July 16th, 2020 Edition

St. LouiS AmericAn

Students, parents want police out of schools

Black Studies also demanded at march

By Sophie Hurwitz For the St. Louis American

On Saturday, July 11, the Keep Kids In Class Coalition hosted a Children’s March to bring awareness to police involvement in St. Louis-area schools and the need for Black Studies curriculum. They demanded the removal of all school resource officers (SRO) from area schools and more funding for counseling, anti-racism training, and Black Studies.

n “We don’t need police officers in our schools; we need trained counselors, trained teachers.”

– Nolan Davis, 8

In the wake of the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, the Minneapolis Public Schools board voted to terminate its contract with the Minneapolis Police Department. The Denver, Portland, Oakland, and Seattle school boards did the same. Now, the Keep Kids in Class Coalition is advocating for St. Louis area schools to follow. The ACLU of Missouri, a member of the coalition, sent letters to eight school districts last month advocating for the removal of SROs from schools. In St. Louis city and county, they argue that the situation is particularly dire when it comes to interactions between SROs and Black students, who are already punished more harshly than their white peers. In St. Louis city in 201516, according to Keep Kids In Class Coalition data, Black students were 8.8 times more likely to receive an out-ofschool suspensions than white students. There are more than 40 police officers employed in 12 districts throughout St. Louis County, according to the county police website. St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS) employs private security officers, who function similarly to SROs and are licensed by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police commissioner, with the power to make arrests and to use force when they deem it necessary,

Alexander Kaiser carries her daughter Kalyn Kaiser (5), a student in the Normandy School District, during the Keep Kids In School peace march held by Metropolitan Congregations United. The march began at police headquarters and ended in front of the St. Louis Public Schools offices on July 11. The march supported the removal of police from schools because the group feels police presence in schools is harmful.

‘It’s time for a change’ Awardees vow to fight for social justice during first-ever virtual Salute See

By Sandra Jordan Of The

a sold-out awards luncheon that also serves as an opportunity for fellowship, the program shifted to a virtual online experience due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

“The first virtual Salute highlighted and celebrated some of our outstanding health care workers, and it was a triumph,” said Donald M. Suggs, president of the St. Louis American Foundation. “We were able to reach a wider audience with this online tribute to these dedicated professionals who serve us so well.” Instead of a banquet hall, honorees, supporters and sponsors sat in front of computer screens, mobile devices and smart TVs. Likes, shares, comments and watch parties replaced the rousing applause that typically comes from tables of 10. The digital platform was unchartered territory for St. Louis American

Foundation’s 30-plus years of Salute programming.

“We are grateful for their essential service and are gratified by the broad acceptance of this format,” Suggs said. “However, we look forward to a return to our in-person community gathering when it is safe to do so.” The platform for presentation was new, but the heartfelt messages from those fighting for equity and social justice in health care were true to form.

“The challenges these pro-

fessionals have faced in recent months in light of the pandemic make their achievements even more inspirational as they work to save lives in our hardest-hit communities,” Keith Williamson, president of Centene Charitable Foundation, the lead sponsor, said in opening remarks. Rosetta Keeton, director of Patient Access at St. Louis Regional Health Commission (RHC), was honored as the 2020 Lifetime Achiever in Excellence in Health Care. Keeton, who grew up in St. Louis, spent more than 35 years as a patient advocate for

Filings sealed due to threats to Circuit Attorney Gardner

By Chris King

Of The St. Louis American

The St. Louis circuit attorney’s office told The St. Louis American that any filings relevant to Mark and Patricia McCloskey are under seal out of concern for safety. A spokesperson said that national attention to the case — and reports that the McCloskeys’ guns have been requested in search warrants — resulted in serious threats to St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner.

According to the McCloskeys’ attorney Joel Schwartz, his clients are not aware of being charged with any crimes for their conduct on June 28, when they confronted protestors displaying weapons from their property.

But the McCloskeys’ recent and now-former attorney, Albert Watkins, seemed to prepare a partial defense for his now-former clients as he handed over one of the McCloskeys’ weapons to St. Louis detectives on Saturday, July 11. Watkins surrendered the pistol that

is July 22 to request

By Rebecca Rivas Of The St.

Louis American

About 45% of the votes cast in the August 4 primary election will be done by absentee ballots, said St. Louis city and county election officials. Typically, in St. Louis County elections, that number is only about 10%.

“It’s a big shift,” said Eric Fey, Democratic director of Elections for the St. Louis County Election Board. “There are a lot of people who have never done this before, and naturally they’ve got questions.” With the COVID-19 pandemic, absentee voting has gotten more complicated. The most pressing thing to know is the upcoming ballot request deadline.

If you are trying to stay out of polling

Photo by Wiley Price

Patricia McCloskey clearly had her finger on the trigger of a handgun when she pointed it at protestors passing in front of her home on June 28. The weapon has been taken into evidence by the St. Louis police.

Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI

SALute to HeALtH

Rosetta Keeton

ViacomCBS cancels Nick Cannon

Television star and executive Nick Cannon was fired by ViacomCBS on Tuesday for remarks made during a recent podcast with Professor Griff, a former member of the pioneering hip-hop group Public Enemy Cannon had worked as an executive producer and chairman of TeenNick, a spinoff of the network Nickelodeon geared toward teenagers. He had also been a host and executive producer of the MTV comedy show “Wild ’N Out.”

In the 30 June episode of “Cannon’s Class,” Cannon interviewed former Public Enemy rapper Professor Griff, who left the group in 1989 after saying in an interview that “Jews were wicked.”

Professor Griff claimed to Cannon that he was talking about Jewish people “controlling the media,” and said: “I’m hated now because I told the truth.” Cannon added: “You’re speaking facts.” Cannon also said the “Semitic people are black

people,” and that: “You can’t be anti-Semitic when we are the Semitic people.”

He addressed the controversy and termination in a statement by way of Twitter.

“Anyone who knows me knows that I have no hate in my heart nor malice intentions. I do not condone hate speech nor the spread of hateful rhetoric,” Cannon tweeted.

Megan Thee Stallion said she ‘suffered gunshot wounds’ during incident

Several outlets reported that rapper Tory was arrested, and Megan The was present during an incident that took place in the Hollywood Hills over the weekend.

Megan Thee Stallion took to Instagram to tell her side of the story.

“The narrative that is being reported about Sunday’s morning events are inaccurate and I’d like to set the record straight,” she wrote in a note shared on Instagram.

“I suffered gunshot wounds, as a result of a crime that was committed against me and done with the intention to physically harm me. I was never arrested; the police officers

drove me to the hospital where I underwent surgery to remove the bullets.”

Early reports of the incident indicated that “everyone in the vehicle” was detained by police. The car the two artists were in was pulled over, and police arrested Lanez and charged him with carrying a concealed weapon in a vehicle.

The incident reportedly began in the early hours of Sunday (July 12), with an argument erupting between people in an SUV. Police obtained a description of the vehicle, and later found it with Lanez and Megan inside. Four shell casings were found by authorities near the home where the altercation took place. Lanez was released on Sunday on $35,000 bond.

Naya Rivera found, cause of death released

This week the body of actress Naya Rivera was found on Piru Lake in Ventura County, California after a five-day search. The autopsy report completed by the Ventura County medical examiner lists the cause of death as an accidental drowning.

On July 8, Rivera went missing on Piru lake after renting a pontoon boat with her 4-year-old son Josey. Josey told investigators he and his mother had been swimming and that she boosted him onto the boat from behind and when he looked back, he saw her go underwater. Investigators believe Rivera’s unanchored boat may have drifted and that she had enough strength to push Josie onto the boat

but not enough to save herself. They said the current in the lake is also at its strongest during the time Rivera took the boat out.

Jade and Will share their truth on ‘Red Table Talk’

Sources close to Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith said they felt talking openly about their past split was “the best move for their family.”

The couple confessed last week to having a brief split in their 23-year marriage, during which time Jada embarked on a romance with singer August Alsina Reps for Jada initially denied Alsina’s claims, but last week confessed they did have a brief romance, but it was not an affair, as she was separated from Will at the time. Speaking to Jada during an episode of ‘Red Table Talk,’ Will recalled: “I was done with you. I really felt like we could be over.”

“We were over,” Jada added.

The 48-year-old actress admitted she “got into a different kind of entanglement” with August, but maintained that Will, 51, never gave the rapper his “blessing” for the romance to take place. When Will and Jada began communicating again, Jada claims August ended their relationship.

Source: Variety.com, CBS News, Twitter. com, Instagram.com, US Weekly

Kimberly Gardner and Tishaura Jones have earned our support

By Ruby L. Bonner, AnneMarie Clarke, Pamela Meanes, Sandra M. Moore, Kimberly Jade Norwood, and Dorothy L. WhiteColeman For The St.

American

Louis

Malcolm X stated that “the most disrespected person in America is the Black woman.” Over half a century later, his words still ring true.

On Tuesday, January 14, a gathering of elected Black women prosecutors from across the United States appeared at a community forum at Harris-Stowe State University in a show of support for St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner. Each woman had her own story to tell about personal attacks regarding her ability to do her job. They came to show our community that Gardner’s experience is “emblematic of the types of attacks Black women prosecutors have faced around the country.”

A prosecutor and a registered nurse by profession, Gardner understands the root causes of how a traditional criminal justice system operates. She has acknowledged that “it is the failed system of healthcare, failed systems of education and economics that drives the criminal justice system.” Gardner has implemented a series of programs and policies designed to reform, mitigate, or eradicate practices that historically contribute to the mass incarceration of Black, Brown, and poor people within the St. Louis community.

The Felony Redirect Program is one of the successful diversion initiatives Gardner implemented to address harms caused by mass incarceration

and the school-to-prison pipeline. She has dismissed certain cases labeled “Taken Under Advisement” in order to eliminate potential barriers to employment; she has started a Conviction Integrity Unit; she has strengthened the Victim Witness Protection Services Unit; and she has supported Implicit Bias Training. Her Opioid Addiction Education program allows low-level offenders to attend a fourweek course designed by medical professionals to assist in treatment, safety, and deterrence. She also has supported independent investigations of officer-involved shootings, and she has worked with members of Missouri’s General Assembly to enact meaningful criminal justice reform. Yet, the St. Louis Police Officers’ Association has called for Gardner’s removal from office “by force or by choice.”

St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura O. Jones is, by far, one of the most educated, experienced, and professional persons ever elected to that

n Both Gardner and Jones have worked against extraordinary odds to perform their responsibilities on behalf of the citizens of St. Louis.

office. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance from Hampton University and a Master’s degree in Health Administration from Saint Louis University. She has served as the 8th

Ward Democratic committeewoman and a state representative in Missouri’s General Assembly where she was selected assistant minority floor leader and made history as the first Black and first woman to hold the position. After her election as treasurer in 2012, Jones immediately began increasing transparency, integrity, customer service and monetary assets for the City of St. Louis. She modernized parking operations and fee collection. She launched both the Office of Financial Empowerment and the College Kids Program that helps over 13,500 public school students start educational savings accounts. To date, the program has accumulated approximately $1 million dollars. Jones’ Report to the Community on February 6 reported that the Office of the Treasurer had implemented four of the calls to action from the Ferguson

Commission’s 2016 report. Jones has recently come under fire for awarding a parking services contract to Hudson and Associates, LLC. In an editorial, the PostDispatch attacked both the contract and Hudson, even though Hudson and Associates was one of three finalists who emerged from a complex scoring process of the 11 companies bidding for the contract. Sheila Hudson, the Black female owner of Hudson and Associates, LLC, formerly worked as an employee of a vendor under Jones’ predecessor. She then served as a subcontractor for two subsequent vendors prior to responding as a prime contractor to the RFP for parking operating services.

In a response to the PostDispatch editorial, counsel for Hudson and Associates pointed out that no work had been done and thus nothing paid due to the suspension of parking enforcement during the pandemic. The Post also ignored Hudson’s immense experience and qualifications for the job. Rather, it relied upon character assassination through innuendo, sensationalism, and crude exaggeration.

Both Gardner and Jones have worked against extraordinary odds to perform their responsibilities on behalf of the citizens of St. Louis. They are met with opposition at every turn. Add to this the vitriolic communications each receives daily. Both have reportedly received emails from individuals calling them the N-word and saying things like “hope you catch COVID and die,” as well as other despicable statements.

We stand in absolute solidarity with both well-qualified and deserving candidates for re-election. We urge all voters of the City of St. Louis to reject the biased and unfounded personal attacks upon these visionary public servants and join us in helping to re-elect Kimberly Gardner as circuit attorney and Tishaura Jones as treasurer. Vote for them on Tuesday, August 4.

If you

for a $0 plan premium. Dual Complete is a Medicare plan. It works with your Medicaid plan. You’ll keep

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St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura O. Jones

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner

Editorial /CommEntary

Kimberly Gardner for St. Louis circuit attorney

Kimberly Gardner was elected St. Louis’ first Black circuit attorney in 2016 propelled by a progressive surge in the Democratic Party in the city and a national push for criminal justice reform. She ran unopposed in the general election, so the race was won in the primary where her victory was decisive. In a crowded field of four credible candidates, she nearly doubled the vote total of her opponent who came in second. Gardner won with 19,615 votes (46.6%), whereas Mary Pat Carl finished second with 9,924 votes (23.6%). In the August 4 Democratic Primary, Gardner’s only challenger will be Carl. The choice for voters is a clear and simple one, and we believe that an even more progressive city electorate energized by a resurgent Black Lives Matter movement will choose to reelect a strong, fearless Black woman and support her in her continuing efforts to reform a badly broken criminal justice system. Under Gardner’s leadership, the city has seen a decrease in the detainee population, especially among those with low-level offenses, including the minor marijuana possession cases that have interrupted so many Black lives. She increased and innovated diversion programs to give offenders committed to positive change a second chance before enduring the stigma of a conviction and the drastic life setback of prison time. And more than any prosecutor in St. Louis has ever done, she stood up to the police and the St. Louis Police Officers Association, owning up to keeping a Brady List of unreliable police witnesses whose cases she won’t charge and using independent investigators in cases where she didn’t trust the police or simply could not get them to do their jobs.

Gardner’s handling of property damage cases on volatile protest nights. U.S. Senator Josh Hawley repeated those lies. Gardner previously accused former Gov. Eric Greitens’ powerful defense attorneys of threatening to damage her career if she pursued charges against their client. All of these men, who can’t vote for or against Gardner, have contributed to an ugly, racist, misogynist climate of fear directed at this courageous Black woman that puts more than her career at risk. “By force or by choice” – think about that.

To this list of powerful white men who have maligned or obstructed Gardner, we must now add Gov. Mike Parson and (unbelievably) even President Trump. On Tuesday, July 14, both Parson and Trump inserted themselves into Gardner’s investigation of Mark and Patricia McCloskey for confronting peaceful protestors with weapons; both said the McCloskeys were blameless, and Trump even said Gardner’s investigation of them is a “disgrace.” Unlike Trump, Parson, Schmitt, Hawley, Roorda, Greitens or Greitens’ defense attorneys, none of whom live in the City of St. Louis, we believe that city voters will see lies and intimidation based on white fear for what they are and keep Kimberly Gardner in office by choice.

Her opponent sees the progressive movement in the city and thirst for criminal justice reform and is running as smart rather than tough on crime.

Voters have new absentee and mail-in options for August 4 primary

By Eric Fey For The St. Louis American

On June 4th, Governor Parson signed into law Senate Bill 631. This legislation added a new reason for absentee voting and an entirely new voting option called a “mail-in ballot.”

These two new options for voters are exclusive to the August 4 Primary and November 3 General elections.

Voters who are considered “high-risk” for contracting COVID-19 qualify to vote absentee via option 7 – the new reason included in SB 631 for 2020 elections. People are “high-risk” if they are 65 years or older, in a long-term care facility, have chronic lung, liver, or kidney disease or are undergoing dialysis, have moderate to severe asthma, have a serious heart condition, are immunocompromised, or have diabetes.

belief, employment as an election authority, incarceration, or participation in the address confidentiality program –require a notary. Absentee ballots may be requested by mail, email, fax, or in-person, and may be returned by mail or inperson.

The other new option included in SB 631 is the mailin ballot. This option does not require any reason or excuse, and any registered voter may request one. However, all mailin ballots must be notarized. They can only be requested by mail or in-person, and must be returned only through the mail.

