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On June 15, the State Board of Education snatched control of St. Louis Public Schools out of the hands of the elected school board and handed it over to a three-person board headed by a Chesterfield real estate developer appointed by the governor.
For many, the humiliating demotion of the city's first black fire chief was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. But the "Wutcha gonna do about it?" posturing of Mayor Francis Slay and his chief of staff Jeff Rainford brought together people from all walks of life to call for an end to the politics of division that have defined the Slay Administration.
Before this year, there was one thing a white citywide elected official could always count on in St. Louis: they would probably never be knocked off by a black challenger.
But on March 6, underdog Lewis Reed defeated Jim Shrewsbury becoming both the first African-American to be elected President of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen and, much more significantly, the first black to ever beat a white incumbent in a two-person citywide election in St. Louis history.
Reed was a client of A D French & Associates and here is a commercial that I produced for the campaign.
In March, students staged a five-day sit-in protest of Mayor Francis Slay's office opposing the pending takeover of St. Louis Public Schools, which Slay supported.
"The fact that only 17 percent of the Police Department’s 1,859 employees said they do not have confidence in Chief Joe Mokwa is hardly an indicator of any widespread discontent with his tenure," said the Mayor Francis Slay on his blog.
Of course, the mayor neglected to mention that the 48% turnout in the no-confidence poll was much higher than the 15% turnout in Slay's own 2005 primary victory.
Chris Goodson, president of the Board of Police Commissioners, which is appointed by the governor, told KWMU that despite frustration over staffing and pay, Mokwa is doing a good job.
"Leadership is going to have popular and unpopular decisions that comes with the job, but what we want to know is are you making the right decisions to provide the best public safety for the workers and the citizens of St. Louis," Goodson told KWMU.
Here's what we had to say at the time:
But the citizens of the City of St. Louis, which once again has earned the title of "most dangerous" in America, have little say in the running of their police department. Unlike most cities, the mayor does not hire or fire the chief of police. In fact, the chief is only accountable to the the police board, which is appointed by the governor and approved by the senate, both located in Jefferson City.The politics suggests the People have little control over the police. The crime statistics suggest the police have little control over the streets. And the mayor's statement shows the opinion of rank-and-file cops can (and will) be disregarded as easily as the opinion of the people they protect and serve.
Internal police department auditors discovered as much as $40,000 in cash was stolen from the evidence room in the basement of St. Louis Police Headquarters. Though Chief Joe Mokwa was informed about the theft this summer, it was not made public until mid-September.
Despite police officers stealing everything from World Series baseball tickets to cash without any serious consequences, the governor-appointed police board and Mayor Francis Slay continued to voice their complete confidence in Mokwa (even if his own officers felt otherwise).
On August 15, rookie cop Norvelle Brown was killed while patrolling alone on the city's north side. His death and the department's regular practice of sending inexperienced officers fresh out of the academy to patrol the toughest neighborhoods in the city all alone are two of several reasons mentioned for why the Police Officers' Association later voted "no confidence" in the leadership of Police Chief Joe Mokwa.
On September 18, Multimedia KSDK, Inc. filed a complaint with YouTube about our posting of a video contrasting a September 13 story by reporter Mike Owens which ended with a promise to air a tape of an allegedly crooked real estate seller "saying he makes regular payments of cash to the local alderman" with their September 14 follow-up story that makes no mention of the allegation.
YouTube suspended our account and took all 500 of our videos off-line. We filed a counter-notification with YouTube charging that KSDK was full of shit and our usage of their video clearly falls under the "Fair Use" doctrine.
Gov. Matt Blunt gave the kind of Christmas gift Sunday that only a governor can give.
Blunt announced his decision to pardon Alicia Allison-Brown, Jesse Barnes, James Birdwell, Sr., Craig Johnson, Robert Jordan and Carl Smart, who all were convicted of non-violent offenses years ago and have since, according to Blunt, become and remained law-abiding citizens.
None of the people pardoned were currently in prison and several of them committed their crimes decades ago and were only sentenced to probation, which they have long ago completed.
More from the governor's office on the people who were pardoned:
In 1990, at the age of 23, Alicia Allison-Brown was convicted of stealing. She was sentenced to four years probation and 120-day shock incarceration. Ms. Brown applied for pardon in 2005. Ms. Allison-Brown is married with one child. She is a member of FEMA Missouri Task Force I, serving as a Canine Search Specialist and trained in Tech Rescue
In 1961, at the age of 24, Jesse Barnes was convicted of 2nd degree arson. He was sentenced to three years in prison and paroled after serving five months. He successfully completed his parole. Mr. Barnes applied for pardon in 2006. Mr. Barnes is a self-employed and professional painter. He has been married for 40 years and has three children as well as grandchildren.
In 1963, at the age of 20, James Birdwell, Sr., was convicted of malicious destruction of property. He received a one year suspended sentence and two years of probation. Mr. Birdwell applied for pardon in 2003. Mr. Birdwell has owned a small construction business for nine years and previously worked for the Kansas City Star for more than 10 years. He has been married for 45 years and has five children and 17 grandchildren
In 1985, at the age of 19, Craig Johnson was convicted of the crime of stealing. He was sentenced to three years probation. Mr. Johnson applied for pardon in 2004. Mr. Johnson is a minister and chaplain in the U.S. Army where he has achieved the rank of Captain. He served in the first Gulf War where he received numerous decorations and awards.
