St. Louis, Mo – October 11, 2023
What: People’s Plan Town Hall
- At 11am, doors will open for lunch, fellowship, and music.
- Activities and community education will begin promptly at 12pm.
- Host organizations will ask community members what they feel is missing in their neighborhoods and what they need to thrive in St. Louis.
- Following a brief plenary, community members will participate in small group discussions and hear from steering committee members about each pillar of the People’s Plan policy agenda.
- The event will culminate in community members reporting back on their group discussions and policy priorities.
Registration for the event may be done online here.
Who: The People’s Plan is a comprehensive policy agenda designed to help build power and redistribute resources in St. Louis. The plan is rooted in principles of social, economic, and racial justice, and is anchored by nearly 50 local and regional organizations.
Speakers:
Kristian Blackmon, Coalition Coordinator at Homes for All St. Louis and People’s Plan Steering Committee Member
Blake Strode, Executive Director of ArchCity Defenders and People’s Plan Steering Committee Member
Mike Milton, Founder and Executive Director of Freedom Community Center and People’s Plan Steering Committee Member (for Re-envisioning Public Safety)
Kennard Williams, Organizing Manager for Action St. Louis (for Making St. Louis Home)
Andrew Gibson, Executive Director of Freedom Arts & Education Center and People’s Plan Steering Committee Member (for Funding Our Future)
Denise Lieberman, Director & General Counsel at Missouri Voter Protection Coalition (for Building Inclusive Democracy)
When: Saturday, October 14, 2023, 11am – 3pm CST
Where: New Northside Family Life Center, 5939 Goodfellow Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63147
Why:
Bringing together invested and aligned organizations from around the City, we have built a people-first policy agenda that is developed by and for the community. At this Town Hall, we will celebrate what we have accomplished through collective action and lift up that progress, revisit our priorities to ensure they continue to align with the will of the people, and recommit to the work ahead. This is a space to envision a St. Louis that is for and by the people.
Background:
The People’s Plan consists of four pillars:
- Making STL Home: Promoting universal housing, environmental justice, and livability for all St. Louisans.
- Funding Our Future: Ensuring equitable taxation and adequate funding for youth and education.
- Building inclusive Democracy: Ensuring government transparency and maximizing civic engagement.
- Re-envisioning Public Safety: Keeping communities safe by decriminalizing and transforming responses to harm.
Among the notable “wins” of the People’s Plan coalition to date are:
- The establishment of a St. Louis Reparations Commission
- The introduction of legislation to create a Right to Counsel for renters facing eviction
- The emptying and defunding of the Workhouse jail, with the establishment of a community-led process to propose alternative, non-carceral use for the land where the Workhouse sits
- An increase in the number and accessibility of hearings with public question and comment as part of the City budgeting process.
The People’s Plan can be found online at www.peoplesplanstl.org, along with a detailed list of resources, campaigns, and organizations driving the core tenets. Follow the People’s Plan on social media at @peoplesplanstl on Instagram and Twitter.
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Media Contacts:
Angelo Vidal, Communications Fellow, ArchCity Defenders
(314) 488-8614
avidal@archcitydefenders.org
Zoe Griffin, Communications Coordinator, Action St. Louis
(314) 715-1349
zoe@actionstl.org