Gardner’s opponent has on her side the criminal justice status quo that has closed ranks to attack Gardner in a series of attempts to limit her powers and drive her from office. Jeff Roorda, the police association business agent, said Gardner should be removed “by force or by choice.” This apparent call for either physical harm or some municipal version of a coup is only the most dangerous of many statements made at her expense — all made by people who, like Roorda, are white men who don’t vote in the city. Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt worked with the police and Republican state legislators (unsuccessfully) to try to usurp charging authority in the city. Schmitt then lied outright in social media and on national television about

But Carl is the choice for those who are desperately clinging to the status quo that has withheld justice from and completely devastated poor and Black communities in our city. Carl was in the leadership team of Gardner’s predecessor and had her endorsement in 2016, when Carl was all law and order, with no pretense of reform.

“I’ve dedicated my professional career to holding criminals accountable for the crimes they commit and ensuring justice is served,” Carl announced in 2016. “I’m confident that as a community we can make our streets safer and ensure our courts are fair.” Electing Carl as circuit attorney would take us back four years, and that is something St. Louis cannot afford. We must move forward with Kimberly Gardner. We will leave the threat of “force” to the cowards trying to intimidate this committed Black woman leader, but the choice for circuit attorney on the August 4 ballot is clear. We strongly endorse KIMBERLY GARDNER AS CIRCUIT ATTORNEY FOR THE CITY OF ST. LOUIS

Voters also can qualify to vote absentee for option 2 –due to incapacity or because confined due to illness or caring for a person who is incapacitated or confined due to illness. Voters who qualify to vote absentee because of option 2 or the new COVID-19 option 7 do not require a notary for their absentee ballot to be valid.

People who vote absentee for all other reasons – absence on election day, religious

Beginning 42 days before each election, in-person absentee voting is available. There will also be four additional in-person satellite locations beginning on July 23. Locations and hours for these locations can be found on our website, www.stlouisco. com/elections.

Because of the increasing spread of COVID-19, strict precautions in place by state and local officials, and the difficulty to recruit and train poll

Letters to the editor

Misleading about SLATE

An audit released on July 2 by State Auditor Nicole Galloway stated that in a news conference in January 2019, Mayor Lyda Krewson addressed issues raised about the St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment (SLATE) and highlighted accomplishments of 2018, including, she said, SLATE helping more than 9,000 St. Louisans find employment.

By Will Jordan For The St. Louis American

There has been much written about COVID-19’s disproportionately negative impact on St. Louis’ Black community, like communities of color across the country. With the looming end of increased unemployment payments and the reopening of the court system, we stand a few months out from what many experts believe will be a wave of evictions that is unlike any in living memory. Only 12 years after a housing crisis that precipitated a significant (and continuing) decline in Black homeownership levels, we face another housing crisis – one that stands to again cause the mass destabilization and displacement of Black households. This time, renters will likely face the brunt of the pain. COVID-19 has caused mass layoffs in the service sector, especially in lower-wage jobs that often are held by people of color. People face losing their homes, but not over some kind of poor personal decision. Instead, history, the coronavirus and a lack of government action have created an environment where families face displacement and landlords face missed mortgage payments. Everyone loses – but, again, those losses won’t be distributed equitably. Tenants who are evicted will face long-term consequences.

An eviction will follow the tenant for years. Even just the record of an eviction filing

against tenants is held against them, no matter the outcome or details of the case. It will restrict their options on where to live, limiting them to paying too much for substandard housing.

Aggressive tenant screening programs will make it extremely difficult for these tenants to access apartments in many neighborhoods, even after an eventual recovery of income. This will reinforce the region’s status quo of racially segregated neighborhoods. In turn, this will continue to drive the intergenerational racial inequities that plague our region and nation. While it is impossible to know the exact scale of the coming wave of evictions, at least we know it is coming. That means that we have the ability to prepare. On a federal level, we need significant funds dedicated for emergency rental assistance. Locally, we need to allocate significant funds for rental assistance and eviction prevention strategies including mediation programs and legal advocacy for tenants. Some of that is already happening.

In addition to the funding, it is incumbent that we take the time to create systems that

bring landlords, tenants and available resources all to the same table. We need a system that efficiently and effectively spends emergency rental assistance dollars, while preventing the filing of eviction cases against tenants.

Times of crisis call for leadership, and this issue is in desperate need of attention. If we wait for the expected wave to form, it will be too late to help many families. We need to spend the dwindling time afforded by the patchwork of federal moratoriums to put together a system to efficiently deploy resources that will minimize the pain and suffering of families, many of whom lost their incomes due to this worldwide pandemic.

As we know that the negative economic impacts of the pandemic are disproportionately impacting Black families, our response needs to be centered on and grounded in racial equity. If we are to respond to this crisis in a manner that doesn’t increase inequities, then we need to understand how the deck is already stacked against Black folks.

After that, we need local officials to turn that understanding into actionable programs and strategies that can help us come out of this crisis with a stronger, more united and more equitable St. Louis region.

Will Jordan is executive director of the Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing and Opportunity Council.

The audit, however, said that figure was inflated and was not corrected after the error was identified. Instead of nearly 9,600 clients receiving jobs, the audit could only confirm 8,329, or about 13% fewer than originally reported. Even this number is very deceiving. Here’s why.

When a customer registers at SLATE the person is counted as a SLATE placement even if they find a job on their own. In truth, only a small percentage of “job placements” are a result of a SLATE referral. The vast majority of SLATE customers find jobs on their own but are still counted as SLATE placements. Figures don’t lie, but some-

times those doing the figuring do. Steve Conway, Mayor Krewson’s chief of staff, stated SLATE is being professionally run now. Sadly, that is inaccurate as there still is much incompetence with SLATE management. Staff morale continues to be low with high staff turnover.

James Sahaida St. Louis

Police need ‘soft power’

“The police need to learn about soft power,” an article by James Stavridis in the July 6 issue of Time Magazine should be of interest to all who desire to improve policing in America. Stavridis, the 16th allied commander of NATO, writes that soft power “meant reducing the dollars spent on preparations (military exercises…equipment…firearms training…) and increasing our spending on things like humanitarian operations.” Adapted to policing, “soft power” means curtailing the use of tasers, CN & CS gasses, and outlawing choke holds, etc.

Teaching “soft power” is as simple as changing terminology. “Battle space” is a military

workers, polling places in St. Louis County will be reduced. All voters will be sent a “notice of election” postcard that includes their assigned location (if it has changed it will be highlighted). For the polling places that will be open, workers will wear masks and gloves and will be sanitizing their locations throughout the day. Voters will be instructed to practice social distancing as much as feasibly possible. It’s important that voters consider all of their voting options and prepare an election plan to keep themselves and everyone around them safe. Our staff is working hard to implement these new changes while providing voters with the best assistance possible so everyone can safely exercise their right to vote. The absentee/mail-in ballot application can be found on our website, www.stlouisco.com/ elections. For the August 4 Primary, all absentee applications for St. Louis County must be received in our office no later than 5 p.m. on Wednesday, July 22. For the November 3 General, this deadline is 5 p.m. on Wednesday, October 21. Eric Fey is Democratic director of Elections for the St. Louis County Election Board.

All letters are edited for length and style.

term that denotes an enemy, and enemies should be, as Donald Trump says, “dominated.” The area in which citizens peacefully demonstrate is not “battle space,” and policing demonstrators with the intention of “dominating” them is fascism in action. Removing military paraphernalia from policing would also be a step in the “soft power” direction. How about those stars on shirt collars? Are police chiefs and sheriffs really generals? Getting cops involved in community activities is “soft power.” Though policesponsored activities like the Police Athletic League serve a police purpose, such activities fall short in getting cops socially involved with citizens who engage in similar activities that are not police-sponsored. Utilizing the Dale Carnegie “How to Win Friends and Influence People” interpersonal communications course in police academies and in-service training seminars would also serve both cops and their communities well.

Michael K. Broughton Green Park

Kimberly Gardner

Junior dragster winner

Big Brothers Big Sisters seeks Black male mentors

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri aims to sign up over 300 volunteers – with at least 150 males among them – with its newly launched “Show Up for Youth” campaign.

The agency’s efforts to specifically recruit Black male volunteers respond directly to its waitlist: Black boys ages 5-17 years old make up 80% of youth waiting to be matched with a Big Brother, Big Couple, or Big Family.

“The COVID-19 pandemic and recent protests for justice continue to affect our Black community, and our youth need Bigs who can connect with them on a very personal level,” said Director of Volunteer

Recruitment Linda Robinson.

The “Show Up for Youth” campaign is recruiting spouses and families to be Big Couple and Big Family matches, two options for men who’d like to be Bigs with their spouse and/or child(ren). Big Couples and Big Families are matched with Little Brothers due to the large number of boys on the waiting list.

To sign up to become a Big, visit www.bbbsemo. org/volunteer. For more information about how your organization can support the campaign or to attend a Virtual information sessions on July 17, July 22 and July 30, contact Linda Robinson at lrobinson@bbbsemo.org.

Without

By Jamala Rogers For The St. Louis American

The era of Big Brother government is here, and only informed citizens can stop it.

Drones on domestic soil cloaked under terms like “persistent surveillance,” cameras on every corner, secretive agreements between local law enforcement and the federal government. And now, with social media platforms, secret agreements to share data beyond what is publicly shared. The push to invade our privacy under the guise of national security or fighting crime is getting a stealth boost while citizens are overwhelmed with COVID-19 and its impact on our lives.

St. Louis must open its eyes to the spying infrastructure the police and their political yes-men have created in our backyard. The Real Time Crime Center, where the city’s 1105 cameras feed streams of information 24/7, has no formal regulation from the Board of Aldermen. You the voter get no say in what technologies this government acquires or how it is used. More than 15 other cities around the country including cities like Nashville have stood up to this overreach and said no. St. Louis should not hesitate to join that camp.

In the case of Michael Avery, the government scoured his social media and made an arrest based on a post, not on actions Mr. Avery took. Is your social media spotless?

Would you want the government to read through everything you post, tweet, text?

When Mayor Krewson read out addresses of protestors she didn’t break the law; she broke trust. What her actions demonstrate is just how tenuous our balance of liberties remains. We cannot freely express ourselves if we operate in the shadow of fear created by government retribution. Without privacy protections, we are all vulnerable.

Recent reports allege a former Clayton Police officer –a school resource officer in fact – used surveillance cameras to peer into his neighbors’ bedrooms. We await to see how far this abuse of power goes. What we already know is that St. Louis deserves better, and right now we have a moment to pass Community Control Over Police Surveillance and ensure that the people watch the watchers.

The scene nationally foreshadows what awaits St. Louis. In January, in Michigan, a Black father was arrested in front of his children because of faulty facial recognition software. Recently, reports surfaced of cell phone data used to profile protestors in four major U.S. cities. This isn’t new. During the protests decrying the senseless death of Freddie Gray, police used facial recognition software against protestors. Right now, a company called ClearView AI has a huge database of faces, and it combs the internet for any image of you to search, even if it was posted without your consent.

Guess who’s searching this database? Law enforcement – 600 law enforcement agencies, to be precise. For Black and Brown communities who feel the brunt of police occupation, surveillance will only add another repressive dimension. This isn’t about our communities feeling safe. This is about controlling the movements of ordinary citizens in protection of the status quo.

An unregulated flow of near $4 million went into surveillance over the past three years in St. Louis with no dent in serious crimes. In a cash-strapped city, we should be looking at our budget through a human needs lens and not unconditionally boosting the police budget.

Alderman Tom Oldenburg has proposed the uncapped expansion of aerial surveillance and the further militarization of our police, and another set is proposing citizen overview of surveillance technology. If these last few weeks have shown us anything, it’s that the people, not the government, shape the future. I urge this city to shape a future that keeps pace with human development and places a hard stop on technological tyranny.

Haylee Hediger of Greenville, Illinois, won the Jr. Dragster class on Friday, July 3 at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois on July 3. Haylee defeated Leo Bergschneider in the final round of eliminations to claim the title during the St. Louis Big Bucks Holiday Classic.

Photo by John Bisci

Jamala Rogers

the uninsured, underinsured and an ombudsman in the medical community at St. Louis Regional Hospital, St. Louis ConnectCare and RHC. She is also the founder and facilitator of the breast cancer support group, Sistah Connection.

“I’ve never left the people that I’ve always known, the people who are uninsured and underinsured, my community of people,” Keeton said. “I don’t even think about what I do as work, because I am living an extension of who I’ve always been.”

As she prepares to retire at the end of the year, Keeton said she passes that mission onto her daughter, Rhonda Keeton, colleagues and friends.

The 2020 Stellar Performer in Health Care was L. J. Punch, M.D., a trauma surgeon at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and former associate professor at Washington University now moving outside hospital confines to focus on community health issues – bullets, COVID-19, homelessness and opioid addiction – at the T, Power4STL. Using the Stop the Bleed national campaign, Punch and their team have taught 8,000 community members how to render aid to victims of gun violence and passed out trauma first aid kits and protective masks.

“If pain and trauma are the lived and breathed norm, it can seem as if the only choice you have is to succumb to it,” Punch said. “We say, ‘No, no, no.’ With the right training,

McCloskeys

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with the right equipment, you have the power to change that outcome.”

Punch is also developing the BRIC, the Bullet Related Injury Clinic, for patients whose wellbeing is disrupted by bullet injuries. “I believe it’s the untreated trauma from decades ago that’s expressing itself now in all the folks that we see involved in violence,” Punch said.

The 2020 Health Advocacy Organization of the Year was the Deaconess Foundation, which strives for the improved well-being and health of the people of St. Louis with special emphasis on serving children and most vulnerable communities through community investment and policy advocacy in healthcare, economic mobility, justice and racial equity, and early childhood education.

Just months before the pandemic, Deaconess was a primary funder that wiped out $12.9 million in medical debt for low-income individuals and families. It has awarded $2.2 million in grants to more than 50 Black-led organizations for COVID-19 relief in St. Louis. Just last month, Deaconess announced a cohort of six, Black-led organizations identified as critical to recovery from COVID-19 and will invest another $350,000 in those organizations to help sustain them.

“When you invest $1 in community-engaged strategies and organizing and advocacy, you have the capacity to return $115 in government supports, because the power of the people as organized and mobilized can change how the government allocates dollars,” said Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson, presi-

Patricia McCloskey pointed at protestors passing in front of their home on a private street in the Central West End on June 28. Watkins said his then-clients gave the gun to their then-attorney to preserve the evidence in the event that criminal charges were filed. Watkins said the McCloskeys did not also give him the assault weapon that Mark McCloskey brandished on June 28 because his actions appeared less incriminating. Watkins said that Mark McCloskey had his safety engaged and did not finger the trigger.

dent and CEO of the Deaconess Foundation.

The Dr. John M. Anderson Excellence in Mental Health Award by the St. Louis County Children’s Service Fund was presented to Kanika Turner, M.D., family medicine physician with a focus on addiction medicine and associate medical director for Family Care Health Center. Turner increased access to Narcan, a nasal spray used for treating an opioid overdose.

“I see how the health care system set this up and, because of that, the Black community is suffering in multiple areas,” Turner said. “Not just opioids, but with diabetes, hypertension – there are so many different

In video, Patricia McCloskey points the handgun directly at protesters and at times does finger the trigger. Watkins said that the handgun he held for the McCloskeys and handed over to police was not a gun that they kept for self-protection. Watkins said the handgun had been rendered inoperable for use as an exhibit in the

avenues, different areas that we need to intervene in our community. It’s time for a change.” Eight awardees were honored for Excellence in Health Care: Kimberly Carter, lead clinical documentation specialist at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital; Martin Gitonga, patient care manager at Barnes Jewish Hospital; Kimberly Hurst, RN care manager VA St. Louis Healthcare; Tesh Jewell, vice president of Operations for Adult Primary Care at Mercy Clinic East; Helen V. Lane, a school nurse at St. Louis Public Schools; Leslie McCrary-Etuk, M.D., chief medical officer and family care physician at CareSTL Health;

Ntasiah K. Shaw, Emergency Preparedness Program manager, Communicable Disease Control Services Division at St. Louis County Dept. of Public Health; and David Swingler, Youth Service director at People’s Community Action Corporation.

This year’s event was made possible through lead sponsor, Centene Charitable Foundation and its Missouri health plan, Home State Health; gold sponsor, Mercy; silver sponsors, AARP St. Louis and A.T, Still University; bronze sponsors, St. Louis Children’s Hospital and The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis; Excellence in Mental Health Award sponsor, St. Louis County Children’s Service Fund; and gift sponsor, Vincent’s Jewelers, the official jeweler of Salute to Excellence programs.

