October 23rd, 2014 Edition

Ferguson protestors spoof Keene riots at McCulloch’s ofice

St. LouiS AmericAn

Municipal courts prey on the poor

Better Together report shows NoCo munis survive on backs

By Chris King Of The St. Louis American

On October 16, Better Together released its study of the municipal courts in the St. Louis region. The report reveals troubling, systemic issues – most notably the fact that many municipalities bring in a large amount of their general revenue at the expense of poor, primarily AfricanAmerican residents.

Zena Elam embraced her cousin Sebrina Elam during Saturday’s Mother’s March for Justice rally in front of the Buzz Westfall County Government Center in Clayton. Sebrina’s son Jared Elam was found fatally shot in a field near the 4200 block of Obear in September.

The study reveals rampant lack of oversight that allows St. Louis County municipalities –especially in North County – to use their courts to, in effect, tax the poor unfairly and trap them deeper in debt.

“We keep hearing the phrase ‘debtor’s prison,’” said Marius Johnson, coordinator of

n Twenty of the 21 municipalities that derive at least 20 percent of their general budget from fines and fees are located north of Olive.

Community Based Studies for Better Together. The report shows how the system has been allowed to function – or dysfunction.

The presiding judge in St. Louis County must oversee 81 municipal courts, more than 10 times the number of courts as an average judge in Missouri.

“This is lack of oversight by design,” Johnson said. “There is no way any one judge can keep track of that many courts.”

The combined populations of the 90 municipalities in St. Louis County account for only 11 percent of Missouri’s population, yet bring in 34 percent of all municipal court fines and fees statewide (more

of blacks

than $45.1 million in 2013).

“The municipalities claim it’s a public safety issue, but we see court fees and fines coming up as property values are going down,” said Dave Leipholtz, director of Community Based Studies for Better Together, “which makes it difficult to accept the See COURTS, A6

Mothers march for justice

Female clergy, community mourn all victims of violence

By Bridjes O’Neil Of the St. Louis American

The Rev. Traci Blackmon, pastor of Christ the King United Church of Christ, said it was time for all wailing mothers to have a voice.

“There’s a scripture in Jeremiah that says, ‘Call for the wailing women,’” Blackmon said. “No more killing. No more blood. No more wailing mothers.” Mothers from across the country gathered at the St. Louis County Justice Center in Clayton on Saturday, calling for an end to all violence.

Blackmon helped organize the Mother’s March along with the Rev. Karen Anderson of Ward

n “No more killing. No more blood. No more wailing mothers.”

– Rev. Traci Blackmon

Chapel AME, Rev. Rebecca Ragland of Episcopal Church of Holy Communion, and Dr. Leah Gunning Francis, a professor at Eden Seminary. Blackmon said the idea to organize a march stemmed from speaking engagements she accepted about Michael Brown Jr. Brown, an unarmed black

See MOTHERS, A7

Governor announces Ferguson Commission

Governor Jay Nixon shakes the hand of St. Louis County Police Lt. Col. Troy Doyle on Tuesday, October 21, after announcing that he will create an independent Ferguson Commission at St. Louis Community College – Florissant Valley. St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar is in the background.

Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI

Nixon: ‘there will be anger and conflict, fear and distrust’

By Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis American

On Tuesday, October 21, Governor Jay Nixon announced a Ferguson Commission to study and address the socioeconomic issues underlying the unrest following the killing of Michael Brown Jr. by Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson on August 9.

n “The enemies of change will not easily yield to reasoned voices calling for a stronger, more united region.”

– Gov. Jay Nixon

While Nixon said the commission, whose members have not been appointed, would not investigate the killing, the group would have the full authority and resources of his office at its disposal.

“While the issues that arose here were sparked by what happened in Ferguson, the challenges we face are broader than that,” Nixon said. “While I will work to make sure there are folks from that See NIXON,

Photo by Wiley Price

Tyrese slams comedian’s ‘gay for play’ claims

On a radio show, comedian Spanky Hayes claims Tyrese Gibson consented to sex in order to secure the lead role in “Baby Boy.”

“I had an audition it was 30 stars there. There were so many stars there that I was like, I don’t [expletive] belong here. . . . Three weeks later, it was me and another person - now we’re the best two people that’s there. He gets up he reads, I’m thinking ‘[expletive] I’m not gonna get his.’ Then I get up and I read, and I shock myself.

Then Hayes claims that a male producer blatantly stated that he was torn between who would be selected for the role – but the person willing to perform a sexual favor would get the edge.

“I busted out laughing because a [expletive] never talk to me like that,” Hayes said.

“And what [expletive] me up though is that

other dude wasn’t laughing. . . . And I looked at both of them, and was like ‘aww hell naw’. And to keep it real, he got the leading role . ... BABY BOY.”

In a video he posted on social media Tyrese called Hayes a liar and vowed to do everything he could to ruin his career.

There are some dumb people in this world who do some dumb [expletive]. What man wakes up and says ‘today, I want to end my career. Today I want to stop my kids from eatin’. Today, I want to career suicide. You know you [expletive] up right.

[expletive]. You didn’t have a career to begin with – but now it’s over.”

Benzino claims Stevie and Joseline are blocking his shine

“Love and Hip Hop Atlanta” star Ray Benzino has accused Stevie J and Joseline of trying to get him and Althea kicked off the show.

The role for baby boy was written for Tupac. When Tupac was killed he [writer/director John Singleton] only had one person in mind to play ‘Baby Boy.’ It wasn’t them. It wasn’t you. [N-word expletive] it was me.”

The one audition that I did was me – who already had the role – showing up to an audition to find the woman who would end up playing my mother. We ended up discovering my favorite woman in the whole Taraji P. Henson.

In the 8 minute video, Tyrese calls Hayes desperate and thirsty for fame – and repeatedly promises to use all of his connections to block Hayes from getting his foot in the door in Hollywood because Hayes tried to lie his way to the top.

“You just said some dumb

“So word on the street is Stevie and Joseline trying to use everything in their power to convince Mona Scott not to bring me and Althea back for season 4,” Benzino wrote via an Instagram post that has since been deleted. “Wow…stay tuned.”

ATL celebrity news and gossip maven Funky Dineva says contract woes are the real reason they won’t be back.

“Apparently Benzino wants Love and Hip Hop producer Mona Scott-Young to bring Althea on as a paid cast member but so far Mona is refusing,” Dineva said.

Nick and Mariah’s dog day divorce

Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey have reportedly come to terms with everything but their pets as they prepare for divorce.

The Sunday Express says they have a deal regarding custody of their toddler twins – and have even reached a settlement over their once joint fortune. But they can’t agree on what to

do with their eight dogs – which is reportedly hampering divorce proceedings.

Carey believes she should be granted sole custody of the entire pack.

“The dog issue is a real stumbling block in negotiations between both their sets of attorneys, with Mariah insisting she doesn’t want to split the pets up,” A legal source close to the case said. “There is no animosity over their kids or their fortunes.”

Lionel Richie says he is not the father of Khloe Kardashian

Lionel Richie flatly denies being the biological father of Khloe Kardashian. “No, of course not,” Richie told Radar Online in response to rumors that Khloe is his secret love child.

“No, I’m not the dad,” Richie said. “But you know what, they are my kids – they grew up in my house.” Kim and Kourtney were childhood friends of Richie’s daughter Nicole. The rumor was based on a report by “In Touch Weekly” claiming that Kris Jenner had an affair with Richie in the 80’s. It was further fueled when the internet began to buzz regarding the resemblance of Khloe and Richie’s 16-year-old daughter Sofia.

Sources: Radar Online, In Touch Weekly, Instagram, Sunday Express

Smashing pumpkins of racism

Ferguson protestors spoof Keene riots at McCulloch’s office

By Bridjes O’Neil

Of The St. Louis American

Derek Laney, Elizabeth Vega and Margaret Davis were arrested after smashing pumpkins outside of Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch’s office on Monday, October 20, according to the Clayton Police Department. Laney and Davis were charged with littering. Vega was charged with assault of a police officer, although she said she never dropped the pumpkin.

“You can totally see that he grabbed it out of my hand,” Vega said of photos taken during the incident.

Police first warned protestors of imminent arrest if they defied orders not to smash the pumpkins.

“St. Louis County white teens smash pumpkins all the time during Halloween,” Laney said. “If they smash pumpkins, they should expect to be arrested as well.” Laney said they were held no longer than a few hours.

The trio were among a handful of protestors with the Justice for Mike Brown movement and Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment (MORE). They

had gathered at the Buzz Westfall Justice Center in Clayton Monday afternoon, as part of the ongoing Moral Monday Movement that began last week during the Weekend of Resistance, also known as Ferguson October.

Organizers said the nonviolent protest stemmed from “skewed media coverage” of the annual Pumpkin Festival held over the weekend in Keene, New Hampshire. Laney said national media portrayed white college students as “unruly” after overturning cars and throwing bottles at police. CNN even described

pumpkins, marked with words like “de-militarization” and “lies,” symbolized systems of oppression that hurt black and brown communities. Laney said these symbols of oppression were meant to be smashed out.

Written on Vega’s pumpkin was the word “racism.”

“The cop took the ‘racism’ and protected it from being smashed,” Vega said, “and then charged me with assault of a police officer. You cannot make metaphors up like this.”

Vega said she and Laney are both community artists and that the pair have collaborated on organizing

n “The cop took the ‘racism’ and protected it from being smashed,” Vega said, “and then charged me with assault of a police officer. You cannot make metaphors up like this.”

the smoldering remains of fires set in the streets of Keene as “bonfires.” Whereas Ferguson protestors speaking out against the “murder of a child” have been treated like “criminals,” Laney said.

Organizers said the

other symbolic protests, such as #ChalkUnarmed and the “Requiem for Mike Brown” that disrupted the St. Louis Symphony earlier this month.

During Monday’s pumpkin protest, Vega was carried off by police officers in mid-song.

“Justice for Mike Brown is justice for us all. Which side are you on friend? Which side are you on?” she sang. It was the same song with which protestors disrupted the symphony’s performance of Brahms’ “Requiem.”

“We have continued to do things so that those in places of power know that we are not going to be silent about something as important as justice in this case,” Laney said.

He said McCulloch is in a position to indict Officer Darren Wilson, adding that McCulloch has consistently shown a lack of interest in pursuing justice in the case.

This is Laney’s second arrest since protests began following Wilson’s August 9 fatal shooting of Michael Brown Jr. He said he has spent more time in jail than Wilson.

“And that’s a shame,” he said.

A sign along the side of a child’s red wagon that bore some of the pumpkins at Monday’s protest read, “Ferguson, U.S.A.: Disparity of due process.”

Davis said the nonviolent protest was another attempt to highlight the alarming rate that black and brown people

are disproportionately killed in the street with undue force by police officers.

Margaret Davis said, as someone who came of age during the Civil Rights Movement, that she wonders how society will address such a “deeply enculturated” disparity.

As mother of teenage children who lives in Clayton, she has seen the way police officers treat her children’s AfricanAmerican friends compared to their white ones.

“I’ve had police officers sit outside my house and wait for my children’s black friends to walk out and shine a spotlight on them,” she said. She said that the media tend to portray young black men and women who are rightfully angry as dangerous. She believes the color of a person’s skin should not determine how one is treated in the justice system. She said Ferguson protests are a call to “stand up.”

“It seems like we have a generation who is willing to talk about it and do something about it,” she said. “I’m here to support them.”

Follow this reporter on Twitter: @BridjesONeil. E-mail this reporter: boneil@ stlmerican.com.

Derek Laney (left), Elizabeth Vega (below) and Margaret Davis were arrested by Clayton Police on Monday, October 20 when they attempted to smash pumpkins in protest outside of Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch’s office .

Photos by Lawrence Bryant

Editorial /CommEntary

Discovery, ethics and the killing of Michael Brown Jr.

Americans who stay in school, as Michael Brown Jr. stayed in school, learn the rudiments of our legal system and typically have the opportunity to participate in a mock trial. When young people play roles in a mock trial, they are amazed by the discovery process. In the discovery process, both sides of our adversarial trial system are empowered to compel their adversary to turn over the evidence that will be used in trial to argue their case. By design – as few realize, until they study the law or observe the inner workings of a real trial – there should be no surprise evidence or testimony as a trial proceeds. Each side has to convince the jury or judge that their evidence and witnesses are credible, but before the trial starts all available evidence and witnesses are made known to both sides, if the judge and counsel on both sides are all competent and ethical. This comes as a surprise to young people like Michael Brown Jr., who was 18 years old when he was shot and killed on August 9, because that’s not how it works in the movies. Court-room dramas typically hinge on the sudden emergence of a surprise witness or piece of evidence that, in the real world, would not be permissible in the middle of a trial proceeding. It also comes as a surprise because that’s not how it works in the media. A fair trial is a carefully adjudicated process with rigorous rules for admissibility of evidence and that all-important discovery process, where both sides are compelled to disclose in advance their evidence and witnesses. The media, on the other hand, is an open marketplace of information, where anyone at any time can produce any evidence or witness, of any degree of credibility, and producers and editors are bound by nothing more than their own ethics and judgment in deciding whether to go public with it.

