Rep. Bosley condemns GOP attacks on St. Louis, its people

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - State Rep. LaKeySha Bosley, D-St. Louis, released a statement on Gov. Mike Kehoe's recent appointments to the Board of St. Louis Police Commissioners. The following statement also addresses a current attempted overreach by the Missouri Attorney General:

State Rep. LaKeySha Bosley, D-St. Louis

“For the Board of Police Commissioners to not include any Black men and only one Black woman, to serve an area that contains more than 40 percent of the state’s Black population sends a terrible and tone-deaf message to the community. This is sadly not surprising coming from elected officials who are vocal opponents of the concepts of diversity and equity.

“After Gov. Kehoe’s executive order to ban diversity initiatives in state government – and his push for passage of the state take-over of St. Louis police, -- I would have hoped, if not assumed, that he would at least stick to his stated principle of “merit-based” hiring. His selections for the board suggest Gov. Kehoe doesn’t believe there are any Black men of merit qualified to serve St. Louis.

“His attorney general, who is no stranger to abusing his public position for purely political gain, is now attempting to mount a crusade against the St. Louis sheriff. This gross overreach is yet another attempt by the Republican leaders of this state to undermine the Constitution, the separation of powers, and local control.

“Finally, it’s laughably hypocritical for a supporter of Donald Trump to hurl accusations of fraud, public corruption and nepotism at anyone." - State Rep. LaKeySha Bosley, D-St. Louis