We have already spoken our mind on the matter of the Confederate Monument in Forest Park and, to us, the matter is very simple. We maintain strongly that it must be removed from our city’s jewel of a public park and given to the Missouri Civil War Museum where it belongs. Concurrently, Confederate Drive, where this gross glorification of the defenders of slavery now sits, should be renamed Abolition Drive or Freedom Way or just about anything other than for the treasonous army that defended race-based chattel slavery.
Mayor Lyda Krewson said she is finalizing plans to remove the offensive monument. The longer it takes, the more needless protests, arguments and acts of vandalism will be staged around the Angel of the Confederacy, which was an angel of dehumanization and death for African Americans. “There is a difference between remembrance of history and reverence of it,” New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said curtly in bringing down the last of his city’s public monuments to the defenders of slavery, and that is really all there is to it. We won’t forget slavery, don’t you worry about that, but we won’t tolerate the public reverence of the people who defended slavery.
We commend St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura O. Jones for starting a crowd-funding effort to remove the statue that will have passed $15,000 of its $25,000 goal by this time this editorial appears. We likewise commend Krewson for her unequivocal forthrightness in welcoming the assistance of crowd-funding to move the monument, even though it originated with her erstwhile political opponent. The rest of the money must be found in the interest of the civic good, and the monument must be moved to a museum where it belongs. This community needs to move forward by removing this symbol of racism and slavery.
Citizen input into police chief search is good, but …
Mayor Krewson was wise to respond to the community call for input in the search for a new police chief. The Citizen Advisory Committee that she appointed is a mix of familiar faces and change agents. We were especially impressed by the appointment of Lisa Cagle, a member of the Coalition Against Police Crimes and Repression, and Alderman Terry Kennedy to this citizen committee. The formation of this citizen committee belies the persistent political rumor that when Krewson negotiated Chief Sam Dotson’s exit she already had an inside candidate tabbed for promotion. We agree with the Ethical Society of Police that the police chief that St. Louis needs is not in the department but must be found elsewhere, and under local control the mayor is not obliged to promote from within.
That said, we must not forget that the police chief reports to the director of Public Safety, a less public but ultimately more impactful position. In addition to supervising the police and fire chiefs, the director’s portfolio includes the Division of Corrections, possibly the Slay administration’s worst disgrace. We beg the community to place as much or more emphasis on the director of Public Safety as the police chief in demanding change from this mayor.
Greitens must veto SB43
Our new outsider Republican Governor Eric Greitens can save himself and our state a tremendous amount of shame by vetoing Senate Bill 43, which weakens workplace protections for women and minorities. If enacted, the law would require plaintiffs to prove claims of discrimination are “the motivating factor” in an action by an employer; existing law says the plaintiff has only to prove discrimination was “a contributing factor.” If he signs this noxious bill into law, Greitens invites on himself the stench and shame of the bill sponsor, state Sen. Gary Romine (R- Farmington), who owns a rental housing company in Southwest Missouri, Show-Me Rent-to-Own, that is currently being sued for race discrimination. “There is nothing more corrupt than someone getting elected to go to Jeff City to sponsor a bill that would directly benefit himself,” attorney Paul Bullman told KCUR. “That’s the definition of corruption.” If Greitens does not want to ally himself with the definition of corruption, he must veto SB 43.