In 1990, at the age of 21, Robert Jordan was convicted of the crime of stealing. He was sentenced to two years probation. Mr. Jordan applied for pardon in 2003. Mr. Jordan and his wife have three children and serve their community as Emergency Medical Technicians.
In 1980, at the age of 28, Carl Smart was convicted of 2nd degree arson and deceitful stealing. He was sentenced to five years probation, which he completed successfully. Mr. Smart applied for a pardon in 2004. Mr. Smart is a Navy veteran and has worked for the United States Postal Service for 30 years. He is married with three children and one grandchild.
"Ms. Allison-Brown, Mr. Barnes, Mr. Birdwell, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Jordan and Mr. Smart have paid for their mistakes," said Gov. Blunt. "It is my hope and belief that they will continue to be productive citizens."
Missouri’s Probation and Parole Board unanimously recommended that a pardon be issued in all cases. Local law enforcement were not opposed to the four receiving a pardon. In addition each person receiving a pardon has support from their local community, including elected officials, religious leaders, community leaders or neighbors.
According to the Post-Dispatch, Katherine Remington Martin of Ladue was crowned the queen at Saturday's 123rd annual Veiled Prophet Ball. PubDef was not invited to this year's ball and we're really broken up about it (Gabe mostly).
The event is put on by the same organization that founded the V.P. Fair (now called Fair St. Louis). Watch this video we did earlier this year, an interview with activist Percy Green on the controversial history of the Veiled Prophet.
Heavy should be the head that wears the crown, Ms. Martin.
Absent of City Hall trying to stop the coming economic insanity which is the two-year shut down of Highway 40, former school board member and perennial mayoral candidate Bill Haas has stepped up to the plate.
Former St. Louis School Board member Bill Haas filed a motion in federal court in St. Louis today requesting an injunction against the Missouri Department of Transportation stopping it from shutting down Interstate 64 (Highway 40) for construction beginning Jan. 2.
U.S. Senior District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh scheduled a hearing for Wednesday at 1 p.m. to hear Haas' request. But Limbaugh denied Haas' motion for a temporary injunction this morning.
The following press release is from the St. Louis City Election Board in response to today's indictment of eight former ACORN workers on charges of voter registration fraud:
Earlier today, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of the State of Missouri, Catherine L. Hanaway, announced that eight former employees of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, were indicted in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri on federal election violations. The indictments come approximately thirteen months after the City of St. Louis Board of Election Commissioners turned over to federal investigators, thousands of voter registration cards that had been submitted for processing to the Board by ACORN.
These voter registration cards contained fraudulent signatures, improper and inaccurate voter information, and duplicative and incorrect names. Included in the voter registration cards that were patently fraudulent was a voter registration card and signature attributed to a fifteen year old girl whose mother alerted the Board that no such card and signature had been completed.
"These voter registration cards were brazenly fraudulent, and we are pleased that the U.S. Attorney’s Office is taking steps to properly prosecute those who commit voter registration fraud," stated Republican Director Scott Leiendecker.
"The Board will continue to vigorously investigate any and all allegations of election fraud and refer any incidents to the appropriate law enforcement authorities."
Eight voter registration workers, employed by The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), have been indicted on election fraud charges in connection with the November 2006 general election, United States Attorney Catherine L. Hanaway announced today.
The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (“ACORN”) is a not-for-profit organization and during 2006 maintained and operated an office at 4304 Manchester Avenue in the City of St. Louis, in part to conduct a voter registration drive for the November 7, 2006 general election.
Project Vote is a not-for-profit organization that works with ACORN to register voters for federal and local elections. Project Vote funded ACORN in the 2006 voter registration drive.
“The allegations of Election Fraud announced today represent criminal activities which undermine the public’s confidence in government. This type of criminal activity should not be tolerated by citizens of the community,” said Hanaway. “We intend to investigate vigorously, and prosecute fully, any allegations of fraud in our election system.”
ACORN and Project Vote recruited and employed workers to obtain voter registrations in the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County during 2006. The workers were trained and instructed by ACORN and Project Vote on how to obtain voter registrations and how to prepare voter registration applications, which included training and instruction that the actual voter must sign the voter application and that a forged signature is a violation of the law.
The indictment alleges that from July through October 2006, the eight defendants indicted today were employed by ACORN as voter registration workers to obtain voter registrations in the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County. They are charged with multiple counts of election fraud for submitting false voter registration applications to the St. Louis City and St. Louis County Board of Election Commissions falsely stating addresses, names and other information of the voters being registered, and which contained forged signatures of the purported applicants, in violation of Title 42, United States Code, Sections 1973i(c) and 1973 gg-10, election fraud.
The indicted individuals are:
BRIAN BLAND, St. Louis, Missouri
BOBBIE JEAN CHEEKS, a/k/a Dorothy Jones and Bobbie Tobert, St. Louis, Missouri
CORTEZ COWAN, St. Louis, Missouri
GOLDEN GIBSON, St. Louis, Missouri
RADONNA MARIE SMITH, St. Louis, Missouri
ANTHONY M. RELIFORD, St. Louis, Missouri
KENNETH DEMOND WILLIAMS, St. Louis, Missouri
TYAIRA L. WILLIAMS, a/k/a Tootsie Roll, St. Louis, Missouri
If convicted, each count of 42 U.S.C. Section 1973i(c) carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and/or fines up to $ 10,000. Each count of 42 U.S.C. Section 1973gg-10 carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000.
