By Antonio D. French
Filed Wednesday, April 04, 2007 at 9:52 AM
Jennings is a city which has an 85% African-American population, yet has never elected a black mayor. In fact, it has very few black police officers and even less black firefighters. In short, it's like South Africa before Mandela was freed, minus the diamonds and tourism. Labels: Jennings
Yesterday, voters had a choice between the incumbent Mayor Ben Sutphin (who is white) and two black candidates, Yolonda Fountain-Henderson and Herman Barnes, Jr. Here are the results:
Sutphin — 48.06% (792 votes)
Henderson — 33.98% (560 votes)
Barnes — 17.96% (296 votes)
With a voter turnout of only 17.5%, by less than half of the total vote, Mayor Sutphin won re-election.
What are the lessons here?
24 Comments:
I would hope it means "color" or "race" isn't an issue, but that the issues are the issue!
When Mayors Harmon and Bosley won, was the city more black than white or the other way around?
I vote on issues, not race. I always hope that's the same for every voter.
I wouldn't vote for Obama based on race nor against him based on race. What are the issues?
Is it possible the Jennings' voters are satisfied with their mayor?
4/04/2007 12:22 PM
Lessons?
Race obviously is a factor in this election. But their are many variables that are not known, atleast to me. So, the percentage 51.94 can mean multiple things.
51.94% voted FOR a black candidate.
51.94% Voted AGENST a white Candidate.
51.94% voted AGENST the current Mayor.
50.94% voted FOR another candidate for mayor.
Incumbency is a major factor in this and many other elections. If the challenger does not have a highly organized base they will not win. Look at Lewis Read (over half the board of alderman and at least one congress man) Or Talent V. Carnahan or Talent V. McCaskill. In both Senate races there were 3rd party candidates that had some votes and all candidates were white.
To take another election as an example Steve Hollis (White) just beat Michael Person (Black) on the Riverview Gardens school board. Mr. Hollis is married to Audrey Hollis (Black). Goes to Rev. Tommy Piersons Church (Black) and is often seen with an OBS “Black People on The Move” shirt. What is the lesson from the Riverview school board race?
Other Jennings Facts:
Population 15,500 (aprox)
Registered voters 9,469 (61% of total population)
Ballots Cast 1,664 (17.57% of Voters, 10.74% of population)
4/04/2007 1:07 PM
Wayne Goode, who lives in Pine Lawn, is white and he represented an African American District. He actually sponsored the Senate Bill 1053, which enabled State Wide Civilian Review Boards, and mandated the mandatory reporting of race during traffic stops in order to combat racial profiling.
Simply because someone is white does not mean they cannot or should not represent blacks. It is about what issues they find of concern, and how they frame those issues. Will the white candidate stress policy issues which are important to blacks? Will the black candidate stress them?
Race does not solely determine policy preferences.
Lewis Reed says our "City is open for business," yet is this minority-owned businesses, or simply white businesses who employ blacks in slave wage service sector jobs that do not provide benefits like health care?
Could he have won the election campaign advocating for the poor, or would the existing business elite support someone else?
Policy preference is not determined by skin color. I hope you would reconsider your racial chauvinism. This same chauvinism caused the rejection of the Moynihan Report which was seen incorrectly as blaming the victim, rather it actually blamed structural problems existing in our society that explain many of the current problems that exiting in our Cities.
"...emphasized that the socioeconomic system of the United States was ultimately responsible for producing unstable poor black families, and that, in turn, this instability is "the principal source of most of the aberrant, inadequate, or antisocial behavior that did not establish, but not serves to perpetuate, the cycle of poverty and deprivation"...
"The critical commentary that followed the report, however, ignored the first part of Moynihan's argument and left the erroneous impression that he placed the blame for black social dislocations solely on black family instability."
Wilson (172).
The black community, filled with racial solidarity, rejected the report because they believed that he was blaming their community solely for their problems. They ignored that he was placing much blame on the socioeconomic system.
Blind devotion to a given group or leader, simply because of shared ethnic backgrounds, enables misinterpretation or misrepresentation of the facts to occur.
Policy preference and issue framing is important, not the color of ones skin.
4/04/2007 2:42 PM
Once again, must race always be the issue? Many whites have gotten beyond race and vote for blacks when in favor of their platforms. Can't the reverse be expected in a day when we are or at least were encouraged to be colorblind?