McCloskeys’ own law practice. Watkins said that the McCloskeys used it as an exhibit in litigation against the handgun’s manufacturer because it was defective. Schwartz declined to comment on Watkins’ explanation of why Watkins kept one gun for the McCloskeys as evidence and not the other. But Schwartz said it was common for prosecutors to send a gun to the lab to make sure it was operable before filing charges.

“We share The St. Louis American’s belief in the importance of recognizing dedicated, African-American healthcare professionals for their exemplary performance and invaluable work,” said Williamson. The St. Louis American Foundation’s 2020 Salute to Excellence in Health Care is posted in its entirety on stlamerican.com and https://tinyurl. com/STLAmerican-tube.

According to Steven Roberts, a former assistant circuit attorney in St. Louis in the armed offender unit (and now a state representative), the question of whether the handgun was operable or not was not relevant for some relevant criminal charges. Roberts cited the statutory language “apprehension of immediate physical injury.”

“You only have to give the appearance of wielding a deadly weapon” for some criminal charges, Roberts said. In fact, Roberts fought Gov. Mike Parson to veto Senate Bill 600, which Parson signed into law, because it adds similar language to new criminal charges for carjacking.

Roberts said that sending to criminals the message that the penalty is the same whether the gun is real or fake or loaded or not will only encourage criminals to carry real loaded weapons.

For now, however, under Missouri law, someone need not be armed and dangerous to be charged with certain crimes — they only need to appear armed and dangerous.

This did not prevent Missouri Gov. Mike Parson and even President Trump from both saying on Tuesday, July 14 that the McCloskeys are blameless. Trump repeated the McCloskeys’ claim, which is supported by no video evidence of the interaction on June 28, that they were in imminent danger of property damage or personal injury.

In the meantime, the circuit attorney’s own personal safety is at risk. Jessica Brand, who does policy work for district attorneys through the Wren Collective and is advising Gardner, cited Jeff Roorda, business agent for the St. Louis Police Officers Association, saying Gardner should be removed from office “by force or by choice.”

“Whenever Jeff Roorda speaks, she gets hate mail and death threats,” Brand said. She said Gardner’s volume of hate mail and death threats also went up after Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt falsely claimed on social media and national television that Gardner released everyone who committed property damage in the city during the recent unrest.

“Officials need to stop making false statements,” Brand said, “because they are threatening the safety of a public official who is doing her best to protect the health and safety of St. Louis.” This could get worse with no less than the president of the United States voicing his opinion in apparent ignorance of the video evidence.

“And now I understand somebody local, they want to prosecute these people,” Trump told Townhall. “It’s a disgrace.”

Stanley Franklin, the President of the East St. Louis chapter of the NAACP speaks to marchers on the steps of the St. Clair County Court House during A Call for Change march Thu. July 9, 2020.

Photo by Wiley Price

Voting

Continued from A1 places completely, then your window to request an absentee ballot is closing soon. The absentee ballot request forms, which can be found and printed from the city and county election websites, must be in the hands of local election authorities by Wednesday, July 22 at 5 p.m. — not postmarked by this time, but in the election authorities’ possession by this time. The confusing part is whether or not your ballot envelope needs to be notarized. Notarization means going somewhere and having someone watch you sign the envelope that you will use to mail back the ballot. That’s a problem for anyone trying to avoid exposure to the virus. Thankfully, notarization is not required for people who

Police

Continued from A1

but only have the authority of a police officer while on the campus. As the march was in the city, the coalition focused on the $6.3 million in the SLPS budget that went towards security in academic year 2019-2020, out of a budget of $193 million. In that same year SLPS spent $1.7 million on library services, according to the budget, and $81,000 on homeless and other disadvantaged student services.

“Budgets are moral documents,” the American Friends Service Committee, a member of the coalition, stated. “Spending $6.3 million on security that does not make kids safer is unacceptable.”

Almost 90% of American schools have a police officer working on campus at least part time, according to NPR. In Missouri, those officers are required to take 40 hours of

are at high risk for the virus (including those over 65 or those who are immune-compromised) — nor for the parents or caregivers of this population. Parents, if your child has asthma or other risk factors, then you can request a ballot under Option 2 (which describes caregivers), Fey said. For those who are at risk themselves, check Option 7 on the ballot request form. People who vote absentee for all other reasons — absence on election day, religious belief, employment as an election authority, incarceration, or participation in the address confidentiality program — require a notary.

New mail-in ballots

The other way to keep out of a polling place is the new mail-in ballot, which Missouri legislators saw as a solution to voting during the pandemic. Anyone can choose

training—generally given in a one-week course—outside of standard police training to work in schools.

As the coalition marched, they outlined their demands, which included more training for police and security officers working in schools to supplement those 40 hours.

Carolyn Randazzo, leader of the Metropolitan Congregations United education working group and a member of the coalition, said that her experience as an educator has shown her that training must be repeated and renewed to have an impact.

“We demanded ongoing training, at least yearly,” Randazzo said. “It can’t be a one-done kind of thing. We asked for, specifically, training in child development, so they realize if an 8-year-old is acting crazy, isn’t that kind of normal for an 8-year-old? If they don’t get that kind of training, it’s hard to know how to respond to behavior.”

Rev. Dietra Baker, also an organizer with Metropolitan

this option, but it requires a notary. And this ballot has to be mailed. Unlike an absentee ballot, it can’t be dropped off at an election authority if you happen to get close to the election and forget to send it. The deadline to request a mail-in ballot is July 22 at 5 p.m.

According to the League of Women Voters of Metro St. Louis, another hiccup in the legislation created the mail-in ballot option is that it allows for notaries to charge for services, which state law prohibits for regular absentee ballots.

“Not only are the new absentee and mail-in ballot rules confusing, allowing notaries to charge voters to notarize a mail-in ballot is a poll tax,” said Louise Wilkerson, co-president of the League of Women Voters of Metro St. Louis. “The League is fighting to make sure voters can cast their ballots in 2020

Congregations United, noted that limiting the number of officers in schools—while improving training for those who are there—would limit the number of instances in which, in her words, “disciplinary issues become criminal issues.”

Teachers and students spoke at the march, including 8-yearold Nolan Davis of Kirkwood School District.

“Schools really need to think about not having police officers,” Davis said. “Seeing a police officer in school can be scary, because you don’t know if it’s a good police or a bad police. We don’t need police officers in our schools, we need trained counselors, trained teachers.”

In Davis’ mention of “trained teachers,” he touched on another demand: Black Studies courses.

Grace Taylor, another student, said, “What does safety look like when students who look like me are empowered through the knowledge of their history and culture and contributions to this country?”

elections safely and at no cost and know that their votes will count.”

The League encourages voters to mail these ballots by Monday, July 20 to arrive by 7 p.m. on election day. In the recent June election in St. Louis County (the rescheduled April municipal election), almost 73,000 absentee ballots were requested, with 65% returned and 6% rejected, according to the League. Almost one-third of the rejected ballots weren’t notarized. Another 1,249 ballots weren’t counted since they came in after 7 p.m. on June 2.

The League is offering free notary services in its office at 8706 Manchester Rd. in Brentwood from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 a.m. Monday through Friday and 10 to 12 p.m. the next two Saturdays, July 18 and 25. The League is part of the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition that is creating a statewide notary hub.

Walk-in absentee voting is underway

If you don’t mind going into a building with masked poll workers but would like to skip the potential lines, then you can vote absentee Monday through Friday at the election headquarters in both the city (300 N. Tucker Blvd.) and county (725 Northwest Plaza Dr.) until the day before the election. You can fill out the absentee request form and vote all in one visit. This process began on June 23.

“It’s really no different than going to a polling location on election day,” Fey said. “The procedure is pretty much the same.”

Both the city and county have not had any lines, officials said. And on July 23, the county will open up four more satellite locations for walk-in absentee voting or to drop off ballots received by mail. Locations and hours for these locations can be found at www.stlouisco.

com/elections. Voters should bring a driver’s license, a voter ID card or utility bill, officials said. Absentee ballot request forms for the city are at https://tinyurl.com/absentee-city. Absentee ballot request forms for the county are at https://tinyurl.com/ absentee-county. Request forms for both absentee ballots and mail-in ballots can also be found on the Secretary of State’s website (www.sos. mo.gov). City voters must mail them to the Board of Election Commissioners, 300 N. Tucker Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63101. County voters must mail their request forms to St. Louis County Board of Election Commissioners, 725 Northwest Plaza, St. Ann, MO 63074. For more information on absentee voting in the city, call 314-622-3230. For the county, call 314-615-1800.

Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis hosts 14th COVID-19 Emergency Relief Food Drive

The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, Inc. resumed its weekly pandemic relief efforts hosting the 14th Covid-19 Emergency Relief operation on July 11, 2020. Volunteers distributed more than $250,000 in food, toiletries, sanitization supplies, personal protective equipment, lightbulbs and more to more than 3,500 families. The distribution, supported by 50 corporate and community partners, was held on the grounds of the old Jamestown Mall in Florissant, MO. Hundreds of volunteers, including members of the Missouri National Guard, provided support for the event. Michael P. McMillan, President and CEO of the Urban League, expressed concern about the prolonged impact of the virus on the St. Louis community. “The impact of this virus is so far-reaching and devastating,” McMillan said. “We have served more than 38,000 families with more than $2 million in food and emergency relief supplies and with each distribution, we are seeing more and more middle-class families across the region in need of support.” McMillan acknowledged the continued support of the more than 50 corporate and community sponsors and the hundreds of volunteers working countless hours to execute the massive distribution effort.

The St. Louis legal community is one such entity offering assistance. Rick Walsh, firm vice chairman and litigation department chair at Lewis Rice LLC, at the recommendation of Sonette Magnus, a partner at Lewis Rice and a member of the Urban League’s Board of Directors, partnered with The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (BAMSL) and BAMSL President-Elect Robert Tomaso, managing partner at Husch Blackwell LLP, to organize financial support from the legal community.

On July 11, representatives from BAMSL and the legal community presented a check for $100,000 to help fund continued emergency relief. Special thanks goes to these law firms that contributed: Armstrong Teasdale; Brown & James, P.C.; Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner; Capes

Sokol; Dowd Bennett LLP; Evans & Dixon, LLC; Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C.; Husch Blackwell LLP; Lashly & Baer, P.C.; Lathrop GPM LLP; Lewis Rice LLC; Mickes O’Toole, LLC; Paladin Energy Strategies; Polsinelli LLP; Sandberg Phoenix & von Gontard P.C.; The Simon Law Firm, P.C. and Thompson Coburn LLP.

BAMSL also had a team of volunteers at Jamestown Mall to support the distribution. Volunteers from the BAMSL Young Lawyers Division (YLD) Committee Advancing Racial Equity in St. Louis (CARES), co-chaired by Alexus Williams and Lace Cline, distributed applications for mail-in or absentee balloting for the August Missouri Primary Election.

Rally sheds light on imminent housing crisis

Call for reinstating moratorium on evictions

By Ramona Curtis Of The St. Louis American

As St. Louis eviction courts reopened on July 7, housing advocates rallied outside to demand that the City of St. Louis take action to avoid a looming housing crisis.

The 22nd Judicial Court began eviction court proceedings following a three-month moratorium. The hold on evictions was put in place as a result of record job losses and health concerns following the onset of COVID-19. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, unemployment in the St. Louis region is at 11.2%.

officials should be focused on solutions to help people during COVID-19 and economic collapse before proceeding with a new eviction process in the midst of a pandemic.”

The Anti-Eviction Rally was organized by the St. Louis Housing Defense Collective, a coalition representing the Equal Housing Opportunity Council, State Street Tenants Resistance, ArchCity Defenders, Community Builders Network, Action St. Louis, Immigrant Housing Project and Sierra Club.

n “There’s about to be an exponential growth of unhoused people after this.”

Advocates want the city to extend the moratorium for 120 days as they point to the continued increases in COVID-19 cases and high unemployment numbers. The American Civil Liberties Union and ACLU of Missouri filed an emergency brief urging a Missouri court to halt eviction proceedings during the COVID-19 pandemic. Missouri is one of only nine states that has not issued a moratorium on eviction proceedings.

– Maxi Glamour

“We need to hit pause on evictions and ticketing the unhoused because COVID-19 remains a serious threat to the region,” said Sarah Watkins, of Action St. Louis and member of State Street Tenants Resistance. “Elected

“We think everybody deserves a place to live in St. Louis – no matter if you’re poor, no matter what color you are,” said Watkins. “We should take it personally that they are not fighting to keep people in their homes, to protect St. Louis from the impact of the pandemic, housing insecurities, impending evictions and shutoffs.”

Several dozen people lined the steps of City Hall chanting as they held signs stating the group’s demands for city support. In addition to the 120-day extension on opening evictions courts and utility shutoffs, the group is asking that the city create rental and legal assistance funds, stop displacing unhoused encampments and not allocate any CARES Act funding to policing or corrections.

Patricia Washington joins Urban League

Patricia A. Washington, a veteran journalist and communications strategist, has joined the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis as vice president of Communications. Angelia Bills previously served in this role for more than 16 years but recently launched her own consulting firm.

“Pat Washington is a respected communications professional with strong ties and deep roots in the community,” said Michael P. McMillan, president and CEO of the Urban League.

“She is committed to the Urban League’s mission and brings the professionalism, experience, and skill needed to strategically communicate our work and impact.” Washington will provide thought leadership to the agency on strategic communications and be accountable for the overall development, management, and strategic direction of the Urban League’s communications supporting key organizational programs and initiatives.

She most recently served as vice president of Development and External Affairs for Annie Malone Children and Family Services. She previously served as a reporter and managing editor of The St. Louis American, press secretary to Mayor Freeman R. Bosley Jr., communications director for County Executive Charlie A. Dooley and communications manager for the St. Louis County health department.

She is a proud member of The Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and is active in Kiwanis International serving as founding president of the University City Kiwanis Club.

For communications inquiries, email pwashington@urbanleague-stl. org or call 314-615-3605.

By Rebecca Rivas

The St. Louis American

West Florissant Avenue in North St. Louis County drew national attention in 2014 for being Ground Zero of the Ferguson uprising. The abandoned Springwood Plaza at 10148 W. Florissant Ave. is just one mile north of the Canfield Green apartments, where Mike Brown was shot and killed by a Ferguson Police officer in August 2014.

It’s a place where Pastor Ken Jenkins, of Refuge and Restoration Church, used to walk to shop growing up in Dellwood. But for more than 15 years, it has sat vacant.

In October, Ken and his wife Beverly Jenkins will lead the start of construction on a $15-million redevelopment project at the plaza, which will include centers for workforce development, early childhood education, financial empowerment, entrepreneurial advancement, and a multiplex facility that will host community opportunities, such as a church, health and wellness, events and the arts. It’s set to open in spring/summer of 2021.

“So much has happened in our community from Ferguson to Dellwood, and the residents have experienced a lot of emotional trauma,” Ken

See PLAZA, A10

The abandoned Springwood Plaza at 10148 W. Florissant Ave. is being redeveloped as a $15-million redevelopment project that will include centers for workforce development, early childhood education, financial empowerment, entrepreneurial advancement, and a multiplex facility.

Ronald L. Roberts

Ronald L. Roberts was appointed to the Joint Executive Governing Board for the Normandy Schools Collaborative, which serves nearly 3,300 students, by the Missouri State Board of Education. His term begins immediately and runs through June 30, 2023. Roberts replaces Pamela WestbrooksHodge, who was appointed to the State Board of Education in January. Roberts is a managing principal with Ridge Graves, LLC. During his 20-year career in real estate development and finance, Roberts has been involved in the underwriting, financing, planning, developing and constructing of thousands of homes across the United States and in Kenya.

“As a former student and current resident of Normandy, he has a deep commitment to ensuring all students in the community have an opportunity for success,” said Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Margie Vandeven.

The board was established in May 2014 to provide leadership for the Normandy Schools Collaborative following the district’s classification as unaccredited in January 2013. Roberts appointed

Of

Photo by Wiley Price

Patricia A. Washington

“We need to hit pause on evictions and ticketing the unhoused because COVID-19 remains a serious threat to the region,” said Sarah Watkins, of Action St. Louis and member of State Street Tenants Resistance.

A drawing of what the completed $15-million redevelopment project will look like.

Housing

Continued from A9

“For years now that (St. Louis Mayor) Lyda Krewson has been in office, we hear about how she cares about equity, how she cares about everybody getting a fair chance in St. Louis,” said speaker Kennard Williams. “But when we look at our jails, do we see equity? When we look at our evictions, do we see equity? No, we don’t see that.”