In discussions with the United States Attorney’s Office, ACORN has agreed to implement a plan to improve voter registration and quality control procedures. ACORN is planning to strengthen the system it has to monitor and address performance problems, and has agreed to meet with prosecutors to discuss how best to report possible illegal activity. ACORN has agreed that comprehensive training will be required of all quality control and management staff. ACORN has agreed to the creation of a General Counsel position to monitor ACORN programs, and who will communicate with local election officials to address problems. Further, ACORN has agreed to assign a 13-year ACORN veteran and Missouri Head Organizer to St. Louis full time to personally oversee any future voter registration drive.
“The FBI is committed to investigating all instances of election fraud to ensure the integrity of our democratic system,” said John Gillies, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, St. Louis.
Hanaway acknowledged the assistance of the St. Louis and St. Louis County Election Boards and commended the work performed on the case by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Postal Inspection Service and Assistant United States Attorney Hal Goldsmith, who is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations, and each defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
For today's photo caption contest, we'll have a little good-natured fun with State Senator (and candidate for Attorney General) Chris Koster* and state rep candidate Don Calloway.
As usual, only contestants who log-in to post their entries will be eligible for the special prize. Anonymous commenters are not eligible.
Have fun. Be creative.
*Koster is a client of A D French & Associates (website design)
PubDef will be spending the evening at J. Buck's at state senate candidate (and A. D. French client) Rodney Hubbard's star-studded fundraiser. All are invited. Tickets are just $25. Check back tomorrow for video and photos.
Hometown recording artists The St. Lunatics, Jibbs and Vic Damone, local political heavyweights, including former mayor Freeman Bosley, Jr.; Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce; Aldermanic President Lewis Reed; and License Collector Mike McMillan, are expected to show their support for Hubbard's 2008 senate campaign.
"We're trying to really bring our region's successful young hip-hop entrepreneurs into the political arena," said Hubbard, who at 35 years-old considers himself part of the hip-hop generation.
"I appreciate the support of these artists who could spend their Thursday night anywhere in the world," said Hubbard. "To come home to St. Louis to support my senate campaign means a lot."
Congressman Lacy Clay, who has endorsed Hubbard, and Dr. Ben Chavis, former head of the national NAACP and president of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, are also expected at the event. Chavis, who co-founded the Hip-Hop Summit with Russell Simmons, is a longtime supporter of Hubbard and of involving the hip-hop generation more in the political process.
The event is TONIGHT from 9:00 until midnight, at J. Bucks, 1000 Clark Ave. in downtown St. Louis. Tickets are open to the general public at just $25. Tickets to an 8:00 VIP event are $100.
* Rodney Hubbard is a client of A D French and Associates (campaign management)
John L. Triplett, father of Alderwoman Kacie Starr Triplett passed away on Tuesday, December 18.
There will be viewing on Saturday, December 22, 2007 at Hopewell MB church which is located at 915 N. Taylor from 10am - 12noon. Services will begin at 12noon at the same location.
All condolences and/or flowers can be sent to Austin Layne Mortuary at 7239 West Florissant 63136.
Click here to read the obituary in today's St. Louis American.
Photographer Rosalind Guy was one of 130 Missourians who traveled to Iowa last week to campaign for Barack Obama. We've posted some of her great photos from the event on our .Mac web gallery.
Click here to view, download, and even upload your own photos from the trip.
The Special Administrative Board of St. Louis Public Schools will hold a Special Board Meeting on Friday at the Administrative Building, 801 N. 11th Street, Room 108. The Special Board Meeting will begin at 2:00 p.m. and is open to the public. The agenda is as follows:
Citing the City of St. Louis' current racial problems, the chairman and the executive director of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) said today they will give Mayor Francis Slay six months to make peace with the city's black community or they will relocate their 2011 national convention and take its millions of dollars of economic impact elsewhere.
PubDef, along with crews from Channel 4 and 5, waited for Mayor Slay or a spokesman to discuss his meeting with NSBE, but no one came out by 5:00 and we all left.
THIS STORY WAS NOT REPORTED LAST NIGHT ON KMOV CHANNEL 4 or KSDK CHANNEL 5 10:00 NEWS SHOWS EVEN THOUGH BOTH HAD REPORTERS AND CAMERAS AT THE SCENE.
John Triplett, father of 6th Ward Alderman Kacie Starr Triplett, passed away early this morning of a heart attack.
Known to many as "Big John," Triplett, 55, was an official with the Plumbers and Pipefitters Union Local 562.
UPDATE @ 9:44 PM: Below is a statement from Comptroller Darlene Green on the passing of Mr. Triplett:
"My heartfelt condolences go out to the entire family. The St. Louis community lost a great man, father and labor representative in John. I know he was very proud of his daughter, Kacie, and her career in public service. His legacy will live on through her."
Slay's Troubles May Cost Region Millions with Convention Loss
By Antonio D. French
Filed
Monday, December 17, 2007 at 1:46 PM
In response to the recent call to boycott the City of St. Louis, the Chairman of the Board and the Executive Director of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) will arrive in St. Louis tomorrow to meet separately with community leaders and Mayor Francis Slay to determine whether NSBE will cancel its national convention scheduled for 2011 in St. Louis. That's according to the group which called for the boycott and are seeking to remove Slay from office.
By some estimates, the NSBE convention is expected to draw 15,000 visitors and generate as much as $25 million in business for the city.