Like the protest movement associated with the municipality, Ferguson, that employed the police officer who killed Michael Brown Jr., we believe there was sufficient evidence to charge Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson with the murder of this young

n Everyone from the youngest, hardest protestors on the street to former St. Louis County Police Chief Tim Fitch took these anonymous third-party hearsay leak stories as evidence that Officer Wilson will not be charged with murder.

man. Officer Wilson should have told his side of that story immediately in a detailed police report that should have been made public when the ACLU and other groups requested it through openrecords laws. Wilson’s version of the shooting, as documented in the police report he was bound by duty to produce, and all autopsies of the deceased should have been open to public view for two months now, not shrouded in mystery. Or, conversely, they should have been sealed from public scrutiny by a judge, but made available to both sides in an adversarial trial process, where evidence should have been carefully vetted and challenged by both sides in open court, and all witnesses cross-examined by opposing counsel, in open court.

This did not happen, due to the decision of St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch, which we find suspect, and the political cowardice of Gov. Jay Nixon, which is legendary. In the absence of a fairly adjudicated, orderly and adversarial trial process, we have been thrown open to the tawdry open media marketplace, the ethics of which hit a new low this week. First the New York Times and then the St. Louis PostDispatch published versions of Officer Wilson’s testimony that would not have been admissible in court, given that each report was third-party anonymous hearsay. In each case, the reporter claimed to get the testimony from an unnamed person who allegedly

heard it from an unnamed official who allegedly heard the testimony from Wilson. In plain terms, if questioned how they know what they are telling us to be true, the reporter’s answer would be, “Wilson told somebody who told somebody who told me.” In our view, this chain of testimony is far too weak for this information to be published or taken seriously –we need to hear from Wilson, not a reporter who listened to somebody who listened to somebody who listened to Wilson.

Everyone from the youngest, hardest protestors on the street to former St. Louis County Police Chief Tim Fitch took these anonymous third-party hearsay leak stories as evidence that Officer Wilson will not be charged with murder.

The young brother on the street and the former top cop both came to the conclusion that the verdicts are known, by the grand jury and the Department of Justice, and we are now being shown selected pieces of evidence that support the verdict we will later be told. We do not have the privilege of challenging this evidence or cross-examining the witnesses; we only have the word of reporters and editors who themselves did not interview the witness or hold the relevant evidence in their hands. We are left in the dark by irresponsibly unprincipled journalism and denied the light of the adversarial American justice system that should be the envy of the world, if it were only operated according to its principles.

The Times and Post ran with this anonymous third-part hearsay regarding a highstakes case that has our entire region on edge. Tensions are so high that preparations for riots, if Wilson walks free, are discussed in sober terms in local and national media and on street corners. The editors of these powerful publications have shown a lapse in judgment and ethics that is not only shameful, but actually dangerous. We declare a mistrial in the court of public opinion, and once again call for Darren Wilson to be charged with the second-degree murder of Michael Brown Jr. and provided with the most fair and open trial our laws allow.

‘Help lead St. Louis to a better place’

To the Saint Louis University Community:

This afternoon, the small encampment at the clock tower was voluntarily and permanently removed by a group of SLU students and the other demonstrators.

This peaceful outcome was the result of many intense hours of outreach and conversation with clock tower demonstrators, community organizers, clergy, city leaders and members of the University campus. Now, the University must come together. We will move to more formal and institutionalized conversations about race on our campus. We also will begin to devise short- and long-term initiatives that retain and attract more students and faculty of color, promote equal opportunity, and advance focused economic development in disadvantaged neighborhoods. These efforts are completely consistent with the mission of this University. They are just the start of what I had announced in my inaugural address: That this extraordinary University bring to bear its creative, intellectual and

economic energy and help lead St. Louis to a better place. This week has been a challenge for many of us, including me.

Unlike some with whom I spoke, I have never been followed by security throughout a department store, had taxicab drivers refuse to pick me up, or been seated by the bathrooms of a half-empty restaurant. But those indignities — and far worse — are not uncommon to people of color, including our students, faculty and staff. Many of their life experiences, described to me in stark and painful terms, have weighed on me as peaceful demonstrations and teach-ins have played out this week. Also weighing on me has been the concern expressed by some students and parents who were worried about a non-peaceful outcome to this demonstration. Many of you who wrote or called felt that this demonstration was inappropriate for our campus.

In addition, I was disheartened by some of the harsh and ugly words hurled via social media, phone calls and emails that only fueled anxiety, misunderstandings and divisions on all sides at a time when what we needed most was to listen and learn and find common ground.

While there have been setbacks and sudden tensions along the way, we acted

Guest Columnist Eric E. Vickers

As information continues to come out about the shooting of another black youth – 18-yearold Vonderrit Myers Jr. – by a white St. Louis police officer, the police and establishment continue their claim that the murder was justified because the officer was allegedly fired upon by Myers, while the AfricanAmerican community continues its skepticism and rejection of the police version of events.

What brought us to this situation is the intersection of the mindset of Myers and the police at approximately 7:30 p.m. October 8. I imagine that at the time Myers was acutely aware of the shooting of Michael Brown.

With all the media attention the past two months about that shooting, Myers surely had imbedded in his subconscious the vivid imagery that has emerged of Michael Brown’s death: unarmed, not committing any crime other than walking in the middle of the street, being almost a half a block away from a cop after being shot and shot at, and then turning around to face the cop with hands up, only to be shot six times, including twice in the head. I imagine that frightening image

would put some apprehension and doubt in a teen’s mind about whether he ca trust that a white cop will deal with him fairly.

I also imagine that young Myers saw – as the whole world did – the video of Kajieme Powell being gunned down from a distance by two white St. Louis police officers, while not committing any crime other than demonstrating that he was obviously mentally ill, and while not having a firearm or any object that visibly posed an immediate threat to the officers.

I would imagine that a teen seeing this video run repeatedly on social media might develop a mindset that has a fear and loathing of white police, because the youthful mind sees gun toting cops taking black life with little hesitation and with impunity.

Myers probably, like most of us, also saw the nationally televised video of the black man repeatedly shot by a white cop simply because he was reaching into his vehicle to get the identification papers the officer asked him to produce.

And Myers may have had a chance to see before he was gunned down the recent national news story and video of white cops smashing out the window of a vehicle in order to drag an unarmed black man from the car. I imagine a youth seeing all this could have his psyche impacted in a manner that would cause him to feel

Letters to the editor

Detailed and thoughtful coverage

I would like to say thank you for your detailed and thoughtful coverage of the events surrounding Ferguson. It has been invaluable in helping keep the true stories at the forefront of the American conscience. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Dave Soleil Atlanta, GA

Leaked testimony

Leaked testimony from Officer Darren Wilson contains nothing more than the same tired tropes of menacing black rage that have been used for centuries to brutalize black youth.

quickly to ease them. And spurring us on toward the peaceful outcome we have achieved this afternoon have been the many thoughtful and inspiring voices I have heard this week, especially from our students. Their commitment to our mission and values continues to inspire me each day. I also appreciate the voices of our faculty and staff, community organizers, ministers and young voices in the African-American community throughout the region.

This has been a difficult week. I know it has consumed my every waking hour trying to find a point of common ground and mutual understanding. I believe we are there.

I also wish to apologize to you that my total attention to secure a resolution meant that I could not personally respond to your calls and emails. I want you to know I heard you. In the coming days and weeks, there will be opportunities for us to communicate more directly.

I want to thank everyone who displayed the best of what our Jesuit university stands for this past week.

Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D., president of Saint Louis University, distributed this letter to the SLU community and online as “A Demonstration Update from the President on Saturday, October 18.

As Ferguson and the nation waits for a grand jury announcement on whether Officer Wilson will face charges for killing Michael Brown Jr., a well-timed leak about the violent attack on police and Wilson’s fear for his life is straight from the playbook we see every time police murder one of our black children. Classically, we see the murder, the re-murder in the form of character assassination, and the demonization of a grieving community. The only difference in Ferguson has been the inability of Police to get their lines straight. Given the unflinching intransigence of police and authorities, and the highly irregular approach to the grand jury process, very few people expect to see charges laid against Officer Wilson, let along for justice to be done. This community will continue to do what it has been doing since day one: demand answers and justice for another fallen black child, led by the brave young people who have refused to bow down even in the face of tanks, tear gas and the crosshairs of snipers.

The cynical release of Darren Warren’s testimony is an extension of the continued corruption that has haunted the investigation into the killing of Mike Brown. While no new information has been revealed in this leak, it is abundantly clear that the federal government will not bring charges against Officer

that if he was confronted by a white cop, then his life might be in jeopardy. Probably all of this was a part of Myers’ thinking around 7:30 p.m., when a white offduty cop in uniform rolled up on him and his black friends. Perhaps Myers thought that it didn’t or wouldn’t matter to the cop that they were not engaged in any criminal activity or doing anything wrong, just hanging out like youth is prone to do. Perhaps Myers thought that because he was not doing anything wrong, was not wanted for any crime, and was not being placed under arrest, that he had the right and freedom to either walk away –or run away – from the scene. Perhaps he wondered why he was being chased by a white cop when he had done nothing wrong and had not been ordered by the cop to do anything. Perhaps as he was running, Myers thought about how Trayvon Martin was chased down by a security guard like the off-duty cop now chasing him.

Although we will never know, perhaps what was running through Myers’ mind as he was being chased that night was that he did not want to be another Trayvon Martin, or Michael Brown, or Kajieme Powell.

Vickers is chief of staff for state Senator Jamilah Nasheed (D-St. Louis) and a veteran protest organizer.

All letters are edited for length and style.

Wilson. On the heels of the mobilization of thousands of people from across the country during Ferguson October, this non-development buttresses what a younger generation of organizers have said from day one: We must remain in the streets.

Reverend Osagyefo Sekou Via email

Disservice to the black community

A write-in for Zaki Baruti as county executive is a wasted vote; moreover, it is a vote for Bob McCulloch. The object is to win elections not play games for personal aggrandizement.

If you want to exercise political power and deliver a message to the Democratic Party, to Steve Stenger and to Bob McCulloch, you make sure you defeat the Democratic nominee, Steve Stenger. You can only do so by voting for a winnable candidate, Rick Stream.

Zaki does a disservice to the black community with his write-in candidacy. Zaki will only hurt the Democratic Candidate’s opponent, Stream, if the black voters write in Zaki’s name; and thus Zaki will help Stenger and McCulloch win. Certainly if Charlie Dooley did not win, Zaki can’t win either.

St Louis County is only about 25 percent black. If the two white candidates split the white vote evenly, they will each get 37.5 percent of the vote, which is more than enough to defeat Zaki if he gets only 25 percent of the vote or all of the black votes. Certainly, white voters are not going to write-in Zaki’s name.

On the other hand, if the black vote is directed to Stream, Stenger will certainly lose, and so then will Bob McCulloch. So I urge black voters to vote intelligently, and not based on emotions. Vote to win the election not to deliver a message. A winner can deliver governmental resources. A message can fall on deaf ears.

To black voters, I state: don’t write in Zaki Baruti’s name and waste your vote on a sure loser. Vote for Rick Stream and make him the winner! A winning message gives power to the

people. A loser will do black people no good.

Elbert Walton Via email

Guest Columnist

Fred P. Pestello

Sisters listening

What would Fannie Lou Hamer do?

By Hope Whitehead For The St. Louis American

When I first heard about the Fannie Lou Hamer Democratic Club (FLHDC) of St. Louis County, I immediately recalled her famous quote: “I am sick and tired of being sick and tired.” The shooting of Mike Brown has pushed our community to the brink. All of the hidden racism that we experienced every day was now exposed. The killing of young black men that are consistently deemed “justified,” if investigated at all; the municipalities with majority-black populations and no representation on the council; the schools losing accreditation, only to have other schools reject our children; and the endless beat down with the municipal courts. Warrants, arrest, fines … warrants, arrest, fines. We have no control over our destiny and no voice at the table.

