The thing that should hopefully unite everyone against Kimberly Gardner is reading about how her office has consistently failed to bring charges against the accused in a timely manner.
This is exactly what she ran against. This is exactly what she wanted to reform.
Tell me where to sign, and I will sign any form that goes toward removing her from office.
I don't mind if she stays on. Who doesn't enjoy watching an immense, spectacular failure in slow motion. I feel bad for the victim's families who have been failed and all the people in the office who quit their job and shuffled their lives around (which is basically everyone).
The longer she stays the more people will become aware of the situation and have an epiphany. It's a huge learning moment.
urban_dilettante wrote:^^ yeah, Gardner's incompetence aside, Missouri's gun problems have been growing steadily since MO Republicans started dismantling gun regulations around 2007. Gardner's 3 and a half years in office are a drop in the bucket compared the disaster they've created over the last 15.
Has the CAO made a statement yet? I looked on Twitter and saw no direct tweets from the office or Gardner's account since June. Can you imagine being the family of the murder victims?
Another story about Gardner keeping a murder victim's family in the dark about developments in the case, despite it being required by state law to keep them informed.
ST. LOUIS — Someone signed the name of St. Louis’ lead homicide prosecutor onto at least 20 cases while she was on maternity leave earlier this year – and she resigned Tuesday, the I-Team has learned.
Kim Arshi began her maternity leave May 10. But her electronic signature appears on more than 20 cases in court documents listing her as the lead prosecutor – even though she was not in the office and did not sign them herself, according to a source familiar with the cases...
A family member told the I-Team Gardner called them late Tuesday saying her office had made a mistake.
Arshi had been with Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner’s Office since 2017.
She was the prosecutor on some of defense attorney Scott Rosenblum's cases.
"It’s like having an absentee prosecutor which of course makes it more difficult to get things done causes more frustration for the client especially those who are incarcerated," he said.
This is Gross Incompetence and truly scandalous.
Anecdote: My cousin was a City prosecutor for many years and remained one after Gardner became Circuit Attorney. My cousin believes in the City and is a badass prosecutor. She's also young and pretty damn progressive, too. However, no matter how hard she tried to stay there and continue the good fight, she just couldn't deal with the managerial dysfunctions within the CA's office. Many, many prosecutors have left, including my cousin, who is a lot happier now in private practice... She may miss being a City prosecutor, but she's happier to be away from Gardner's Circuit Attorney's Office.
Gardner is worse than an empty chair. She is making things worse. STL is more dangerous under her tenure.
Yikes - as much as I really wanted Gardner to succeed, this just isn't a great trajectory. At what point can/should/will the State step in and take over some of these cases or reassign them to other CAs in the state?
First, we have a GOP-led Jeff City, and while they want to put down left-leaning STL City when they can, proactively intervening into the daily operation of the City's Circuit Attorney's Office - at least any time in the immediate term - would sure seem like Big State Government dictating terms to the Small City Government. That sure isn't very Libertarian of them. Hell, it could play more into GOP electioneering to point at left-leaning STL City and call it a mess because of the DEMs. Governor Heehaw is unlikely to do much of anything here.
Second, the Attorney General may be reticent to take over here. MO AG Eric Schmitt (who's really a good guy on a personal level) is seeking Roy Blunt's US Senate seat; he's also the likely front-runner. If he directs his office to step in and help the City Courts (which I'd love to see happen), he's taking upon himself new risks, not just the one above, but tying himself to the criminal justice system in STL City. He'll receive a lot of heat from his primary opponents for this, justified or not. Yes, it'd be indicative of true leadership, but it's a political risk. And...
Third, it's obvious that whatever government entity that steps in to help the City Courts (STL County, MO State, or Federal), they're walking into a quagmire. We know of the dirt that's already public; how much more is still private?
Best solution: STL County to the rescue. If the County courts step in to help the City courts, it'd definitely foster regional cooperation as well as have comparable neighboring circuit courts furthering each other. This would also definitely help the consolidation narrative.
AG Schmitt's office could order this. He'd probably like this. A lot.
Then again, on a regional governance level, Mayor Jones more than likely will ask Executive Page for help. He'd say yes.
Could the Gardner debacle be the impetus, a seedling, the beginnings of a City/County merger?
This is an "emergency" after all. City has a dysfunctional court system, dysfunctional jail system, dysfunctional police department. I'll stop there....
In a pinch, the existing County apparatus must step in. Wesley Bell in the Gardner role. I'm ok with that.
Could the Gardner debacle be the impetus, a seedling, the beginnings of a City/County merger?
This is an "emergency" after all. City has a dysfunctional court system, dysfunctional jail system, dysfunctional police department. I'll stop there....
In a pinch, the existing County apparatus must step in. Wesley Bell in the Gardner role. I'm ok with that.
Then,all the other dominos fall (slowly).
I know this is probably impossible.
We are singing off the same music here. This is a prime opportunity, a great opportunity, for reunification. And, I'm not at all confident it'll happen.
Four Phase concept for merging the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County police organizations. (not including existing St. Louis County municipality police departments):
Year 1 —
Put 10% of each force in to a merged unit under the control (1st year) of City of St. Louis Police Chief to respond in either areas as the chief designs. (such as creating a border zone)
Standardize all crime reporting to match the FBI UCR in both City and County by the end of the first year.
Year 2 —
Put another 20% of each department into the merged unit under the control (2nd year) of the St. Louis County Police Chief for a total of 30% of the combined force to respond in either areas as the chief designs.
