Thread by @theappeal

St. Louis is voting for its mayor today. Tishaura Jones and Carla Spencer are vying for the office in a runoff that will shape the city’s future from policing to housing. The Appeal has covered the election’s historic stakes for months. Here’s what you should know:

Two progressive candidates, Jones and Spencer, grabbed the two runoff spots back in March. The result was spurred by years of grassroots organizing, as activists have coalesced around concrete demands from closing a local jail to protecting tenants. theappeal.org/the-st-louis-m…

At stake in this election are calls to reduce police violence. Advocates want the new mayor to divest from the “arrest, prosecute, and incarcerate model,” and invest in actually making people safer. Ending cash bail has emerged as a key area of contrast.
theappeal.org/politicalrepor…

The candidates have each pledged to close the city’s notorious jail, The Workhouse. Tishaura Jones wants to decriminalize offenses such as sex work; Cara Spencer wants to end the contract to house federal detainees.
theappeal.org/st-louis-mayor…

The mayor will have the power to appoint and oversee public safety officials. Joining a growing wave of cities across the country, the next mayor should shift mental health and substance abuse responses away from police and towards non-police alternatives.
theappeal.org/the-point/st-l…

Both candidates say they will deploy a strategy to reduce gun violence called focused deterrence, but advocates warn that this could risk devolving into another punitive policing tool rather than addressing the root causes of violence.
theappeal.org/politicalrepor…

St. Louis is in a housing crisis as thousands of renters face an eviction cliff. Tishaura Jones was the only candidate who endorsed extending an eviction moratorium. She and candidate Spencer have supported using federal funds to provide rent relief.
theappeal.org/st-louis-mayor…

Just days ahead of the election, The Appeal found that real estate interests are trying to influence the race by donating substantial amounts. “I think the money tells us where priorities lie more than anything else,” says an advocate.
theappeal.org/the-major-real…

Kayla Reed of Action St. Louis spoke on Appeal Live about the urgency of confronting these issues. The simultaneous divestment from low-income communities and over-investment of policing has caused a cycle of resource extraction, she said.

https://twitter.com/theappeal/status/1363903953700753410?s=20

The Appeal profiled Carla Spencer and her vision of St. Louis.

Spencer said: “We’re facing a moment of crisis and opportunity. We have crises on a lot of fronts. But we have a lot of opportunity in front of us as well."
theappeal.org/cara-spencer-s…

The Appeal also profiled Tishaura Jones.

Jones said: “We’ve been making incremental changes. I want to do some really transformational changes.” These changes include ending cash bail and addressing the root causes of violence.
theappeal.org/tishaura-jones…

Both of the St. Louis candidates, Tishaura Jones and Cara Spencer, also joined Appeal Live ahead of the primary to discuss housing, public safety, and a guaranteed income.

https://twitter.com/theappeal/status/1362116112331149312?s=20

The polls close at 7pm local time. Follow the Appeal to learn the result later tonight.