Activists said that city evictions for Black people were filed at twice the rate as for white people. According to the City of St. Louis’ latest eviction statistics from 2016, there were 3,128 cases in which the court ruled in favor of landlords filing for eviction; of those 1,922 were Black-majority

households and 618 were white-majority households.

Advocates said that Black, Brown and poor tenants facing landlords in court are usually contending with wealthy landlords who have legal representation. They called for the need to have a mediation system in place before the eviction process gets to the court system.

“We need a mandatory mediation program before anyone ever has an eviction filed on their case,” said Glenn Burleigh of the Equal Housing Opportunity Council. “We see a lot of folk who can’t find quality housing because they have an eviction on their record.”

Terrell Woodson is a tenant at Southwest Crossings Apartment, which has been in dispute with tenants for unsafe conditions. Woodson

said he has been served with an eviction notice but has yet to receive a court date. He knows he will be receiving one soon with the courts reopening.

“I think it’s really horrible at this time that people are being put out of their homes,” Woodson said. “Because of the virus people have lost their jobs, people can’t find jobs. So, at this point they can’t pay their rent.”

lion people have lost their jobs.

On July 31, the federal government will discontinue the additional $600 unemployment benefit for people who lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic.

n “For years the City of St. Louis has been paying the police to police the unhoused, to move them from place to place and push them out of the public eye.”

– John Bonacorsi, ArchCity Defenders

More than 40 million people have filed unemployment claims in the U.S. since the onset of COVID-19; in Missouri, more than a half mil-

“When the eviction moratorium ends, when the unemployment benefit extensions come to an end, we expect a huge onslaught of folks who are going to be facing homelessness,” said Gary Newcomer of the Community Builder Networks, which represents about 70 community nonprofit organizations.

“The big thing is the pan-

Plaza

Continued from A9

Jenkins said. “Many people in the community have been praying about something impactful happening in that space. We feel privileged and humbled to be able to redevelop that location because it’s much, much needed and it’s going to change many people’s lives.”

Ken’s sister-in-law runs Kathy’s Kitchen, a landmark in this community, and his parents still live in Dellwood.

“When we talk about the relationships we have in the community, they are deeply rooted,” Ken said.

The couple’s commitment to social change also runs deep. In 1999, the couple started the Refuge & Restoration nonprofit organization, which focused on giving men who were coming out of prison the housing and resources they needed to restart their lives. Then in 2004, they started the Refuge and Restoration Church, which now has about 300 members and is a service-focused, Bible-based church.

The nonprofit is purchasing the land for the new R&R Marketplace property and

demic,” Newcomer said. “We talk a lot about flattening the curve. We need to do what we can to keep people in their homes to flatten that curve at the same time we need to start building new support systems.”

Anti-eviction activists said the city’s recent actions in disbanding homeless encampments serves to continue the spread of the coronavirus. One of their demands is to cease all evictions of encampments for the unhoused.

“It appears the City of St. Louis has been divesting funding for homelessness or adding shelter space – doing nothing to support the local unhoused communities,” said John Bonacorsi of ArchCity Defenders. “Instead, for years the City of St. Louis has been paying the police to police the unhoused, to move them from place to place and push them

is leading the construction.

Summit Real Estate Group is helping with the acquisition and development of the project. The funding is coming from private donations, federal tax credits, and corporate support.

The project is expected to reach more than 250 children, almost 800 unemployed adults and 3,000 unbanked or underbanked individuals.

The new marketplace will include the Brilliant Angels Early Childhood Academy, “where little lambs go to learn,” said Beverly Jenkins, who is also a pastor at the church and co-founder of the nonprofit. The North County Innovation Center will be “a buzzing co-working space with all of this energy,” she said. It will be run in partnership with Cortex Innovation Community (CIC), located in the Central West End.

Kim Plank, general manager of CIC Centers for Emerging Technologies, said there are a number of people who have no way to access what they offer in the city’s central corridor.

“There are hundreds of people with great ideas who are already starting new businesses,” Plank said. “If we could just give them access to the opportunities, the pro-

out of the public eye.” Maxi Glamour, the activist who initiated the “Resign Lyda” petition last month, said homelessness is an issue that needs to be addressed not only by city leaders but by everyone. He said he experienced homelessness and unstable housing for a period of several years.

“The homeless population is not going away,” Glamour said. “It’s a population that deserves attention, it deserves focus. And with the coronavirus and this pandemic and the economy going to hell, a lot of people are going to be in the same situation. If that is what you feel about what we already have, how are you going to feel about what’s coming next? Because there’s about to be an exponential growth of unhoused people after this.”

gramming, the connections to strategic community building that other people have access to here, who knows what can happen?”

Employ St. Louis will offer the project’s jobs training program, which will use the Jobs For Life curriculum. There will also be spaces for primary health care and behavioral health groups, which the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted as a crucial need, they said.

And there will be a bank, as well as financial literacy programs to help families learn or expand their wealth-building opportunities.

“Most people can’t walk to a bank because they are too far away,” Ken said. “We want to provide the resource of a real banking partner, where people know your name. That’s important because there is a lot of distrust in our community with banks.”

The church will use the multiplex area for services on the weekend, but the space can be used for a number of other things during the week, such as food outreach and social services.

“As a city, we should want our neighbors to have access to equitable resources which will lead to economic stability and social mobility,” said Dellwood Mayor Reggie Jones. “Refuge and Restoration and the R & R Marketplace will bring equitable opportunity for our neighbors in Dellwood, Ferguson, Jennings, and beyond and will lead to a transformative community and a healthier ecosystem.”

The area was given a federal Promise Zone designation in 2015, due to the high unemployment, high crime and mortality rates and its significant numbers of vacant lots, abandoned buildings and homelessness.

Erica Henderson, SLEDP Promise Zone director, said, “The opportunity to have that type of transformative and innovative project that is intentional about connecting residents to real opportunities is something that I get up every day for.”

Inaction is not an option.

The power to change your community is in your hands. We can help inform funding every year for the next ten years for public services like healthcare, childcare programs, public transportation, schools, and job assistance. And our responses determine how many seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives. But time is running out, so complete the census today online, by phone, or by mail.

“TakingCareofYou”

Employers may opt out of mandate to cover birth control

U.S. Supreme Court sides with ‘religious or moral objection’ to contraceptives in ACA case

By Julie Rovner Of Kaiser Health News

The U.S. Supreme Court settled — at least for now — a decade’s worth of litigation over the women’s health provisions of the Affordable Care Act on July 8, ruling 7-2 that employers with a “religious or moral objection” to providing contraceptive coverage to their employees may opt out without penalty. The Trump administration was within its

rights to exempt religious nonprofit agencies, like the lead plaintiff in the case — the Roman Catholic order Little Sisters of the Poor — from having to facilitate in any way contraceptive coverage for their employees. Wrote Justice Clarence Thomas in the majority opinion: “We hold today that the [government] had the statutory authority to craft that exemption, as well as the contemporaneously issued moral exemption.”

But the decision did more than settle a long-standing dispute over how the birth control requirement should affect religious nonprofit organizations. It also provided an exemption for any employer with a “moral” objection, potentially dramatically expanding the universe of women who would be on their own to find and fund birth control. Groups that favored the exception were

See BIRTH CONTROL, A13

cell and racial bias

By Shannel Reed For The St. Louis

American

I am calling a state of emergency once again. In 2020, we are seeing Black and Brown people dying from COVID-19 left and right. We are seeing now more than ever that the cost of being Black is death. When will it stop?

I understand the fight for equal care because I have been a sickle cell warrior all my life. When I aged out of St. Louis Children’s Hospital to Barnes-Jewish Hospital, I expected the love and support I experienced as a child with sickle cell. I received a quick reality check. When I presented to the ER in pain seeking help, I was met with suspicious eyes. Being questioned, interrogated, and disrespected was a regular occurrence for me. I became a criminal without committing any crime.

Reed n One doctor told me all of the following stereotypes were learned during residency: sickle cell patients are drug seekers, addicts, unruly, unintelligent, and dishonest.

Sickle cell disease, a genetic disease where normal red blood turn into a sickled shape, is complex and it affects every system in the body. One can die from a sickle cell crisis if symptoms are not monitored and controlled. Unfortunately for sickle cell patients, pain medication is essential to our treatment plan. Sickled red blood cells do not carry the required amount of oxygen to the body and the cells can burst more easily, which causes extreme pain. Having a reliable hematologist and treatment team is essential for ongoing care. However, there are not many specialists to choose from in Missouri, and there are even fewer who can be trusted.

One doctor told me all of the following stereotypes were learned during residency: sickle cell patients are drug seekers, addicts, unruly, unintelligent, and dishonest. Showing

Gov. Parson violates COVID-19 guidance

Parson: ‘You don’t need government to tell you to wear a dang mask’

By Chris King Of The St. Louis American

“You don’t need government to tell you to wear a dang mask,” Gov. Mike Parson said on Saturday, July 11 at the 17th annual Missouri Cattlemen’s Association Steak Fry in Sedalia. Parson was speaking indoors and not wearing a mask. He shared social media posts of himself at the event, congregating near people and not wearing a mask.

In so doing, Parson went against the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for slowing the spread of COVID-19.

“CDC recommends all people 2 years of age and older wear a cloth face covering in public settings and when around people who don’t live in your household, especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain,” the CDC states.

Parson, who was born in 1955, is older than 2 years of age.

“COVID-19 can be spread by people who do not have symptoms and do not know that they are infected,” the CDC states. “That’s why it’s important for everyone to wear cloth face coverings in public settings and practice social distancing (staying at least six feet away from other people).”

The Missouri Cattlemen’s Association’s membership is around 5,000 people. Parson himself is a former cattle rancher from Wheatland, Missouri, population 371, 94.1% of them white.

As of July 13, Missouri had reported 27,890 COVID-19 cases and 1,083 related deaths.

“Governor Parson has urged Missourians See RHC, A15

“This decision will only make life harder for the very people who are keeping our economy afloat during this pandemic,” said Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood and its political action fund.

Gov. Mike Parson did not practice social distancing or wear a protective mask at the 17th annual Missouri Cattlemen’s Association Steak Fry in Sedalia on Saturday, July 11.

Shannel

Photo posted to Twitter by Gov. Mike Parson

Sickle Cell

Continued from A12 kindness and respect does not change these perceptions. The lack of awareness and knowledge of this disease has perpetuated stereotypes about Black individuals with sickle cell. Some nurses have been shocked that I am kind; according to them, all sickle cell patients were aggressive and had bad attitudes. It is clear that these clouded perspectives run deep and the problems are systemic.

When I transferred to St. Luke’s Hospital, to re-establish care with a new treatment team, I thought I was leaving behind racial discrimination from doctors and nurses. Instead,

I ended up experiencing the same unethical behavior at the hands of yet another doctor who appeared to be qualified to treat this disease. Recently, I spent over a month in the hospital due to the negligence of healthcare professionals. This negligence comes directly from racial bias. The cover-up of inappropriate behavior and racism is extensive and shocking. Hospitals are allowing doctors and nurses to be reckless with sickle cell patients’ health without any meaningful consequences.

Myself and other sickle cell warriors have experienced unethical withdrawal of care while we are in the middle of a medical crisis. My pain medication has been withheld when I’ve asked questions about the quality of my care. It is common for us to have

“TakingCareofYou”

our pain medications cut if we advocate for ourselves. That is like telling a double amputee to go home and walk without prosthetic legs. I have made complaints with patient relations and hospital administration with both hospitals, but the only thing that has changed is their narrative. Falsehoods have been spread about me that affect my quality of care to this day. After years of coping with racism, facing our reality has taken away the shame, and replaced it with anger and power.

Most sickle cell patients have not spoken up for fear of the retaliation that I am experiencing now. But, fear is not an option for me anymore. No patient should be discriminated against or face retaliation by the people that have vowed to “do no harm.”

Currently, I am without a hematologist because I refuse to allow a doctor to play with my life, but still I am here, to give a voice to the voiceless and inspire us all to speak out. The remedy for our state of emergency starts with a shot of knowledge and a large dose of compassion.

There are several specific changes that are imperative for the sickle cell community:

• Revision of standard operating procedures for all hospitals that treat sickle cell patients to give sickle cell patients priority in the Emergency Department.

• Individualized plans for every sickle cell patient that are signed by the patient and their doctor and notarized.

• Mandatory ongoing racial bias training for nurses, doctors, and all hospital

personnel.

• Networked comprehensive care due to the complexity of this disease.

• Infusion privileges in existing clinics or a clinic specifically for sickle cell patients who are in pain but want to avoid hospitalization.

• Third-party investigations guided by the patient when there is a problem with discrimination.

• The option to request a single room when admitted due to sickle cell patients’ weakened immunity and infection risk.

• Incentives for hematologists and other sickle cell specialists to increase the quality of care and attract new practitioners.

• Inpatient and outpatient mental health support for sickle cell patients suffering from

chronic pain.

• Natural or non-invasive treatments for pain and symptoms of the disease in areas of complementary and alternative medicine such as acupuncture, energy healing, osteopathic manipulation, massage, natural medicine.

Right before I was about to submit this article, protests started because of the murder of George Floyd. This is dedicated in honor of him, all Black people who have died at the hands of police brutality, and my fellow sickle cell warriors.

Shannel Reed is a native of St. Louis. She was diagnosed with sickle cell disease at three months old. She is a mother, a daughter, a financial consultant, and a passionate advocate for equality in healthcare with Missouri Health Care for All

Packing meat while a minority

CDC reports that Hispanic, Black workers most impacted by COVID-19 at meat plants

By Chris King Of The St. Louis American

When Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced the first expansion of the state’s slowto-move COVID-19 testing in Buchanan County, it appeared he was prioritizing meat production over Black lives. After all, the state’s own data reports approximately a 3:1 disproportionate impact of the disease on Black Missourians, yet Buchanan County is 88.5% white, according to the U.S. Census. Parson, a former cattle rancher, knows that Buchanan County is a hub of meat production in Missouri. In this case, as a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows, putting meat first also put minority health under scrutiny. Missouri is one of 23 states that provided data to the CDC (all 50 states were queried) for its new report “Update: COVID-19 Among Workers in Meat and Poultry Processing Facilities — United States, April–May 2020.” The report supports what many have

claimed: that essential workers in fields like food production are disproportionately minority, which helps to explain the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on minorities, especially given that these work conditions make social distancing and other health interventions a challenge if not an impossibility.

n In this case, as a new CDC report shows, Gov. Parson putting meat first also put minority health under scrutiny.

Among 9,919 (61%) cases in 21 states that reported to the CDC with race/ethnicity data, 87% occurred among racial and ethnic minority workers. The highest percentage (56%) of those cases were in Hispanics, but 19% were in Blacks. Though these numbers are for 21 states including Missouri, if the aggregate demographics were similar to Buchanan County, this would match the 3:1 disproportionate impact on African Americans, given that 6% of the county’s population is Black. (Race/ethnicity was not provided in 39% of the data, however.)

Overall, COVID-19 was confirmed in 16,233 workers in these 23 states, including 86 COVID-19–related deaths. Among 14 states reporting

Birth Control

Continued from A12 pleased with the court’s ruling. “Birth control is widely available for purchase in the United States, but forcing people of faith to pay for it has always been a misuse of governmental power,” said Kristan Hawkins, president of the anti-abortion group Students for Life of America.

Women’s health groups were quick to decry the ruling.

“No employer should be able to dictate workers’ family-planning choices,” said Debra Ness, president of the National Partnership for Women & Families.

Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood and its political action fund, said: “This decision will only make life harder for the very people who are keeping our economy afloat during this pandemic and fighting in the streets for the right to control their bodies and lives.”

Parson

Continued from A12

to social distance and to wear a mask when they can’t maintain distance. Governor Parson then spent the last two weekends

The fight may not be over, however. While liberal Justices Elena Kagan and Stephen Breyer agreed that the Trump administration had the authority to issue the rules in the case as it was brought before them, Kagan wrote in her concurring opinion that she thinks the rule could be struck down on other grounds when it returns to the lower court, as ordered by the justices in the ruling.

“I question whether the exemptions can survive administrative law’s demand for reasoned decision-making,” she wrote. “That issue is now ready for resolution, unaffected by today’s decision.” Breyer joined Kagan in that opinion.

