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

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

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

Hi! My name is Chris Morrison. I have always had a desire to make an impact on the world around me. Throughout my career in the non-profit sector, I have had a goal to leave each person that I’ve worked with in a better state than before. I’m proud to say that in my entire...Read More

It’s the third week of May, which means that you’re hearing crickets from hundreds of lobbyists and advocates across the state who are taking a much deserved break after working many late nights over the last three weeks as the Missouri legislature hurtled towards its inevitable close at 6PM last Friday night. Due to widening...Read More

Missouri has an HIV criminalization problem. Under current Missouri law, if someone knows they are living with HIV but does not disclose their status before engaging in certain activities considered to be “exposure”— some of which don’t carry any risk of transmission — they can be charged with a class B felony, punishable by five...Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 19th, 2021 (JEFFERSON CITY, MO)…Empower Missouri and its network of supporters in Missouri will be joining in a coordinated Week of Action from April 19th – 22nd on Zoom this week, demanding that state lawmakers support legislation that helps Missourians have food, shelter and justice.  The actions include fighting back against...Read More

Many states have begun the efforts of legalizing low-level offenses; however, the records of past criminal histories are still a challenge that presents many obstacles for job seekers.  A criminal conviction can carry all sorts of consequences, even some that are beyond the scope of the penalties that are associated with a criminal sentence. It...Read More