Published in the February 5 Edition
When we last came across Jeff Roorda, he was a busy guy. He was serving out what turned out to be his final days in the Legislature as a state representative from Jefferson County, he was running for Missouri Senate and he was embroiled in the Ferguson fiasco because of his day job.
Roorda is the business manager and frequent spokesman for the city of St. Louis Police Officers union.
If it’s been a tough six months for the region, it’s been even worse for Roorda. Fellow state Rep. Paul Wieland took Roorda to the woodshed in the November election and is now Sen. Wieland.
Even though St. Louis Police were not involved in the August shooting of Michael Brown, there were other shootings involving city officers after that. The pugnacious Roorda, of Barnhart, did not shy away from defending his union members, which is, of course, his job.
Last week he injected himself into the fray again at a committee hearing of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen. The board was taking testimony on whether to establish a civilian review board of the city police department.
The hearing room was packed with cops and protesters, mostly black people who have been raising hell on a regular basis at whatever venue has had the most television cameras since the Brown shooting.
It was Guns and Hoses without a referee. Roorda provocatively wore an “I am Darren Wilson” bracelet, referencing the white Ferguson cop who was not indicted after shooting and killing Brown, an 18-year-old black man.
Roorda not only wore it, but struck a fanciful pose with his wrist raised so that the cameras would be sure to see it, as well as the protesters. It was vintage, in-your-face Roorda.
When the hell-raisers had had their say and began to shout down the cops who tried to testify, Roorda yelled at the committee chair to restore order. Inevitable pushing and shoving ensued and the finger-pointing began.
It was more tiresome, racial theater from both sides.
While his aggressive tactics may have endeared him further to the blue brotherhood, Roorda’s performance also added to the polarization between white and black people, and between cops and black people – if that were even possible.
Thanks a lot, Jeff.
Way back in the mists of time – late October – this newspaper endorsed Roorda for the Missouri Senate seat. It was the first time in his decade-long political career that we endorsed him.
The rejections weren’t for lack of energy on his part. He was a lively representative in his four terms in the House of Representatives. He also was confrontational, insistent, focused. He was an agitator. Not all of those are bad things, depending on the circumstances.
Paul Wieland is a nice man – and I say that even though he is no longer speaking to our newspaper, presumably over the endorsement – who isn’t exactly a ball of fire. Roorda emits fire from every pore, whether something needs scorching or not.
The voters of Jefferson County chose Wieland to be their senator and now I’m thinking they were right and we were wrong.
Whether Wieland rode in on the somewhat newly formed Republican wave which has swept Jefferson County, or maybe on an anti-Roorda vote, is hard to say.
It worked out pretty well all around, in retrospect. Wieland won’t hurt anything as senator and Roorda is back in a full-time job that he seems well suited for – provoking, agitating, standing firm for his boys in the hairy-chested universe that is Copworld.
Last week they held the real Guns and Hoses, a boxing card that raises money for Backstoppers, an organization that supports the families of fallen cops and firefighters.
Ironically, the event was postponed from its usual day-before-Thanksgiving date because of concern about the reaction to the Michael Brown grand jury announcement. They wanted all the cops ready when the announcement was made and they weren’t certain when it would happen. We all know how that worked out.
Since then, the hell-raisers have chosen their leaders, somewhat informally, and they include St. Louis Alderman Antonio French and state Sen. Jamilah Nasheed.
If Roorda had wanted to support his troops, he would have volunteered to get in the ring with both of them. Now that would have swelled the gate.
I’m not sure about French, but I would have paid extra to see Roorda go three rounds with Nasheed, who was a former gang member before ascending the lofty ladder of city politics.
That is, if he could last three rounds against her.
Oh, well, I guess nobody thought of it in time. It’s hard to say what movement or issue will be boiling by the next Guns and Hoses in November, but it’s never too early to start promoting.
Maybe Wieland could referee.