According to a press release from Slay's opponents, the head of the NSBE will meet with their group before his meeting with the Slay, and will follow that meeting with a joint press conference with the group at 1:30 PM at the Gateway Classic Foundation building.
Hubbard Fundraiser to Feature Hip-Hop and Political Heavyweights
By Antonio D. French
State Rep. Rodney Hubbard*, a candidate for the 5th District state senate seat soon to be vacated by the term-limited Sen. Maida Coleman, is holding one of the largest political fundraisers of the year this week.
National recording artist Nelly and his band of St. Lunatics are expected to make appearances, as are hometown rappers Jibbs and Vic Damone. Local political heavyweights, former mayor Freeman Bosley, Jr.; Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce; Aldermanic President Lewis Reed; and License Collector Mike McMillan, headline the host committee.
"We're trying to really bring our region's successful young hip-hop entrepreneurs into the political arena," said Hubbard, who at 35 years-old considers himself part of the hip-hop generation.
"I appreciate the support of these artists who could spend their Thursday night anywhere in the world," said Hubbard. "To come home to St. Louis to support my senate campaign means a lot."
Congressman Lacy Clay, who has endorsed Hubbard, and Dr. Ben Chavis, former head of the national NAACP and president of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, are also expected at the event. Chavis, who co-founded the Hip-Hop Summit with Russell Simmons, is a longtime supporter of Hubbard and of involving the hip-hop generation more in the political process.
The event will be Thursday night, from 9:00 until midnight, at J. Bucks, 1000 Clark Ave. in downtown St. Louis. Tickets are open to the general public at just $25. Tickets to an 8:00 VIP event are $100.
Listen to the radio commercial:
Here's the invitation. Click to enlarge.
* Rodney Hubbard is a client of A D French and Associates (campaign management)
PubDef is looking for interns for the first quarter of 2008. In the past, we have only considered area college students or recent grads. This time we're opening it up to high school seniors too.
Must have your own transportation and the ability to meet deadlines.
I spent 11 hours on a bus yesterday riding to and from Iowa to campaign in a snow storm for Barack Obama. I was one of 130 St. Louisans — including a statewide elected official, two state senators and a former mayor — that made the long trek on a snowy Saturday morning because we believe Senator Obama is the best person to restore America's promise of hope and greatness.
After I get a bit more rest, I'll piece together some video and photos from the trip for you all to see. But here are a few thoughts about the journey.
First, it was remarkable to see the wide range of people whose lives Obama has touched and to whom he brings personal inspiration.
It was former St. Louis mayor Vince Schoemehl who told the rest of our group yesterday that every generation has a great and inspirational leader — in the same tradition as Presidents J.F.K. and F.D.R. For this generation, he said, that man is Barack Obama.
Along with Mayor Schoemehl, other believers on board included State Auditor Susan Montee from St. Joe, MO; State Senators Maida Coleman and Jeff Smith (St. Louis City); St. Louis Aldermen Kacie Starr Triplett (6th Ward) and Sam Moore (4th Ward); Northwoods Alderman Errol Bush; Committeewoman Yaphett El-Amin (1st Ward); and dozens of students, professionals, educators, teens, and homemakers.
After the five-hour drive to Ottumwa, we stopped by the Obama campaign headquarters for a quick training in door-to-door campaigning and were quickly out in the snow, making our way from house to house.
To a one, every Iowan I spoke to was extraordinarily nice, especially considering I must've been the 15th campaigner to knock on their door this month. And most that I talked to were leaning towards or definitely caucusing for Obama. Three times I was told "anybody but Hillary." I coded that ABH.
The one thing I wished I could share most with my St. Louisans back home — especially my African-American brothers and sisters — is how frustratingly wrong so many of them are when they say this ignorant rant of "white folks ain't gonna support no black man for president."
Every Obama supporter I saw in Iowa was white, middle-class, tired of the direction of our country, and inspired by the hope represented by Barack Obama.
This is a different country than the one my parents and grandparents knew. The problem is that too many of our political leaders haven't realized it. Obama does.
On the way back, I read on my phone that the Boston Globe had endorsed Obama in the very important New Hampshire primary on Jan. 8.
The editorial, like our Iowa trip, was truly inspiring.
THE FIRST American president of the 21st century has not appreciated the intricate realities of our age. The next president must. The most sobering challenges that face this country - terrorism, climate change, disease pandemics - are global. America needs a president with an intuitive sense of the wider world, with all its perils and opportunities. Senator Barack Obama of Illinois has this understanding at his core. The Globe endorses his candidacy in New Hampshire's Democratic presidential primary Jan. 8.
Many have remarked on Obama's extraordinary biography: that he is the biracial son of a father from Kenya and a mother who had him at 18; that he was raised in the dynamic, multi-ethnic cultures of Hawaii and Indonesia; that he went from being president of the Harvard Law Review to the gritty and often thankless work of community organizing in Chicago; that, at 46, he would be the first post-baby-boom president.
What is more extraordinary is how Obama seals each of these experiences to his politics. One of the lessons he took from organizing poor families in Chicago, he says, was "how much people felt locked out of their government," even at the local level. That experience anchors his commitment to transparency and accountability in Washington.
Similarly, his exposure to foreign lands as a child and his own complex racial identity have made him at ease with diversity - of point of view as well as race or religion. "I've had to negotiate through different cultures my whole life," he says. He speaks with clarity and directness, and he is also a listener, a lost art in our politics.
