JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Democrats in the Missouri Senate started a filibuster Wednesday afternoon to protest a wide-ranging public safety measure being considered by the legislature.
Shortly after gaveling in, Democrats lined up to ask the Republican sponsor of the legislation about why politicians from outside of St. Louis City are concerned about the police department in a part of the state where they don’t reside.
Several Democrats reminded the Senate that—outside of Kansas City—all of the police chiefs in their communities are picked by municipal leaders or elected as sheriffs.
Senator Karla May, a Democrat representing portions of St. Louis City, said it is an embarrassment that this is what the state’s top legislative body is focusing on.
“To try to say you care about the safety of the people of St. Louis, where the heck was you when 150 years of corruption under the board that was in place before,” May asked lawmakers on the Senate floor. “Where the heck was you when all the crime and stuff was the highest crime we had under the 52 years of the state takeover?”
“You wasn’t crying out then when the board and the police chief and everybody else was corrupt back then, where were you?” May said. “Just stop. The hypocrisy is real; just stop.”
The filibuster started with Sen. Steven Roberts, D-St. Louis City, asking for debate over the bill, which passed out of the House as HB 495.
That large public safety proposal also contains provisions regarding the immigration status of criminal offenders as well amendments related prosecuting attorneys, inmate cell phones, stunt driving and more.