ST. LOUIS — A show of support for St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner on Tuesday, following a legal petition to remove her from office.
Gardner is still under fire since 17-year-old Janae Edmondson lost her legs in a crash on Feb. 18 in downtown St. Louis.
The driver, Daniel Riley, was never fully prosecuted for a separate crime that happened in 2020.
The rally came as others are trying to replace her.
Just last week, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, started the legal process to remove her from office.
While other lawmakers are pushing for a special prosecutor to be appointed.
Despite the heat, Gardner supporter Zaki Baruti, said she did nothing wrong.
"Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner has not ... I want to emphasize ... has not lost the trust of the community. She is a victim of the most vicious, coordinated and unprecedented attacks on an elected official in the history of St. Louis," he said.
"It's a malicious campaign designed to malign her name, character and destroy her record of achievement. The St. Louis Community Justice Coalition stands with Kim Gardner and her criminal justice reform agenda," he said.
Supporters of St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner gathered on the steps of Carnahan Courthouse on Tuesday morning to share one main message.
"Kim Gardner is innocent. She does not have the power or the authority to revoke or change anybody's bond," Walle Amusa said.
The group, made up of members of the Community Justice Coalition, are calling on Judge Bryan Hettenbach to step down.
Amusa said he's the one responsible for 17-year-old Janae Edmondson losing her legs.
The group claimed the judge refused multiple times to revoke bond for the suspect in the case, Daniel Riley, despite dozens of violations.
"He is a danger to the residents of the city of St. Louis," Amusa said.
Critics of Gardner said the prosecutor's office is responsible, not the judge, and they are pushing forward to remove her.
Representative Justin Sparks is a co-sponsor of House Bill 301. He said part of the bill includes giving the governor power to appoint a special prosecutor for the City of St. Louis.
"We as a legislator agreed that what was going on in terms of violent crime in the City of St. Louis had become an issue that now was affecting the entire state," he said.
Rep. Sparks said through their research, it became apparent that the circuit attorney's office needed help.
He said this was one of several different ways of trying to do that.
"We want people to be able to come and enjoy our city and interact with our citizens and know what an amazing place St. Louis really is and that never gets talked about anymore. Frankly, it's about time we do something about it," Rep. Sparks said.
HB301 has passed on the floor.
Monday, Feb. 27, there was a Senate hearing for the bill, which actually ran long because of the amount of people weighing in, according to Rep. Sparks.
If it's passed in the Senate, then we could see it on Gov. Parson's desk in the next few weeks.
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said if Gardner does not respond in two weeks, a judgement by default would be taken against her.
For now, Gardner will stay in office.
Bailey filed another motion setting a videotaped deposition for Gardner on April 14.
A trial date for Daniel Riley is set for April 3.
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