In what looks like prescience today, Obama was against the Iraq war from the start. But his is not the stereotypical 1960s antiwar reflex. "I don't oppose all wars," he said in the fall of 2002. "I'm opposed to rash wars."
When it comes to waging peace, Obama has the leadership skills to reset the country's reputation in the world. He notes, for example, that the United States would be in a stronger position with Iran if it took more seriously its own commitment to the nuclear nonproliferation treaty. His bill, cosponsored with Senator Richard Lugar, to add conventional weapons to the nation's threat reduction initiative, became law this year.
On domestic issues, the major Democratic candidates are reduced to parsing slivers of difference. But Obama has been more forthright in declaring his slightly heterodox positions to traditional Democratic constituencies. His support for merit pay for teachers, or a cap on carbon emissions, suggests a healthy independence from the established order.
The first major bill to Obama's name in the Illinois Legislature was on campaign ethics reform. In Washington, he coauthored this year's sweeping congressional lobbying reform law. When he describes his approach to healthcare negotiations, he says, "The insurance and drug companies will get a seat at the table, but they won't get to buy every chair."
Obama's critics, and even many who want to support him, worry about his relative lack of experience. It is true that other Democratic contenders have more conventional resumes and have spent more time in Washington. But that exposure has tended to give them a sense of government's constraints. Obama is more animated by its possibilities.
In our view, the choice on the Democratic side is between Obama and Hillary Clinton. Clinton has run a diligent, serious campaign, and her command of the issues is deep and reassuring. But her approach is needlessly defensive, a backward glance at the bruising political battles of the 1990s. Obama's candidacy looks forward.
Obama's memoir, "Dreams From My Father," is divided into three main sections. The first is a reflection on his youthful search for identity. The second recounts his days in Chicago, which include the first stirrings of a religious life. The third is a roots pilgrimage to Kenya, to better understand his often absent father. It is hard to read this book without longing for a president with this level of introspection, honesty, and maturity - and Obama published it when he was only 33.
"I genuinely believe that our security and prosperity are going to depend on how we manage our continued integration into the rest of the world," he says. Obama's story is the American story, a deeply affecting tale of possibility. People who vote for him vote their hopes. Even after seven desolating years, this country has not forgotten how to hope.
St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay told Channel 5 reporter Cordell Whitlock yesterday that he thinks Firefighters Union Local 73, which is white-dominated, and F.I.R.E., the African-American firefighters organization, need to come together.
But as Slay was quick to publicly remind ex-fire chief Sherman George, the mayor's office controls the fire department. He can, as he did with George, order both sides to the table.
Instead, he has clearly sided with Local 73.
To now say "something" needs to be done by "someone" "someday" is just skirting his responsibilities once again.
The opponents of the takeover of St. Louis Public Schools are having another fundraising concert tomorrow to raise money to fund their legal fight.
The benefit concert for the "Save Our Children’s Education Fund" will be on Saturday from 2:00 to 6:00 PM at the Atomic Cowboy, 4140 Manchester Rd, in "The Grove" neighborhood.
Musical talent slated to jam the afternoon away include: The Black Notes with The Raw Earth Experience, The Ivory Coast Drummers, and DJs Toby and Britton.
Tickets are $7.00 for adults and $5.00 for children.
This whole ugly mess with the stuffed monkey hanging in Firehouse 13 has brought to light a serious problem in how the Slay Administration is running both the St. Louis Fire Department and the City.
When the media learned about this incident from a mass email sent out by a member of F.I.R.E. (the organization representing black firefighters), Mayor Francis Slay and his public safety director Charles Bryson responded a few days later by forwarding the situation F.B.I. At no time did the mayor's office or the public safety director meet with or even call leaders of the black firefighters organization to try to dampen the flames which such an incident could ignite.
The Slay Administration's policy with regard to the fire department is to deal only with the firefighters union, Local 73, and not the black firefighters association. The new fire chief also operates under this policy.
It is interesting that the old chief, Sherman George, was instructed by the mayor's office to meet monthly with both organizations. But now, as F.I.R.E. vice-chair Wayne Luster noted at yesterday's press conference, the black firefighters are no longer involved in the direction of the department, even though their membership accounts for nearly 45% of the department.
So what is the real effect of this policy? Well, when the head of the mostly-white Local 73 was asked about the hanging monkey incident, he downplayed it and suggested there was no need for an investigation.
"[The monkey] was put on the coat rack because it was wet and it was drying," Chris Molitor told the Post-Dispatch. As for the rope, he said it "has been attached to that coat rack for several years."
This calls for some clarification.
First, the black firefighters organization, F.I.R.E., while not a recognized bargaining entity with the City of St. Louis, is still nonetheless clear on their mission: representing the interests of black firefighters. And like any good union, recognized or not, they push hard for the advancement of their members.
Local 73 on the other hand has long rejected its characterization as the "white firefighters union." Its leaders say their mission is to represent all firefighters, regardless of color. However, history has not shown that to be the case. And this incident indicates that the professional needs and desires of African-American firemen and women are still not being represented by Local 73.
While Molitor and the people he represents believe that a hanging monkey means little, his African-American co-workers and his bosses (at least publicly) think it deserves serious investigation.
The fire chief and the public safety director told the media Tuesday that the department was taking the situation "very seriously." Though, again, neither have talked to the black firefighters' organization about it.
If Jenkerson, Bryson and Molitor think the fire department can be its best without communicating with the black firefighters organization, they are wrong. But they are not alone. This "blackout" started at the top.
