IT’S TIME TO RING A BREATH OF
FRESH AIR IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
>> LYFT NIGHT, THE CITY OF ST.
LOUIS ELECTED ITS FIRST BLACK
WOMAN MAYOR.
CITY TREASURER TASHARA JONES.
JONES RAN A PROGRESSIVE PLATFORM
DIRECTING THE CITY’S CORONAVIRUS
AID TOWARDS RENTAL AND MORTGAGE
ASSISTANCE, AS WELL AS RESOURCES
FOR THOSE THAT ARE HOMELESS.
SHE PLEDGED TO RESTRUCTURE THE
POLICE DEPARTMENT, REALLOCATING
ITS BUDGET TOWARDS INVESTMENT IN
SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND MENTAL
HEALTH SERVICES.
ST. LOUIS LEADS THE ENTIRE
COUNTRY AND THE CITY HAD ITS
HIGHEST HOMICIDE RATE IN 50
YEARS IN 2020.
IT’S QUITE A BIG JOB SHE HAS
AHEAD OF HER.
I AM EXCITED TO BE JOINED BY
TASHARA JONES.
I AM GRATEFUL.
SO LET’S JUST GET STARTED.
CONGRATULATIONS, FIRST OF ALL ON
YOUR VICTORY AND LET’S DIG INTO
WHAT YOU HAVE AHEAD OF YOU.
CORONAVIRUS CASES IN ST. LOUIS,
MORE THAN 22,000, NEARLY 23,000.
458 DEATHS.
VERY HIGH POVERTY RATE, 21.8%.
HOW DO YOU BEGIN TO EVEN DIG
INTO ALL OF THAT?
>> WELL, JOY, THANK YOU FOR
HAVING ME.
I AM HONORED TO BE HERE THIS
EVING.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO TACKLE OUR
PROBLEMS ONE BY ONE.
I THINK THE OTHER THING THAT WE
HAVE TO, THAT’S WITHIN THESE
NUMBERS IS ST. LOUIS IS ONE OF
THE MOST HYPERSEGREGATED CITIES
IN THE COUNTRY.
WE ARE KNOWN FOR THE DELMAR
DIVIDE.
PEOPLE THAT LIVE NORTH OF
DELMAR, 90% ARE AFRICAN-AMERICAN
AND THE FIRST 12 CORONAVIRUS
DEATHS WERE ALL BLACK PEOPLE.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TOTALLY
NEGLECTED OVER HALF OF OUR CITY
AND WE CANNOT EXPECT IT TO
THRIVE IF HALF OF IT IS LEFT TO
FEND FOR ITSELF.
>> AND YOU, WE HAVE NOW PASSED
AT LEAST THE BIG STIMULUS BILL
AND NOW THERE IS TALK OF A BIG
TRANSPORTATION BILL.
WHAT COULD AN INFUSION OF
FEDERAL MONEY THAT COULD END UP
IN YOUR CITY, WHAT CAN IT DO?
WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH THAT?
>> THAT CAN TOTALLY TURN ST.
LOUIS AROUND.
WE HAVE BEEN SAVING MONEY FROM A
LOCAL TAX THAT WE RASED TO
EXPAND OUR ET RO LINK AND THIS
INFRASTRUCTURE BILL XOULD BE
HUGE FOR US TO MAKE SURE THAT WE
CAN FINALLY FINISH THIS PROJECT.
WE’VE UPDATED THE STUDY TO MAKE
SURE WE ARE READY TO BE BACK IN
THE PIPELINE FOR FEDERAL
FUNDING.
AND ALSO, LIKE I SAID, OUR CITY
HAS A LOT OF POVERTY.
THAT’S WHY WE GOT SO MUCH MONEY.
SO THIS WILL BE A HUGE SHOT IN
THE ARM TO MAKE SURE OUR PEOPLE
CANNOT ONLY SURVIVE BUT THRIVE.
>> WE HAVE BEEN REPORTING A LOT
ON THE DEREK CHAUVIN CASE AND
OTHER POLICE BRUTALITY CASES.
THERE WAS AN INFAMOUS ONE IN THE
CITY OF ST. LOUIS WHERE SOME
WHITE OFFICERS BEAT A BLACK UNDER COVER OFFICER THINKING HE
UNDER COVER OFFICER THINKING HE
WAS A BLACK LIVES MATTER
PRACTICE TESTER
PROTESTOR.
GETTING YOUR ARMS AROUND
CRIMINAL JUSTICE, WHAT KIND OF
REFORMS CAN YOU DO AS MAYOR?
>> WELL, I THINK WE HAVE TO
ADDRESS THE ELEPHANT IN THE
ROOM, JOY.
AND WE STILL HAVE TWO SEPARATE
POLICE UNIONS IN ST. LOUIS.
ONE FOR BLACK OFFICERS AND ONE
FOR WHITE OFFICERS.
AND SO IF THEY CAN’T TRUST EACH
OTHER, THEN HOW CAN THEY EXPECT
THE PUBLIC TO TRUST THE POLICE?
SO WE HAVE TO HAVE THESE HARD,
UNCOMFORTABLE CONVERSATIONS.
I THINK WE ARE OVERDUE FOR TRUTH
AND RECONCILIATION IN ST. LOUIS,
BECAUSE WE SEE AND KNOW THE
POLICIES THAT HAVE KEPT OUR
REGION BACK AND WE HAVE TO
EMBRACE THAT UNCOMFORTABLE PAST
AND UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH AND ALSO
EMBRACE IT SO WE CAN MOVE
FORWARD.
>> YEAH.
I CAN’T GET AWAY FROM THE OTHER
ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM.
YOU AS A BLACK WOMAN ARE A
RARITY IN TERMS OF BEING A MAYOR
IN A MAJOR CITY LIKE THE ONE YOU
ARE IN.
TALK ABOUT WHAT THAT
REPRESENTATION MEANS.
I KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO ME TO
SEE YOU.
WHAT DOES THAT REPRESENTATION
MEAN IN YOUR VIEW?
>> I THINK IT ALSO MEANS A HUGE
REPRESENTATION FOR SINGLE MOMS.
I AM A SINGLE MOTHER, WITH THE
MOST ADORABLE 13-YEAR-OLD SON.
HE IS THE REASON FOR THE THINGS
I WANT TO DO IN POLITICS.
I WANT TO BUILD A ST. LOUIS
WHERE HE IS ABLE TO WALK ACROSS
THE STREET TO MY FATHER’S HOUSE
WITHOUT FEAR OF BEING SHOT AT OR
PULLED A GUN ON, WHICH HAS
HAPPENED TO HIM.
I WANT A ST. LOUIS WHERE HE IS
NOT AFRAID OF POLICE OFFICERS.
ONCE HE FOUND OUT WHAT THE MAYOR
DOES AND THAT, YOU KNOW, THE
MAYOR IS OVER THE POLICE, HE
IMMEDIATELY SAID TO ME, WELL,
THAT MEANS I’LL BE SAFE.
HIS MOTHER DOESN’T HAVE TO
BECOME MAYOR FOR HIM TO FEEL
SAFE AROUND POLICE OFFICERS OR
NEITHER SHOULD ANY CHILD.
>> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
THOSE ARE INSPIRING WORDS HIM I
AM INSPIRED BY YOU.
ST. LOUIS MAYOR ELECT TASHARA
JONES.
CONGRATULATIONS.
I KNOW YOU WILL DO GREAT THINGS,
VERY, VERY LUCKY, THE CITY OF