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department will also have to change.
Williams, a retired police colonel, said that although he is a member of law enforcement, he has experienced many incidents of racism from the police. His organization now provides training to police departments in bias reduction and alternatives to use of force.
“There’s a lack of trust between law enforcement and the community,” Williams said.
Williams said while police techniques in investigating crimes have advanced impressively over his career, the approach to community relations has not changed at all.
“Race relations with black and brown folks has been stuck in the 1950s,” Williams said.
Answering a question from the audience about whether body cameras would be an effective method of reducing police violence, the panelists were skeptical.
“How many of our people have we seen murdered on camera?” White said.
The theme of the conversation was that approaches that do not directly address cultural racism would be, ultimately, ineffective. Messenger, the only white panelist, offered a suggestion for what his demographic could do.
“My role is, in some cases, in many cases, to speak to white people,” Messenger said.
Whether in his column or in one-on-one conversations, Messenger said, one of the biggest differences he can make is attempting to change the minds of white St. Louisans ignorant or indifferent about racism.
In the second panel, Daniel began with a simple question for state Rep. Bruce Franks, who has led many Stockley verdict protests: What do protesters want, and have they seen any progress?
“We only got this demand, because this is what you gotta understand first: Stop killing us,” Franks said. “And no, I haven’t seen any progress as of yet.”
Although Franks frequently criticizes activists for spending too much time talking and not as much time engaged in direct action, his co-panelists were three academics: law professor Kimberly Norwood, social work professor Darrell Hudson (both of Washington University) and Howard University theology professor Alton Pollard
Daniel asked whether there is still a role for academic debate and discussion in anti-racism movements.
“I think that research still has a place,” Norwood said.
Norwood said knowledge and scholarship are still important to the fight against racism because many people lack basic knowledge that is relevant to the conversation – for example, about the origins of the Civil War.
“It’s not enough, but it is necessary,” Norwood said.
Pollard said clergy can serve an important role in the movement, but both he and Franks said not enough clergy have stepped up.
“I would say most clergy are missing in action,” Pollard said.
Franks said the most effective way to get that message out is to continue protesting, including actions that cause economic disruption, such as canceled concerts.
In response to the essential question of the panel’s name, “Protest after Policy: Is it enough?” Franks said no.
“We can’t get to the policy part yet,” Franks said, “because so many people don’t even understand why we’re protesting.”
Jessica Karins is an editorial intern for the St. Louis American from Webster University.