Then, from the depth of our grief, anger and despair, the FLHDC, African-American elected officials from St. Louis County, emerged with a simple message: “We are tired of being disrespected.” I anxiously waited for their plan to fight the power, because it is time to get off the sidelines and into the game.

But when the plan came, I had to do a double take. The plan is to endorse the Republican in the St. Louis County Executive race. Not just any Republican, but one of the Republicans who sponsored a constitutional amendment to keep President Obama off the 2012 ballot in the State of Missouri, unless he produced an original birth certificate. All in the name of Fannie Lou Hamer.

Fannie Lou Hamer was an extraordinary civil rights aactivist who set the Democratic Party back on its heels. She forced the national Democratic Party to recognize and respect the black vote at a time when black folks were losing their lives just by registering to vote.

Fannie Lou Hamer fought to be included in the Democratic Party, NOT abandon it. She would have NEVER endorsed the Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater. In fact, Fannie Lou Hamer ran for Congress and organized an alternative Mississippi delegation to the Democratic Party that she felt was more representative of the citizens of Mississippi. They called themselves the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP).

She then took the MFDP to the National Democratic Convention and demanded that they be seated instead of the all-white Mississippi delegation. Knowing the controversy this would stir up, President Johnson tried to cut a deal with Fannie Lou Hamer to seat two members of the MFDP. When Johnson did that, the all white, Mississippi delegation of the Democratic Party walked out, joined the Republicans and endorsed Goldwater. Although President Johnson won the election, this is how the Southern states became solid-red states.

At the next Democratic Convention, Fannie Lou Hamer became the first African-American delegate from Mississippi. Fannie Lou Hamer was savvy enough to leverage her political power to bring the Democratic Party to its knees. Her insistence on black vote inclusion forced President Johnson to keep his promise and enact the sweeping legislation we now know as the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Fifty years later, Missouri is at the precipice of a revolution. This is our moment. This is our time. Our youth are watching, and your response is Stream? What would Fannie Lou Hamer do?

Peaceful protestors absorb the mood and movement at the Ferguson Police Department on Saturday, October 11 during the Ferguson October Weekend of Resistance.

Hope Whitehead

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

Youth report on meeting with mayor

By Kennard Williams For The St. Louis American

On Thursday, Oct. 16, three members from Young Activists United St. Louis (YSTL) and two from Millennial Activists United (MAU) met with Mayor Francis Slay and three members of his cabinet.

Before beginning, both sides agreed there would be no video or voice recording and no negotiations or deals reached at this meeting.

Upon starting the dialogue, we outlined the demands that were issued the previous Monday:

1) Body cameras to be worn by all police officers having interaction with the public

2) Civilian oversight board composed of citizen-elected individuals, with no mayoralor police-approved candidates

3) Independent investigations of all officerinvolved shootings resulting in fatalities

4) Removal of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department from the federal government’s 1033 program.

Protestors demand body cameras, civilian review for city

I told the mayor there is a disconnect between average citizens and the elected officials inside of City Hall. It comes across (especially given the situation in the Shaw neighborhood) that elected officials don’t care. Rasheen Aldridge (YSTL activist) also told him of the disconnect being felt particularly in North City neighborhoods, and that the mayor appears to make himself unavailable.

“This shouldn’t be some backdoor meeting with only five people,” Aldridge said. “You need to expand this to include the community, but you insist on not doing that.”

The mayor claimed that he

was aware of this divide felt by citizens and claimed that he doesn’t host town hall meetings because they are unorganized and often get off-topic and result in people talking over each other. He further said

n If these preventative measures were in place and the investigation transparent and impartial, this crisis could have been averted.

Kennard Williams and other Ferguson October protestors took demands to St. Louis City Hall on Monday, October 13.

that he goes to North City neighborhoods “all the time.”

I explained to the mayor that distributing body cameras to the police force is a good idea for everyone, because it would cut down on the number of false reports and complaints of excessive force.

The mayor retorted that they have had body cameras “in the works for a while now” and that spending has to be approved and legislation has to be enacted.

As for a civilian oversight board, he said, “We’re working on introducing that in a few weeks. There’s legislation we’re trying to finish up, and Alderman Terry Kennedy has had personal obligations to tend to, slowing things down further.”

I replied that this has been “in the works” for an unacceptable length of time and it seems they are impeding the process with conveniently placed walls of bureaucratic processes. YSTL member Jasmin Mauer pointed out

COURTS

Continued from A1

public safety argument.”

Twenty of the 21 municipalities that derive at least 20 percent of their general budget from fines and fees are located north of Olive Boulevard and within the boundary of I-270. These municipalities’ populations are on average 62 percent black, with 22 percent below the poverty line. (By way of comparison, St. Louis County as a whole is 24 percent black with 11 percent below the poverty line.)

Combined with the Attorney General’s 2013 finding that black drivers were 66 percent more likely than white drivers to be stopped, it is clear that these municipalities’ method of financial survival comes primarily at the expense of black citizens.

“For some people, a $100 fine is a bad day, but for other people it starts a spiral of what bill will they not pay next,” Leipholtz said. “This system circles around and hits the poor in more and more ways.”

According to 2013 data, 73 of the 81 municipal courts turn a significant profit, bringing in more revenue than they require to operate. On average, a municipal court in St. Louis County brings in an average of $711,506 in revenue from fines and fees each year yet costs $223,149 to operate, leaving an average net revenue of $488,367.

“When people walk into these courtrooms, they see a city prosecutor and municipal judge, both paid for by their taxes, but no public defender,” Leipholtz said. “It feels like the deck is stacked against them.”

Better Together provided this data, as the group was accumulating it, to the activist attorneys at Arch City Defenders. The legal group’s White Paper,

Slay’s veto of civilian review in 2006.

Slay replied that he vetoed the 2006 bill because it contained “illegal legislation” that would have resulted in the city being sued. When I pointed out that the veto was eight years ago and that this is long overdue, yet again his reply was, “These things take time.”

I explained that the failure of elected officials to act in a timely manner on enacting preventative legislation measures like body cameras and review boards has deepened distrust. This failure to act as effective politicians has heightened tension across the city and caused things to boil over, resulting in protests and standoffs with police in the Shaw neighborhood. If these preventative measures were in place and the investigation process transparent and impartial, this crisis could have been averted.

Slay then replied that all of these things take time and that some aldermen oppose the bill. He then said that one piece of legislation he introduces may make one group happy, but agitate another. He stated that all the local protest groups should get together and agree on things before approaching him.

This comment cemented thoughts that he was trying to portray a lack of solidarity between local activism groups to make excuses for his lack of action, when all groups agree with these demands. We left this meeting feeling dismissed and alienated and that elected officials don’t care about the demands of citizens.

n “When people feel wronged, they should be able to turn to the police and courts, but people feel the police and courts are the problem.”

– Marius Johnson, Better Together

published at Archcitydefenders. org, provided background for much reporting on the Ferguson crisis, including a long, influential investigative piece by Radley Balko of the Washington Post, that has helped Arch City Defenders and the Saint Louis University School of Law legal clinic in their efforts to reform municipal courts.

To many, the misery embedded in North County municipal court statistics helps to explain the enduring rage and frustration that fuels the Ferguson protest movement more than 70 days after Police Officer Darren Wilson killed the unarmed black teen Michael Brown Jr. on August 9.

“The Ferguson protests are absolutely about Michael Brown being killed. But the anger and frustration is also about something larger, and I truly believe this is an important piece,” Johnson said.

“When people feel wronged, they can’t turn to anyone. They should be able to turn to the police and the courts, but people feel the police and the courts are the source of the problem. It leads people to lose trust in their government and the system.”

Read the Better Together report at http://www. bettertogetherstl.com/studies/ public-safety/municipal-courtsreport. Follow this reporter at @ chriskingstl.

Photo by Rebecca Rivas

MOTHERS

Continued from A1

teen, was fatally shot by white Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson on August 9.

“There was rarely a time when I would go somewhere to speak that some mother wouldn’t stop me afterwards and want to tell the story of her child being killed,” Blackmon said. “We began to pray about it and looked at all the lives that had been lost – not just black lives.”

“The sound of wailing is heard from Zion,” Anderson said. “The sound of wailing is heard from Ferguson. The sound of wailing is heard from Shaw.”

The Shaw neighborhood is where 18-year-old VonDerrit Myers Jr. was fatally shot by a yet unnamed off-duty St. Louis police officer on October 8. Police claim Myers was armed and opened fire first, though his family claims he was only carrying a sandwich he is seen on a surveillance video purchasing from a nearby market moments before he was killed.

Homicides in St. Louis city are up thirty percent from 2013, with shootings reported almost nightly. The mothers called for justice in Brown’s death – and all killings.

The solemn protest first began with four minutes of silence in memory of Brown and was marked by moving mini-sermons, speeches and spoken word performances. Men joined the women in solidarity – including the Rev. Starsky Wilson and Dr. Arun Ghandi, grandson of Mahatma Ghandi. Wilson said he became acquainted early on with mothers who bury their sons

NIXON

Continued from A1 smaller geographic area reflected, it’s really important to have the whole region.” Nixon said he is looking for people from all walks of life for the 15-member commission, including “ordinary citizens, as well as empowered leaders in business, education, public safety and our faith communities who are willing to serve their state when it needs them the most.” The work of the

commission will take some time, Nixon explained, as it will look at socioeconomic factors, education, population trends and other data. However, changes could be implemented along the way.

“If there are good, substantive ideas that come forth during the process, then you want to go ahead and go with those instead of waiting until the very end,” Nixon said.

Nixon will announce the names of commission members next month. He said its members will need to talk candidly and openly about race and other explosive issues

because of violence in the streets, something he described as “out of order.” His family experienced the tragedy firsthand.

“I sat on the front pew of my church and looked up at my mother who looked over at the coffin where my brother lay,” Wilson said. “I saw my mother weeping and wailing.”

Ghandi said it is important not to define ourselves as

that have been decades in the making.

“Make no mistake: there will be anger and conflict, fear and distrust,” Nixon said. “The enemies of change will not easily yield to reasoned voices calling for a stronger, more united region.”

Critics from the Ferguson protest movement claimed on social media that the governor’s actions are meant to pacify the African-American community if the St. Louis County grand jury decides not to indict Wilson. Nevertheless, Nixon said he hopes to reach youth with the commission.

black, brown or white because we are all human beings. He questioned how one of the most powerful and richest countries in the world could be the most violent and said the time has come for women to take leadership.

“We have created a gun culture and a violent culture that needs to change,” Ghandi said. “My grandfather said, ‘Peace in this world would

“We are going to look for both an informal way to get their input and a formal way, so that we can make sure that younger folks have a real opportunity to buy into playing a productive role in making this region better,” Nixon said. Nixon said Maida Coleman, director of the governor’s new Office of Community Engagement, will work closely with the commission.

St. Louis Alderman Antonio French – whose North Campus project was a recent recipient of state funds for tutoring, in partnership with the University of Missouri-St. Louis – said

About 300 supporters, including former state Rep. Betty L. Thompson (center), marched against violence in the community on Saturday in the Mother’s March for Justice, which started at the Buzz Westfall County Government Center in Clayton. Thompson lost her son, Tyrone, to gun violence.

arrive only when the women awaken.’”

Former state Rep. Betty L. Thompson – who lost her son, Tyrone, to gun violence – brought attention to the case of 27-year-old Jarvis Murphy. His now 14-year-old daughter, Amber Moore, stood next to Thompson. Murphy was left comatose for two and a half years and died from injuries he sustained after a traffic stop in

he is “hopeful” that the commission will lead to action.

“It will come down to the voices that are on the commission and how focused they remain during the period of their meeting,” French said. “It’s important to bring as many different perspectives together in order to have those kinds of conversations that very rarely are had in St. Louis.”

The front-line protestors, however – whose needs Nixon claimed to be addressing –were far from hopeful.

Ashley Yates, one of the

Overland. Amber was holding a Justice for Jarvis sign with a photo of her father. “Hold that up so the cameras can see it,” said Murphy’s grandmother, Thelma Evans.

“We really never found out what happened,” Evans said of Jarvis Murphy’s death. Evans’ said the family’s goal is to have the case re-opened.

Yvette Harris, founder of Mothers Against Senseless Killings, or M.A.S.K., recalled her 17-year-old son O’Dale Terry, who died by gun violence. She remembered her son’s sense of humor and his relationship with God.

