A cohort of community organizations have joined forces to create an official list of demands that they feel will implement steps to eliminate systemic racism within the St. Louis region’s police department and public safety systems.
The petition demands were developed by the St. Louis Organizing Table, a collaboration of 13 St. Louis community groups including Action St. Louis, Forward Through Ferguson, Arch City Defenders, Deaconess Foundation, Metropolitan Congregations United, Missouri Jobs with Justice and the Organization for Black Struggle.
“The time for change is now,” the petition states. “This petition lays out the five immediate first steps on the critical journey for St. Louis City to divest from and defund racist systems, reimagine public safety and equitably invest in community well-being.”
The petition asks that city officials not use COVID-19 relief funds for the police, enact a budget and hiring freeze for police officers and halt contract negotiations with the police union, be transparent about police funding, and close the city jail known as the Workhouse. The city has begun the process to close the Workhouse but it has not been finalized.
For more information, visit https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/end-police-violence-petition.
