Black and 'progressive' agendas don't always align
It has never been an easy alliance. On the surface it would appear that black elected officials would find a natural ally in white elected officials who label themselves as progressives. Both sides say they support an end to systemic racism in the region and the state. Both sides say they are ready to change the “good ol’ boy” ways of St. Louis City Hall that have long seen nepotism and cronyism get in the way of progress and new ideas. But appearances (and political rhetoric) can be deceiving.
The signs of the rift have long been there. One could look at the 2015 debate to create the city’s Civilian Oversight Board to independently investigate complaints of abuse by police. As an alderman, I was the lead sponsor of that bill and after the events in Ferguson and the regional unrest in 2014, we felt that the time was right to finally get the bill passed. An attempt to pass similar legislation had failed a decade earlier when then-Mayor Francis Slay vetoed the bill. But post-Ferguson, even those who had been perpetual barriers to racial equity and progress wanted to at least appear publicly that they were now “woke,” as the kids say. So in 2015, Slay reversed course to publicly say he supported the creation of an oversight board — but only a weak one. If the Board of Aldermen adopted my amendment to add subpoena power, Slay said he would veto it again. Without the votes needed for a veto override, the weaker version of the bill is what came to the floor for a vote. But most white aldermen, even some who call themselves progressive, could still not support the bill.
Christine Ingrassia, a white progressive who represents the 6th Ward, a majority-black ward redrawn in 2011 specifically (but ultimately unsuccessfully) to maintain the board’s black representation, voted “present.” Alderman Scott Ogilvie, representing the 24th Ward who is another vocal progressive, also voted “present.” Most other white, South Side aldermen simply voted “no.” Thankfully, the bill passed anyway.
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