ST. LOUIS — A former oversight board member is suing the city and its former jail chief over an arrest at the downtown City Justice Center.

Janis Mensah says former jail commissioner Jennifer Clemons-Abdullah told the police and other justice center staff to "misrepresent facts" in order to get Mensah arrested and charged with trespassing and resisting arrest in a 2023 incident.

"Rather than apologize, the City of St. Louis spent multiple years attempting to prosecute Janis, which was ultimately unsuccessful," wrote Mensah's lawyers, who work for the nonprofit progressive law firm ArchCity Defenders.

St. Louis declined to comment on pending litigation. Clemons-Abdullah couldn't be reached for comment.

The Detention Facilities Oversight Board was formed in 2022. City ordinance gave memb

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