In 2020, St. Louis saw a record high of murders in over 50 years, an unprecedented record in the wake of a growing push to defund the police. The city recorded 263 homicides according to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting system. In 2021, that number fell 26% to 195, a return to its average rate over the past five years.
According to the St. Louis Dispatch, St. Louis’s homicide rate led the nation’s big cities from 2015-2020. After St. Louis’ crime rate soared to its highest ever, the city’s mayor Tishaura Jones was elected after vowing to enact progressive criminal justice reforms.
The police-involved killing of George Floyd in 2020 sparked a national phenomenon to push a defunding of the police and criminal justice reform in major cities.
At the forefront of the “Defund Police” movement was Black Lives Matter activist Bush. The progressive “Squad” member has remained committed to defunding the police despite growing Democrats’ concerns over the political consequences. Bush recently indicated she is refusing to back away from the “defund the police” slogan even if it hurts Democrats politically.