Governor Michael L. Parson
St. Louis City Mayor Tishaura Jones
St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page
St. Louis City Board of Alderman President Joseph Vollmer
St. Louis County Council Chairwoman Rita Heard Days
St. Louis City Health Director Dr. Mati Hlatshwayo Davis
St. Louis County Public Health Director Dr. Faisal Khan
Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul C. Wilson
21st Judicial Circuit Presiding Judge Mary Elizabeth Ott
22nd Judicial Circuit Presiding Judge Michael F. Stelzer
St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell
St. Louis City Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner
St. Louis City Sheriff Vernon Betts
St. Louis County Sheriff Scott Kiefer
July 29, 2022
Dear Local and State Leaders:
St. Louis is experiencing disaster-level flooding. Homes are underwater, cars are submerged, and
many people are without power, food, or safe drinking water. As the rain persists and the extent
of widespread devastation remains unclear, we know one thing for certain, in moments of crises
such as these, Black and poor communities will suffer the brunt of loss and hardship.
We are encouraged that some public officials have begun implementing life-saving measures in
the wake of this disaster but we know that in the absence of policies specifically designed to
ensure the stability and well-being of our most marginalized communities, this latest crisis will
cause setbacks that families might not recover from.
We are calling on local and state policymakers to implement the following policies that ensure
there are expanded services and support and minimize the harm suffered by our neighbors as
communities rebuild:
● Impose immediate moratoria on eviction proceedings and foreclosure proceedings
● Impose immediate moratoria on utility shut-offs of any kind, including water, gas, sewer,
and electricity; restore utilities that have been shut off
● Provide government subsidies to increase short-term financial support, such as increasing
available unemployment funds, support for rehousing and support to area food banks
● Provide support so that emergency shelters can remain open 24 hours a day
● Provide 3 meals a day to people who are unhoused
● Abstain from arresting people for ordinance violations, misdemeanors, and non-violent
felonies
● Cease issuing warrants and license suspensions for failure to appear
● Stay or abate the collection of all outstanding fines and costs
● Cancel all probation, parole, pretrial, and diversion court meetings
This unprecedented crisis requires all sectors of our region to work together to ensure that
communities impacted by this disaster can rebuild. We urge you to take the above steps without
delay.
Sincerely,
Action St. Louis
ArchCity Defenders
Faith for Justice
Black Men Build St. Louis
NAACP-St. Louis County
Freedom Community Center
Peace Economy Project
Missouri Jobs with Justice
Pro-Choice Missouri
WePower
Forward through Ferguson
Tent Mission STL
Roderick and Solange MacArthur Justice Center
Unhoused STL