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Missouri protests continue over the death of Minnesota’s George Floyd

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Hundreds of protesters have lined streets in Kansas City, Springfield, Columbia, and the St. Louis area this weekend chanting phrases like “Hands up, don’t shoot” and “No justice, no peace”. They have been calling attention to this week’s death of George Floyd, an African-American man in Minneapolis. A white police officer is accused of third-degree murder after pinning Floyd to the ground by pressing his knee into Floyd’s neck for about eight minutes.

Photo courtesy of KMBC-TV

The casualty is stirring up the pain felt when 18-year-old Michael Brown, Jr. was shot to death in 2014 by a Ferguson police officer. Brown, an unarmed African-American man, was killed by Darren Wilson, who is white.

Brown’s death led to protests for days on the streets of Ferguson, looting, and vandalism – some of the same acts happening in Minneapolis, Atlanta, and elsewhere during protests. His death also sparked a movement driven to stop unarmed African-Americans from getting killed by law enforcement.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas tells KMBC-TV he wants this weekend’s protesters to work for change in the community between African-Americans and police.

“What we are not out here to do is act a fool, is to have generalized hooliganism, is to do something that will, I think, tarnish not just the life of George Floyd but also to tarnish, I think, what is a wonderful peaceful rally,” he says.

Lucas, who is African-American, spoke with passion about bringing people together – not driving them apart.

“We’re not here to just try to start something that is tangential to what the goal of us is – is to make sure that people can live equally, to make sure that people can walk around feeling safe, to make sure that every black mother in this city has the chance to say ‘I know my son’s going to come back and he’s not going to get shot by somebody on the street, he’s not going to get shot by the police, he’s not going to get messed by somebody in those different areas.’ That’s all I’m asking,” says Lucas. “And that’s all we want today.”

Taylar Johnson Coody spoke with heavy emotion.

“I’m tired of having to wake up and go to social media to see every, I’m sorry, of having to see another black person on the floor. I’m tired of people dying and I’m tired of having to come out here and protest for the people I love and care about,” she tells KMBC.

In Kansas City, some protesters have been arrested and police have used pepper spray on some individuals. On Twitter, the Kansas City Police Department confirmed officers are using tear gas to keep people off of streets.

In the St. Louis region today, protesters lined the streets in Clayton, University City, and in Ferguson. Some demonstrators blocked traffic on Interstate 70.

State Representative Rasheen Aldridge, D-St. Louis, spoke during today’s rally.

“This is our moment. Let’s make it right. This is our moment to show the world that we ain’t f***ing around no more,” he says. “Just because we’re mad don’t make us violent. Just because we’re pissed don’t make us terrorists.”

Before an Urban League donation drive today, Missouri Congressman Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis, said there should be justice for George Floyd.

“If George Floyd would have been white, would he have died on the street like an animal begging for mercy while he struggled to breathe,” asks Clay. “The three officers who stood by and did absolutely nothing to save his life must be charged as accessories to murder.”

After Brown’s death, Clay helped to create a consent decree between the City of Ferguson and the U.S. Department of Justice to help change policing practices.

Here are scenes from earlier today in southwest Missouri’s Springfield:

In response to the protests, Gov. Mike Parson has declared a state of emergency. He has signed an executive order giving the Missouri Adjutant General or his designee the power to activate National Guard soldiers if necessary. In a press release, Parson says the Missouri National Guard and the Missouri Highway Patrol stand ready to support local authorities.

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of George Floyd. We are also saddened by the acts of violence that have transpired across our nation and state in response to this event. At this time, we are taking a proactive approach to protect Missouri and its people,” the governor says. “Citizens have the right to peacefully assemble and protest, and the State of Missouri is committed to protecting the lawful exercise of these rights.”

Parson says despite the many peaceful assemblies, other events have created conditions of distress and hazards to the safety, welfare, and property of residents and visitors that are beyond the capacities of local authorities.

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Missouri lawmakers to return to Jefferson City on April 27; they’ll practice social distancing (AUDIO)

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Missouri’s governor believes it’s safe for state lawmakers to return to the Capitol in Jefferson City later this month, adding that the decision is up to legislators. The top leaders in the GOP-controlled Missouri Senate and House say lawmakers will come back on April 27.

State Rep. Rasheen Aldridge, D-St. Louis, speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on January 28, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Governor Mike Parson (R) responded Wednesday to a question from Missourinet during his daily media briefing, asking him about the COVID-19 health concerns raised by State Rep. Rasheen Aldridge, D-St. Louis.

