By Antonio D. French
Filed Saturday, June 10, 2006 at 8:03 PM
State Senate candidate Jeff Smith and his supporters organized a basketball tournament today in Fairgrounds Park. The free food, music and ice cream made for a good time for the dozens of people that came out for the event. But not everyone was glad to see the southside Democrat. Labels: Events, State_Senate
Three men from the Congress of Racial Equality (C.O.R.E.) walked along Natural Bridge Avenue carrying signs which read "Jeff Smith is trying to buy you with basketball and Bar-B-Q." One of the men told PUB DEF that he was supporting the campaign of Yaphett El-Amin, one of Smith's four opponents in the August 8 primary. The man said that El-Amin had not asked him to protest Smith's event.
Few people were distracted by the small protest and Smith even offered the men food and water.
The four candidates in this hotly contested race are Smith, State Reps. El-Amin and Amber Boykins, former State Rep. Derio Gambaro, and former Alderman Kenny Jones.
16 Comments:
Why is it that certain of Smith's opponents continue to turn this race into a campaign about race? I would hope that in this new century we were beyond racial stereotyping and playing the race card. This campaign should be about ideas and plans for the future, not the color of one's skin.
6/10/2006 11:28 PM
Certain of Smith's opponents is opposed to him hosting a basketball and chicken fest at Fairgrounds Park to try and attract the black vote! The people that will be represented in North St. Louis precious votes will not be purchased for some fried chicken and basketball by Colonel Smith. This is not Kentucky and it is too hot for fried chicken! Black people will not vote for a candidate because free food was offered, don't sell us cheap. Sell your fried chicken somewhere else, and don't look at black people as a charity.
6/11/2006 2:33 AM
Well at least Smith is not hosting Fish Fry's on Friday, charging people in the black community $7.00 a plate. There were no Fish Fry's being held before this election by a certain candidate for the people, and I don't think that candidate has ever done anything free for the people! In fact, the only thing free this candidate did for the people was offered them the opportunity to lay down on Highway 70 for a shut down, and then some candidate's family members benefited and controlled the jobs that were received from the shutdown. What a backdoor deal we cut behind closed doors with the former Governor Mel Carnahan off the backs of the people in North St. Louis. Well, I guess the people that laid down on the highway didn't need any jobs! We know how a certain candidate does it, a strong voice for a strong poker hand to fool the people all of the time!
Maybe certain candidates should tell the real truth, about who is really selling out the community of North St. Louis!!!!!
6/11/2006 2:46 AM
I wish the second anonymous would identity the "certain candidate" to whom s/he alludes. Not all of us are as well informed as her/him. (How intimidated must one be to not name names even when posting anonymously?)
I also question the cynicism of those trying to attack Smith for campaigning on the north side. They would probably also attack Smith for NOT campaign there if he didn't. Rep. El-Amin went to the lily-white St Louis Hills candidate forum last week, and no one is attacking her for that (and she represented herself very well there, BTW). In contrast, Amber Boykins was the only candidate to skip the St Louis Hills forum. (In fairness, it should be noted that Boykins attended the 16th Ward Democrats endorsement meeting and El-Amin did not. The other three candidates (including northsider Kenny Jones) attended both.)
The more candidates try to appeal to both races with issues of importance to both, the better. I believe that Smith will attract more votes from candidates of the other race than any other candidate, and that it will cause him to win.
6/11/2006 12:28 PM
Oracle, just for clarification--Amber Boykins did appear at the Tilles Park Neighborhood Association meeting, but Rep. El-Amin did not. As you stated, Rep. El-Amin did attend the St. Louis Hills forum but not the one at Tilles Park. At least they each attended neighborhood association meetings in SW City that were in close proximity and open to the public.
6/11/2006 12:48 PM
Oracle, you said "How intimidated must one be to not name names even when posting anonymously?", but I doubt your mother named you "Oracle". So who are you to talk? I looked at your Blogger profile and your name wasn't there either! So who's hiding?
6/11/2006 1:27 PM
El-amin didn't ask the men to protest? You may be right, but they freely admitted, after someone told them of Jeff's involvement with Mathews Dickey (which earned the respect of the protestors) that Eddie Hasan paid them each to be there.