4/04/2007 3:31 PM
Helene Louis,
I don't see why you think that ignoring the root issue that has driven so much destruction of life this country is helpful.
White folks that claim to be colorblind are just as ignorant as those that are bigots about color.
I can't go a week in St. Louis without some event happening that is just straight up racist.
At the same time I am active in many diverse organizations. I respect the different talents that people of all colors bring to the table.
Its real simple, if you cant recognize the things that divide humans (Skin Color, Language, Religion, Geography, ect.) You cant figure out humanity.
4/04/2007 5:25 PM
Now we shouldn't be "colorblind," or deny that race exists, as it does, and plays a role in the political system, especially identity politics. What we need is realization that infighting among the have nots is zero sum and effectively weakens what could be a strong coalition against the haves. Infighting among races, who are socioeconomically similar only weakens their combined political power. Groups must work together in order to strengthen the political power of urban areas. Only with increased political power will urban issues be addressed and this power cannot be achieved with infighting.
Before the 1992 election, the democratic candidate got solid majorities in urban areas, but electoral votes generally went to the republican candidates due to rural and suburban political power. What does that say? Cities are at a disadvantage nationally, thus their problems are not on the agenda, because suburban and rural voters have more power. To get them on the agenda, groups must work together.
Groups must realize that they are distinct culturally but have common ties which make them more similar than different.
4/04/2007 5:26 PM
Gee, Jason, sounds like you are encouraging us all to forget the ideals Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. set forth for all.
"White folks that claim to be colorblind are just as ignorant as those that are bigots about color."
Does that same statement hold true for black folks that claim to be colorblind?
I'm sorry to say that the statement sounds more ignorant than any people involved. It's not logical and doesn't make sense.
In other words, we should just "let racism reign!"
4/04/2007 6:08 PM
It really facsinates me that nobody takes into consideration that the Whites in Jennings tend to still challenge the African American voters in terms of shear numbers even though they represent less than 15% of the population. So if people want to talk race let the conversation include those Whites remaining in Jennings not wanting to vote for a Black candidate.
I take offense to people talking about "Black" candidates but not people wanting to keep "Whites" in office.
4/04/2007 8:39 PM
I'm having a bad day...or it must be a full moon.
I find myself strangly in agreement with both of Duck Duckworth's postings
4/04/2007 9:55 PM
The phrase "color blind" should just be stricken from vocabulary since it has become a symantic argument. DD makes a good case in that it can be perceived to mean a denial of differences, and HL's definition of color blindness most likely does not include that assumption, while Jason's may.
I think Jason is correct in that the racial issues ARE a separate entity apart from mere socio-economic "classism" problems, though many of the problems certainly overlap. I also agree with DD that the POWER lies in uniting along the lines of similarities, since the "haves" certainly are the bulk of the opposition for BOTH racism and classism victims.
I think the bigger issue is the numbers. 17% voter turnout. 6% voter turnout in the recent St. Louis election.
The IRS website offers free online tax preparation for returns with incomes under $52,000 a year. It also says that 74% of taxpayers are eligible for this service. Now, $52,000 is more than many have, but a LOT less than most would place in the "haves" category. If 74% of taxpayers are in this category, they could certainly affect ANY policy of government if they turned out 74% of the vote.
Who benefits from voters believing there ARE no common issues? Who benefits from voters believing they cannot affect government with their votes?
The racists AND the classists. And of course, many of them are the same people.
4/05/2007 9:38 AM
Voter turn out lies in the collective action dilemma. How does one mobilize free riders for collective political action when others do the advocacy? General apathy and daily distractions also play a role, but the biggest problem is really free riders. The problem is especially detrimental for minorities since they are already numerically at a disadvantage in a system of majoritiarian rule, thus need every free rider to get mobilized in order to make a difference. Socioeconomic status plays a big role as well since the wealth does not exist among minorities as it does among the upper class whites. As Sylvester Brown pointed out in Jeff Smith's documentary, the African American politicians are dependent on the white power structure since they do not have their own business class, and I would argue a similarly strong middle class, by which to receive campaign contributions and political support.
Again, the solution is to offer selective incentives to mobilize free riders, but also alliances across group in order for common goals which benefit all. Socioeconomic and numerical disadvantages behoove them to work together rather than the opposite.