The ACA itself did not require that contraceptives be covered. Rather, it called for preventive health services for women to be included in most insurance plans and left it to the Department of Health

sharing photos of himself unwilling to follow his own standards,” said state Auditor Nicole Galloway, who is running for governor. “On Saturday, speaking indoors in a crowded event, he essentially told people not to wear a mask if they don’t

Among 9,919 (61%) COVID-19 cases at meat facilities in 21 states that reported to the CDC with race/ethnicity data, 87% occurred among racial and ethnic minorities.

the total number of workers in affected meat and poultry processing facilities (112,616), COVID-19 was diagnosed in 9.1% of workers. Missouri reported 745 COVID-19 cases among 8,469 workers in 9 facilities, and two of those people died.

In meat processing plants, people tend to work long shifts indoors close together in a

and Human Services (HHS) to figure out which ones. In the Obama administration, HHS asked the Institute of Medicine (now the National Academy of Medicine) to recommend which services had enough scientific evidence backing them to be added, and FDA-approved methods of contraception were named by the institute.

That spurred bitter controversy, with some religious groups and business owners who object to certain types of contraceptives arguing that they should not be forced to provide the services to workers.

noisy environment that requires shouting to be heard, and projecting the voice also projects the respiratory droplets that harbor the virus. Other complicating factors reported by the CDC include shared transportation, congregate housing, and social contact with fellow workers. Many of these factors also contribute to ongoing community transmission near

n The decision is likely to have a political impact larger than its actual consequence — the loss of no-cost birth control for perhaps hundreds of thousands of women.

The Supreme Court ruled in 2014 that “closely held corporations” like the craft chain Hobby Lobby did not have to abide by the contraceptive cov-

want to. Governor Parson cannot expect Missourians to take his guidelines seriously when he talks out of both sides of his mouth This is a stunning failure of leadership. It appears the only way to get Governor Parson to follow his own advice is

erage requirement. But that did not settle the issue completely. From the start, the Obama administration exempted churches and other religious entities from the coverage requirement. Still, there was an outcry for relief from religious nonprofit groups such as hospitals and universities. And that battle has raged since Obama officials tried to find compromise after compromise, to no avail. The last Obama rule allowed religious nonprofits to opt out of providing coverage directly by signing a form that would transfer the financial and administrative responsibility for coverage to their health insurer. But the organizations — including the Little Sisters of the Poor, which operates longterm care homes for low-in-

to have the director of the Missouri Department of Health intervene with a statewide order on masks. To protect the public health, save jobs and restart our economy – please, wear a mask.” There is no statewide order to wear a mask.

these facilities. Commonly reported interventions and prevention efforts at facilities include implementing temperature or symptom screening, public health education, mandating protective masks, and adding hand hygiene stations and physical barriers between workers.

“Implementation of these interventions and prevention

come seniors — insist that the act of signing the form facilitates the coverage and makes them “complicit in sin.”

efforts across meat and poultry processing facilities nationally could help protect workers in this critical infrastructure industry,” the CDC advised.

Only seven of the 115 facilities profiled in the report implemented facility-wide testing for all workers. For those 5,572 workers who had positive SARS-CoV-2 test results, 14.4% reported asymptomatic or presymptomatic infections – further stressing the public health guidance that someone can be infected and infectious with COVID-19 but not feel sick.

Note that even this number is low compared to other data. Recent estimates of the total proportion of asymptomatic and presymptomatic infections from data on COVID-19 investigations among cruise ship passengers and evacuees from Wuhan, China were higher, ranging from 17.9% to nearly one-third (30.8%), respectively.

Overall, the CDC reported, at least 17,358 cases and 91 COVID-19–related deaths have occurred among U.S. meat and poultry processing workers.

The corresponding author for this report, in a team of dozens of researchers, is Michelle A. Waltenburg, mwaltenburg@cdc.gov.

The U.S. Supreme Court took up the case — actually seven cases bundled together — in 2016. But with only eight justices on the bench following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia earlier that year, the court deadlocked 4-4 and sent the cases back to the lower courts, with orders to try to find a compromise that would allow employees to receive coverage without compromising the religious beliefs of the employers. With the election of Donald Trump, the controversy continued, but in reverse. The Trump administration issued rules to give organizations with not just religious, but also moral, objections to birth control the ability to opt out. And it was sued by those who believe women should have the right to no-cost contraception, including state governments, whose leaders fear that if employers opt out, the states will end up paying more for state contraceptive programs and costs associated with unwanted pregnancies.

However, St. Louis County and the City of St. Louis have issued public health orders mandating that people wear masks in public. Despite the evidence that Parson himself distributed of himself not wearing a mask and standing very near other

The addition of moral objection is a dramatic expansion, said Michael Fisher, who argued the case on behalf of Pennsylvania during the court’s oral arguments in May. Fisher said the provision was so broad that employers could deny contraceptive coverage because they morally object to women being in the workplace.

The decision is likely to have a political impact larger than its actual consequence — the loss of no-cost birth control for perhaps hundreds of thousands of women. While the court will not decide its broader case challenging the constitutionality of the ACA before November’s election, this ruling could boost the law’s fate back onto the electoral front burner.

people, a spokesperson for the governor told KMOX: “Governor Parson always makes a conscious effort to social distance or wear a mask, and he recommends all Missourians to do the same.”

It’s unfortunate that there is a continuing need for this, but once again

The St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura O. Jones submitted a Political EYE column in response to another series of attacks on her by the Post-Dispatch editorial board, which is led by Tod Robberson.

Dear Mr. Robberson:

Thank you for the invitation for an interview. However, I distinctly remember that your editorial board at the PostDispatch made a decision in July 2016 not to endorse in county races other than circuit attorney. In case you forgot, here’s a link to the editorial (https://tinyurl.com/y9ad4k7h) where you said “the only candidates we would endorse are those with solid qualifications who also promise to work to eliminate the office.” And since I am not making that promise, I believe that makes me ineligible for consideration.

I took office. Despite the fact that this “perk” was added to my taxes as income, you compared me to Marco Rubio’s performance in his response to the president’s State of the Union address.

Famous St. Louisan Maya Angelou once said, “When people show you who they are, believe them, the first time.”

So, I’m going to take your word for it. Since 2016, this editorial board has done nothing but use its pen, ink, and declining readership to try to disparage my reputation as a public servant of the city I love and serve. Consequently, I am not inclined to accept your invitation. However, what I will do is use this as an opportunity to take a stroll down memory lane of your petty editorials. Shall we?

In 2016, it was pretty light. You only wrote two attack pieces. One telling me that I should give up a benefit that was afforded to elected officials for decades before me, but somehow became an issue after

The next salvo was in 2017, when the mayor’s race was in full swing. You called me the “high flying treasurer” and said that I should be brought down, which is nothing more than a euphemism for calling me an “uppity” Black woman who didn’t know her place. In February, I declined your interview for an endorsement in the mayor’s race, because, based on advice from Maya Angelou, you showed me who you were. Instead, I published my response to your interview request in The St. Louis American In your endorsement of thencandidate Antonio French for mayor, you spent almost as much time attacking me as you did endorsing him. “Treasurer Tishaura Jones has treated public office as a grab bag of perks for her personal enjoyment.” You wrote. “We need a mayor who consistently upholds a high standard of ethics. She is quick to deploy the race card recklessly. The mayor’s job is too important to entrust to someone with such demonstrably bad judgment.”

After I exceeded everyone’s expectations in the primaries – including yours, I might add – you said, “Jones has long tended to blame others for her own shortcomings. Even after Tuesday night’s loss, she offered no hint of admitting that personal failings might have turned voters away. Instead, she blamed the other African-American candidates for refusing to bury their male

nel parking dollars to financial empowerment services like we have. So, who’s the Scrooge now?

2018 started with a bang. It started with your declaration that parking money belongs to the city, not the Treasurer’s Office. Well, the last time I checked, I’m elected by the citizens of the City of St. Louis. My office is in City Hall. My employees are city employees. This narrative that the money doesn’t go to the city is a boldfaced lie. You further insinuated that I used the office’s budget as “the treasurer’s play money to spend as she pleases.”

You consistently conflate the facts about my budget and how much is due to the city. The sum of $18 million is gross revenue, before my employees are paid, before operational expenses of running the parking division, before debt service.

egos and bow out of the race. Voters value honesty and transparency. Add a dose of humility, and Jones might still have a promising political future ahead.” Even the Washington Post called your response bullshit.

It was clear to me after the mayor’s race that I would never receive an objective eye or ear from the editorial board, which the last time I checked still doesn’t have one African American. I called you out on it in 2017, and I will continue to call you out on it until it changes.

How can I forget when you accused me of fraud related to the funds I raised to remove the Confederate monument in Forest Park? In case you’re still wondering, that check was presented to the city parks department as soon as GoFundMe mailed it to my office.

When I tried to help the city and the Scottrade Center fund renovations, after they

changed the terms of the lease behind closed doors, you said I control too much money and with too little transparency, saying, “Jones might hope to boost future political prospects by asserting herself as the hero who saved the Scottrade Center renovation. That’s not her office’s role, and taxpayers shouldn’t tolerate it when so many other city needs are going unmet.” I’m damned if I try to help and damned if I mind my own business. I just can’t win, can I?

Three months later, you called Alderwoman Megan Green and I hypocrites for supporting community benefit agreements for development projects after a sales tax increase for police salaries was passed by voters. Never mind that CBAs have been attached to some of the largest projects in Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Detroit in recent years. St. Louis gives away millions in tax incentives to wealthy developers and gets nothing in return. And you think we should continue to give our tax dollars away at the expense of our schools, crumbling infrastructure, and declining tax revenue?

And, how could I forget the holiday season? You were working hard trying to make me out to be Ebeneezer Scrooge for starting the nation’s second largest children’s savings program. You made a declaration that my office “has no business running children’s savings programs,” despite the fact that these programs are often birthed from state and local treasurers around this country. Here’s some news for you, Mr. Robberson. My office has received national awards for the innovative way we fund financial empowerment services. And, here’s what will blow your mind: other cities (Los Angeles, Newark, and St. Paul, to name a few) are asking us how they can fun-

The city has received more money under my administration through contributions from the parking fund and returns on investments than ever before.

But, of course, those are the facts you refuse to report.

When I petitioned the legislature to expand financial empowerment services to other treasurers around the state, you hit back with this one: “The city coffers are not Jones’ personal piggy bank. Her efforts to change the law so she can dip into parking revenue whenever she wants and spend without checks and balances is an unprecedented power grab.”

The rest of 2018 and 2019 were a series of editorial pieces about the lawsuit, which my opponent joined after he garnered a mere 1,400 votes in his embarrassing bid for mayor.

Might I remind the readers that this same opponent ran against me in 2012 and is running against me again this year.

Describing the nuances of the case against me in which my opponent and the mayor have joined would take another page, so I won’t bore everyone with your opinion.

And, last but not least, we arrive at the present year, 2020. Your unhealthy obsession with who I endorsed for President and how I responded to the pandemic led you to pen three scathing articles in the short span of eight days. First, you blamed Megan Green and me for Bernie Sanders’ loss in the presidential primary, saying “it’s not just a rebuke to Sanders but also to his two most prominent local surrogates.” When I learned that COVID-19 was communityspread and could directly affect my employees’ health, I shut down parking meter operations and ordered my employees to shelter in place, days before any other local official. You questioned my legal authority to do so, and, just two days later, you tried to say that may-

hem would ensue if parking wasn’t enforced. Newsflash: that never happened. As treasurer, I am responsible for protecting the credit rating of the parking division, which is tied to the city’s credit rating. During my tenure, the credit rating of the parking division was increased twice as a result of my sound financial decisions. I objected to my opponent’s premature request to transfer $5 million to the city’s reserve fund, because we did not yet know the full extent of the aid coming from the federal government. We are still in the middle of this pandemic, and we do not know how long this will last. My position has been and always will be a conservative position when it comes to protecting the city’s and parking division’s finances. My degree in finance and my experience in the investment banking industry informs my decisions. Your statement about “desperate times calling for desperate measures” is reckless and irresponsible. And, last, at a time when this country is reeling from the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, this country’s failure to deal with systemic and institutional racism is on display for the world to see. And nowhere is this more prevalent than your editorial board, which still doesn’t have an African-American journalist. You continue to perpetuate a double standard when writing about Black elected officials. Might I also point out that your columns are eerily similar to my opponent’s complaints and campaign promises. You accused me of “pay to play” by awarding a multi-million-dollar contract to a Black-womanowned business, while ignoring the response we sent to your questions that explained that the process was transparent and open to the public. Let me also make this abundantly clear: I am unapologetically Black and will use the power of my office to empower Black people and others who have been ignored and marginalized for far too long. Your continued attacks on Black elected officials in this city, in this current environment, is insensitive and tonedeaf. You don’t want to know the truth. And, frankly, I’m tired of trying to convince you otherwise. You’ve consistently shown me who you are, and after four years and 23 different editorials dragging my name through the mud, it’s crystalclear to me that you’re not capable of anything different. Therefore, I am declining the opportunity to interview with the editorial board of the PostDisgrace – oops, I meant PostDispatch – again. Be blessed.

Tishaura O. Jones is treasurer of the City of St. Louis.

Photo by Wiley Price

Tishaura O. Jones

The push for Mayor Krewson to resign is not wise strategy

By Pastor B.T. Rice

For The St. Louis American

We are right smack dab in the middle of exciting, groundbreaking, times. But they are also perilous times. And although I am more optimistic than I have been in a long time, whether we are ultimately successful depends on whether we stay focused. We have so many challenges, and getting our priorities straight is critical.

The Black Lives Matter movement has achieved an historic breakthrough. Many in the white community are listening seriously for the first time, and polls show they are beginning to understand. Legislators and other government officials are finally responding. Eyes and ears long shut are now opened wide. We are not there yet, of course. Equality in education, the legal system, and – especially right now, with COVID19, health care – have not yet been achieved. The struggle

can’t stop now; indeed, now is the time to strike. But we must be strategic. Spending time on tangential or second-tier issues will waste our energy and can result in failing to seize the moment. We cannot let this perfect storm pass!

Case-in-point: the vilifying of St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson right now. It’s not that she hasn’t made mistakes or that she should be immune to criticism. But mass protests at her house in front of her family, and demanding she resign immediately, are not the most effective way to win allies and bring about the change we should be seeking. Nor is forcing her out of office right now the most critical challenge we face.

I want to be clear: police brutality and inequities in our legal system, from prosecutors to judges to prisons, is certainly

a serious issue that demands action. The coronavirus is disproportionately devastating Blacks. The murder rate in Black neighborhoods is climbing— I personally can testify to the unbearably large number of funerals over which I have presided. Our schools are underfunded. The whole range of social services must be delivered to our community better and more efficiently. These are the critical, most immediate needs we face. All of these are issues that we must fight for. And keeping the pressure on our elected officials is one important way to do that. But attacking the mayor personally and wasting time demanding that she resign just months before her term is up are not the most effective ways to do that.

I am not by any means preaching that we should be

quiet. I agree with U.S. Rep. John Lewis that we should “find a way to get in the way,” and to get into “good trouble.” I am advocating concentrating on the important issues and being strategic in our methods. Focus on the issues, not the personalities.

By all means, take on City Hall. And the state capitol. And Congress. March. Protest. Demand immediate funding and action for the short-term and needed laws for the long term. Ask for hearings, and show up for them. Meet with our elected officials.

The mayor is facing election in less than a year. If we choose our actions wisely, now is the perfect time to get our demands met. And if the response is inadequate, we can take the most effective and important action of all: we can vote.

Pastor B.T. Rice is pastor of New Horizon 7th Day Christian Church.

By Louise Wilkerson For The St. Louis American

St. Louis County election data shows almost 73,000 absentee ballots were requested for the municipal elections, with 65% returned and 6% rejected. Almost one-third of the rejected ballots weren’t notarized. Another 1,249

Missouri’s new absentee and mail-in ballot rules are confusing. I believe that allowing notaries to charge voters to notarize a mail-in ballot is a poll tax. The League of Women Voters of Metro St. Louis is fighting to make sure voters can cast their ballots safely and at no cost in the 2020 elections. While state law blocks notaries from charging a fee to notarize an absentee ballot, they can charge to notarize the new mail-in ballot legislators approved for voters concerned about COVID19. The Missouri League and NAACP are appealing a decision last week in our absentee ballot lawsuit that said the notarization requirement would not cause “irreparable harm.” We believe that not counting ballots that aren’t properly notarized or arrive late does harm our democracy. The new law waives the notary requirement for absentee ballots requested by voters over 65, living in a long-term care facility, or with one of the health issues the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says puts a person at higher risk of COVID-19. Starting on July 23, those voters can vote in person at the St. Louis City Board of Elections at 300 North Tucker or one of St. Louis County’s satellite voting sites (Recreational Complex on Redman Road in North County, St. Louis County Library Mid-County Branch at 7821 Maryland Ave. in Clayton, 71 Clarkson Wilson Center, or Keller Plaza on South Lemay Ferry Road). New mail-in ballots authorized in 2020 must be notarized and can only be returned by U.S. mail. Election officials say voters should allow up to 10 business days for mail service, which means mailing them by July 20 to arrive by 7 p.m. on Election Day.

