NEWS Note From a Laid-Off RFT Staffer Who Refuses To Leave
St. Louis County Picks First Female Police Chief Written by
DOYLE MURPHY
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Written by
DANIEL HILL
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ast Wednesday was a very bad day. Several of my coworkers and I all awoke to news that we would be laid off as efforts to contain that goddamned coronavirus increasingly crush St. Louis’ economy. As bans against gatherings cause restaurants and bars across the metro area to close up shop, those same establishments are unable to buy the ads that keep us afloat. In addition, those bans have hurt the paper’s other primary revenue stream, which comes through throwing events, which obviously is something that we can’t do now either. Taken together, COVID-19 is, as my (now former) editor put it, a “nearly perfect weapon against alternative weeklies.” So seven of us were told not to report to work any further. In the age of coronavirus, we couldn’t even head to a bar and drown our sorrows together, so instead a bunch of us all videoconferenced our own Irish wake, drinking alone in our homes but together through our computers. The headache I felt the next morning served as proof that those sorrows were thoroughly drowned, albeit digitally. But as the ibuprofen started to kick in the next morning and I regained the use of some of my broken faculties, I came to a decision: I’m just not gonna stop. At this point, I don’t care if I get paid or not for doing it. The work the RFT does is more important than ever right now as we are facing down a threat the likes of which none of us have ever seen before. Local journalism is as necessary
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You can’t get rid of Daniel Hill that easily. | THEO WELLING as it ever was, and frankly doubly so at this exact moment. If there’s anything I can do to keep the public informed or entertained, I’m going to do it. It should also be noted that I am a largely unhireable moron who has never made a resume in my life and whose greatest journalistic asset is a hot dog costume (though I would argue I use that asset to decent effect), so it’s unlikely I’m gonna get hired on anywhere else anytime soon anyway. So fuck it. They’re gonna have to take all the passwords away from me if they want me to stop. My fellow laid-off coworkers are all extremely capable and hireable, by contrast, and you should consider them for your organization if you have jobs that need filled. Liz Miller is a whipsmart, impossibly organized and hilarious leader; Paul Friswold is one of the funniest and most knowledgeable human beings I’ve ever met and no slouch with the pen himself; Danny Wicentowski is a legitimately fearless reporter and unstoppable force of fucking nature and Evan Sult’s graphic design abilities and artistic vision are breathtaking to behold. Cheryl Baehr is an incredibly talented writer with a preternatural ability to tell human stories through a food lens and remember every ingredient in a dish. Hire these people.
As for me, I’m either going down with the ship dressed up like a hot dog or I’m gonna help it claw its way back until the day I can suddenly, hopefully, maybe, collect a check again. I’d greatly prefer the latter. If you agree and you have a dollar or two to give to make sure one of St. Louis’ most vital and entertaining journalistic institutions is able to stay afloat in these extremely difficult times, please consider donating through the RFT’s website. In the meantime, stay safe out there, and take care of each other. We’re gonna get through this together, but only if we choose to be kind. n
t. Louis County police Lieutenant Colonel Mary Barton will be the department’s new chief. Barton, who has served for 41 years in St. Louis, will replace Col. Jon Belmar, who announced his retirement in February. The change in leadership will happen on May 1. Barton was selected by the Board of Police Commissioners following a search process that included three town halls, where the public offered suggestions for what they wanted in a new chief. She’ll be the department’s ninth chief, and the first woman to hold the post. “Lieutenant Colonel Barton is an experienced leader with a ‘clear vision’ of an equitable future for both the Department and the community we serve,” Dr. Laurie Punch, member of the police commissioner, said in a news release. Barton was selected over Deputy Chief Kenneth Gregory, Lieutenant Colonel Jeff Bader, Lieutenant Colonel Troy Doyle, Lieutenant Colonel Bryan Ludwig and Lieutenant Colonel Michael Busalaki. She was hired by the department in October 1978 after graduating from Southwest Texas University with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. In her four-plus decades she has worked her way up from patrol, serving as a longtime detective and has commanded the North County Precinct, and most recently was assigned to the West County Precinct. n
Lt. Col. Mary Barton. | COURTESY ST. LOUIS COUNTY POLICE
riverfronttimes.com
MARCH 25-31, 2020
RIVERFRONT TIMES
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