“He was just a joyous young man,” Harris said. They marched once around the Justice Center, beginning east on Carondelet Avenue to South Bemiston Avenue, then turning right on Bonhomme Avenue to Carondelet Avenue.

Mothers who lost children to violence were asked to carry photos of their children during the march.

After the march, 110 rainbow-hued balloons were released, representing the number of victims of violence in the region up to that point this year. Killings would continue after the march, up until press time.

Follow this reporter on Twitter: @BridjesONeil. E-mail this reporter: boneil@ stlamerican.com.

more visible young protest leaders, tweeted that Nixon’s announcement exemplified “the overwhelming intoxication of privilege.”

“The audacity of Jay Nixon to convene a commission to tell him what the people, his constituents, have been saying for 70 days,” Yates tweeted. “The whole damn SYSTEM is guilty as HELL!”

The application form for nominations for the Ferguson Commission is located at http://www.mo.gov/fergusoncommission/application.

Photo by Wiley Price

Photos by Lawrence Bryant and Wiley Price

Photos by Lawrence Bryant and Wiley Price

Scenes from Ferguson October

Ferguson October drew some 7,000 people to the St. Louis region, October 1013, after organizers issued a national call for activists working on police reform and social justice.

The Weekend of Resistance included a massive march in downtown St. Louis, protests at the Ferguson Police Department and St. Louis City Hall, an occupation of Saint Louis University, an overnight hanging of protest banners on highway overpasses, a sit-in outside a QuikTrip, and a day of daring direct actions staged all over the region – all peaceful protests, though in many cases acts of peaceful disobedience led to arrests.

The direct actions were part of Moral Monday, which started with clergy asking for the confessions of Ferguson police at the police department, which resulted in the arrest of Dr. Cornel West and a number of clergy. Moral Monday continued with a dizzying day of “lash protests”: Ferguson activists protested at the St. Louis Rams game at the Edward Jones Dome, Plaza Frontenac, Hollywood Casino and a political fundraiser for Steve Stenger in Webster Groves. Protestors also shut down a series of Wal-Mart stores, in solidarity with the John Crawford movement in Ohio, which ended in the arrest of movement leader Tef Poe.

Otie Lee Fraser

Otie Lee Fraser, age 87, a resident of St. Louis, Missouri and retired nurse of School District #189, passed on Wednesday, October 15, 2014. Mrs. Fraser leaves to cherish her memory: two sons, Sydney (Kimberly) Fraser of Ellenwood, Georgia and Vincent Fraser of St. Louis, Missouri; a host of other relatives and friends.

A memorial service has been scheduled at 10 a.m. on Friday, October 24, 2014 at Officer Funeral Home, P.C., 2114 Missouri Avenue, East St. Louis, Illinois.

Vetrice Sherill Mitchell

Vetrice Sherill Mitchell was born to Robert and Betty Mitchell, the joy of their life on, April 8, 1955 at 6:30 am, in St. Louis, MO. She is the oldest of eight children; Brother Duane Mitchell preceded her in death.

Vetrice was educated in the St. Louis Public School System: Hamilton & Hempstead School Elementary; Enright Middle School and Normandy Senior High School.

Post-Secondary Education: Florissant Valley Community College, School of Theology

Saint Louis Christian College earning a BA and UMET Institute of Ministerial Excellence and Training. Vetrice was employed with The Human Development Corporation for 36 years. She educated mothers as a Nutritionist, for WIC, and she worked with young displaced teen mothers, assisting them through job search classes and teaching other parenting skills. Vetrice was a “Change-Agent” indeed, impacting the lives of many young people.

Vetrice was saved and sanctified and filled with the Holy Ghost at the age of 11 years old, under the leadership and guidance of her spiritual father and pastor, the late James Grayson Jr. She worked in the local church ministry as the Assistant Sunday School Superintendent; labored in District and State church ministries, as well as Pastor’s Aide Leader for over 10 years to her current pastor John E. Grayson Sr. Vetrice helped to organize the Greater House of Prayer Call Prayer Line working side by side with International Evangelist Dr. Carva Black.

Vetrice had a keen ear to listen to the voice of the Lord, even unto her crossing over. God strategically ordered her footsteps for over 59 years and into the fulfillment of her Blessed destiny on Thursday, October 2nd, 2014 at 6:30 am. She leaves to cherish her life, a life lived for Christ, that one day we will see her again: her loving and dedicated

parents, Robert (dada) and Betty (mama) Mitchell; two brothers, Marvin(Dorothy), Learon (LaTasha) Mitchell, four sisters; Marsha Glenn, Sandra Mitchell, Karen Gardner, and Pamela (Marshall) Thornton Sr.; four aunts, Barbara (Martin) Kimble Sr,, and Joyce (Tyrone) Darris, Barbara and Betty Simmons; three uncles; Robert (Jeanett) Simmons Sr., Jerry (Alfreda) Simmons, Jerome (Cece) Simmons; one great aunt, Eliza Pitts; two great uncles, Floyd Simmons & Terry (Carol) Moore; her thirteen nieces & nephews were her heart: Erica (Londell), David Jr. (Monique), Lisa (Carnell), Quentin Jr. (LaDonna), Danyiel, Angela, Christopher, Jonathan, Joshua, Porcha, Justin, Marshall Jr. & Baby Kacee; thirteen great nieces and nephews, goddaughter, Sabrina (Aliah) Franklin, and a host of cousins, friends, and her extend church families.

Reverend Dr. Edward Carlos Gibson, Sr.

Reverend Dr. Edward Carlos Gibson, Sr. was born February 28, 1933 in Memphis, Tennessee to Luther Gibson and Johnella Rudd. His parents and two of his sisters, Mildred Dixon and Delores Winston, preceded him in death. Reverend Gibson

Rev. Edward Gibson Sr.

and members of his family relocated to St. Louis. He received his early education in the St. Louis Public School System. He accepted Christ at an early age and joined Mercy Seat Baptist Church. In 1951 he graduated from Vashon High School and attended Harris Stowe Teacher’s College. He was inducted into the Army in May 1954 and served with distinction. He was employed with the U.S. Postal Service and retired after thirty years of exemplary service. He was introduced to the love of his life, Geraldine, by a coworker. They were married December 19, 1964 and the union lasted until his home going.

Reverend Gibson loved Gospel music and was a very gifted singer. He was an ordained minister and later received his doctorate in Theology. He was part of the Prison Ministry and during the late eighties started a radio broadcast on KIRL called the Saving Word Broadcast.

Reverend Gibson was pastor at New Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Collinsville, Illinois and later Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church in

St. Louis, Missouri. His gift of eternal life came on Friday, September 12, 2014 at 12:00 midnight. Precious memories of Reverend Gibson will be cherished by: his loving and devoted wife, Geraldine H., his children, Yazmin (Christopher) Mitchell, Isaac (Lorraine), Edward Jr., Dr. Terrance, and Anthony (Benita); grandchildren, Christopher Edward Mitchell, Javier Gibson Mitchell, Tiara I. Gibson, Isaac A. Gibson, Ieshia A. Gibson, James McFadden, Anthony Austin Jr. and Dione Gibson; great grandchildren, Chase, Cameran, Kendall McFadden and James McFadden II; sisters, Bernice (Willie) Batts of Las Vegas, Nevada and Merlynna Harris-Erving of San Bernardino, California; brother, Wylie L. (Wordine) Harris of Memphis, Tennessee; in-laws, Anna Bell Haskins of Collinsville, Illinois and Ernestine Wilkins of Cleveland, Ohio; many nieces, nephews, cousins and other relatives; the Bethlehem Baptist Church and the Mercy Seat Baptist Church families; and a host of friends

LaRose Sills

LaRose Sills (nee Pearson) was born on January 4, 1950 in Saint Louis, Missouri to the late Willie Eva (Kendall) and Fred Pearson. She had been serving as a Housing Commissioner

Sills

for the Village of Hillsdale through Saint Louis County Housing Authority for over twenty years. She was the first Blind African American to graduate from the prestigious Mrs. Vandersmith’s Secretarial School, thus, leading to her becoming the first blind medical transcriptionist in the Saint Louis area. She passed away peacefully in her home on Friday, October 10, 2014 after surviving cancer of the larynx for 8 years. She was an active advocate for at risk women and children. Serving on the board of ROWEL (Reformed Organization of Welfare) and Godmother’s of Grace a Christian based mentoring program. She had a passion for reading, writing literature and sharing her favorite music. She leaves to cherish her memory, her loving life partner of 42 years, Margo McElroy, her mother Lucille Davenport and her children, Malena Riggs (Gregg), and Ralph McElroy Jr., a sister Lorna Jean Curry (Darryl). She also leaves countless godchildren and a host of nieces, nephews, relatives and devoted friends.

Vetrice Mitchell

LaRose

SLU Law offers free law education to Ferguson protestors

Faculty, alumnae, students teach public rights in relation to police

By Chris King

Of The St. Louis American

The civic flavor of the Ferguson protest movement was on display as much as public education when faculty, alumnae and students from Saint Louis University School of Law presented a free public program on legal rights and the police on Saturday afternoon at Dellwood Recreation Center, 10266 West Florissant Ave.

The public forum started out on folding chairs fanned around on the turf of an indoor soccer field, before a deafening electrical hum moved the group into a multi-purpose room with candy and game machines, Foosball and picnic tables.

The free public education was delivered in a lively mix of lecture, question-and-answer, simulations and town hallstyle pronouncements from the audience that were often as informative as the expert advice.

As always in the Ferguson movement, the group was diverse by race, gender, age, income and formal education. Engagement was intense, but never argumentative, and the group wanted to stay longer than the two hours scheduled with the rec center, which is located a mile and a half north

on West Florissant Avenue from the iconic McDonald’s in the Ferguson protest zone. Christina Vogel, a student at SLU Law, set the tone by saying that the law is on the side of the people. Several in the group of 50 or so people chuckled knowingly. The premise of the Ferguson protest movement is that the law and its officers have been abusive of the people. Vogel insisted that reforming the police is a slow process, and the protest movement and Department of Justice are now building up from the basics.

The students and attorneys covered the basics. Attorney Nicole Pleasant said it’s critical to always ask a police officer who stops you up front if you’re being detained or free to go. A citizen interrupted to say that it’s the police, not the people, who need to learn the law. The same citizen was asked to join a law student to enact a simulation of a police officer stopping a pedestrian. When told to ask the law student playing the cop, “Am I free to go?” she instead ad libbed, “Am I free to go, or am I going to be arrested and killed?”

Of course, the Ferguson movement started with the fatal

police shooting of an unarmed teenager who had been stopped by Officer Darren Wilson for jaywalking. Wilson shot Michael Brown at least six times, twice in the head.

Multiple eyewitnesses claim that Wilson fired the fatal shots while Brown’s hands were upraised in the air, in the act of surrender. No police report has been released documenting

not on the street,” said Abby, who is a Ferguson resident. Charles Wade, an activist from Austin, Texas, who has been visible in the movement, said it’s not wise to be defensive and to assume every police encounter will be fatal. “How many people have been killed by Ferguson police this year?” Wade said. “One.”

SLU Law student Avvennett

n “I don’t think we should move toward some ‘New Ferguson’ before certain police officials and officers are held accountable.”

– Justin Hansford, a SLU Law professor

Wilson’s version of events, but St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar claimed that Brown struggled with Wilson and tried to take his service revolver.

Whether or not Belmar stated the facts of the Wilson case accurately, attorney Monique Abby urged, you should never resist arrest or fight back physically with a cop. “The place to fight back is

City Academy Open House

Saturday, November 8 10 a.m. to Noon

City Academy serves children age four through sixth grade. Scholarships are available to all students.

For more information, Contact Stephanie Dooley: 314-382-0085 or sdooley@cityacademyschool.org

Gezahan insisted that citizens should always invoke their rights to the police, even if they don’t think the police will respect their rights. She said invoking your rights puts police on guard that you know your rights.

The same goes, the SLU Law students said, with declining to give police consent to search your vehicle or person. Until police patterns

and practices are reformed, the officer may search you illegally anyway, but in that case any evidence they find may be suppressed at trial.

SLU Law professor Brendan Roediger, who has been active working on municipal court reform and representing jailed protestors, acknowledged that it wasn’t very comforting to get advice about something your lawyer can do for you in court after a cop has violated your rights. But he broke it down: “Our first goal is keeping young people alive and out of prison.”

In all police encounters, the public was reminded, they have a right to remain silent and to request an attorney.

SLU Law students went over various ploys that police officers commonly use to get someone talking. One such ploy appeared in the True-False portion of the program: “True or false: Small talk with an officer on way to the station is harmless? FALSE.”

