ST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura Jones is expressing opposition to a proposed half-cent sales tax increase that would be used to give police officers a raise, calling the proposal “tone-deaf.”
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Jones on Tuesday joined activists and advocacy organization in denouncing Proposition P, which will be decided by voters Nov. 7. The proposal would bring in about $20 million in revenue, $13 million of which would help hire more officers and raise pay.
The timing of the vote could make passage a challenge as St. Louis police face criticism and lawsuits over the handling of recent protests that followed last month’s acquittal of Jason Stockley, a former officer who fatally shot a black man.
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Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com