St. Louis' City Justice Center is in the midst of crisis again, with people being held at the jail revolting once more on Sunday after complaints about disastrous conditions and de facto indefinite detentions went unresolved. 

People held at the jail broke windows, set fires and took other measures to bring the spotlight back to their plight, according to local outlet KMOV4. Sunday's uprising comes nearly two months after another revolt took place at the jail on Feb. 6. 

One of the biggest complaints people have is that their court dates are being pushed back and not rescheduled, forcing them to spend months in the jail during a deadly pandemic that has ravaged prison populations across the country. More than 900 people are held at the jail and some were moved to a medium security prison after the revolt. 

Those on the ground heard the men screaming “we need help” and “we want court dates,” according to St. Louis Public Radio. 


St. Louis Public Radio quoted ArchCity Defenders Executive Director and lawyer Blake Strode, who noted on Twitter that the average number of days before a probable cause hearing is 146 and the average total days people were spending at the City Justice Center was 344 before someone went to trial. 

"I guess because when you have two disgusting, scandalous jails, neither one can survive on its own?" Strode wrote on Twitter.

"If anything, this is yet another reflection of how this practice of mass caging has failed and continues to fail all of us. It's more urgent than ever to close one of these two hellholes NOW and put that time, energy, and money to good use in our communities," he added. 

This is the second time that the City Justice Center, located in downtown St. Louis, has faced a revolt over the unconscionable conditions that detained people have to live with, according to CBS News.

KMOV reporters got video of people in the jail throwing things out of the window on the jail's third floor and setting fires while screaming out to people on the ground for help. 

The news outlet reported that the city has delayed many court hearings because of COVID-19 but that they heard more than 12 inmates at the jail yelling to receive a court date. 

St. Louis Sheriff Vernon Betts told KMOV that 60 people incarcerated at the jail had gotten out of their cells but that no guards were injured. 

Director of Public Safety for the city, Judge Jimmie Edward, resigned on March 31, and Betts astonishingly told the news outlet he did not know who would replace him. 

When a reporter asked Betts who was in charge of getting the jail under control, he said, "I guess I am."

Realizing how that sounded, the city later released a statement to KMOV saying Deputy Public Safety Director Charlene Deeken and Mayor Lyda Krewson are in charge of the effort to regain order. 

A city spokesperson later said "detainees became non-compliant, covered security cameras, smashed windows and destroyed property."

Betts confirmed that about 60 people detained at the jail got out of their cells in this instance. 

Deputies entered the jail at 10:30 p.m. on Sunday and seemed to end the revolt but those detained made their way to the other side of the building, where they broke more windows and demanded hearings. 

St. Louis mayoral candidate Tishaura O. Jones released a statement to Twitter calling for more to be done to help those inside the jail so they don't feel the need to take actions like this. 

"There is an immediate need for change in our city’s justice system. Uprisings at our jails should not become the norm, and this is unacceptable," she said on Twitter.

"We need a clear chain of command — and the buck must stop at the Mayor’s desk.We need to get serious about moving pre-trial detainees out of our jails, vaccinating our inmates, and creating a new culture of justice in Saint Louis," she added. 

House Rep. Rep Rasheen Aldridge. Jr also released a statement on Twitter condemning the jail for its conditions and demanding more be done to address the concerns of those held there. 

"Here we are, less then a month since the last uprising and there have been no changes to right these significant wrongs. I look forward to working with the next administration to address the concerns of the detainees and to make the facility safe for all who are in it," he wrote. 

As many outlets noted, during the February incident, more than 100 people held in the jail got out of their cells and similarly broke windows as a way to communicate with those outside about the conditions they are forced to live in. 

Like the incident on Sunday, many of those involved in the February revolt were simply asking for court dates so they could have their chance to defend themselves in court. According to KY3, a task force was created to look into the issues at the jail. 

In a statement to KSDK, Mayor Lyda Krewson's director of communications Jacob Long said, "Earlier tonight, there were two violent and dangerous disturbances that unfolded at the City Justice Center downtown."

"They originated from two units on the third floor beginning at approximately 8:30 p.m. Detainees became non-compliant, covered security cameras, smashed windows, and destroyed property. I do not have any reports of any serious injuries at this time," he said.

"The Corrections Division, SLMPD, the Sheriff's Office, and STLFD all worked together to respond accordingly and bring the situation to a resolution. Staff remains on site working to address clean-up and make repairs," he added. 

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