I would think that money would've been better spent if Eddie had sent it to the children that Talib refuses to support.
6/11/2006 1:55 PM
Again, the supporters of Rep. Boykins throw race into the campaign. How low an opinion of north city they must have to even consider that our neighbors to the north could possibly be bought for free food and basketball.
Jeff Smith's efforts to connect with his constituents either through his work at Matthews Dickey, his leadership with the Confluence Academy, or through a round of 3-on-3 basketball and free food (even for the paid protestors), show not this level of disdain held by that other candidate's supporters toward north city, but a love for the residents of St. Louis--north, south, or elsewhere. It is one thing to say you love St. Louis, but entirely another to show you love the PEOPLE of St. Louis, like Jeff Smith does.
---
For the record, I've not received any fruit baskets (or fried chicken) for these remarks.
6/11/2006 5:41 PM
Travis Reems you really love to talk about those fruit baskets! In addition, you keep bringing up Rep. Boykins and race, and it is clearly stated that El-Amin and her father Eddie Hasan paid the protestors to try and disrupt Mr. Smith's basketball tournament. You may not be receiving a fruit basket, but you definitely like fruitcakes!
6/12/2006 12:12 AM
In response to this comment:
"Oracle, you said 'How intimidated must one be to not name names even when posting anonymously?', but I doubt your mother named you 'Oracle'."
The point is that, if you're going to post anonymously, why not name names instead of alluding to a mysterious "certain candidate"?
As to my pen name (keyboard name?), would you critcize The Shadow, Mark Wilson or Inside Dirt for using theirs? At least you can identify my comments separately from the various "Anonymous" posts. Besides, lots of people (including at least two of the 4th District candidates) know both my real name and how boring I am in real life.
6/12/2006 1:38 AM
While the supporters in the case of the paid-for-protest issue were in the camp of Rep. El-Amin, the majority of comments regarding race on this and other blogs have come from the supporters of Rep. Boykins. I apologize if I didn't make that distinction clear in my post.
So, to your point, it looks like the supporters of both the Boykins and El-Amin camps are guilty of playing the race card, which is a sad comment on their hopes for this race. For, if they thought they could win this campaign on public discourse and through the discussion of real ideas for our futures, they would not sink to dividing the constituency on racial or socio-economic lines.
We do not need this type of divisive politics, but instead a senator that will work to unite the residents of the 4th district.
As for clarification on the fruit basket, a blogger said I deserved a fruit basket for some comments I made. I thought it was a ridiculous comment, and take every chance to point out that I've received no fruit baskets from ANY campaign, although they would be welcomed. Who doesn't like a nice fruit basket? (Please don't answer that rhetorical question.)
6/12/2006 2:42 AM
Trying to buy votes with "Ball and Q"? Jeff is just simply at ease on the northside, having put in many hours at Confluence Academy, and at ease on any court, enjoying the game.
Other 4th SD candidates are just jealous of Jeff's cross-town appeal. Gambaro certainly wouldn't be in Fairgrounds Park, and the northside candidates rarely head south for some bingo and brats.
6/12/2006 8:17 AM
^
We know how reliable Lizz Brown and Irene Smith are -- reliable as sources of misinformation and at jerking around black people by promising "revolution" (hmm, why does that mean ad revenue for the Wake-Up Call???).
6/12/2006 10:27 AM
Antonio,
You describe Jeff as a "southside Democrat” but that not really accurate. Jeff rented an apartment in South City last summer to qualify for the ballot.
Jeff Smith is from Clayton. He went to Ladue High School.
6/12/2006 11:45 AM
I wonder if those who would disqualify Jeff Smith for never having held office feel the same way about Democrats challenging Republican incumbents (e.g., whomever wins the 2d District nomination against Todd Akin). Do you vote for Akin because of his experience?
6/14/2006 12:09 AM
Kenny Jones is a former Alderman for the city of St. Louis. He has filed the papers to form his committee, but I've not seen any financials of actually raising money. I also don't believe he has a website. So, I'm not sure he is actually in the race.
Oh, not that it is criteria for running for office, but as an interesting aside, he is the only candidate in this race that doesn't have an entry at wikipedia.com, which I've found to have good information on all the other candidates.
6/15/2006 1:48 AM
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