St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay's office — specifically his chief of staff, Jeff Rainford, and his communications director, Ed Rhode — continue to ignore St. Louis' African-American press. No responses to inquires (the St. Louis American has not received a response in over a month). No press releases or notices of press conferences.
How long will the Slay Administration continue this "blackout"? And how long with the white press sit without comment and watch the disrespect of its African-American colleagues?
As a citywide elected official from a majority-black city, Mayor Slay actually has more black constituents than white. But that's not how his administration sees it.
A white elected official recently told me how Slay's chief of staff, Jeff Rainford, once suggested to him that he was wasting his time by attending meetings in north St. Louis.
"They'll never vote for you anyway," Rainford told this official.
Is that how we're going to operate in this city? Elected officials only recognizing the importance of half their constituents?
Where's the outrage among more of our white citizens — our white journalists, our white firefighters, our white elected officials?
I can only hope it is because they sincerely don't know what's going on.
I'd hate to think that you are OK with our city being divided as it is today by the people in Room 200.
Leaders of the city's black firefighters association said today that Mayor Francis Slay's removal of Fire Chief Sherman George has created an "energized atmosphere of defiance and intolerance" among some white firefighters, and it is in that atmosphere that a toy monkey was left hanging from a makeshift noose at a northside fire house over the weekend.
The F.B.I. has been notified of this possible hate crime, but Abram Pruitt and Wayne Luster, co-chairs of F.I.R.E., said no one from the Mayor's office nor Public Safety Director Charles Bryson had bothered contacting F.I.R.E. regarding this incident, despite the organization representing 98% of African-American members of the department.
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The following statement comes from F.I.R.E., the African-American firefighters association:
Almost 50 years ago Black firefighters for the City of St Louis were told by white firefighters that they could not attend the firefighters' barbecue.
Those African American firefighters were given $5.00 by the white firefighters and instructed to go have their own function----because of the color of their skin they were not welcome at any firefighters' event in the City of St Louis. It was out of that incident that F.I.R.E. was founded.
African American firefighters understood then that the racism that infected the fire department could not be cured from the inside out.
Unfortunately little has changed with regard to acts of hate directed at black firefighters.
A few days ago a stuffed monkey was hung by a noose in a northside firehouse. This act of hate comes shortly after the first African American fire chief was forced out and replaced with a lesser qualified white firefighter.
F.I.R.E. (Firefighters Institute for Racial Equality) is demanding that the City of St Louis respond to this act of hate properly and F.I.R.E. is also requesting a Federal Investigation.
F.I.R.E. is holding a press conference today at 5:00 PM at their headquarters, 1020 North Taylor Ave.
Jamala Rogers from the Organization for Black Struggle was the first person to testify at yesterday's hearing of the House Committee on Slavery Impact.
The committee, which is considering State Rep. T.D. El-Amin's resolution calling for the State of Missouri to apologize for its role in enslaving blacks, met in the historic Old Courthouse where the historic Dred Scott decision was first heard.
Burning Crosses, Hanging Monkies. No, not quite the title of a new Wire Fu movie starring Chow Yung Fat. Just the latest chapter in St. Louis' never-ending story of racists behaving badly.
On the same day that a special House committee heard testimony on why the State of Missouri should finally apologize for years of recognizing Africans as the legal property of others, two reports highlight the struggle for racial harmony that still exists today.
Police here are investigating a burning cross that was found Saturday in a black man’s yard on the 3600 block of Sheridan.
Police said a neighbor had seen the 5 foot cross about 11 a.m. Saturday. The resident had not seen a cross when he got home at 1 a.m. the night before. The bottom of the cross burned, and racial slurs were written on it with a black permanent marker.
And in the recently beleaguered St. Louis fire department, where tensions have been high for weeks following Mayor Francis Slay's removal of the city's first black fire chief, a stuffed toy monkey was found hanging in an engine house.
Chris Molitor, head of the predominantly-white firefighters union, Local 73, played down the incident, telling the Post that the stuffed animal was found at a fire several weeks ago by firefighters at the station.
"It was put on the coat rack because it was wet and it was drying," Molitor said. As for the rope, he said, it "has been attached to that coat rack for several years."
Despite Molitor's explanation, the black firefighters union and the new fire chief, Dennis Jenkerson, are said to be taking the incident "very seriously."
Former state rep. Nathan Cooper was sentenced to 15 months in a federal prison.
Secretary of State Robin Carnahan has approved for circulation a petition drive to get on the 2008 ballot a measure to ban most abortions in the state.
Attorney General candidate Chris Koster* picked up the endorsement of the Missouri Fraternal Order of Police.
Democrat Mike Evans dropped out of the race for lieutenant governor, leaving the nomination open for State Rep. Sam Page.
Committee to Discuss Apology for Slavery in Old Courthouse
By Gabe Bullard
Filed
Monday, December 10, 2007 at 1:07 PM
150 years after the Dred Scott decision, the House Committee on Slavery Impact will discuss an apology for slavery in the same building where Scott made his case.
At 2:00 PM tomorrow in the Old Courthouse downtown, the group will hold a committee hearing to discuss House Resolution 26, which calls for Missouri to apologize for its role in slavery.
"I think what's bigger than an apology is the opportunity to open a dialogue about the disparities that exist," says Committee Co-Chairman T.D. El-Amin. "There's a direct connection between those disparities and slavery."
El-Amin co-chairs the committee with Rodney Hubbard*. Other local representatives on the committee include Jeanette Mott Oxford and Scott Muschany.