The dynamics of the street protests that are ongoing in Ferguson were discussed. Abby said the law is clear: you can not impede the flow of traffic without a permit, and you can

be arrested if you do. She also warned against dramatically telling police they are being filmed at a protest – just do it. Adam Sennecaut, an activist from Des Moines, Iowa, speaking from the crowd, told people they should write the phone number for MORE jail support (314-862-2249) on their arm before they protest. The forum also provided an opportunity for direct participants in the movement to speak about its direction. Sennecaut, noticing a trend from some of the law students encouraging cooperation and de-escalation, said many people were still angry and have a right to be. “Peaceful protest movements have always had a militant backbone,” he said. Justin Hansford, a SLU Law professor who has done some negotiation with police on the protest front lines, said he and his colleagues did not intend to downplay any grievances that people may have. “I don’t think we should move toward some ‘New Ferguson,’” Hansford said, “before certain police officials and officers are held accountable.”

Follow SLU Knows Law on Twitter @SLUknowslaw.

SLU Law professor Justin Hansford, attorney Nicole Pleasant, SLU Law professor Brendan Roediger, attorney Monique Abby and SLU Law student Avvennett Gezahan in the multipurpose room at the Dellwood Recreation Center.

Photo by Maurice Meredith

Three little words: indict, incite, ignite

By Bernie Hayes

For The St. Louis American

Although St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch has promised a complete and impartial investigation into the killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown by Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson, protestors who have taken over the streets of Ferguson are calling on McCulloch to remove himself from the case, alleging he’s biased.

Demonstrators, some elected officials and community leaders stress McCulloch has a deep police background and has given preferential treatment to law enforcement in criminal cases, but McCulloch said he has absolutely no intention of walking away from the case.

McCulloch contends that all of the evidence in the case has been handed over to the grand jury and they will make the decision whether to indict Darren Wilson. He said all of the evidence will be released to the public if there is no indictment, and people will be able to see everything regardless of what happens. Does this mean that Officer Wilson could NOT be indicted?

n As blacks moved into North County, they faced discrimination in jobs and housing, and the Michael Brown killing lighted the fuse.

St. Louis attorney Jerryl Christmas calls that possibility a “racial powder keg.” Could this provoke more civil disobedience? Because of the recent fatal police shooting in the Shaw neighborhood, protests in Tower Grove South quickly ignited fresh tensions in the region where protestors continue to demand justice for Michael Brown. Activists say the feelings of anger and disappointment have built up long enough and police brutality and racial profiling have been a problem for too long, so more elevated civil unrest is a certainty. If Wilson is not indicted, will this incite the masses?

Remember the demonstrations in Ferguson were sparked by a display of police brutality and the killing of Michael Brown. Along with years of poverty and discrimination, this created a powder keg of frustration in many black communities in North County. As blacks moved into Ferguson and other North County communities, they faced severe discrimination in jobs and housing, and the Michael Brown killing perhaps lighted the fuse.

The Ferguson Police Department and City Council’s drive to impose their political and economic system on its citizens is the primary cause of the tension in this North County community. Many are caught up in a vicious and dangerous cycle, with suspicion on one side breeding suspicion on the other, and the situation has become part of a national conversation on race. There have been major failings by the police in the conduct of the investigation and treatment of young, defenseless suspects. There has also been a failure on the part of the St. Louis County Prosecutor, who is too willing to accept police evidence and reluctant to probe its accuracy. Law enforcement officials like Darren Wilson should be held up to the highest standard of conduct and personal integrity. So it comes down to those three little words: indict, incite, ignite.

Please watch the Bernie Hayes TV program Saturday night at 10 p.m. and Sunday evenings at 5:30 p.m. on

A peaceful protestor speaks her mind to the police at the Ferguson Police Department on Saturday, October 11, participating in the Ferguson October peaceful protests.

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

Bernie Hayes

“Myrtle Hilliard Davis Comprehensive Health Centers, Inc.

“Serving the Underserved” Annual Luncheon Meeting

45th Anniversary on Friday, October 17, 2014

Myrtle Hilliard Davis Comprehensive Health Centers, Inc. (MHDCHC) celebrated its 45th Anniversary last Friday at the Chase Park Plaza. The event recognized the people and partnering organizations that have made the past 45 years such a success, as well as looked at the future growth and development of the organization in the years to come.

Recognized organizations included: Annie Malone Children & Family Service Center, Fathers’ Support Center, Missouri Foundation for Health, Missouri Primary Care Association (MPCA), St. Louis Integrated Health Network, St. Louis Regional Health Commission, and Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis.

Recognized individuals included: Corliss White, Deborah Loman, Dorothy Johnson, Ina Boon, Joyce Cooper,

and Theonis Guyton.

At the event, Congressman Lacy Clay, Alderman Jeffery Boyd, and MPCA CEO Joe Pierle distinguished MHDCHC as an invaluable asset to the North St. Louis City Area and encouraged the audience to further to support their cause, especially with the failure of Medicaid to expand. In order to continue to serve the 30,000 individuals MHDCHC sees each year, CEO Angela Clabon called the audience to take action, “We’re all in this ight together, to take care of the underserved. I know we can all make a difference and continue to serve our community well.”

To support the cause of MHDCHC or see video, pictures, etc. from the event; please visit our Facebook page at facebook.com/mhdchc”

Healthy Kids Kids

If you have a bag FULL of Halloween candy — what can you do to help you resist over-loading on sweets? Some tricks to follow are:

Brush your teeth after you’ve had a piece of candy. Having fresh, clean teeth can help you resist eating another piece.

Resisting Leftover Candy

Bonus — brushing also helps get the sticky sugar off of your teeth to help prevent cavities!

Consider “donating” your candy to a food pantry, family shelter or other

Exercise Challenge:

Unplug!

group that might appreciate your leftover treats. When you do have a treat, remember to do some extra, fun activities to burn off the extra calories.

Can you think of other uses for your bag-o-candy?

Halloween Safety

Now is the time to talk about staying safe during your trickor-treating. Here are a few very important things to remember.

According to some statistics, the average American child spends as much as 4 hours a day watching TV and another 2 hours playing video games and having fun on a computer. That’s 6 hours each day!

Instead of spending so much time in front of screens… why

Walk with a parent or older sibling. Wear reflective clothing or something light/bright to be more visible to cars.

Carry a flashlight, if possible, to watch for obstacles while walking such as holes, fences, flower-pots, etc.

not go outside and get some exercise? Try reducing your TV watching by one hour each day, and spend that hour throwing a football, riding a bike, playing kickball or some other fun outdoor activity with your friends. That one hour can make a big difference in how you look and feel.

Do not eat any candy until your parent(s) have had a chance to “inspect” it.

Never go inside someone’s home.

Watch for cars! They might not see you in the dark. Do you know other ways to help you stay safe?

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 5

Healthy Snacks

Jam and Graham Cheesecake Snacks

Ingredients: 3 large graham crackers (broken into squares), 3 ounces low-fat cream cheese (softened), 3 Tbsp strawberry jam

Directions: Mix the cream cheese with the jam. Spread on top of the graham cracker squares. Chill for 30 minutes for a softer cracker (crust).

Try with different jam flavors. Enjoy!

Shaun Parker, Surgical Technician

Where do you work? I work at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

Where did you go to school? I graduated from Lafayette High School. I then received an associate’s degree from both Allied College and Florissant College.

What does a surgical technician do? My career is rewarding in that it allows me to play a few different roles. The first thing I do as a surgical tech is to gather all the supplies and instruments needed for each case (surgery). Secondly, I set up the room using what we call aseptic technique (keeping the room as clean as possible). Lastly, as a surgical tech, I assist in surgery, passing instruments to the doctor, as well as anticipating his or her needs for the case.

Why did you choose this career? I chose this career because of my father. He suffered from what is termed in the medical field as congestive heart failure. Through his 25 year bout of CHF, in and out of the hospital, I really liked the care he received, and I decided that I wanted to spend my life helping people.

What is your favorite part of the job you have? The best part of my job is seeing patients get better and knowing you were a part of that. I also like working with a team that loves what they do. It makes it easy to come to work.

Learning Standards: HPE 6, NH 3

Investigate and explore over 700 interactive exhibits and take in a ilm on one of the world’s largest domed screens in our OMNIMAX® Theater. Come, play and exercise your brain! General admission is always free. slsc.org/nie3

Investigate and explore over exhibits and take in a ilm on one of the world’s largest domed screens in our OMNIMAX® Theater. Come, play exercise your brain! General admission is slsc.org/nie5

Harry’s Big Adventure: My Bug World! presented by Terminix® is a multisensory experience that immerses you into the world of bugs. Harry the Chinese Praying Mantis and his bug friends will lead you through freestanding and interactive habitats in a hands-on, fun way!

Harry’s Big Adventure: My Bug World! presented by Terminix® is a multisensory experience that immerses you into the world of bugs. Harry the Chinese Praying Mantis and his bug friends will lead you through freestanding and interactive habitats in a hands-on, fun way!

Harry’s Big Adventure: My Bug World! presented by Terminix® is a multisensory experience that immerses you into the world of bugs. Harry the Chinese Praying Mantis and his bug friends will lead you through freestanding and interactive habitats in a hands-on, fun way!

slsc.org/hbanie2

slsc.org/hbanie1

slsc.org/hbanie4

Learning Standards: HPE 1, HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 5

The St. Louis American’s award winning NIE program provides newspapers and resources to more than 7,000 teachers and students each week throughout the school year, at no charge.

CLASSROOM SPOTLIGHT

Oak Hill Elementary School 4th Grade Teacher James D. Perotti shows his students Kaily Tiengthong, Tran Chau, Nelly Nguyen, Danita Louis, and Ajdin Muratovic how to find symmetry in nature using a leaf and peg boards to model the leaf. The project inspiration comes from the Science Corner

SCIENCE CORNER

The Science of Sports Physical Therapy!

Have you ever heard of a sports physical therapist? They learn about the body and help athletes prevent, treat, and recover from injuries. Therapists also assist with enhancing athletes’ performance. They develop training programs and are able to alter routines to meet the individual needs of each person.

Sports physical therapists have to keep current with research and make sure their techniques are current and up to date. They have to communicate with athletes, coaches, and trainers to educate them. Preventing injuries and helping athletes recover

SCIENCE EXPERIMENT

Background Information:

In this experiment, you will see the transfer of potential and kinetic energy.

Materials Needed:

• A Basketball or Soccer Ball (large and heavy)

• A Tennis Ball or

Inflatable Rubber Ball (small and light)

Procedure:

q Carefully put the tennis ball on top of the basketball, holding one hand under the basketball and one on top of the tennis ball.

w Let go of both the balls at exactly the same time and observe what happens.

MATH CONNECTION

Test your math skills with these sports-themed word problems!

q Ryan got a hit 4 out of 12 times; Sarah got a hit 47 out of 100 times. What is the batting average for each player? Who has the better batting average?

w Team Wildcats won the football game against the Eagles. The score was 24-14. What are all of the possible ways each team may have scored during the game?

DID YOU KNOW?

from injuries is an important job. Therapists must earn a college degree and pass an exam that shows they are

If you are patient, compassionate and interested in the science of the human body, this may be a career for you. Sports physical therapists can work in schools, hospitals, research labs, home health care, spas, gyms, and even for

I can read nonfiction text for main idea and supporting details.

Transfer of Energy: When you are holding the balls in the air, they have potential energy. As they are dropped into motion, the energy becomes kinetic energy. When the balls hit the ground and bump into each other, some of the kinetic energy in the basketball transfers to the tennis ball, sending it in motion.

Want More? Visit: http://www. sciencebuddies.org/science-fairprojects/Intro-Sports-Science.shtml.

Learning Standards: I can follow sequential directions to complete an experiment. I can make predictions and analyze results.

SCIENCE STARS

AFRICAN AMERICAN ANATOMIST & PHYSIOLOGIST: Albert Crenshaw

On March 20, 1952, Albert Crenshaw was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended Chowan Junior College on a basketball scholarship, earning his associate’s degree in 1973. Four years later, he earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from West Virginia University. Crenshaw worked in an orthopedic research lab at the University of California in San Diego. In 1994, he traveled to Sweden as part of a laboratory exchange program. From there, he went to San Francisco to work at the NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field.

After his career at NASA, Crenshaw was invited to return to Sweden as a graduate student. He earned a PhD in anatomy and physiology from the University of Umeå. He was the first African American in Sweden to earn a doctorate degree in medical science.