Coalitions working together is what brought Antonio Villaraigosa to City Hall in 2005. Coalitions working together brought Lewis Reed to office over Jim Shrewsbury.
4/05/2007 10:13 AM
As one of the candidates in the Jennings race ( coucilwoman ward 1), I can tell you that none of us ran on race itself. I had a great deal of elderly whites in my ward so I appealed to everyone. It is obvious to anyone who is in Jennings that it is a primarily black city so there was no need to make that the key.
We spoke of issues such as police abuse, failing to support residents needs,etc. We wanted Jennings to support its residents first in terms of jobs. We wanted a community center since our youth have no place to go and are constantly harrassed by the police. Many people drive around Jennings rather than through it because of the Police abuse. According to the last council meeting, they classified a gang as any group of young ( black)males hanging out on a porch or corner. This is ridiculus.
We have new development for businesses, but no assistance for the residents. No regard for the residents. During the big storm in July, the mayor's view was everybody has got to fend for themselves just like him. He said as much.
We talked about how the crime rate has increased with the mayor's salary. The other issues such as Jennings have no African American department heads and a administration that is 90% white and only 1 black officer on the entire police force was the exclamation point to other issues.
Ultimately, it was black votor apathy that was the problem. We cannot blame white people for issues that are our fault when we don't do what we must. The black votor turnout was actually at 10% while the white votor turnout was at 90%. There was a hail storm that day and blacks chose to stay at home. Whites were out with their umbrellas. The mayor got primarily the white vote and the 2 black mayoral candidates split the small black vote. The other sad thing is that if Mr. Barnes had not run, Henderson would have won. He refused to bow out despite his lack of support. It was just enough though to secure that Sutphin would win. Interestingly, Mr. Barnes is still good friends with the Mayor as he has always been. Makes you say hmmm?
4/05/2007 12:22 PM
Helen,
Here is a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. "I have a dream" speech
...all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands...
MLK could have ended the speech saying that all people should sing free at last.
Instead he called out groups of people that have historically fought each other.
He recognized diversity and called on people to see the things that unite us.
The funny thing bout people is that we all have and need an identity. Ignoring part of a person’s identity is disrespectful.
Apparently the definition of a "gang" in Jennings is written in a colorblind way, "any group of young males hanging out on a porch or corner." Do you think this definition is evenly applied to whites and blacks?
Language is powerful in that it shares ideas. When you use a word like colorblind you need to know what it means to people.
Here is an example of a phrase that has multiple meanings.
I read a textbook once that describes the U.S. as a tossed salad. That sounds O.K. in the context of a bunch of distinctively different foods that combine to make a tasty treat. Then I watched the HBO series OZ. In prison a tossed salad is sex act involving a tongue and an anus.
In that context is The United States a Tossed Salad?
4/05/2007 3:05 PM
Jason, there have been white gangs in the past that were historically identified as and called gangs. Sometimes it was based on ethnicity, i.e., Italian, Lebanese, Irish, etc.
Currently, the gangs in the city of St. Louis for the most part are African American. It's just a sign of the times. Tomorrow we may begin reading about Bosnian, Serbian, or Somalian gangs. It all depends on what develops. Perhaps the gangs in Jennings just happen to be of one color. But the fact is they may be considered gangs--just as other groups were in the past. On the West Coast there are references to Hispanic gangs.
As to what else you write, Jason, I think you are grasping straws, data that has nothing to do with the issue at hand and even at that a bit exaggerated as well.
For the most part, the pleas for "colorblind" have been made by African Americans in line with Dr. King's emphasis on "the content of one's character" being more important than the color of one's skin. So many of us attempt to focus on that when we vote.
How many whites do you think voted for Lewis Reed? I think many. Some have just gotten beyond race to issues that affect people whether they be red, yellow, black, or white or shades inbetween.
As a white woman, I went to an African American medical specialist. She was highly qualified and had patients of various racial backgrounds. Should I have chosen a white specialist instead, or perhaps an Asian?
Like I said, I prefer issues to count more than race. Dr. Diana Bourisaw has the respect of so many African Americans as well as whites. She has unified many parents because they know she is trying to raise the standards of the school district. African American parents aren't calling for her to step down to be replaced by an African American. It's qualifications and experience that matter.