Elizabeth Warren endorses Tishaura Jones for STL treasurer

a tweet storm of “Warren Democrats” endorsements on Friday, July 10. “She’s been laser focused on serving working families in St. Louis, and has been on the front lines of the fight to reduce the racial wealth gap,” Warren posted. “I know she’ll

Columnist

Pastor B.T. Rice

Columnist

Wilkerson

Summer Escape Film Series Continue at Art Museum

The summer is heating up and so is the Art Museum’s At Home Film Series: Summer Escapes! For the past two weeks, we have enjoyed blockbuster films from the comfort of our homes, and there are just two more films that you won’t want to miss. Our virtual celebration of films, food, and fun continues throughout the month of July. This summer, we can’t gather on Art Hill to watch movies on the big screen, but we have come together just the same. Join us at 8:30 pm weekly on Friday nights for the online pre-movie watch party, hosted by local talent Andre Walker. Your evening will include a variety of activities, including new cocktail and mocktail recipes, a quick chat about art, fun art-making demonstrations using materials you have at home, a few trivia questions, and more! At around 9 pm, viewers are transported around the world—and even across dimensions—with feature films that are available to stream online for low or no cost. Films are subject to change.

On July 24, prepare to meet a few interstellar visitors in the science fiction comedy Men in Black (1997). Nicknamed the “men in black” for their nondescript uniforms, two agents are assigned to recover an important item that has been stolen by an intergalactic terrorist and they encounter several fascinating creatures along the way. Starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, this otherworldly blockbuster brings the galaxy close to home.

For the last night in the series, July 31, join the fairytale world of The Princess Bride (1987). This enchanting tale of one man’s quest to be reunited with his true love is a mix of swashbuckling action, romance, and comedy that takes an age-old damsel-indistress story and makes it new and memorable. Get ready for your movie night with special deals on carry out options from local restaurants or try a new recipe from program partner Sauce Magazine’s online assortment. Need some tunes while you

By:

COLLEGE 101: OFFICE OF ADMISSIONS

FIND YOUR PASSION! Find your passion! Every admissions representative is trained on how to market their specific university and each marketing team is strategic with how they present it to you through social media, brochures, flyers, and more. Ask yourself what is it that you want out of life. What is it that you already do or are naturally interested in without the prospect of financial gain, external accolades, or any other thing we associate with success? If it is helping people, seeing the world, being financially stable, or just maturing as a person, let’s start there. It is hard to arrive at a destination if you don’t know what you’re looking for or any of the markers that signal you’re nearby. Your passion is a compass. It helps you set a direction that’s right for you.

FIND THE RIGHT UNIVERSITY FOR YOU! Now that we know our passion, let’s discuss the right fit. There are thousands of universities at your fingertips! Most universities offer online applications so applying, and potentially being admitted, is only a click or two away. The goal, however, is to find the campus or online program that is best for you. While you can gain quite a bit of information by looking at an institution’s website, cyber stalking its students on social media, and meeting representatives at various fairs and school visits, there is no substitute for getting to campus. If you are fortunate enough to visit, create a list of questions that are important for you to have answered and request that you be allowed to speak with current students to have those

prep? Check out the moviethemed Spotify playlist links on the Museum’s At Home Film Series webpage. Make your summer escape (while staying home!) with this adventurous lineup from the Saint Louis Art Museum’s At Home Film Series. For more details about the watch parties and instructions on streaming the movies, please visit slam. org/filmseries.

Leslie Parker, Assistant Director of the Office of Admissions

©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

Brittany Ferrell, Mike Wolff join St. Louis American editorial board

The St. Louis American has welcomed two new members to its editorial board: Brittany Ferrell and Michael A. Wolff.

Ferrell is a national organizer and policy associate at Black Futures Lab, nurse and activist who emerged during the Ferguson Uprising. Wolff is a former chief justice of the Missouri Supreme Court and dean emeritus of the Saint Louis University School of Law.

“Judge Wolff has advised us informally for years, but we asked for the formal commitment so we can invite his wisdom and experience into our interviews and deliberations, which are confidential,” said Donald M. Suggs, board chair, the paper’s publisher and executive editor.

“I am honored to be part of a community of journalists whose reporting and commentary advance economic and racial justice in our region, state and nation,” Wolff said.

the Ferguson Commission).

Columnist

Brittany Ferrell

Columnist

Michael A. Wolff

“Brittany’s is one of the voices that are shaping the future of St. Louis for the rest of the world, and this legacy news organization needs to be informed by that critical perspective,” said Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson, vice chair of the editorial board (and president and CEO of Deaconess Foundation, as well as former co-chair of

“My work and lived experiences give me a rich perspective on the compounding and intersecting issues that plague our region and prevent our neighbors, friends, and families from thriving,” Ferrell said. “The stewards of justice in this city have inherited the burden of a generations-long protracted struggle — a struggle for economic, criminallegal, environmental, and health justice and political empowerment. There is a lot of work to be done in St. Louis, and I am ready to wield my radical imagination, courage, and a deep commitment to the people to build a new legacy that St. Louis can be proud of.” Ferrell and Wolff join Rev. Wilson and Michael Wesley Jones as volunteer community members of the editorial board. The staff editorial board members are Sandra Jordan, assistant managing editor; Dawn Suggs, video director; and managing editor Chris King, board secretary. The editorial board advises the board chair, who is responsible for policy positions and political endorsements. Board members are encouraged to write bylined dissenting opinions, as needed.

Senator Kamala Harris endorses Congressman Clay in Democratic Primary

By Chris King Of The St. Louis American

U.S. Senator Kamala Harris (D-California) officially endorsed U.S. Rep.

Wm. Lacy Clay (D-Missouri) in Missouri’s Democratic Primary on August 4. Clay is running for reelection in Missouri’s 1st Congressional District.

“Lacy Clay has been in the trenches with me taking action to help write and then pass the landmark George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in the U.S. House. Our legislation would ban choke holds, end qualified immunity for bad cops, require de-escalation training for all police officers, and finally make lynching a federal crime,” Harris stated in a release.

“Whether it’s police reform, providing healthcare for all, or fighting the Republican assault to suppress your voting rights, Lacy Clay is a champion for the people with real backbone.” Harris, who was elected in 2017, and Clay are colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus. Clay, who is serving his 10th term in Congress, has two opponents in the Democratic Primary on August 4, Cori Bush and Catherine (Kat) Bruckner. In 2018, Clay and Bush competed in a field of four. Clay beat Bush by nearly 30,000 votes, 56.7% to 36.9%; two other candidates got less than 5,000 votes each.

“On Tuesday, August 4, justice is on the ballot. Voting rights are on the ballot, and police reform and tearing down systemic racism are on the ballot too,” Clay stated in a release. “Kamala and I stand together in St. Louis and across the nation, fighting for the people.”

Is Lt. Wildhaber the change agent STL County Police needs?

By Ethical Society of Police

For The St. Louis American

As the commander of the Diversity and Inclusion Unit, Lt. Keith Wildhaber has been tasked to foster inclusion in the St. Louis County Police Department (SLCPD) and help the department better serve its diverse community. Yet Lt. Wildhaber orchestrated a personal attack on a fellow officer and used the media to disseminate lies he told during the St. Louis County Board of Police Commissioners meeting on Thursday, July 9.

During that meeting and in an earlier Facebook post, Lt. Wildhaber asserted that, during our June 22, press conference, the Ethical Society of Police (ESOP) leadership denied having meetings or communications with the Diversity and Inclusion Unit.

The recordings and transcript from the press conference prove his accusations were unequivocally false. Yet, in a follow-up interview with KSDK, Lt. Wildhaber repeated his lies, and they were broadcast to a public audience. During that interview, he also asserted that ESOP opposed his selection as commander of the Diversity and Inclusion Unit because he is a white man.

As an organization whose leaders are consistently attacked for their righteous pursuit of equity, fairness and respect for those who have been denied a representative voice for far too long, we find these blatant lies and racially charged assertions extremely offensive and divisive. We welcome any criticism when we or any minority or non-minority officer is wrong, but not lies. Lt. Wildhaber’s lies harm ESOP’s reputation and the reputation of

channels.

prerequisites that would lead him/her to be selected as the most qualified employee.” Our stance has not changed. By his admission, Lt. Wildhaber lacks any formal training in diversity and inclusion. Further, Lt. Wildhaber’s voice for change and an end to discrimination was inaudible until 2016. Even then, his advocacy rarely extended to other marginalized groups within the police department.

individual board members. Lt. Wildhaber’s tactics reinforce the systemic attitudes that have suppressed marginalized groups and made the department resistant to change for so long, yet he is tasked to spearhead change.

Regarding our position on his appointment, ESOP has been very public, specific and consistent in our concerns. St. Louis American published our official statement about his appointment on December 18, 2019. It was distributed widely to the media and shared with the public on our social media

We recognized that forming the unit was a step in the right direction, but we clearly stated our extreme disappointment in the selection process: “The fact that there was no selection process held for such an important assignment signals to us the lack of sincerity in the department’s commitment to address diversity and inclusion for all of its employees.”

n Lt. Wildhaber’s voice for change and an end to discrimination was inaudible until 2016, and his advocacy rarely extended to other marginalized groups.

We contended that the commander “should have a strong history of being a champion for racial diversity, inclusion, equity and demonstrated the

ESOP has been vocally leading the fight for change since 1972. However, as our leadership stated at the press conference, we “have not had very many” meetings with Lt. Wildhaber. And, it took more than one year for SLCPD to even recognize ESOP’s St. Louis County Chapter as an official organization. Our Memorandum of Understanding was finally signed by the St. Louis County Board of Police Commissioners and Chief Barton on June 30. The next day we publicly expressed our optimism and eagerness to “work collectively with all interested parties to improve upon the practices and policies that often prove to be barriers for fairness, equity and inclusion for all.” Just days later on July 9, Lt. Wildhaber used the time allocated to the Diversity and Inclusion Unit with the Board of Police Commissioners to continue his attack against ESOP and a subordinate officer. We challenge Lt. Wildhaber to prove that his advocacy for diversity and inclusion extends to all marginalized groups. We challenge SLCPD to evaluate whether Lt. Wildhaber is capable of being the champion for change that the department so desperately needs to make transformative change in racial diversity, inclusion and equity.

It

A voice and a bass, in perfect harmony

Tonina blends sounds, cultures and genres to create timeless music

By Ashley Jones For The St. Louis American

Tonina Saputo is engaged in a powerful duet anytime she is on stage. Each pluck of her bass is perfectly and harmoniously synced with each note that emits from her vocal cords.

She can sing in cursive and belt out in soulful ballads.

“The energy from the crowd and the audience really does feed me and reminds me that I’m doing something semi-right,” Saputo said. “And a reminder that I’m where I’m supposed to be in that moment.”

The St. Louis artist strives to create music that transcends labels and categories and activates personal exploration.

“I want them to fall in love with a new genre, because I think oftentimes Americans are scared of the other – whatever that is,” Saputo said. “I want them to figure out something new about themselves when they listen to me and feel inspired.”

She started her musical journey early – at 8 years old. Her third-grade class allowed them to pick out their own instruments, and she chose the largest piece of wood in the room, the standing bass.

“Yeah, we’ve been together for like 17 years now,” Saputo said of her beloved instrument.

She didn’t officially start playing in a band until three years ago, but Saputo had ample experience playing as a collective when she went to Berklee College. While there, she was a musical contributor within in all sorts of musical ensembles.

“It’s the best feeling when I’m with my friends up there and we’re creating new and different every single time,” Saputo said.

Her passion for the city that has been her home base continues to resonate within her music – particularly evident in her latest album “St. Lost,” which Saputo declares the favorite among her releases.

“I knew that it was going to be a special place to me throughout my life,” Saputo said. “I lived there and met some of my best friends there.”

‘Home is where the heart is’

St. Louis’ own Lavell Crawford headlining two nights of shows at Helium

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

Lavell Crawford’s fearlessness, faith and is funny have taken him all over the world, but he has never been far from home.

“I didn’t know what would happen, but I felt if I gave my all, success would come,” Crawford said. “I said, ‘God, if I take this step, I hope you will carry me the rest of the way.”

A natural knack for humor took him from the Midwest to the Middle East – and over the past three decades, he has actively contributed to the rich comedy legacy of St. Louis.

“One thing I know is that once you get out there and you’re really serious and you seek his help as you put in the work, He will guide you on the path,” Crawford said.

Crawford’s name is in the mix among the veterans of the “Def Comedy Jam” generation. And yet, his hometown is regularly on the roster as he zig zags across the country and around the world. He was preparing to come home as a headliner for the Festival of Laughs at Chaifetz Arena. A week prior to showtime, the show was canceled because of COVID-19.

Comedy fans thought they would have to wait until September – the Festival of Laughs reschedule date – to show him some St. Louis love. But he’ll be headlining a special limited engagement at Helium Comedy Club next Tuesday and Wednesday (July 22-23).

Over the years, Crawford had played every

She was born in San Diego, California but raised in St. Louis, Missouri. She lived in Spain for a year in college and goes back every year.

She has a huge fan base in Mexico, Argentina and Spain.

“St. Lost,” is a euphoric listing inspired by her life – a sonic autobiography of sorts.

“St. Lost is a compilation of songs that I’ve written in the places that I call home,” Saputo said. “I pay homage to those places in my songwriting.”

Songwriting for Saputo is a process that usually starts with the lyrics and a tune that she’ll

jot down or record immediately as it comes to mind. Her saxophonist, David Gomez, is a col laborator and helps write songs with her occa sionally.

“Sometimes I’ll be in the middle of a sentence and then I hear a melody and I have to literal ly leave a situation awkwardly and sing into my voice memos or get a guitar and play it,” Saputo said.

“Papaya” was the first tune the pair wrote

See Tonina, B2

Black stories through the eyes of STL filmmakers

By Kenya Vaughn

programming

and

from lead actors, featured subjects, filmmakers and storylines. The films range in

style from

covering topics

and

college.

King and the Pawn – In his animated short, recent Savannah College of Art and Design graduate Caleb Blue illustrates the bond

between father and son that goes beyond a lifetime and is solidified over a standing game of chess. In “The King and the Pawn,” an adoring son patiently awaits the moment he can sit down with his busy father to learn the game. And while his dad’s commitments constantly tug at their time together, they establish a unique hack that allows for them to steal precious moments with the father as master and the son as student. The brilliance of the short lies in its ability to allows viewers to see the perspective of the father who prioritizes providing for his family from an entirely different vantage point. The film will inspire families to discover innovative ways to connect amid hectic schedules – and take advantage of every available second as an opportunity to show love and support.

Augustus. Jon Alston takes lesser known portions of the journey of one of America’s fiercest opponents to slavery with “Augustus.” The haunting story connects the generational trauma of slavery with institutional racism and abuse that continues to endanger Black lives. The current generation being regarded of as “the hope and the dream of the slave” is a common theme. Alston presents a nightmare of those enslaved having to bear witness to the bondage they defiantly envisioned being only halfway lifted as Black people live under the constant threat of attack and death as their skin is regarded as weapon and used to justify violence and apathy for their humanity.

The Ballad of John Henry. The legend of John Henry has become a triumphant story within Black America and American history. But film-

short animated to feature narrative,

that span from the ripple effect of slavery, the eternal bond between a father

son, the damaging mental effects onset by lack of self-care and the process of preparing for

The

St. Louis based singer, songwriter and bassist Tonina Saputo strives to create music that transcends labels and categories and activates personal exploration

See Lavell, B2

The King and the Pawn

Photo by Harry Boston

Lavell Crawford

after she signed to the Empire label last year. The song was composed mid-air during the two hours they spent on a plane headed to San Francisco, where “Papaya” was recorded. The Spanish tune is spunky with a salsa vibe – then shifts gears to a melodious rhythm blended with Afro-beat undertones that further lend to the song giving the vibe of a musical cultural melting pot.

“It was my favorite studio session ever because it was a professional studio with food, drinks and Netflix,” Saputo said. “It was crazy. Something that we’ve never experienced, but it was so relaxed. Super meaningful and we felt super special.”

