ST. LOUIS — A leader on the St. Louis City Justice Center's civilian oversight board resigned on Wednesday, saying in a terse letter that current jail head Jennifer Clemons-Abdullah should be fired and St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones "should be ashamed."
Janis Mensah served as vice chair of the St. Louis Detention Facilities Oversight Board, the group tasked with monitoring abuse at the city jail. Mensah's succinct resignation letter stated:
"Warden Jennifer Clemons-Abdullah should be fired.
"The City Justice Center should be closed.
"Mayor Tishaura Jones should be ashamed.
"I resign."
The jail has faced mounting criticisms from Mensah and other advocates for increased oversight, citing inhumane conditions, multiple inmate deaths, riots, cell doors that didn't lock and assaults on guards over the past two years.
In July, a class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of at least four detainees, alleging inhumane treatment at the jail. Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick in October launched an investigation into the jail following allegations of mismanagement, lack of medical care, inadequate nutrition due to nonpayment of food vendors and failure to respond to civilian oversight efforts.
Mensah was handcuffed and cited for trespassing in late August when they went to the City Justice Center demanding answers about one of several deaths that have happened at the jail in the past two years.
In a letter dated June 5, Mensah called for Clemons-Abdullah's resignation, saying they'd been unable to get into the jail consistently to investigate complaints ever since the oversight board was created. In a June 22 letter, Abdullah-Clemmons snapped back at the committee’s allegations that she was purposefully standing in their way.
She called Mensah’s reasons for demanding her resignation were “disingenuous and demonstrate a profound misunderstanding of the requirements,” of the ordinance that established the civilian commission.
Since 2020, 14 inmates have died at the jail.
In November, the Board of Aldermen passed Board Bill 93 to allow corrections officers to file anonymous complaints to the members of the DFOB. That bill was approved by the mayor last week.
