Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • The Ferguson movement is on the cusp of revolutionizing political power in St. Louis

    Rebecca Rivas

    May 06, 2021 |

    Missouri Independent |

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    Over 3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, St. Louis, Missouri

    Frustrated at the slow pace of criminal justice reform after the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, the grassroots group Action St. Louis formed to seize political power and make change happen from the inside of the system rather than pressuring for change from the outside. After years of organizing and politicking, it flipped key offices – St. Louis city and county prosecutors, the Board of Aldermen, and the mayor – outflanking the police union's candidates with officeholders committed to re-imagining public safety policy.

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  • ‘The fight has to change': Why Ferguson activists ditched police reform

    Rebecca Rivas

    May 03, 2021 |

    Missouri Independent |

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    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, St. Louis, Missouri

    Decades of advocacy for more effective civilian oversight of police-misconduct investigations in St. Louis finally resulted in a new oversight board created in the wake of the death of Michael Brown in nearby Ferguson. But that board has been rendered a "total failure" because the police found ways to keep steering investigations to their secret, internal investigative office and preventing prosecutors from working independently on investigations. A new mayor and a sympathetic prosecuting attorney promise to fix the structural flaws that have let the police continue to investigate themselves.

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  • Prosecutors try to keep people out of pandemic-clogged courts through diversion programs

    Rebecca Rivas

    December 30, 2020 |

    Missouri Independent |

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    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, St. Louis, Missouri

    Missouri legislators passed a law in 2019 clarifying that prosecutors can divert criminal cases to social services and healthcare agencies even before charges are filed. Small experiments that had been taking place in recent years suddenly grew in St. Louis County to help the courts focus only on serious cases during pandemic shutdowns. Now those innovations are spreading, as more drug cases and other low-level cases avoid the courts altogether. This eases the burden also on people, who in traditional drug courts still get arrested and face employment barriers even if their cases eventually get dropped.

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