Radical Congresswoman Defends St. Louis Prison Riot as “Language of the Unheard”

Rep. Cori Bush (R-MO), a Black Lives Matter radical and the newest member of the so-called House “Squad,” was one of many lawmakers who rushed to condemn the storming of the Capitol on January 6^th. But Bush was not so quick to condemn a riot in her hometown on Saturday, instead quoting Martin Luther King Jr. to say that rioting is the “language of the unheard.”

A riot broke out at St. Louis’s City Justice Center in the early morning hours of Saturday after an aggrieved inmate physically attacked one of the corrections officers. Once the brawl started, it quickly escalated as other inmates jumped into the fray. Before long, chaos was king as more than 100 convicted criminals escaped their cells to instigate a full-blown riot complete with shattered windows and arson. Eventually, authorities were able to restore order.

Jimmie Edwards, the St. Louis director of public safety, said that the city keeps the worst of the worst at the facility.

“These were just very angry, defiant, very violent people that we house at the Justice Center,” said Edwards. “No one at the Justice Center is housed for a misdemeanor, a municipal offense or a low-level felony. Everybody housed at the Justice Center is housed there because of very serious offenses like assault on police officers and homicide and things of that sort.”

But Cori Bush didn’t want to hear any of that.

“’A riot is the language of the unheard.” – Dr. MLK Jr.,” she quoted on Twitter. “I want to talk to my constituents in the window. Their lives and their rights must be protected. My team and I are working to ensure that the urgent needs of people who are incarcerated are not ignored.”

Bush went further, releasing a statement endorsing the “demands” of the violent criminals in the Justice Center.

“What we saw today—and have been seeing at the St. Louis City Justice Center (CJC)—must be addressed immediately. Long before today, our jails have been notorious for their unsafe and unsanitary conditions,” she said.

“I have been in contact with local government officials and community leaders since I became aware of the incident early this morning,” she continued. “My team and I are taking steps to reach out to the impacted families and communities to figure out the path forward to justice. I want to ensure that the demands made by those being held at CJC are not ignored, and I plan to investigate this further. There needs to be a plan to improve conditions and decarcerate.”

But last month, Bush was singing a much different tune when it came to riots.

“I don’t want to unite with those responsible for the insurrection at our nation’s Capitol. I want us to unite in holding them accountable,” she tweeted on January 12^th.

To date, we’ve not heard Bush express any concerns over the “demands” of the Capitol rioters.