Report combined City of St. Louis and St. Louis County crimes to the FBI as one entry under the single heading “St. Louis”. (in place of current St. Louis County and City of St. Louis)
Initiate certification for police in the merged unit
Initiate adoption of applicable portions of the Ferguson Consent Decree in the merged unit
Year 3 —
Put another 30% of each department into the merged unit - 60% of the total forces -- under the control of a new police chief
New police chief selected by new police board chosen by the governor -- but requiring half from members of the current City of St. Louis police board, and half from the current St. Louis County police board with staggered 1-5 year terms.
Complete certification for police in the merged unit
Complete adoption of applicable portions of the Ferguson Consent Decree in the merged unit
Year 4 —
Put the remaining 40% into the merged police force under the control of the board and the police chief put in place in year 3.
Perform policing across the combined area as a single police force applying resources where needed most.
Replace future police board members as terms expire with selections from a 3-person panel consisting of the Governor, St Louis County Executive, and the Mayor of the City of St. Louis.
Complete certification of the full police department.
Complete adoption of applicable portions of the Ferguson Consent Decree for the full police department
So now that it has been definitively established that the prosecutor who has cried persecution at every turn is just terrible at the job, where does this leave us?
So now that it has been definitively established that the prosecutor who has cried persecution at every turn is just terrible at the job, where does this leave us?
No one? Seriously? So many on this board have been so vocal as to how racist the police are, how they can’t be trusted, defund, blah blah blah. I genuinely want to know what all these people say now. Because the prosecutor claims she has been targeted this is all ok and above board? Her complete and utter lack of even basic professionalism is A-Ok because….why? Anyone? Literally anyone?
Vote smarter next election. Qualifications and aptitude matter for public office. Please god start using your brains. It’s not too late to save this city.
^If you're looking for a reasonable discussion you're going about it the wrong way. Your post feels deeply condescending and by all appearances your mind is long made up. Okay. That's fine. I'm busy trying to figure out what I think and feel about this. And you've said nothing useful for that. I voted for Gardner. A good friend who is a fairly high-powered attorney informs me she's an honorable individual with her heart in the right place, but she's in over her head. I can believe that. That's a useful assessment. And it's a much nicer way to approach the situation. It allows a little dignity. It gives an out. It even permits reasonable disagreement. Honestly, the factual bits aren't even necessarily different from what you're alleging. But the tone is completely different and much more productive. Please god start using your heart. It's not too late to save this city.
^If you're looking for a reasonable discussion you're going about it the wrong way. Your post feels deeply condescending and by all appearances your mind is long made up. Okay. That's fine. I'm busy trying to figure out what I think and feel about this. And you've said nothing useful for that. I voted for Gardner. A good friend who is a fairly high-powered attorney informs me she's an honorable individual with her heart in the right place, but she's in over her head. I can believe that. That's a useful assessment. And it's a much nicer way to approach the situation. It allows a little dignity. It gives an out. It even permits reasonable disagreement. Honestly, the factual bits aren't even necessarily different from what you're alleging. But the tone is completely different and much more productive. Please god start using your heart. It's not too late to save this city.
This is so harmful to the populace of the city. Factually she’s horrible at the job but we should be nice to her because she’s? What?
^If you're looking for a reasonable discussion you're going about it the wrong way. Your post feels deeply condescending and by all appearances your mind is long made up. Okay. That's fine. I'm busy trying to figure out what I think and feel about this. And you've said nothing useful for that. I voted for Gardner. A good friend who is a fairly high-powered attorney informs me she's an honorable individual with her heart in the right place, but she's in over her head. I can believe that. That's a useful assessment. And it's a much nicer way to approach the situation. It allows a little dignity. It gives an out. It even permits reasonable disagreement. Honestly, the factual bits aren't even necessarily different from what you're alleging. But the tone is completely different and much more productive. Please god start using your heart. It's not too late to save this city.
Very curious to how the murder victim’s families feel about this approach to the discussion. Seeing as though the prosecutor has completely abandoned her duties as a civil servant of St. Louis residents.
^If you're looking for a reasonable discussion you're going about it the wrong way. Your post feels deeply condescending and by all appearances your mind is long made up. Okay. That's fine. I'm busy trying to figure out what I think and feel about this. And you've said nothing useful for that. I voted for Gardner. A good friend who is a fairly high-powered attorney informs me she's an honorable individual with her heart in the right place, but she's in over her head. I can believe that. That's a useful assessment. And it's a much nicer way to approach the situation. It allows a little dignity. It gives an out. It even permits reasonable disagreement. Honestly, the factual bits aren't even necessarily different from what you're alleging. But the tone is completely different and much more productive. Please god start using your heart. It's not too late to save this city.
I’m sure you’re right though. We should allow the murderer who murdered someone on video to kill more St. Louis residents. That will really teach him a lesson. Maybe if we don’t prosecute him long enough he can kill everyone in the city! Then we will have truly achieved your dumbass utopia!
^If you're looking for a reasonable discussion you're going about it the wrong way. Your post feels deeply condescending and by all appearances your mind is long made up. Okay. That's fine. I'm busy trying to figure out what I think and feel about this. And you've said nothing useful for that. I voted for Gardner. A good friend who is a fairly high-powered attorney informs me she's an honorable individual with her heart in the right place, but she's in over her head. I can believe that. That's a useful assessment. And it's a much nicer way to approach the situation. It allows a little dignity. It gives an out. It even permits reasonable disagreement. Honestly, the factual bits aren't even necessarily different from what you're alleging. But the tone is completely different and much more productive. Please god start using your heart. It's not too late to save this city.
Ok nvm I changed my mind your entire post details how horrible she is yet you find the need to put that on someone else. The tone should be horrible for someone who is literally letting the murderers of Anyone go free.
