Missouri voters overwhelmingly voted to return local control of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department to the City of St. Louis only ten years ago, and Empower Missouri urges citizens, community leaders, and advocates to stand together to keep it that way. HB 495 and SB 44 not only overturn the will of Missouri voters,...Read More

Date: January 22, 2025 To: Chairman Myers and Members of the House Committee on Crime and Public Safety From: Mallory Rusch, Executive Director, Empower Missouri Re: Our opposition to HB 495 On behalf of the staff, board, and statewide Criminal Justice Coalition convened by Empower Missouri, I am here today to oppose HB 495. I...Read More

On behalf of the staff, board, and statewide Criminal Justice Coalition convened by Empower Missouri, I am here today to oppose the bills referenced above. I am also a lifelong resident of and long-time homeowner in the City of St. Louis.  First and foremost, there is simply no logical explanation for pursuing this type of...Read More

Whether you have been part of the Empower Missouri advocacy network for a long time or just joined our mailing list this week, there has never been a more important time to be a social justice advocate. Our planet is rocked by three crises simultaneously that interact with each other with synergistic power: The novel...Read More

In the past few months, we have all watched in shock and disbelief as precious lives have been taken from African Americans as a result of police brutality. We are outraged by these tragic events! The horrific killing of George Floyd, preserved on video, the police shooting of Breonna Taylor and the beating of Marvia...Read More

The St. Louis City Police Department covers one of the largest and most racial diverse jurisdictions in Missouri - roughly half of the city’s population is Black, and the other half is White, according to census data from 2010, the most recent available.Read More

In March, five listening sessions were conducted with Jefferson City residents regarding interactions between their community and the Jefferson City Police Department. A subsequent survey was taken by the participants. The racial makeup of those surveyed were as follows: 20 African Americans35 European Americans2 individuals who did not disclose their race The genders of those...Read More

The racial disparity between stops of drivers is at its highest level since publication began in 2000.Read More

June 3, 2019   For More Information: Jeanette Mott Oxford Executive Director, Empower Missouri (314) 775-3261   Conner Kerrigan Communications Director, Empower Missouri (815) 263-1261 On May 31st, 2019, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt released the annual Vehicle Stops Report of 2018 (VSR) as mandated by Missouri statutes. As an organization that advocates for the...Read More

In last week’s Perspective, we talked about the roadblocks our HIV policy modernization bill hit and how we’ll persist and organize for future success. Today, though, we want to tell you about a few truly unmistakable wins that Empower Missouri saw this week.Read More