“There’s still work to be done everyday here at the state, the state keeps going,” Parson says. “So I look for them to be back and I think they will but I think also they’ll take precautions to make sure people can be as safe as they can when they come back to the Capitol.”

Legislative leaders note they have until the May 8 constitutional deadline to approve the state operating budget.

House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, and other legislative leaders say lawmakers will continue to practice social distancing when they return, and that infection mitigation procedures will continue.

They also say it’s critical that lawmakers keep state government funded and services operating without interruption.

State Rep. Bob Bromley, R-Carl Junction, is screened for COVID-19 symptoms by a Capitol Region Medical Center professional on April 8, 2020 in Jefferson City (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Representative Aldridge has COVID-19 safety concerns, for the 163-member House and for staff and Capitol visitors.

“We haven’t really reached the peak of this COVID-19 outbreak for cases being reached, deaths being reached in the state and not also having enough tests to know exactly who has this potential virus,” says Aldridge.

Aldridge says the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation projects that Missouri will reach its peak deaths per day on April 29.

Legislative leaders say they’ll use the time between now and April 27 to monitor the trajectory of Missouri’s coronavirus cases.

Aldridge would prefer that lawmakers tackle the budget in a special session this summer.

“We could be entering something that we just don’t know, I mean no one knows, and I’m not blaming anybody,” Aldridge says. “But we don’t know what’s going to happen in the next couple of weeks, and Missouri is continuing to see an increase in COVID cases.”

State health officials say there are now 4,895 confirmed coronavirus cases in Missouri, along with 147 deaths.

Pro Tem Schatz, Speaker Haahr and other GOP legislative leaders say the decision to move forward on April 27 was not an easy one. They say the General Assembly will continue with social distancing and that hearings and proceedings will be open to the public.

They’re still encouraging you to participate in the process remotely, when possible.

State lawmakers left Jefferson City on April 8, after approving a historic $6.2 billion emergency relief package to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, which has cost thousands of jobs across the state. Haahr notes it’s the largest supplemental budget in state history.

The House debate was unlike anything that’s ever been seen in the chamber, with Speaker Haahr wearing a mask and the chamber limited to ten people at one time. There were no visitors in the upper galleries, which normally are filled with schoolchildren, lobbyists and the general public.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with State Rep. Rasheen Aldridge, D-St. Louis, which was recorded on April 15, 2020:

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Twice-daily Amtrak service across Missouri gets bipartisan support in House Budget Committee

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A bipartisan group of lawmakers on the Missouri House Budget Committee teamed up this week to support a GOP amendment, which removes the restriction to once-daily Amtrak passenger service across Missouri.

The amendment is from State Rep. Aaron Griesheimer, R-Washington. The Missouri River Runner train stops in his hometown of Washington, which has an Amtrak station near the Missouri River.

State Reps. Rasheen Aldridge, D-St. Louis, and Wes Rogers (far right), D-Kansas City, listen to testimony during a House Budget Committee hearing on March 15, 2020 in Jefferson City (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

State Rep. Rasheen Aldridge, D-St. Louis, voted for the Griesheimer amendment on Sunday. Representative Aldridge has ridden the Missouri River Runner train from St. Louis to Jefferson City, for session.

“I’ve used the Amtrak quite often, and I know how essential it is not just to me but to people that are trying to see our great state,” Aldridge says. “If it’s getting to Kansas City, Jefferson City, other stops that people like to visit.”

Representative Aldridge tells colleagues that both the morning and afternoon Amtrak trains are usually 90 percent full when he rides, and emphasizes the service’s need.

The train stops in downtown St. Louis, near 14th Street. It also stops in several Missouri towns, including Sedalia, Warrensburg and Hermann.

The Budget Committee has voted 19-16 to approve the Griesheimer amendment, which is aimed at preserving twice-daily service from St. Louis to Kansas City.

State Rep. Wes Rogers, D-Kansas City, also voted for the amendment, telling Griesheimer that twice-daily train service is good for tourism too.

“When we visit my in-laws in St. Louis, we like to get on the train in Kirkwood (a St. Louis suburb), take it to your district, spend the day and get back on the train and then go home. It’s my son’s favorite thing to do. Without your amendment, would that be impossible?” Rogers asks.

“Yes,” Griesheimer responds.

“Thank you, no more questions,” Rogers says.

The Amtrak issue could come up again on the House floor, when the full Missouri House begins budget debate. It’s unclear now when that will be, due to coronavirus concerns.

The state owes Amtrak more than $6 million in unpaid bills.

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