After earning his PhD, he served as a research assistant and professor of physiology at the Swedish National Institute for Working Life in the Centre for Musculoskeletal Research.

Crenshaw has published several research articles for science journals and won a Certificate of Recognition from NASA. He is also a member of the American College of Sports Medicine.

Learning Standards: I can read a biography about a person who has made a contribution in the fields of science, technology, or mathematics.

how many boxes will they need?

Learning Standards: I can add, subtract, multiply, and divide to solve a problem.

Studies

MAP CORNER

Use the newspaper to complete these activities to sharpen your critical thinking skills.

Activity One —

Main Idea: Select an article in the newspaper.

After you read the article, state the main idea. Find three supporting details for the main idea.

Activity Two — Measuring: Find 3 measurements in the paper. Convert the standard measurements to metric measurements and vice versa.

Learning Standards: I can use the newspaper to locate information. I can find the main idea and supporting details. I can convert measurements.

found in the NIE STEM section of the St. Louis American. The school is in the Saint Louis Public School district. Photo by Wiley Price/ St. Louis American

Black Democrats have a white Democrat problem

Since the Fannie Lou Hamer Democratic Club of St. Louis County announced its unexpected endorsement of Rick Stream, the Republican Party’s nominee for St. Louis County Executive, there has been a reoccurring question throughout the-African American community. The question is serious and thoughtful and deserves a serious and thoughtful answer. The question is how can you ask the African-American community to vote for a rightwing Republican for County Executive?

The answer is, “long-term African-American political interest.”

The issue facing the AfricanAmerican community, as defined by the FLHDC, is not who is the best candidate for county executive but what is the best way to protect and advance the overall longterm interests of the AfricanAmerican community. The truth is, North County politics have been mainly dictated by white construction unions and for the last 20 years they have had the largest say so in who gets elected in AfricanAmerican communities. These are the same unions that consistently blocked African-American access to jobs and continue to make it next to impossible for AfricanAmerican contractors to compete.

As is always the case, the African-American community has a different reality than the

general population of St. Louis County, so let’s first establish some common reference points for this discussion.

The current Republican Party is not as bad as people say it is – it’s worse! At the state and national levels with its Dixiecrat Southern base, its agenda is antithetical to the interest of African Americans. In state and national elections, it would be suicidal to consider giving them any support. The St. Louis County Democratic Party will use that agenda as a rationale for why African Americans shouldn’t vote for Rick Stream this one time for County Executive. They will use Republican mendacity to hide their own malfeasance and negligence when it comes to the interests of African Americans.

However, none of the state or national issues have the same implications on the local level. In fact, mayors, councilmen and other local county elected offices are non-partisan, and several FLHDC members serve on councils that have both Democrats and Republicans seated side by side, working together for the betterment of their community. In St. Louis County, African Americans don’t have a Republican problem, we have a Democratic problem. Now the St. Louis County Democratic Party will tell the African-American community that it will be at great risk if Rick Stream is elected County Executive. The EYE

cried out for leadership to step forward, North County leaders were pushed aside for city politicians, not to mention Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson Stenger and other laborcontrolled politicians were dead silent for weeks.

would like to pose a question. What major benefits have the African-American community (and its solid voter support) received from Democratic administrations in St. Louis County during the last 20 years? Of those benefits, if you can think of any, what would be at risk if Rick Stream is elected County Executive? Take a minute and think about it.

Give up? The reason you can’t name one is because there aren’t any! The reality and sad truth is that African Americans in St. Louis County have been hoodwinked and bamboozled for the last 20 years, but not by Republicans.

The EYE is not going to devote time or space to the substantial shortcomings of Democratic nominee Steve Stenger as a public leader. Let’s address the issue of who is Rick Stream. Rick Stream came to North County unannounced and without handlers. He met with African-American leaders and talked about who he is.

He talked about his life as the second oldest of eight children whose father died when he was young. He talked about having to work to help take care of his mother and siblings. He, not his handlers, talked about having a better relationship with kids from Meacham Park because of their mutual struggles. He talked about working his way through community college and finally going into the military. He talked about his wife and children, including a daughter that passed away at 19 and a son with Down’s syndrome. He talked about his faith beliefs. He connected with African Americans on a personal level. What about as an elected official – what kind of politician has he been? When questioned about his votes in the Legislature, he was honest and didn’t try to smooth it over or avoid the issues. He answered every question that was asked and although some of his answers weren’t persuasive, his candor was appreciated. When African-

American state legislators were asked about him, every one of them stated that Rick Stream, while a Republican, was honest and fair. They stated he had a open-door policy as chairman of the budget committee and he always included additional funding for issues of importance in the AfricanAmerican community, from an offender reentry program to additional reading and tutoring funds for both the Normandy and Riverview Gardens school districts. Each stated that if he couldn’t be with you on certain issues, he would tell you up front. Rick Stream and African Americans were brought together by circumstances. Stenger won the primary on a Tuesday, and the following Saturday an unarmed teenager, Michael Brown Jr., was shot and killed by Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson. African-American elected officials were finally faced with the reality that they had zero control of what happens in North County. When the people

African Americans have a choice between what is known and what is unknown. What is known is St. Louis County politics have not worked for us. What is known is that sometimes you have to choose between options that are not your preferred choices. What is known is St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch and North County Labor will never respect African Americans or their concerns, and if the candidate they paid for is elected they will never need to. What is known is that African Americans are for the first time in a generation are in a position to dictate the future of North County politics. If this moment isn’t seized, African Americans will remain at the bottom of the political barrel, forgotten and dealing with many other situations like Mike Brown for as long as Bob McCulloch and North County labor own Steve Stenger. Without solid African-American voter support, St. Louis County is not a Democratic Party stronghold. That reality has implications for the Democratic Party statewide and its candidates efforts to be elected. Still, there are people who say, “Isn’t there another way of creating a better relationship for us inside the St. Louis County Democratic Party?” The EYE would refer them to the story about the city guy who observed the farmer hitting a mule upside the head with a 2x4. The city guy approached the farmer and asked why would he do something that harsh? The farmer replied, “You see, this mule is real stubborn, and if I want to get him to work for me, I first have to get his attention.” The Democratic Party in St. Louis County and statewide is more stubborn than that mule, and Rick Stream is the name of black Democrats’ 2x4.

The Moral Monday demonstrations during Ferguson October’s Weekend of Resistance included this protest at a political fundraiser for Steve Stenger in Webster Groves hosted by U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill on Monday, October 13. Stenger and

McCaskill both support St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch, who has been criticized for his handling of the Officer Darren Wilson case. Photo by Wiley Price

n “We’re 3 and 4. That’s unacceptable.” – Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall, on his team’s losing record

With Ismael Sistrunk

Devon vs Khan at Mandalay Bay

The NBA comes to St. Louis on Friday

Ishmael H. Sistrunk

Former two-division boxing world champion Devon Alexander “The Great”, will headline a twelve-round bout against Amir Khan on Showtime Championship Boxing on Dec. 13 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. For Alexander (26-2-0, 14 KO), the matchup against Khan provides an opportunity to get his name back to the top of the ladder in the welterweight division. Alexander versus Khan (293-0, 19 KO) has been a year in the making. The two talented welterweights were scheduled to square off last December, but Khan chickened backed out of the fight in hopes of landing a lucrative call from boxing’s

golden goose, Floyd Mayweather Jr. When Mayweather left him at the alter for Marcos Maidana, the former 140-pound champion settled for a bout with Luis Collazo on the undercard. Khan won the bout, but Mayweather left him hanging again and chose a rematch against Maidana.

Kevin Cunningham, Alexander’s trainer, was critical of the way Khan backed out of the fight

last year.

“He thought he could just walk into a Mayweather fight,” Cunningham said. “You have to earn it. The way you earn it is by making a big fight like this.”

Though Alexander lost his IBF welterweight title in December to then-undefeated Shawn Porter, he’s coming off an impressive victory versus Jesus Soto Karass in June. Alexander stood toe-to-toe in an entertaining bout with Soto Karass. The St. Louis southpaw used his speed and combination punches en route to a hard-fought decision victory.

Though he held various titles in the 140and 147-pound divisions, the fight will be Alexander’s first fight under the bright lights of

See CLUTCH, B5

Rams end losing skid

n It was a very gutsy call by Fisher. And why the hell not? The Rams were starving for a win.

That St. Louis Rams upset the defending Super Bowl champions the Seattle Seahawks in a special way last Sunday, 28-26. The Rams ended their three-game losing skid thanks in part to special teams coming to save the day and the game. Reserve running back Benny Cunningham had one of his best games as a member of the Rams. He had a big 75-yard kickoff return that led to a touchdown. Cunningham also caught a touchdown pass. His most important catch came when, with the Rams clinging desperately to a 28-26 lead, head coach Jeff Fisher called for a fake punk. Punter Johnny Hekker hit a wide open Cunningham for an 18-yard gain. It was a very gutsy call by Fisher. And why the hell not? The Rams were starving for a win. What about the Stedman Bailey 90-yard punt return for a touchdown? Again, the Rams faked out the entire Seahawks special teams unit. Thanks to Tavon Austin’s acting job, the Seahawks thought he was fielding a punt – and not only did it fool them, but also the television cameras, as Bailey ran untouched. And there was not a flag on the ground. That’s kind of sad, when you almost expect to see flags thrown in the direction of the Rams who’ve been on the wrong side of a lot of penalties. The Rams did fine this week, with only two penalties for 20 yards. Let’s see if the trend continues. The Rams defense hit the Seahawks quarterback a lot, sacking him three times and forcing him out of the pocket. They did not do a good job of containing him, as he rushed for over 100 yards, while his teammate Marshawn Lynch was bottled up by the Rams defense gang-tackling him to the turf on every carry. The defense was good enough to win this week, but they have to do better. They allowed almost 500 yards of offense. The

With Earl Austin Jr.

John Carlos to speak at banquet

Best known for Black Power Salute at 1968 Olympics

One of the legendary figures in United States track and field history will be in the St. Louis area next month to speak at a special event. Olympic track star and human rights activist John Carlos will be the guest speaker at the Brittany and Olympic Friends Banquet and Dinner on Friday, Nov. 14 at the Shalimar Best Western Plaza Hotel in Festus. The event is put on by the Brittany Borman Foundation and sponsored by the Jets Track Club in Jefferson

County. Borman is a former star track athlete at Festus High and Oklahoma University. She competed in the 2012 Olympics in the javelin throw.

In recent years, the annual banquet brings together many great track and field athletes from the past and the present. This year’s event will feature Carlos, who became a historic figure in this country on and off the track during the 1968 Olympics.

Carlos is best known for his Black Power Salute

John Carlos is best known for his Black Power Salute gesture that he and fellow USA teammate Tommie Smith did on the medal stand after the 200-meter dash. Smith was the gold medalist while Carlos won the bronze medal.

n Carlos is best known for his Black Power Salute that he did on the medal stand after the 200-meter dash.

gesture that he and fellow USA teammate Tommie Smith did on the medal stand after the 200-meter dash. Smith was the gold medalist while Carlos won the bronze medal. During the playing of the national anthem, both Smith and Carlos bowed their heads and raised their gloved fists to the sky as a sign of protest and a symbol of black pride. Carlos was one of the founding members of the Olympic Project for Human See INSIDE, B5

Earl Austin Jr.

Palmer L. Alexander

With Palmer L. Alexander III

n Kevin Cunningham, Alexander’s trainer, was critical of the way Khan backed out of the fight last year.

Devon Alexander used his speed and combination punches en route to a hard-fought decision victory over Jesus Soto Karass in June.

Claib’s Call

With Mike Claiborne

The Rams fan confronts the Ferguson protestor

Mike Claiborne

A funny thing took place at the outside the Rams game on Sunday. No, it was not the celebration of the win over the reigning Super Bowl champs. It was where the near perfect storm took place. Protestors who have a lot to say about the death of Michael Brown Jr. (and other improprieties that exist in St. Louis) met Rams fans who wanted no part of it on their Sabbath.

Not that it is a day to worship but to pay homage to the almighty in their eyes that is the NFL and all the good will it brings. You know, domestic assaults, sexual assaults, rampant drug use and a variety of things that are not mentioned in the pulpit on this Sunday.

