Press Statement

Organization for Black Struggle echoes shut down of Workhouse

“We need to shut this hell-hole down!”That was the reaction from Derek Laney who participated in one of the recent protests to demand relief for the residents of the St. Louis Medium Security Institution.

For Immediate Release – July 23, 2017

“We need to shut this hell-hole down!”

That was the reaction from Derek Laney who participated in one of the recent protests to demand relief for the residents of the St. Louis Medium Security Institution. Laney is a member of the Organization for Black Struggle, a group who has worked on issues around the prison industrial complex for nearly 40 years.

Laney went on to say, “The Workhouse is in violation of the human and constitutional rights of citizens. This isn’t some Third World country, this is St. Louis, MO in the U.S.A.”

The recent heatwave in the city sent temperatures into triple digits. Reported temperatures in the Workhouse reached 120 degrees because the facility does not have central air conditioning. Residents told OBS that they were given ice chips and rotated to air-conditioned spaces as temporary remedies.

The heat problem has added to the many reasons why OBS and other concerned citizens believe the institution should be closed. It has a long history of abuses and injustices for a population which hasn’t even been convicted of any crimes. Most are waiting to be bonded out or for some judicial ruling; some will even be released for lack of evidence or have their charges dropped because they were wrongfully arrested. Until then, citizens are exposed to unsanitary and unsafe conditions and to abuses by guards.

OBS is calling for Mayor Lyda Krewson and Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner to develop a plan that closes the Workhouse before the next city budget process. The savings can go to diversion programs that allow citizens who are accused of non-violent crimes to post bond and to access a speedy process for resolution of their alleged crime.

We believe the St. Louis Jails are a judicial entrapment for Black and poor people who are victims of racial profiling and a corrupt justice system. Right now, the Workhouse is looking like a death trap.

###

OBS Racial Justice Organizer

The Organization for Black Struggle was founded in 1980 by community activists, students, workers’ rights organizers and others to address the burning issues confronting the African American community. We are a Black-led and member-driven organization. One of the foundational pillars of OBS is the important work around racial justice.This includes, but is not limited to, police accountability, mass incarceration, judicial reform and the death penalty.

“This is what happens to us” Washington Post article on failed response by cities to COVID-19

Poor reporting of data, which initially masked the fact that the disease was disproportionately affecting black communities, remains a problem even as states move to reopen their economies.

Today, Americans living in counties with above-average black populations are three times as likely to die of the coronavirus as those in above-average white counties, according to an analysis of census and other data by The Washington Post.

Jamala & Health Dept Directors on COVID-19 Preparedness

Host Hank Thompson speaks with St. Louis County health director, Spring Schmidt, St. Louis City health director, Dr. Fred Echols, and community activist, Jamala Rogers to discuss the 2019 Coronavirus and St. Louis’ ability to handle an epidemic.

Sign up for Updates

Organization for Black Struggle
P.O. Box 5277
St. Louis, MO 63115
(314) 367-5959 | contactus@obs-stl.org

Workhouse-Shut.It.Down!