El-Amin says the resolution has bipartisan support in many offices across the state. He lists House Speaker Rod Jetton, Attorney General Jay Nixon, Senator Claire McCaskill, Congressman Wm. Lacy Clay, State Auditor Susan Montee and Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder among those who have shown support for HR 26.
VIDEO: Triplett, El-Amin, and French Discuss Obama on Magic 104.9
By Antonio D. French
Alderman and local Obama for America spokeswoman Kacie Starr Triplett, Missouri State Representative T.D. El-Amin, and PubDef.net editor Antonio D. French appeared on Magic 104.9 FM's "Sunday Morning Live" radio show yesterday to discuss plans for a large group of St. Louisans to travel to Iowa on Saturday, Dec. 15, to campaign on behalf of presidential candidate and U.S. Senator from Illinois Barack Obama.
Videotaped a school board meeting recently? Caught an interesting comment on camera at a local ward meeting? Grabbed some footage of a car chase (Hey, it works for Fox 2!)?
According to a survey paid for by the Downtown St. Louis Partnership and reported today by the Post-Dispatch, "those living [downtown] are younger, richer and better educated than the average St. Louisan."
Just one problem: the mail survey doesn't include downtown's largest population: the poor and the homeless.
"Developers say the number of young adults moving to downtown validates their investments," reports the Post. Self-validation is a dangerous thing when it involves public money.
The Post's articles offers a few clues to why the survey's results differ from what anyone who's spent any time downtown has surely observed: there are more homeless people than yuppies downtown.
The survey was sent in late summer to 5,000 downtown residents (that is, people with known addresses)
Only 14.5% of those people bothered responding
Of those 727 residents who did respond, 46.3% were between the ages of 25 and 34
Only about 7% of respondents said they had children (maybe those with children were too busy to respond)
Of the respondents, 146 had dogs and only 53 had kids
Though it will probably never show up on any Downtown Partnership survey, one of the largest populations downtown, without a doubt, is the homeless.
Any given day, a downtown visitor is more likely to see homeless men and women than they are groups of these mysterious 25-34 year-old hipsters the Post writes so much about.
Despite making up such a large population downtown, very little in comparison has been spent to address this homeless downtown population. In fact, many resources have been spent to sweep them away.
In 2004 more than a dozen homeless persons, many of them veterans, filed a federal lawsuit complaining that the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department has a policy of attempting to drive the homeless from downtown St. Louis and telling them downtown is "off limits" to them.
The suit, filed with the assistance of the ACLU, alleged that St. Louis police officers have routinely arrested the homeless without any suspicion they have committed crimes, have thrown fireworks at them to get them to move from a public park, have taken the homeless to remote areas and dumped them, have taken their food, medication, driver's licenses and insurance cards, have made them engage in forced labor prior to ever seeing a judge, and have generally attempted to remove the homeless from downtown, particularly before major events.
The word "homeless" does not appear one time in the Post's story about the face of downtown.
VIDEO: Young Lawyers, Triplett and Smith Come Out for Barack Obama
By Antonio D. French
Filed
Friday, December 07, 2007 at 12:29 PM
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO
Braving the winter weather last night, a group of young local attorneys and Alderman Kacie Starr Triplett, the local spokesperson for the Barack Obama for President campaign, came out to raise some money for the Illinois senator and talk about the importance of the upcoming Iowa primary.
Also officially coming out for Obama last night was State Senator Jeff Smith, who said it was in the interest of "domestic tranquility" that he had not come out earlier. Smith's girlfriend, Elisabeth Smith, is a John Edwards supporter. She's moved to Illinois to work on a Congressional campaign, leaving Jeff free to join the surging Obama campaign.
While his constituent, an elderly homeowner, testified yesterday about her fears of losing her home because of Joe Roddy's eminent domain legislation, the alderman ignored the woman and read his newspaper in the hearing.
For that, he earns PubDef's "Dick of the Day" award.
"Team Four" Architect to Take Leadership Role at Metro?
By Antonio D. French
Following today's resignation of Larry Salci as head of Metro, the region's public transportation system, speculation has quickly grown about who will replace him. Several sources say Robert Baer, former head of United Van Lines, has been offered the job. And the Arch City Chronicle reports that a controversial former St. Louis alderman may be given the Number 2 spot:
Serving as Baer's top lieutenant will be former alderman John Roach. Roach is said to have the confidence of the Illinois component of the Metro Board, as he was deeply involved in the expansion of Metrolink to the East side. Roach also served on the National Commission on Intermodal Transortation during the Clinton administration.
Many older African-American politicos also know Roach as one of two aldermen, the other one being Richard Gephardt, who introduced legislation back in the 1970s to effectively kill north St. Louis in order to save south St. Louis.
From the August 7, 1975 edition of the St. Louis American:
John G. Roach, an original proponent of the so-called "Team Four Plan," has resigned as Alderman from the Twenty-Eighth Ward to become the first director of the Community Development Agency...
Known as one of the "Young Turk" faction of the Board, Roach, along with Alderman Richard A. Gerhardt (sic) of the 14th Ward, proposed an early version of what is now known as the "Team Four Plan" in the fall of 1973. The Bills, numbered 19 and 20 provided for the preservation of 74,000 buildings in South St. Louis which is predominantly white, and the demolition of 70,100 in North St. Louis, which is predominantly black.