In this case, both sides had a lot to say to the other and one thing led to … well, you know, it got out of hand as slurs were hurled along with some fists. Some feelings were hurt and a few heads, and when the dust settled everyone moved on with their day. These protests have become more visible at venues that would not have been thought of as a place to demonstrate, but the issue is real and people want to be heard. The problem is those who need to hear the message have no interest in listening, as they feel it has nothing to do with them, that it’s not their problem. Like it or

not, it is everyone’s problem. Let’s start with the upsidedown U.S. flag that some Ferguson protestors brandish. It’s an international symbol

of citizen in distress that was embraced before Ferguson, for very different reasons, by Tea Party members. But to the average Joe six-pack it looks

like desecration. Countless people have died defending that flag and the right for people to say what is on their mind. They died for the principles the American flag stands for. For many, the flag is off-limits. So, for many of those same Americans, is football. “How dare you?” is their response. How dare protestors interrupt their day of peace and football chanting slogans and bearing an upside-down American flag?

These are the same people who have yet to ask why things are as they are in Ferguson and other communities. Instead they continue to move further west or south, where it will not affect them directly. It is a non-factor to them, and when they get tired of it they just turn off the news and move on to something else that takes their mind off of it all – say, football?

For those who want nothing to do with the protestors,

this Sunday was their time to issue some payback. A little throw-down got started when a drunken white male Rams fan tried to grab the upsidedown American flag from a black woman protestor. I say be careful for what you wish for, as both sides have yet to understand that we are all in this together, like it or not.

During my travels, I have learned that St. Louis has been tabbed as a racist city by both black and white people. That is more than a notion. We as a community in all parts of town have not done a good job in taking the time to understand each other and the issues we have with each other. The lines of communications have to be broader like they have been in the world of sports.

Over the years, as color barriers have been broken down in sports, it has solely been done on the whims of winning. Pick a sport and I

will give you a reason why integration was integral to the success of that sport as it gave the teams who wanted to break barriers a better chance of winning. Some of the greatest personal interracial relationships were spawned on baseball diamonds, football fields and basketball courts. Sports has always galvanized this country, even more so when the Olympics come around, as the only colors that matter then are red, white and blue (and, of course, gold).

Dialogue and the desire to understand teammates, no matter the color of their skin, was always at the forefront as it comes down to winning. While the issues in our community should not be equated to a homecoming game, nor should we liken this to “winning this one for the Gipper,” people do need to talk.

The protestors want all of St. Louis to understand just what the hell is going on. And for those who have elected to bury their heads in the sand and not take part in the discussion and hopefully the eventual solution, sports is the last refuge. Politics and sports have worked hard at avoiding each other over the years, but when the two cross paths, it can lead both sides to dialogue. And that is what the right-thinking sorts on both sides want: a conversation, not a fight. Like or not, sports will be the next stop for those who have an insightful, objective message about our community and what needs to be done to right an age-old wrong. If it’s peaceful on both sides, why not? There was a time when athletes would get involved. Today activism is frowned upon by leagues, teams and agents alike. Some athletes have bucked the trend, but not enough. While they are part of the community in so many ways, few will take this one on for fear of the potential pushback.

The protestors will not go away anytime soon, and as long as they remain peacefully vigilant in their actions, more will gravitate to what their message is all about. That will take time, for sure, but in sports as in struggle, winning never comes easy.

Micheal Brown supporters protested during the St. Louis Rams game against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday inside the Edward Jones Dome.

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

The postseason is upon us on the Missouri side as the district playoffs get underway this weekend. After a ninegame regular season, each team goes back to 0-0 as single elimination district play begins on Friday night. The next three weeks should be most interesting on the field. Here is a brief look at the upcoming districts:

Class 6

District 1: The top two seeds are Kirkwood (7-1) and Eureka (8-1). Barring any upsets, these two state-ranked teams appear on a collision course for the championship game in three weeks. One dark horse team in the field is Lafayette (4-5), which has played a tough schedule. The Lancers were tied late in the third quarter against Kirkwood and lost to Eureka 17-15 this season.

Everybody back to 0-0

Single-elimination district play begins Friday night PreP FootbALL notebook

By Earl Austin, Jr.

District 3: Undefeated Francis Howell drew the top seed with its 8-0 record. The Knights have been impressive all season. Also in the district are top Mid-Missouri teams Jefferson City and Columbia Rock Bridge.

Class 5

District 1: Southeast Missouri area power Jackson is the top seed in this district. The Indians could be challenged by St. Louis area teams Vianney, Summit and Parkway South.

District 2: CBC and Hazelwood Central received the No. 1 and No. 2 seed, respectively. Both are 9-0 and appeared heading for a big showdown for the district title in three weeks. However, you cannot overlook SLUH (7-2), which is coming off an impressive 38-35 victory over Kirkwood to close out the regular season.

CLUTCH

Continued from B3

Las Vegas. Like the first try at a fight against Khan, his previous bouts scheduled for Vegas fell though. Now could be the perfect time for a bout between two of the most-recognizable names in the welterweight division. The victor could be in line for major spoils in 2015.

According to Cunningham, the fighters need each other to land a big-money fight with the two most hallowed names in boxing.

“The winner of this fight is an instant opponent for Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather,” Cunningham told The American It should be an exciting matchup as both fighters have

RAMS

District 2: Webster Groves is the No. 1 seed in this very talented district. The Statesmen are seeking a trip to the state finals after getting to the semifinals last season. Also in

tremendous speed and boxing ability. Still, Cunningham is confident that his fighter has the heart, will and skill to emerge victorious.

“We’re not ducking anybody. We’re looking for the toughest fights out there,” Cunningham said. “This victory will put Devon on top of the world.”

The Showtime tripleheader will feature some serious juice on the undercard. Interim WBA welterweight titlist and knockout artist extraordinaire Keith

“One Time” Thurman (23-0-0, 21 KO) will take on undefeated Leonard Bundu (31-0-2, 11 KO). WBO light-middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade (21-0-0, 14 KO) will also be defending his strap against another undefeated opponent in Jermell Charlo (24-0-0, 11 KO).

Continued from B3 plays and cut-back runs.

tackling is bad. The defense whiffed on a couple of potential sacks or tackles for a loss because they take bad angles towards the quarterback. Teams also are using the Rams aggressive style against themselves with misdirection

INSIDE

Continued from B3

Rights. Carlos, Smith and Australian Peter Norman (the silver medalist) all wore OPHR patches during the medal ceremony as part of the protest. Both athletes came under heavy criticism and suffered a severe backlash for their protest from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and in the United States for many years. However, the gloved fist salute of Smith and Carlos remains one of the most iconic images in the history of sports. Over the years, John Carlos and Tommie Smith have

The Rams have to do a better job protecting the middle of the field in the passing game. They get gashed frequently over the middle. That’s something to look for when they face the Kansas City Chiefs this Sunday.

On offense, the line blocked a lot better. There were no sacks, and Austin

received many accolades for the brave stand they took back in 1968. Many songs have been written, books have been published, movies and documentaries have been produced about Smith and Carlos. In 2005, a 22-foot high statue was created of the historic salute on the campus of San Jose State University, where both were collegiate stars. In 2008, they received the Arthur Ashe Award for their courage at the ESPY Awards. Thanks to the Brittany Borman Foundation, folks in the St. Louis area will get a rare opportunity to see one of the most important figures in American sports history speak. At 69, Carlos is still very much

Hazelwood Central Hawkes running back DeMontez Clark (38) picks up a irst down during Saturday’s game against Columbia Hickman at Hazelwood Central. The Hawks would defeat the Kewpies 31-0.

the district are good teams from Ladue, Pattonville, Chaminade and McCluer North, who are all 6-3.

Bulls and Wolves battle in St. Louis

The NBA may be kicking off the 2014-15 regular season next Wednesday night, but for St. Louis hoops heads, all eyes are focused on Friday night.

Derrick Rose, Pau Gasol and Andrew Wiggins will roll into town for a preseason finale as the Chicago Bulls host the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Scottrade Center.

The Bulls appear to be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference this season. The Windy City squad finished fifth in the East last season and should have a bolstered roster with the return of Rose, a former league MVP, and the arrival of four-time All-Star Gasol. Gasol left the bright lights of Los Angeles to sign with a legitimate title contender. Of course, Rose has missed almost

Davis continues to impress and is making a case for having a future in the NFL, whether it’s in St. Louis or elsewhere.

Rookie Tre Mason ran the ball effectively and scored his first NFL touchdown. He has shown improvement pass blocking, but he has got to do a better job of securing the football. That late fourthquarter fumble could’ve cost the Rams a win.

an outspoken advocate of human rights.

Several other Olympic athletes will be in attendance, including former hurdles star Greg Foster, Connie Teaberry (former Lutheran North star and Olympic high jumper), Jeff Hartwig (Olympic pole vaulter) and many more. Also being honored on this night will be Vince Bingham, who was recently inducted into the Missouri Coaches Hall of Fame.

The social hour will begin at 6 p.m. with the dinner and program scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Individual tickets are on sale for $50 per person. Table sponsorship is also available for: $500 for a Platinum Table

and Fort Zuwmalt South are also threats to win this district as well.

Class 4

District 2: The top two teams in this district are Miller Career Academy (8-1) and Affton (9-0). They appear headed for a big showdown for the title in three weeks. Looking to spring the upset are teams such as St. Mary’s and Gateway STEM.

District 3: Top-seed St. Charles West is on a rolling after winning seven consecutive games, defeating the likes of Class 5 Fort Zumwalt South and Ladue along the way. Jennings is the No. 2 seed and looking good at 7-2. Clayton brings a strong passing attack to the No. 3 spot.

District 3: A very competitive district with 8-1 Fort Zumwalt North getting the top seed. Fort Zumwalt East, Parkway Central

two entire seasons with knee problems. How far the Bulls go will depend on whether Rose is suited up in uniform or with a shirt and tie. So far, Rose has looked good in international and preseason play.

For Minnesota, the T-Wolves are in a familiar rebuilding season after sending Kevin Love to Cleveland to keep LeBron James and Kyrie Irving company. In return, the team got Wiggins, who has been hyped as the “next” LeBron since his high school days. Wiggins still has a ways to go to prove he’s worth the hype. Still, it should be exciting to watch the uber-athletic rookie alongside Ricky Rubio in the Scottrade Center. Follow Ishmael and In the Clutch on Twitter @ IshmaelSistrunk and on Google+

Hopefully Brian Schottenheimer starts making a few more second-half adjustments so the offense doesn’t labor and give this defense a rest. I’m not holding my breath on that. Not with 10 games left.

For more Rams Roundup, please subscribe to youtube. com/stlamericanvideo.

Sponsor, $750 for a Silver Table Sponsor or $1,000 for a Gold Table Sponsor. Only 350 seats are available for the event. All proceeds go to local charities and to assist in the training of young athletes.

For more information, go to brittanyborman.org.

District 4: Westminster is the top seed with an impressive 8-1 record. They defeated No. 2 seed Borgia last Friday in the regular-season finale.

A rematch in three weeks is very possible, but you cannot overlook No. 3 seed Union and its potent passing attack.

Class 3 District 2: John Burroughs is the No. 1 seed with its 8-1 record. The Bombers have advanced to the state semifinals the past four years. Soldan checks in as the second seed.

Class 2 District 2: Cardinal Ritter is the No. 1 seed in the district, followed by Herculaneum and Carnahan. This one is wide open.

District 5: Lutheran North (8-1) is the No. 1 seed in this district. The Crusaders advanced to the state semifinals a year ago. Hermann (7-2) and Brentwood (9-0) are also in the district. They should have a very good semifinal contest in two weeks.

Andrew Clair SLUH

– Football

The sophomore standout running back enjoyed an excellent all-around performance in leading the Jr. Bills to a 38-35 upset victory over Kirkwood last weekend.

Clair had a total of 241 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns. He rushed for 149 yards on 10 carries, including an 80-yard touchdown run. He has one reception for 57 yards for a touchdown in what was his top performance of the season over an previously undefeated Kirkwood team. For the season, Clair has rushed for 511 yards and six touchdowns. He also has four receptions for 83 yards. SLUH (7-2) will open play in the Class 6, District 2 playoffs against visiting Hazelwood West on Friday at 7 p.m.

Photo by Wiley Price

BRADFORD

Continued from B1

Becoming executive director in February 1999, he is credited with building the organization’s contributed and earned income from $375,000 to $1.8 million today.

On Nov. 7, Bradford will receive the Nonprofit Executive of the Year Award at the St. Louis American Foundation’s 15th Annual Salute to Excellence in Business Awards & Networking Luncheon. The event will be held Friday, November 14 at the Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis, with a networking reception at 11 a.m. and luncheon program at noon.

