In June 2021, the Missouri Attorney General’s Office released data from its annual Vehicle Stops Report, which showed in 2020 black drivers were about 71% more likely to be stopped by police than white drivers in Missouri. The Attorney’s General Office has been collecting data on vehicle stops since 2000. Over the past several years,...Read More

Empower Missouri Monthly Friday Forum Series: Date & Time: Friday, October 15, 2021 from 6:00pm – 8:00pm Topic:  How does a father find purpose in pain? In 2014, Michael Brown Sr.’s son was killed by white police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri, an event that fueled the global Black Lives Matter movement. But his personal story...Read More

Use this link to Sign up for the Criminal Justice Coalition. Access the meeting on your computer https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86592925213?pwd=dGcySjF5L0xNNSszRWNWSU5zQW9ZQT09 Meeting ID: 865 9292 5213 Passcode:  986363 Access the meeting on your phone Phone: (929) 205-6099 Meeting ID: 865 9292 5213 Passcode:  986363 Further Reading: Parson signs bevy of criminal justice, public safety bills: ‘We have to do...Read More

Use this link to Sign up for the Criminal Justice Coalition. Please register for the Criminal Justice Coalition call HERE Further Reading: Parson signs bevy of criminal justice, public safety bills: ‘We have to do a better job’ – By Kaitlyn Schallhorn at The Missouri Times Vehicle Stop Report: By The Numbers – By Conner KerriganRead More

Use this link to Sign up for the Criminal Justice Coalition. Access the meeting on your computer https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86592925213?pwd=dGcySjF5L0xNNSszRWNWSU5zQW9ZQT09 Meeting ID: 865 9292 5213 Passcode:  986363 Access the meeting on your phone Phone: (929) 205-6099 Meeting ID: 865 9292 5213 Passcode:  986363 Further Reading: Parson signs bevy of criminal justice, public safety bills: ‘We have to do...Read More

In early August, Saint Louis hosted the Racial Equity Summit. This year’s event was conducted via a virtual format and highlighted major inequities throughout our society, but it also offered timely discussions as to how we could all move forward. The summit included speakers such as Edgar Villanueva, Angela Davis, and Adrienne Maree Brown. In...Read More

Use this link to Sign up for the Criminal Justice Coalition. Access the meeting on your computer https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82760741383?pwd=WURKVkRybXpac1NycHVuekpxUS9mQT09 Meeting ID: 827 6074 1383 Passcode: 254019 Access the meeting on your phone Phone: (929) 205-6099 Meeting ID: 827 6074 1383 Passcode: 254019 Further Reading: Parson signs bevy of criminal justice, public safety bills: ‘We have to do a...Read More

Last week, the beleaguered Editorial Board of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch published an opinion piece in reaction to a news story that 200 detainees facing federal charges have been bussed to out-of-state jails following the closure of the St. Louis Medium Security Institution, colloquially known as The Workhouse. The Editorial Board posits that these “inmates”...Read More

Last week, on behalf of Empower Missouri, I attended the 2021 SEARCH Symposium. It is a national forum that addresses critical and timely issues, programs, research and policies confronting decision-makers and justice information management professionals. Due to the ongoing global pandemic, this year’s session was a hybrid model, which held courses in person and on...Read More

I often describe myself as a grassroots organizer at my core. I really believe that there is no ethical way to advocate for legislative changes other than through the power of the people. For Empower Missouri, that means spending time with people in poverty and the nonprofits agencies they turn to for help. I can...Read More