The following statement was signed by more than 60 clergy leaders.
We, the undersigned clergy, stand in unequivocal support of St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner and call upon St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson and other elected officials to stand with her and demand the St. Louis Police Officers Association to stop the attacks against her.
One of the definitions of justice is “the use of authority and power to uphold what is right, just or lawful.” As the first African American to lead the Circuit Attorney’s Office in St Louis or any prosecutor’s office in the State of Missouri, Gardner has stood as a stalwart for this ideal. She upholds the belief that it is a fundamental right for all human beings to be treated fairly and with all deliberate speed, even and especially those who have historically treated unfairly and experience systemic oppression.
In a city fraught with poverty and lack of opportunities, she intentionally focused on low-level, non-violent offenders whose main offenses are rooted in poverty. In so doing, she sought to make sure the bail system was fair and not focused on extracting from those who have little to give. She seeks to be fair and equitable with members of the most vulnerable wards in the City of St. Louis, taking a posture of preventative measures so that young men and women will not end up in her office simply for being poor and segregated.
In examining her work and her compassion, we believe her decisions are biblically rooted and illustrated by “true judgments, kindness, and mercy” (Zechariah 7:9 ESV).
As a black woman who shattered the racial glass ceiling, Gardner has been plagued by accusation, racism, sexism, and a complete lack of support from the Mayor’s Office. She has been consistently met with the ire and systemic racism that has been the cornerstone of criminal justice in the City of St. Louis. It is a system that has been skewed in unfair treatment and scales of justice that are unbalanced and racially biased.
The St. Louis Police Officers Association continues to target her and is unrelenting in its attacks against her personhood. It is not just shameful but also unconscionable. It is a sad reality when a duly elected official has to sue the police department and the city for their blatant acts of racism against the citizens they were sworn to serve and protect. We stand with her and denounce all public and private acts of aggression and attacks.
Gardner exemplifies what St. Louis should and could be as she demonstrates her belief in restorative justice as evidenced in her forensic examination of prior cases, the Workhouse, and the cash bail system. It is apparent that the powerful status quo sees her as a threat to the system of peonage that funded certain parts of the city at the expense of neighborhoods north of Delmar. Every attack is an attempt to maintain the St. Louis of Dred Scott, the St. Louis of enslavement, the St. Louis of mass incarceration of black bodies and to widen and sustain the Delmar Divide.
We, the undersigned clergy, stand with Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner. Gleaning from our diverse readings of sacred texts, we believe in fairness and an opportunity for restoration to those most vulnerable among us. The definition of justice as “the comprehensive well-being of all” compels us to speak out against a system that targets this African-American woman.
To sign-on in support of Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner, visit http://bit.ly/StandForKim.
Rev. Cassandra Gould is the Religious Affairs director for the Missouri NAACP State Conference.
Reverend Antona Brent Smith
Rev. Dr. Cassandra Gould
Pastor Larita Rice-Barnes
Sister Mary Ann McGivern, SL
Ira Sanders
Reverend Jacquelyne Tyler
Rev. Dr. K Evangeline Frye
Reverend Christine Pennington-Stancil
Rev. Barbara Gadon
Rev. Krista Taves
Rev. Roger Bertschausen
Cory Lovell
Rev. Molly Housh Gordon
Rev. Dottie Matthews
Evangelist Regina Dodson
Reverend Darryl Commings
Rev. Dr. Teresa Danieley
Minister Reginald McNichols
Reverend Brenda Jones
Reverend Rebecca Ragland
Rabbi Susan Talve
Retired Presiding Elder C. Jessel Strong
Rev. Beth Svriven
Reverend Bridget Mitchell
Rev. Dr. Heather Arcovitch
Rev. Julie Taylor
Pastor Clinton Stancil
Reverend Lois Yatzeck
Reverend Darryl Gray
Reverend Potia Henry, Father Gerald Kleba
Bishop Servant Pastor Von D. Smith
Reverend Kimberley Woodruff
Reverend Maureen Dickmann
Reverend Rodney Francis
Rev. Audreia Alexander
Rev. Traci Blackmon
Rev. Dr. Gina M. Stewart
Rev. Anthony McPherson
Rev. E Grisom
Rev. Dr. (Pastor) Emmett Baker, Jr.
Executive Supply Pastor Sekinah Hamlin
Reverend Dionne Boissiere
Rev. Dr. Valerie Bridgeman
Rev. Dr. Leslie Copeland Tune
Rev. Rachel Williams-Glenn
Reverend Margaretta Smith Narcisse
Associate Minister Rev. Darlene Easley
Reverend Christopher Ware
Rev. Dr. Karen Anderson
Rev. Dr. Deb Krause
Rev. Clyde Crumpton
Rev. Dr. Robert Hill
Archbishop Michael West Sr.
Lay Supporters
Dr. Christi Griffin
Nathan Maul
Felicia Reece
Deborah Mason
Estella Shockley