Her biggest inspirations are Lauryn Hill, Jazmine Sullivan, Whitney Houston, Toni Morrison, Audrey Lorde, bell hooks and James Baldwin.

“I’m a big reader, so I think that helped me with my themes and really inspires what I write about,” Saputo said.

She is fueled by a passion for social justice.

“I don’t feel like you can be an artist without being an activist because we do have a platform and we reach so many people,” Saputo said. “Me specifically, I feel like it’s not just my duty, but something I want to do.”

Saputo’s fan base has been in a constant state of ascension since she first presented her art to a listening audience.

President Barack Obama named Saputo’s song “Historia De un Amor” one of his favorites of 2018. She was in the process of preparing for a European tour

when the COVID-19 global pandemic put a halt to live entertainment as the world knows it. “I feel like I’m in an idle state,” Saputo said. “From not going on tour and not having that exposure, I’m just stagnant. It makes you think about who is valued in our society and who is not.”

Saputo has held three virtual concerts since the onset of COVID-19 restrictions and is focusing on a time when she will be able to take her sound

to new countries and places that are not familiar with her sound.

“No matter what community you’re in – that community has music that brings them together,” Saputo said. “It’s a confession, it’s a diary, it’s a map, it’s very spiritual, it’s heavy. That’s why everyone likes music, because everyone can relate or find their place in it.”

For more information on Tonina Saputo, visit https:// www.iamtonina.com/

Continued from B1

scale of venue – from

The hometown stage where he will

the middle of next week is likely to have the same feeling as where things began for him in the funny business. The difference is that he’ll be there as a celebrity headliner as opposed to a hungry comic looking to earn a spot to showcase his talent.

Barely out of his teens in the late 1980s, he had been told he was funny so many times, that he decided he decided that he just might be able to make a living at it.

“I thought, ‘Maybe I’ll go on and try stand up,” Crawford said. “I called the Funny Bone about three months straight. Finally, one night I called, and they said, ‘You’re on the list tonight.’ And I said, ‘What am I gonna do?’”

A bit about his mother’s car catching fire on Christmas struck a chord with the audience. He’s been connecting with crowds through comedy ever since. First it was at Sanford’s, the now defunct comedy club on the Riverview Circle that helped hone the likes of Cedric The Entertainer and Rickey Smiley. He developed an act and hit the road.

“I kept it real and it paid off,” Crawford said. “I’ve been blessed, and I haven’t looked back.”

His reputation as a road comic earned him spots on popular televised comedy

programs, including “Russell Simmons’ Def Comedy Jam” and “BET’s Comic View.” He beat out thousands of comics and made it to the finals of NBC’s “Last Comic Standing,” where he represented St. Louis well by taking second-place. After making a name for himself in comedy, he transitioned into acting. He earned a Screen Actors Guild Award for his work on the Emmy Awardwinning television crime series “Breaking Bad.”

Continued from B1

“Sometimes you can’t help but think to yourself that you haven’t reached Eddie Murphy status,” Crawford said. “But if you are doing your thing, you are paving a legacy that is all yours. People are watching you – and no matter what you think, people are out here growing up on you. And some want to emulate

He’s filmed two specials here – including the Comedy Central hit “Can A Brother Get Some Love” – and gets home every chance he gets.

“Home is where the heart is, so performing at home – there’s just nothing like it,” Crawford said. “And

Lavell

Comedy

for

at 7:30 p.m. on July 22-23. For showtimes and additional information – including modifications and restrictions due to COVID19 – visit https://st-louis.heliumcomedy.com/

maker Matt Rice opens audiences’ eyes to the hauntingly tragic reality beyond the myth. Instead of a musclebound giant that gives birth to the man vs. machine argument, “The Ballad of John Henry” uses the song as a segue into a tragic tale. The film exposes institutional racism, health disparities and exploitation that Henry and countless others endured as disgraced Confederates stripped of their power to enslave, incorporated equally brutal and barbaric systems to exploit, punish and kill Black people for the sake of Southern economy. The 20th Annual Whitaker St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase runs through July 19. For a full list of the films and related festival programming, visit www. cinemastlouis.org

Photo by Mike Romer

Lavell Crawford

ADVANCE YOUR CAREER

‘Just breathe’

Black yoga group presents fiveweek yoga and wellness series

By Ashley Jones For The St. Louis American

As breathing becomes a political discussion, a group of Black yogis in St. Louis wants to remind us all how important is to “Just Breathe.”

The Collective STL, a blackowned yoga studio in Old North, just kicked off a free five-week wellness series called “Just Breathe STL” from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. each Wednesday on the lawn of the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park.

The first session was held on July 15.

Co-founder Terry Harris explained that the series was created as a result of the uprising of Black Lives Matter protests throughout the nation.

“This whole notion of being able to breathe and the sacredness of breath in general and yet the scarcity of Black breath and truly somebody on your neck and preventing you from being able to breathe are the fear and perception of having to hold your breath.” Harris said.

“All good things have to start with good energy, and good energy is being able to breathe freely. “That’s the concept. My proud moment is to see Black people come into a space with other Black people and to be able to just relax. You can see it.”

With a focus on breath, family and mindfulness, the weekly series will include a variety of health and wellness activities including yoga, journaling, art, biking and meditative hikes. The event will offer children’s activities as well as live music

The Collective STL, a black-owned yoga studio in Old North, just kicked off a free five-week wellness series called “Just Breathe STL.” They will meet at 6 p.m. each Wednesday on the

and food.

“Just Breathe St. Louis is very social justice at heart,” Harris said. “We are going to create a space where individuals can let everything go and just breathe. Bring your kids, this is a family fun intergenerational experience.”

Formed three years ago with a mission to bring health and wellness to the Black community, The Collective STL is the only Black-owned yoga studio in St. Louis. Co-founders include Harris’ wife, Ericka Harris, Melinda Oliver and Alonzo Nelson Jr. Harris said The Collective is about three things: space, community and yoga. With weekly donation-based yoga sessions, the group creates a loving and inviting environment. Harris said his favorite moments from the Collective STL comes from watching the yoga classes grow. They started with four or five students when they

first opened their studio; today classes have as many 50 to 60 students.

“It’s like a family reunion every time we get together,” Harris said, adding he wants to create a family atmosphere for all of St. Louis.

“We want to make sure that if you love St. Louis, if you care about St. Louis then you need to care about all the people in the St. Louis region being able to breathe. Especially, more importantly and rightfully, the Black people in the city of St. Louis.” Register for “Just Breath STL” at the event or by downloading The Collective STL app. For more information, visit their website at www. thecollectivestl.org or follow their Instagram account @ thecollectivestl or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ thecollectivestl/.

We all have a history. A story. We bring with us life experiences that shape who we are and make us better.

At Spire, we know our individual stories only make us stronger as a whole. That’s why we’re committed to an inclusive work environment where all that makes us unique is embraced, encouraged and valued.

Because it truly takes all of us—our backgrounds, our perspectives and our experiences—to move forward.

lawn of the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park.

Theresa E. Bolden succumbs at age 103

By Reginald Riddle-Young

For The St. Louis American

Theresa E. Bolden, a loving mother, respected educator, dedicated community leader and ardent church worker in her denomination, the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), recently succumbed shortly after celebrating her 103rd birthday in May.

Mother Bolden, as she is affectionately called by many, was born in Alton, IL where she received her formative education graduating from Alton Senior High School in 1935. Amongst her many memories of Alton was graduating with the famous Alton giant –Robert Wadlow, the tallest man ever.

Bolden met her husband Varney Bolden, in Alton as he traveled as a national evangelist. They were married for 59 years. In 1940, they moved to St. Louis after the birth of their first child and added four additional children to their family.

Upon graduating from high school, Bolden enrolled into Illinois University at Normal where she spent a year and

found herself back home. She stated that she did not take her education serious. As years would pass and her children reached adulthood, she later enrolled into Harris Stowe Teachers’ College earning a Bachelor of Arts in Education. She also received an honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Virginia College of the Bible.

During a recent interview, Bolden shared that she loved working with children as she taught throughout the St. Louis Public School System kindergarten, first and second grades. She ended her teaching career at Ashland Elementary in 1981.

Bolden has represented her community as a servant leader. She was President of the Board of Trustees for Channel 9 (Educational TV) for 3 years and a member of the State Board of Education. She served the city and counties of St. Louis on the White House Conference on Education, worked with the White House Conference of Christians and Jews, served as the only woman on the board to choose the director of community schools and spoke at the House

of Legislation in Jefferson City, MO for the establishment of community colleges in

Missouri. Bolden has been the recipient of numerous awards and citations. She fondly

early religious experience began at St. John Baptist Church in Alton where

School, Junior Jubilee Choir and Jubilee Specials, Senior and Radio Choirs and President of the Interdenominational Council of Minister’s Wives and Widows of the St. Louis Area. In 1981, Bolden was recommended to serve as the Supervisor for the Department of Women of the Eastern Missouri First Jurisdiction (EMFJ) of the Church of God in Christ by Bishop William E. Turner a position she served in for close to 38 years.

Her favorite scripture was, “God is love” and her favorite song was, “Oh How I love Jesus.” Bolden once stated that her long life was based on God’s grace and mercy. She stated that by her not drinking alcohol, using drugs, smoking cigarettes and living wholeheartedly for God was a contributing factor as well.

she taught Sunday School and walked other children to church. She said that she would go to the “holiness church” with her neighbor and gave her life to the Lord at age 13 while attending Monroe Memorial COGIC (Alton) under the pastorage of Elder Ralph J. Monroe. In 1940, she and her family joined Kennerly Temple COGIC in St. Louis where she served for many years with her pastor the late Bishop Robert J. Ward. In her time at Kennerly, she has worked diligently in many capacities ranging from Sunshine Band, Vacation Bible

remembered being named Mother of The Year for Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority.

Bolden’s

Sports

sports eye

Cards’ ace Flaherty finds his voice in fight against racism, police brutality

I’ve met St. Louis Cardinals pitching ace Jack Flaherty all of one time in my life. My first impression was that he is a courteous and bright young man – and that he is bi-racial.

You know what I mean. It was somewhat obvious to me that one of his parents – or a grandparent – is black.

While it did not do so in 2020, USA TODAY publishes an annual story around Jackie Robinson Day (April 15) on the number of African Americans on opening day rosters of Major League Baseball teams.

The number is based on “players who identify themselves as black or a minority group.”

The number for the Cardinals always was short, which led me to conclude that Flaherty did not ID himself as a minority player.

I wasn’t insulted. In fact, I (kind of) conceded that I could have been incorrect about his ethnic background.

“It’s a special thing that he did, and it’s really unfortunate for how it turned out,” Flaherty said.

“I figured you’d ask if there was a possibility that baseball players don’t stand for the anthem, I’d say absolutely. We kind of wish that we had been there for Bruce and had his back and been able to come together back then the way that we are now.”

He did not say if he would kneel during that national anthem, but did admit considering opting out of playing the shortened 2020 season in support of social issues.

“To say (sitting out) didn’t cross my mind ... it did,” Flaherty told reporters.

But Flaherty shed any doubt last week when he spoke boldly “as a mixed person of color” about his role in changing American society and working to eliminate racism in this nation.

George Floyd’s death at the knee of a Minneapolis police officer and the video that emerged afterwards, “kind of struck a nerve,” Flaherty told reporters in a virtual press session.

“It felt like, I don’t know ... We have this platform, we have this opportunity to speak up, this opportunity to talk and to try to do anything we can to make change.”

“It’s just an issue that’s gone on for far too long, and it just hit a nerve. You see everybody try to come together and force a call to action, and it was great. It was great to see everyone come together.”

In 2017, Bruce Maxwell was the lone MLB player to kneel during the national anthem. Maxwell now finds himself in the Mexican League, no longer on an MLB roster.

Flaherty said, to the probable shock and dismay of a majority of Cardinals fans, that Maxwell would not be alone if his dignified protest happened this season.

“I think there’s two ways to go about it. You can be in the sport, be in the game, and play the game and continue to grow and use the platform while playing, to advocate for these things.”

Flaherty said it’s past time for MLB to deal with its low number of black players and its relationship with the black community.

“If you want to have more conversations about what’s going on and not feel uncomfortable to speak about anything, just have man-to-man conversations,” he said.

“There’s ways to educate yourself, there’s ways to learn.”

Flaherty is active on social media with his thoughts on Floyd’s death and police miscarriages of justice that claimed the lives of Breonna Taylor and others.

Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said Flaherty has “thought about it and he’s thought through it.”

“I’m confident he’s being respectful in how he’s doing it, but he’s sincere about change. And I support that completely.”

I’m sure Flaherty has heard from many people who don’t support him. And they’ve probably told him in very unfriendly ways via social media.

We’ll see how he responds on and off the baseball diamond.

Maxwell smart

The aforementioned Bruce

Jack Flaherty did not say if he would kneel during that national anthem, but did admit considering opting out of playing the shortened 2020 season in

Maxwell told ESPN that MLB ushered him out baseball, just as the NFL did with Colin Kaepernick, after his peaceful demonstration during the national anthem in 2017. His protest was to draw attention to police brutality and show his disappointment in the white supremist parade in Charlottesville, Virginia.

“Yes, I think I was blackballed out. I feel like I was pushed out of the game of baseball by everybody, not just by the A’s. I definitely had a target on my back for kneeling,” he said.

He felt betrayed that more black players didn’t support

him, but he understands why.

“I feel like black players have a sense of fear of being who they truly are because they are afraid to lose their job, because somebody might not honestly like their perception,” he said.

Former Atlanta Brave, Cardinal and current Chicago Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward said, “I hear [Maxwell] on feeling that way, but we were not empowered to speak up.”

“We didn’t know any better. Now we realize we can and we should do better. Now we know we have to do it because there is no other choice. That’s what hits home. We have to act

InsIde sports

With Earl Austin Jr.

now.”

Maxwell said he wants a job back with a Major League franchise and honesty from the black players that turned their respective backs on him three years ago.

“You need to put everything out on the table, especially like in this situation we’re talking about people of color,” he said.

“You need to be real about it. We need to make sure that we’re not doing it for us, but for the people who can’t speak and can’t be heard. We need to use that podium as positive and in a powerful moment for the people and not ourselves.”

I invite you to read this article at https://es.pn/2OpKnBO

Houston manager Dusty Baker, L.A. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and retired and current black stars share their thoughts on Maxwell’s courage and how to address racial issues in MLB and throughout the nation.

Beal in A-Rod’s deal

Bradley Beal’s shoulder ailment caused him to opt out of the 2020 NBA season resumption, but he’s staying busy.

Beal, a native St. Louisan and Washington Wizards guard, is a minority stakeholder in Alex Rodriguez’s bid to buy the New York Mets.

Investment billionaire Steve Cohen is the front-runner to purchase the team from owner Jeff Wilpon.

Rodriguez’ group includes his fiancée, Jennifer Lopez, NFL Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher and current Denver Nuggets player Mason Plumlee.

Beal, who is a big-time Cardinals fan, wasn’t born when the Mets were “pond scum” in St. Louis during the 1980s. He certainly will be reminded if he becomes a minority owner of the franchise.

The Reid Roundup

Lewis Hamilton thrust his fist in the air with a black power salute after winning the Styrian Grand Prix Formula 1 race in Austria last Sunday. While a majority of drivers have knelt during the host nation’s anthem before the opening two races of the season, Hamilton wants all his colleagues to do it. “I have made

it clear that I am not supporting the political side but the human rights’ side of things.”…

LeBron James, Patrick Beverley and other NBA stars are rallying to support suspended ESPN senior writer Adrian Wojnarowski. “Woj” replied to a press release sent by Sen. Josh Hawley attacking the NBA for its stance on slogans on jerseys by sending Hawley the simple message of “F--- you.” He apologized but remains suspended… Tiger Woods is scheduled to return to the PGA Tour this weekend at the Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio… The Ivy League put a halt to all fall sports and will play some football games in the spring semester. The Patriot League has followed suit. My guess is the Power 5 conferences will announce the same later this month…The Washington franchise of the NFL announced that it is dropping its current name and helmet logo. The new name and logo will have no Native American references… Cam Newton said via social media that replacing New England Patriots sixtime Super Bowl winner Tom Brady “is the elephant in the room.” Go to any Boston media outlet and read the comments after a story on Newton is posted. A lot of folks ain’t happy… Dak Prescott had not signed a long-term deal with the Dallas Cowboys as of Tuesday. If a deal was not reached by Wednesday afternoon, Prescott will be playing under the franchise tag during the 2020 season… As part of his $500 million contract, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said that playing basketball, baseball and “pretty much every physical activity you can do,” are forbidden. He also said his goal is to win as many Super Bowls (6) as Brady. Alvin A. Reid was honored as the 2017 “Best Sports Columnist – Weeklies” in the Missouri Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest and is a New York Times contributor. He is a panelist on the Nine Network program, Donnybrook, a weekly contributor to “The Charlie Tuna Show” on KFNS and appears monthly on “The Dave Glover Show” on 97.1 Talk.” His Twitter handle is @aareid1.