Since that time, the plan to cut off services to the city's north side and allow that section to die was turned over to the Team Four consulting firm. More recently, the plan has been published and opposition to it has mounted.
Roach and Gephardt's 1973 bills called north St. Louis "an insignificant residential area not worthy of special maintenance effort."
It will be interesting to see if St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay supports Roach's new appointment.
From a report Tuesday by Fox 2 reporter Paul Schankman:
From 2001 to 2006, the average number of households on food stamps in the city of St. Louis went up 35%. In St. Louis County, the number went up by 70%. In St. Charles County, it was an 82%. And in Jefferson County, the average went up 88%.
"People at even higher income levels these days it seems like are finding that they need help to get by," says Janel Luck, from the Missouri Department of Social Services.
Financial analyst Juli Neimann says the rich are getting richer, but middle class wages are dropping. Combine that with Missouri's rising unemployment rate and steep increases in the price of gas and basics like eggs and milk and a lot of new faces start showing up at the food pantries.
Still, the Missouri Department of Social Services claims the increase in food stamp usage is largely the result of a statewide initiative to make sure everyone who is eligible is enrolled.
When presidential candidate Hillary Clinton visited St. Louis last Sunday, it wasn't just her fans that came to greet her.
Members of Code Pink, a feminist anti-war group, showed up outside of The Pageant wearing pink shirts and shouting "war profiteer!"
According to the group, Clinton has received more money from employees of the top five U.S. arms manufactures than any other Presidential candidate, including leading Republicans.
Code Pink opposes Clinton because of her support of the Iraq War and her vote in September for a Senate resolution calling the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization. Critics say that vote gave Bush a "blank check" to go to war against Iran.
There are a lot of people hurting in the City of St. Louis. Not just struggling to make ends meet, but really struggling — to find shelter, to food for their children.
This is a developing story, which seems to be getting more desperate everyday. But you won't see this story on the front page on the Post-Dispatch. This will not be the top news story on Channels 5, 4 or 2.
There is a horrible disconnect between our community and those that report on it, and those who are supposed to report to it.
While the parents, media and lawmakers look for someone to punish for the suicide of Megan Meier, others wonder how Internet postings could possibly drive someone to suicide.
"What if the boyfriend was real?" asked a friend of mine. "What if he dumped her, called her a [vulgar name] and she ran home and killed herself? Would they try to prosecute him?"
Good question. While the link to the popular social networking website MySpace has made this St. Charles tragedy a worldwide story, the media's thirst for sensationalism mixed with politicians' opportunism has really left common sense and any idea of personal responsibility at the roadside.
Shouldn't a 13-year-old be able to handle "meanness" better than this? Or is this newly-coined "cyber-bullying" really a new, more menacing threat to young people, as an editorial in the Post-Dispatch claimed today:
"The pervasiveness of technology, including cell phones, e-mail and instant messaging, coupled with the anonymity it bestows, makes electronic harassment less escapable and more effective. Bullies no longer lurk only in school hallways and playgrounds; now, they slip right into a child's bedroom, wreaking havoc even when school is out."
Really? Are emails really more scary than three bigger kids beating the hell out of you everyday at lunch? Because sticks and stones can indeed break your bones. Words — well, they can be hurtful too, but at 13 years-old aren't kids at least responsible enough for their own actions as to rule out the words of a faceless boy or girl as the reason for them killing themselves?
Ironically, at the same time newspapers, TV news, and the girl's parents are arguing that 13-year-old Megan was not responsible for her own actions, a St. Louis County judge sentenced young Sherman Burnett Jr. to 60 years in prison for a crime he committed when he was — you guessed it — 13 years-old.
So which is it, Missouri? Are 13 year-olds responsible for themselves or not?
Because if they are, young Sherman should go to jail for a very long time for kidnapping, beating and sexually assaulting his 6 year-old neighbor. And young Megan was old enough to know what the hell she was doing when she decided to take her own life. No words from someone she never met caused her suicide.
Or is someone else really responsible for causing Megan to hang herself in her room, because as a child, Megan was manipulated and harassed to the point of her own suicide and, like young Sherman, had no concept yet how precious life — theirs or others — actually is.
So which one is it, Missouri? What are 13 year-old kids responsible for — your kids and mine?
U.S. Senator and Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton took a break from her campaigning in Iowa to rally the troops and raise some quick campaign cash here in St. Louis Sunday.
Clinton was introduced at The Pageant by former St. Louis Congressman and House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, who wasted no time making the case, as he sees it, for why the country needs a change in the White House.
"This president we have now is the worst in president in the history of the country," said Gephardt.
Gephardt also took a subtle shot at Senator Barack Obama, who has a slight lead on Clinton in the latest Iowa polls. "What we need most now is somebody that doesn't need on-the-job training," said the former south St. Louis representative.
In her speech, Clinton proposed opening the same health plan offered to members of Congress to all Americans. She also promised to bring the troops home from Iraq "as quickly and as responsibly as we possibly can" and to end Bush's "No Child Left Behind" education plan, which Clinton called an unfunded mandate.
Clinton delivered her speech in front of bleachers full of supporters, including Reverends B.T. Rice and Earl Nance. As far as we could tell, the only current elected officials in attendance were State Reps Rachel Storch and Ester Haywood.
Mayor Francis Slay, who has endorsed Clinton, did not attend the event. Protesters threatened to picket the event if he showed up. However, his chief of staff, Jeff Rainford, was in the audience.
Click to enlarge this 1975 article
