The GOP Power Grab, Part 1

In yet another example of Missouri Republicans overriding the will of the people, the state legislature is about to strip the city of St. Louis of its locally controlled police department, reinstating state control in a move that echoes Civil War-era policies. House Bill 495, which has already passed the Missouri Senate and is expected to sail through the House, illustrates a disturbing pattern: when Missouri voters pass measures Republicans don’t like, they simply override them.

A Pattern of Disrespect for the Voters

Looking back to 2012, Missouri voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition A, returning control of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department to the city after more than 150 years of state oversight. This oversight literally grew out of issues arising during the American Civil War. The measure was passed through a statewide vote, meaning citizens from across Missouri had their say, and they clearly said, “let St. Louis control its own police department.” Yet, the Missouri legislature, dominated by Republicans, is now about to disregard that vote—just as they have done with other voter-approved measures in the past.

Consider the Republican track record. Back in 2020, Missourians voted to expand Medicaid, but the Republican-led legislature refused to fund it until forced by the courts. In 2018, voters backed "Clean Missouri," which implemented nonpartisan redistricting, only for the legislature to gut the law in 2020. The voters also approved increasing the minimum wage in 2018 with Proposition B, yet GOP lawmakers worked hard to undermine its impact at the local level. Even now, in the aftermath of Amendment 3, which restored women's bodily autonomy, Republicans in our state legislature are working overtime to kill it.

Republicans in Missouri have shown time and again that when the people make a decision, they will override it if it doesn’t align with their political agenda.

Whatever Happened to the Party of Small Government?

For decades, the Republican Party championed itself as the party of small government, local control, and less interference. However, Missouri’s Republican leadership has completely abandoned that principle, probably because it didn’t yield them enough power. Rather than allowing local elected leaders to govern their own jurisdictions, the state GOP has taken every opportunity to centralize control at the state level.

For example, they've restricted school boards from implementing policies they don’t like. They've blocked cities from passing their own gun laws to curb violence. And now, they are stripping St. Louis of its right to control its own police force.

This isn’t about crime. It’s about power. It’s about ensuring that decision-making is concentrated in Jefferson City, where the Republican supermajority can dictate policies without all that pesky input from the people.

The Crime Argument is a Convenient Excuse

Supporters of the police takeover argue that St. Louis is "out of control" with crime, justifying the need for state intervention. However, data tells a different story. On a per-capita basis, the crime rate in St. Louis is certainly not good, but still, it ranks behind other cities in Missouri. So, will the legislature now push to seize control of other city police departments, such as Springfield, based on this logic? Or is this really about targeting St. Louis because of its Democratic leadership?

It really isn’t a question of crime. For over 20 years, Missouri Republicans have controlled the state legislature, yet during this time, crime rates have gone up. Missouri leads the Midwest in violent and property crimes and even surpasses Michigan in violent crime by a significant margin. Despite their tough-on-crime rhetoric, Republican policies have failed to produce real results. This could easily lead one to conclude that having Jefferson City take over control of the St. Louis Police Department is ill-fated and ill-advised and not likely to produce meaningful results.

What Happens Next?

HB 495 will likely pass the House and head to Governor Mike Kehoe’s desk for signature. St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones has vowed to continue fighting against this measure, but without direct intervention from the courts or a massive public outcry, the Republican-led legislature will once again disregard the will of the people as they tighten their grip on local governance.

So, let me ask: If our votes don’t matter to the people in power, what does?