Metro girls’ basketball is full of star power

The St. Louis metro area has been blessed to have some tremendous girls’ basketball players on the scene. In recent months, we have chronicled exploits of former Incarnate Word Academy star Napheesa Collier, who was named the Rookie of the Year in the WNBA. Also, there is former Parkway North star Alecia “Sug” Sutton, who was drafted by the WNBA champion Washington Mystics. The next wave of talented young ladies in St. Louis are already starting to make their mark on the basketball court.

the first session of the Nike Tournament of Champions, which was held in Indianapolis.

Earl Austin Jr.

Last week, the Lady Brad Beal Elite 2021 team brought home a championship from

Led by Vashon High girls coach John Albert, Lady BBE finished 5-1 in the tournament. They defeated Always Elite in the semifinals, then won the championship with a 61-53 victory over Ohio Futures Black.

The team consists of talented area players who will be entering their junior and senior years of high school. All of them are on the radar of collegiate programs that are looking for new talent. Saniah Tyler and Jaiden Bryant are a dynamic duo of juniors from perennial state powerhouse Incarnate Word. The 5’6” Tyler is an elite level point guard who is one of the best in the country. The 5’10” Bryant is a versatile wing player who makes 3-pointers or scores in the low post. She received a scholarship offer from Missouri State University after the tournament.

with their versatility. Green has an incredible knack for scoring baskets in the lane in heavy traffic while Johnson can score, rebound and block shots. Holding down the middle for Lady BBE is 6’4” junior Kyrah Brodie, who plays for Mid-Missouri powerhouse Rock Bridge in Columbia. She is a very talented shot blocker who also has a nice shooting touch from the high post. Senior Sofia Tweedie is a 5’10” guard from Francis Howell Central who can knock down 3-pointers while playing a good complimentary role in several areas to help the team. Rounding out Lady BBE’s group in Indy were guard Kiyah Cooper from Vashon and forward Tyler Butler from Belleville East. Cooper is a solid guard while Butler provides good inside play.

With Alvin A. Reid

Alvin A. Reid

support of social issues.

GRANT WRITER

Youth In Need is looking for a highly motivat- ed grant writer with 2-3 years’ experience writing successfully funded proposals. If you’d like to learn more about joining our Youth In Need family, check out our website at youthinneed.org

JOB POSTING CORRECTION LIEUTENANT

ESTHETICIANS, MASSAGE THERAPISTS

SISTERLOCK SPECIALIST EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Locs of Glory is an independently owned salon and spa located in the Delmar Loop. Our employment opportunities include:Nail Techs, Cosmetologists, Estheticians, Massage Therapists, Hair Braiders, and Sisterlock Specialists. No booth Rentals fees!!! Call Tameka at 314-265-5790

DEPUTY BUILDING COMMISSIONER

Inspects residential and commercial property for code compliance, including electrical, plumbing and mechanical inspections. Performs plan reviews and issues permits. Other duties as assigned. Acts as Building Commissioner in absence of Director. Must have 5 years of experience as an inspector; plan review experience, some supervisory experience; valid driver’s license; no disqualifying criminal history. IBC certified currently, or within one year of promotion. Starting salary $40,572.00 (GS16-C). Applications available at Jennings City Hall, 2120 Hord Ave. or at www.cityofjennings. org. NO RESUMES ACCEPTED WITHOUT COMPLETION OF OUR APPLICATION. Completed applications may be mailed, emailed to jobs@cityofjennings.org or faxed to 314-388-3999. Applications accepted until the position is filled.

EDI INTAKE ANALYST I

The EDI Analyst is responsible for all aspects of EDI quality and analysis. The EDI Analyst will be accountable for the quality, receipt, intake and analysis of EDI data from external sources. They will collaborate with external data providers to ensure the quality of incoming data, as well as resolve data issues while strategically trying to drive continuous improvement efforts to eliminate root causes. This position also works closely with internal business units and provides accurate data to allow for making the best business decisions possible. Must identify and drive continuous improvements in the quality and availability of EDI data.

To apply, please visit: https://www.safetynational.com/ careers-page/

The City of Jennings is seeking applications for a Correctional Lieutenant. Position is responsible for the administration of the jail and supervision of correctional officers. Five years of experience as a correctional and/or police officer and four years management experience is required. Must have a valid driver’s license. Starting salary is $42,000 - $45,000 annualy. Applicants must complete a Corrections application, which is available at Jennings City Hall, 2120 Hord Avenue or online at www.cityofjennings.org NO RESUMES ACCEPTED WITHOUT COMPLETED APPLICATION! Returned application must include a current record check from St. Louis City and County Police Dept and copy of your valid driver’s license. The deadline to submit applications is July 31, 2020 at 4:30 p.m.

DIRECTOR OF RECOVERY INITIATIVES

The Behavioral Health Network of Greater St. Louis (BHN) is seeking a Director of Recovery Initiatives.

BHN is a collaborative effort of providers, advocacy organizations, government leaders and community members dedicated to developing an accessible and coordinated system of behavioral healthcare throughout the eastern region. We are committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce which represents the communities we serve.

https://www.bhnstl.org/home/ career-opportunities/director-ofrecovery-initiatives/

SENIOR BI REPORT WRITER

This is a senior-level professional position that contributes to the accomplishment of I.S. practices and objectives that will achieve business goals and objectives. The Senior Report Writer will be responsible for creating Business Intelligence reports based on the needs of end users and optimize database queries to improve efficiency and effectiveness. Will work with experienced SQL Developers and AdministratorsDatabase to develop queries, create indexes, and stored procedures as it relates to Reporting Team needs. Requires advanced knowledge of SSRS and entry-level knowledge of SSIS. Assist in training users on reporting tools and analysis of data. Assist in training and development of members of the Reporting Team. To apply, please https://www.safetynational.com/visit: careers-page/

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR

The City of Jennings is accepting applications for an Economic Development Coordinator. Duties include working closely with the Mayor, Director of Housing and Economic Development and the Economic Development Specialist to promote business and economic development interests within the City of Jennings. Minimum Training and Experience: Bachelor’s Degree in Business or Public Administration, Economic Development, Urban Planning or related fields with at least three (3) years of professional or related field experience. Starting annual salary $50,876 (GS21). Applications available at Jennings City Hall, 2120 Hord Ave. or at www.cityofjennings. org. NO RESUMES ACCEPTED WITHOUT COMPLETION OF OUR APPLICATION. Completed applications may be mailed, emailed to jobs@cityofjennings.org or faxed to 314-388-3999. Applications accepted until the position is filled.

CITY OF ST PETERS, MO CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Join a great team with an Employees First approach that’s helped make St. Peters one of the best places to live in America! Various FT and PT positions with competitive pay at multiple city facilities including St. Peters Rec-Plex, Water’s Edge Banquet Center and St. Peters Golf Club.

To view all current openings and to apply, please visit www.stpetersmo.net/Jobs. AA/EOE

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS

SEWER DISTRICT

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is accepting proposals in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103-2555 until 11:00 a.m. on August 17th, 2020 to contract with a company for: Rock, Limestone & Gabion.

BIDS & NOTICES

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

NOTICE TO

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS

SEWER DISTRICT

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is accepting proposals in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103-2555 until 11:00 a.m. on August 11th, 2020 to contract with a company for: Business Class Computers.

Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from www.msdprojectclear.org, click on the “DOING BUSINESS WITH US” link, (View Non-Capital Bids (Goods & Services). The bid document will be identified as 10435 RFQ. If you do not have access to the internet, call 314.768.6254 to request a copy of this bid. Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer. GUEST SERVICES VENDORS RFPS

Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from www.msdprojectclear.org, click on the “DOING BUSINESS WITH US” link, (View Non-Capital Bids (Goods & Services). The bid document will be identified as 10438 RFP. If you do not have access to the internet, call 314.768.6254 to request a copy of this bid. Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

The Saint Louis Zoo seeks bids from qualified vendors for the following Guests Services RFPs: Photo Booth Program, Penny Press Program, Caricature and Face Painting. Bid documents are available as of July 15, 2020 on the Saint Louis Zoo website: stlzoo.org/vendor

PUBLIC NOTICE

Public Notice of Single Source Procurement

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is proposing to procure: FINAL TANK 4 COLLECTOR AND DRIVE. The District is proposing single source procurement for these parts because EVOQUA WATER TECHNOLOGIES c/o RESSLER & ASSOCIATES INC is the only known available source for these parts. Any inquiries should be sent to gjamison@stlmsd.com.

Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Public Notice of Single Source Procurement

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is proposing to procure: FOXBORO SYSTEM SUPPORT SERVICES. The District is proposing single source procurement for this service because SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC SYSTEMS USA INC is the only known available source for this service. Any inquiries should be sent to gjamison@stlmsd.com.

Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Public Notice of Single Source Procurement

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is proposing to procure GIS ANNUAL MAINTENANCE RENEWAL. ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS RESEARCH INSTITUTE INC (ESRI) known was used for this maintenance renewal. Any inquiries should be sent to gjamison@stlmsd.com.

Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS SEWER DISTRICT

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is accepting proposals in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103-2555 until 10:00 a.m. on August 19, 2020 to contract with a company for: Main Substation Breakers

Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from www.msdprojectclear.org, click on the “DOING BUSINESS WITH US” link, (View Non-Capital Bids (Goods & Services). The bid document will be identified as 10444 RFQ. If you do not have access to the internet, call 314.768.6314 to request a copy of this bid.

Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Responses for St. Louis Community College on B0003914 for Trustee Services will be received until 3:00 P.M. (local time) on Thursday, august 13, 2020 at the Dept. of Purchasing, 3221 McKelvey Road; Bridgeton, MO 63044, and immediately thereafter opened and read. Bid documents can be accessed on our website at www.stlcc.edu/purchasing

Swag Snap of the Week

No Nelly for me. So, this spot was originally devoted for my rundown of Nelly’s epic headlining performance as part of the Live Nation Drive-in Concert Series. The show was the culmination of a full weekend of performances that Live Nation presented. The concert also celebrated the 20th Anniversary milestone of Mo’s diamond-selling debut album “Country Grammar.” Since I didn’t get approved to review, I will just hit y’all with the same secondhand info that everybody got from somebody else. Oh, and word to the wonderful folks who were selfless enough to lowkey stream the whole show with an abundance of clips on social media. It was almost like I was there in the flesh…almost. I was thrilled to see City Spud, Kyjuan, Murphy Lee, Slo Down – yes, him too – take the stage at Hollywood Casino Amphitheater. I was shocked that Ali wasn’t up there as well, but I don’t know why. I’m glad y’all think enough of me to think that I have the piping hot tea and was willing to serve it up – at least that’s how it felt all in my inbox. But I didn’t even have any Lipton at home iced tea powder for the nosey children. I don’t know why he didn’t hit the stage with the rest of the ‘Tics. Based on Ali’s nature, I feel like if there was something behind it, he would have made it plain already. So why don’t we apply that energy to showing the rest of the reunited group some love and give it up to Nelly for putting the hip-hop we produce in the global spotlight. Oh, and big ups to J-Kwon for holding down as a special guest of the show. According to the cobbled together concert I got via Facebook Live, Instagram Live and clips for days, it was another good one for Nelly and the ‘Tics – and as perfect of a way to celebrate 20 years of “Country Grammar” as possible considering that Miss Rona made it impossible to bring the whole city out with a riverfront celebration or block party. A full on, traffic stopping, street re-routing super show is the anniversary event the album deserves. But shout out to Live Nation for finding a way for the region to rock to the record with Nelly and them as they gave the album and other hits to fans live and in the flesh.

Chan’s Tuesday midday Quiet Storm. Was anybody else tuned into Charlie Chan Soprano’s Facebook page Monday or Tuesday? What, the days still don’t bleed together for you? Quit lying. Anyway, back to Chan. How dare you turn Facebook Live into a full-fledged blue light basement party? Listen, I stood up from my iPad and slow danced with myself. What? It’s perfectly natural, right? Okay, maybe not. Don’t mind me, just let me get back to telling y’all that I have not had Quiet Storm vibes that strong since Doc Wynter was still on Majic 108! Chan had me at “hello” when he hit us with the Mint Condition classic “Pretty Brown Eyes.” And of all those songs he played, I only had an issue with Ashanti’s “Rain on Me.” Listen, I love Ashanti as a human, but her catalog does nothing for me. And I know I’m not the only one. Before I even fixed my thoughts to doubt Chan’s fifth-degree black belt on those tables, he hurried up and hushed me when he hit us with Erykah Badu’s “Next Lifetime.” Listen, I haven’t listened to a virtual DJ set uninterrupted since the early days of DJ Nice’s Club Quarantine, but Chan had my feed on lock. Sir, you jumped from Tony Terry to Silk’s “Lose Control!” What were you trying to do? I barely made it through my afternoon without nearly getting into an entanglement with somebody. What? You know I couldn’t let Jada’s word go to waste – even if the joke is stale by now.

An exciting new Verzuz. Yes, Timbaland and Swizz Beatz have still been carrying on, but in full transparency, I haven’t really cared about the most recent ones – although the church girl in me did get a kick out of the Fred Hammond and Kirk Franklin little meetup to play their snippets. The Battle of New York between Jadakiss and Fabolous couldn’t compel me to step away from “The Men Who Built America” Marathon I had crackin’ in my basement theater. Yes, an educational biography series about John D. Rockefeller, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Andrew Carnegie, J.P. Morgan and Henry Ford are more interesting to me than anything Fab or Jada could do. And I felt like as much as I love John Legend – and y’all know I adore him –isn’t strong enough to offset my aversion to Alicia Keys. But with this DMX vs. Snoop Dogg, Verzuz once again has my attention with “The Battle of the Dogs.” I would normally call Snoop Dogg the obvious winner, but I learned the hard way that if you play your hits right it can be anybody’s game. I am a ride or die disciple of West Coast rap, so I am partial to Snoop. I feel like the show will include priceless shenanigans and memes galore. The battle will take place on Wed. July 22. But the folks at Verzuz do give us an exact time. It’s an odd move, but I can understand it – not only because Snoop and DMX could show up at any old time, but because the other battles tended to start an hour (and in some cases two) after when they said they would.

Lavell Crawford is making a trip home to the Lou. I don’t know what you plan to do, but the middle of next week I will most likely be busting a gut during a social distant pair of performances happening at Helium starring St. Louis’ own comedy favorite Lavell Crawford. I know what you are thinking, and I was under the impression that I would have to wait until September (at least I think that show is still on) when he came to Chaifetz with Sommore and ‘nem. Needless to say, my heart jumped for joy when I got word that he would be stopping through Helium to tide us all over. Now it’s only two shows on Tuesday, July 21 and Wednesday, July 22. Both shows are at 7:30 p.m. I’m sure – especially with COVID-19 capacity limits – that the show will sell out. We can only hope that they will add an early and/or a late show.

These stylish friends were serving up vacation vibes right at home when they hit up the House of Soul last weekend

Veronica, Christina and Monica helped Veronica have a happy birthday Saturday night @ Krawl Daddy’s

Tendai, Tasha B and Tasha’s lovely daughter Kayla took time to kick back on the patio before they hit the stage @ The House of Soul two weekends ago

The BarCode Bar & Grill team received plenty of support when it opened its doors for a fundraiser for Lakeshia Finch last weekend Photo by Selena Williams-Amerson

Tiffany J and her crew were super cute when they came through House of Soul last month

Twin was on deck to show Christina some birthday love as she visited House of Soul last weekend

It was a masks on situation for this trio of friends when they stopped through House of Soul a few Fridays ago

Masks didn’t keep these ladies from partying for the purpose of a fundraiser for Lakeshia Finch last weekend @ The BarCode Bar & Grill

Berry was as cute as a button when she served guests last Saturday @ The House of Soul

These Afrocentric beauties blended in perfectly with the ambience @ The House of Soul last month

STL rap star and St. Lunatic

Lee with his leading lady Seviin Li just before Murph took the stage at the Live Nation Drive In Concert. He was a featured guest along with