4/05/2007 5:32 PM
Helen,
You don't see that Jennings definition of a gang is unconstitutional because it defines freedom of association as a criminal activity.
You don’t see that Jennings’s young males are 99% black and have at some point in their lives been hanging out on a porch or corner.
Is it appropriate for a city government assumes its citizens are gang members?
I don’t care what you think of me… What I would like you to understand is that race is an issue and that if you can’t see that you are not just colorblind you are blind!
4/05/2007 8:59 PM
jennings is 2% white if no one knew that.
4/05/2007 11:49 PM
Gangs in jennings need to be shut down by police, I live near the area, many people feel the police are hard but us residents appreciate them for being hard, if parents dont have the since to raise them to be productive citzens then lock them up. I wish we had an area for all criminals to live, with no police protection and no fire department and no hospitals. Let them destroy each other. Its always amazing to me to hear blacks fight for the rights of non productive gangs, and blame whites for all the problems in the community. Most of these people believe a one sided history on the black community and don't have a real clue. Try blaming the drug dealer and that section 8 dope house across the street from where you live, why not talk to them first instead of blaming whites?
4/05/2007 11:56 PM
The truth is Jennings has a less than 2% gang population according to the gang resource people at the schools. I am heavily involved
there. The problem is that there is no place for youth to hang out other than home. This is why community centers are important. There is no support from the community for our youth.
I don't pretend to believe that every child is an angel. I realize that there are issues of crime that must be addressed. No one is saying ignore that. What we are saying is that generalizing a group of black kids hanging out as criminals is fear based and nothing more. I also know that any group of black kids and particularly males hanging together have always been seen as a threat to white establishments. This dates back to slavery when they considered them a threat to take over the plantation. They have now upgraded their language for the 21st century so now these groups are generalized as "the crime element" or "gangs". The impact is still the same.
As far as those who like to live in utopias and quote Martin Luther King...it is great that YOU have gotten past the issue of color. Do not assume that all whites or even most whites have as well. Do not assume that because MLK had a dream that it has been realized by African Americans in every facet of society. Laws are much easier to change than internal attitudes.
Racism is generally passed down from generation to generation. Certain ideas about a group is established before a child even reaches school age. Typically, the response to other races is instinctual based on generational and cultural memories. Basically it is a deeply embedded fear. As a therapist, I work with people all day that have a difficult time changing subconscious behavior patterns such as fear. A great deal of the white population that remain in Jennings are retired elderly that have been there long before 1950. Many of my neighbors on my streat are all in their 80's and 90's. These individuals are also the Mayor's base of support. Most were raised to believe that blacks were inferior and they feared them. This idea is perpetuated in the administration.
You can say what you want, but in a city with a 90% African American population, to have no African American department heads, 90% white administration, no African American fire fighters, 1 black police officer spells only 1 thing. Institutionalized racism. The adminstration simply does not reflect the "diversity" that evident in its population. Since the current mayor has been there for 12 years and 8 years as a council member, it is clear he does not have any intention of "reflecting MLK's dream and changing the status quo".
4/06/2007 6:47 AM
Examples of police activities in Jennings:
1.Arresting a pregnant woman picking up her children from the grade school because her grass was lawn and garden violations. This woman was arrested and handcuffed in front of her children and the school. They subsequently took her and her children to jail.
2.A resident called the police because a woman was being beat up by her boyfriend. When the police arrived, the police chose to arrest the resident that called because he had been drinking ( at home). Even though all of the surrounding neighbors told the officer that the real offender was in the house next door, the officer stated that "if they didn't shut up, he would arrest all of their black asses". The mayor chose to defend the officer even though there were many witnesses. The officer was not reprimanded at all.
3. My own experience: I live across from the high school and their was a game that night. Some of the kids stayed on the parking lot a while longer. When they left, the police followed them. They then drove down my street and turned in my driveway to turn around. The police surrounded my house with 5 cars. When I came outside, the police told me that they wanted me to press charges against them for trespassing. When I asked what they did, they said that they were on the school lot. That's it. The kids were between 15 and 17 and I said no. The police then said that they were going to take them down for trespassing anyway and I could drop the charges later if I wanted.
These are just a few examples.
I actually heard them say that if they couldn't get someone on driving too fast down a street, they would get them on a "stop sign violation". They said this in a city hall meeting. They indicated that this is how they get most of the people on McClaren.
Last: If you go into Jennings on their court day Tuesdays at 6:30, nearly 100% of the people in court are black. Does that mean that no white break the law in Jennings?
4/06/2007 7:03 AM
What difference does that make with a hyphenated name? What is your point? She has one three seats with the name.
4/06/2007 1:03 PM
Jason, I’m not blind. I can see very clearly that there can be no rational discussion here. You don’t even comprehend what you read and add meaning to what is written that is not intended.
Sarita, I understand a lot that you communicate. However, consider this: You state that most of the whites living in Jennings are the very elderly. Therefore, you don’t have too many young white punks to form gangs or to congregate causing concern.
I am white living in the city. A couple of times my house has been cited with violations and the threat of legal action. Regarding painting a garage door, mine was not as bad off as others not cited in the block. Someone dumped tree branches and limbs across the alley from my garage, and I was cited. I had to call several times before I could get that taken care of and don’t know yet if it was removed from the books. Some of us who aren’t African American are also harassed.
As you and most everyone know (especially middle class African Americans), there are serious and endemic problems in the black underclass. It’s amazing how such poor people have so many guns and kill one another without blinking. Older African Americans are scared to death of these younger kids and live behind bars for protection. How free are you when you have to live behind bars? Jesse Jackson said once he was more afraid if a young black man was walking behind him than a young white man. Even New York African American cab drivers are afraid to pick up some young black men. People are living in fear. Those living in the most fear are African Americans themselves.
Now, there are groups of others, mostly educated to a degree and responsible whites and blacks, as well as Asians who enjoy one another’s company, friendship, and even marriage, We have come a long way. There are African Americans as well as Africans who are members of my church that is predominantly white. We deeply care about one another and sister up with an inner-city African American church to do what we can (Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church).
Bear in mind also that there is a white underclass that many whites fear being around. Regardless of race though, personal responsibility must be operative to overcome many problems. Descendants of European immigrants came from some very deprived, difficult circumstances and even prejudice, but they have succeeded in overcoming with their own achievements, as have many Asians. Taking educational opportunities seriously will benefit many. But too many homes do not give education the priority it deserves.
I’m not blind, but I see progress as do many African Americans. The societal problems that plague many areas hurt such progress. Black racism is as unhealthy as any other racism. My simple and humble opinion.
4/06/2007 1:12 PM
Jason's concern that the Constitution is being rewritten and Sarita's concern for the abuses of power by the local police are both issues which have been exacerbated by the Bush administrations's policies concerning national security.
Many federal policies have been put in place in the name of "public safety" that have gone unquestioned for far too long, and have created structures within state and local law enforcement that have destroyed accountability and allowed the rise of a class of law enforcement people and organizations who have come to believe that they ARE the law rather than servants of it.
Imperceptibly at first, and now more obviously, we are becoming an America that is a police state.
These policies were DESIGNED to impact low socio-economic status people first, (just like No Child Left Behind) hence they have inflamed existing problems in predominantly black poor communities, creating an aura of "justification" for such actions on the basis of "safety".
Make no mistake. The loss of freedom and police abuse of which you speak is quite widespread and does not care which race it affects. It DOES take care not to impact the more affluent of society, since if they experienced these things themselves, they might take up against them with power and money. By confining these policies to the poor for the initial stages, they can slide them in through the back door, so to speak, gaining control imperceptibly, of everything.
One could focus on the unfairness to the black community--and truly they have suffered most and first--but that would be only a piece of the evil design, and to narrow the issue divides the power to fight back. It is true that much of it is motivated by racism. However, greed and power-crazed obsession are also involved. Everyone whose eyes are open will be needed to stop this evil.
4/06/2007 6:18 PM
The difference of race is one of the reasons why I fear that war may always exist; because race implies difference, difference implies superiority, and superiority leads to predominance.
-Benjamin Disraeli
4/06/2007 8:51 PM
Any multicandidate election won by plurality provides another reason why instant runoff voting should be enacted. Maybe the result would have been different and maybe it wouldn't, but in any event, reallocation of the third candidate's votes to the "second choices" of those voters would have resulted in the winner being the majority choice over the runner-up.
Politicians like the current plurality system because it's easier for them to manipulate to their advantage.
More info: http://www.instantrunoff.com/
4/06/2007 9:32 PM
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