The renovation included the purchase of its building at 3536 Washington Ave. and another next door, a renovated performance space, an education center and a jazz lounge. The jazz club expanded its seating capacity from 150 to 220, and almost every seat in the house is a good one, he said. All together, it’s now called the Harold and Dorothy Steward Center for Jazz, named after the parents of a major donor, David Steward, founder and chairman of World Wide Technology and a well-established supporter of Jazz St. Louis. This October, the jazz center debuted with a performance by Wynton Marsalis.

However, on top of bringing amazing artists to St. Louis, Bradford believes the nonprofit makes its biggest impact through its work with young people.

Every musician who performs in the Jazz at the Bistro concert series also goes out to local schools and holds workshops, master classes and other events. And through its programs, Jazz St. Louis introduces hundreds of thousands of young people to jazz, he said.

“That’s been the thing that is having the most impact longterm,” he said. “We want to make sure the next generation of jazz musicians have opportunities. It is very easy to let one’s heritage slip away.”

In his own life, Bradford had some influential teachers in high school and college. He grew up in Columbia, Maryland – the first “planned community” created by developer James Rouse. Rouse’s design aimed to eliminate racial, economic and religious segregation.

“So you had going to the same high school people who were in the low-income housing all the way up to deluxe mansions,” Bradford said.

n “We want to make sure the next generation of jazz musicians have opportunities.”

– Gene Dobbs Bradford

There was a church in town called the Interfaith Center.

It was a big facility where a number of different churches would hold their services.

“The idea is whatever religion you are, you are going to come to this space to workshop, within your own congregation,” he said. “Every now and then, there’d be potlucks where all the congregations would get together and eat casseroles.”

It was the type of place where children had incredible opportunities to explore their interests, he said. His teacher at Wilde Lake High School, Lewis Dutrow, inspired him

to pursue music, and Dutrow continues to teach there.

“I hope that’s the type of influence we’re having,” Bradford said.

Dutrow helped Bradford find a teacher at the Eastman School of Music, where he was a double bass major. That teacher, professor of double bass James VanDemark, encouraged him to pursue his interests in music management.

“Before I got to the point where I was going to be accomplished enough to be a great jazz bassist, I had already decided that I liked putting shows on more than I liked performing in them,” he said.

However, he still enjoys performing harmonica with his band, the Gene Dobbs Bradford Blues Experience.

“The arts aren’t just something nice, they’re a necessity,” he said.

“It’s what every culture holds up as the thing that’s really greatest about them. The thing that lasts, the thing that allows us to reach out from our own situation in time, is the arts.”

The 15th Annual Salute to Excellence in Business Awards & Networking Luncheon will be held Friday, November 14 at the Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis, networking reception at 11 a.m., luncheon program at noon. Tickets are $100 for VIP/Preferred seating, $75 for general admission. Call 314-533-8000 or visit www. stlamerican.com for more information or to purchase tickets.

Gene Dobbs Bradford, Jazz St. Louis executive director Photo by Wiley Price

mix to match

Daring trends define fall fashion for 2014

By Danie Rae, Style Broker

For The St. Louis American

Fall is well under way – and as the leaves have changed, so have our wardrobes. This fall we’re in for a big treat. Not only can we still rock bright-colored hues, but we get to mix and match trends from the summer with new fall frocks. With the focus being the clothes, we’re excited at all of the options of pairing up styles to achieve that flawless look.

Partnering up with City Boutique in the heart of The Grove neighborhood, we breakdown the latest fall fashion trends. Owner Sheryl Myers has made it her mission to bring a wide variety of apparel for the urban fashionista. Whether one might be looking for a funky formal piece or a unique pair of jeans, City Boutique caters to the customer’s fashion fixes – as well as this season’s must haves.

Tease with texture

“Texture” in clothing has been big all year and remains a classic. It can be used to break up the monotony of an outfit, as well as add a luxury feel to any item. Adding texture to your fall wardrobe doesn’t have to be an expensive ordeal, though. By incorporating simple pieces like cardigan sweaters and jackets that have detailing incorporating the texture trend, you will be all the rage. With details like quilting on jackets and handbags to

By Kenya Vaughn

New to town leadership at

By Jami Ballentine Dolby

For The St. Louis American

Yemi Akande-Bartsch, Ph.D, Executive Director for FOCUS St. Louis, stood at the doors at the Visitors Center at Forest Park greeting the hundreds of young professionals who came out for Connect With St. Louis. The event proved to be the premier networking event for young professionals in the region. If you are looking to become engaged with other young professionals or get more involved with volunteering in your community, don’t miss out on events like this.

Jami Ballentine Dolby

The first person I saw coming in was Timothy Slater, who informed me that his wife has taken a job in South Bend, Indiana and the couple is relocating with their young son. Slater pointed me in the direction of the Annie Malone table.

Victoria Harris and LaTanya Reeves were there with bright smiles and making signing everyone up to volunteer. I’m looking forward to seeing LaTanya Reeves in action in her new role as Fund Development Chair with the Urban League Young Professionals – because under

“Dear White People,” opens in theatres nationwide on Friday, Oct. 24.

Victoria Harris and LaTanya Reeves with

Style: Danie Rae, Style Broker, Photos: Lawrence Bryant, MU: Nettie Kelley, Model: Matice Morris Wardrobe provided by: City Boutique, 4300 Manchester Ave, 63110 (314) 657-0125

How to place a calendar listing

1. Email your listing to calendar@stlamerican. com OR

2. Visit the calendar section on stlamerican.com and place your listing

Calendar listings are free of charge, are edited for space and run on a space-available basis.

halloween

Thur., Oct. 30, 6 p.m., ESG Modeling Agency presents Community Halloween Runway Show. Enjoy an evening of Halloween with a Christian based modeling agency like never before. A portion of the proceeds will help Ferguson Middle school raise money towards their 2014-2015 field trips. The trunk or treat is free of charge and open to the public. Third Degree Glass Factory, 5200 Delmar Blvd., 63108. For more information, email esgst.louis@yahoo.com or visit www. esgwalkortreat. eventbrite.com.

Fri., Oct. 31, 7 p.m., Mystic Salon presents All Hallows’ Eve Masquerade Ball. Come out for a glittering masquerade ball to celebrate the changing of the season with a night of mystery, music, dancing, ire, magic, delicious food, festive cocktails and fantastic entertainment. Enjoy appetizers, gourmet food, luscious desserts as well as an open bar. Exciting door prizes, party favors & a unique photo booth, you won’t want to miss a moment of this magical evening. Wear your most mysterious cocktail masquerade attire. Must be 21 to attend and tickets must be purchased prior to event. Third Degree Glass Factory, 5200 Delmar Blvd., 63108. For more information, call (314) 3674527.

Fri., Oct. 31, 8 p.m., Fright Night Halloween Party at Ballpark Village. Downtown’s favorite entertainment district joins forces with Johnnie Brock’s Dungeon for its irst annual Halloween bash, including: DJ Mike Justis at Fox Sports Midwest Live, Halloween costume contest with $5,000 in prizes, free outdoor party on Busch II Inield with live band and midnight showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. 601 Clark St., 63102. For

more information, visit www. stlballparkvillage.com.

Through Oct. 31, The Butterfly House presents Owls and Orchids. We will expand our collection of Owl Butterflies from 100 to over 1,000 creatures – more than ten times the normal number. The conservatory will be decorated with over 100 colorful, blooming orchids. Faust Park, 15193 Olive Blvd., 63017. For more information, call (636) 530-0076 or visit www.butterflyhouse.org.

Sun., Nov. 2, 2 p.m., Delta Dental Health Theatre presents The Great Candy Exchange. Area children, families and school groups are invited to turn in their unopened, Halloween candy in exchange for chances to win prizes that encourage healthy habits and active play. All collected candy will be sent to our troops overseas. The fun filled event will feature live shows, face painting, bounce houses and more. Enter to win the grand prize: an Xbox 360 Kinect. Kids are encouraged to come in their Halloween costumes, as there will be a costume contest. Vetta Soccerdome, 220 East Ave., 63119. For more information, call (314) 241-7391 or visit www.ddhtslt.org.

concerts

Thur., Oct. 23, 7 p.m., The Mildred Thimes Foundation presents 10th Annual Cancer Benefit Concert feat. Denise Thimes. Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, call (314) 773-0337.

Sat., Oct. 25, 7 p.m., Live Entertainment presents Bootsy Collins with special guest Shock G (a.k.a. Humpty Hump). The Concert will feature a full band complete with horn section—with many members of the original Rubber Band. Concert-goers can expect to hear hits from Bootsy’s Rubber

Band, as well as favorites from his days in Parliament/ Funkadelic. The Ambassador, 9800 Halls Ferry Rd., 63136. For more information, call (314) 869-9090 or visit www. liveentertainmentworld.com/ shows.

Sat., Nov. 1, 7 p.m., Lumiere Place and Casino presents Avant. 999 N. Second St., 63160. For more information, call (314) 881-7777 or visit www.lumiereplace.com.

Sat. Oct. 25, 8pm – Three –time Grammy Award winning artist Jill Scott will be the featured musical artist at the Cedric the Entertainer & Friends concert at the Peabody Opera House. This inaugural event, sponsored by World Wide Technology, is in support of the future Rosetta Boyce Kyles Women’s Pavilion at SSM St. Mary’s Health Center, to be named after Cedric’s mother. Tickets $79.50, $59.50 & $39.50.

local gigs

Fri., Nov. 7, 8 p.m., PureHeart Management, KlassHouse Music and Pennyworth Enterprises present: The Last Men Standing: Bring Back the R&B. Rollyn K. Moore and Justin M Hoskin feat. The Band of Brothers. Voce, 212 S. Tucker, 63102. For more information, call (314) 4433172.

Wednesdays, 6-10 p.m., Lexus Len’s “Winedown Wednesdays,” Live Band featuring: Cheryl Brown, Jeremiah Allen, Jeff Taylor, Gerald Warren & Amos Brewer, The Loft, 3112 Olive.

Chaifetz Arena presents Mike Epps. For more information, see COMEDY.

Nov. 18 – 19, Sheldon Concert Hall presents Brian Owens: A Tribute to Nat King Cole. Brian Owens is rapidly earning a reputation as one of the most promising young soul singers on today’s music scene. He returns to St. Louis to perform Cole’s best loved songs such as “Mona Lisa,” “Unforgettable” and more. 3648 Washington Blvd., 63108. For information, visit www.sheldonconcerthall.org.

special events

Sat., Oct. 25, 10 a.m., St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store hosts Community Appreciation Day. We have always been and will continue to be a part of the Dellwood/ Ferguson community. Come out for good food, giveaways, and more. 10052 W. Florissant Ave., 63136. For more information, call (314) 8816045.

Sat., Oct. 25, 7 p.m. doors, Kut-Nup Productions presents An Old School Blast featuring Sync or Swim R&B tribute hosted by Sevvy Sev, The Ambassador, 9800 Halls Ferry Rd. For more information, call (314) 8699090.

Sat., Oct. 25, 10 a.m., St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store hosts Community Appreciation Day. We have always been and will continue to be a part of the Dellwood/ Ferguson community. Come out for good food, giveaways, and more. 10052 W. Florissant Ave., 63136. For more information, call (314) 8816045.

Sun., Oct. 26, 1 p.m., The Beauty Lounge presents Sip & See: The Bridal Edition. Attendees are invited to mix and mingle with the areas most requested and creative beauty vendors in the area as they display some of the latest and greatest trends for the upcoming season. Featured vendors will specialize in makeup artistry, bridal hair, one-of-a-kind wedding day accessories and even prewedding body services, just to name a few. RSVP today as space is limited to the irst 100 to register. 1430 Washington Ave., 63103. For more information, call (314) 400-8272.

Sun., Oct. 26, 3 p.m., Never Play Music right next to the Zoo. The STL Symphony and Saint Louis Zoo join forces showing audiences just how musical animals can be as they perform works based on John Lithgow’s popular children’s book. 718 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, call (314) 533-2500 or visit www.stlsymphony.org.

Sun., Oct. 26, 4 p.m., All-N-1 Entertainment presents 2nd Annual I Am Exquisite Red Carpet Fashion Show. Join us for fun & excitement as our kid and adult models rip the runway with special guest performances by the Tiara Twins. Machinist Hall, 12365 St. Charles Rock Rd., 63044. For more information, call (314) 690-3660 or visit www. iamexquisite.eventbrite.com.

Sun., Oct. 26, 3 p.m., Never Play Music right next to the Zoo. The STL Symphony and Saint Louis Zoo join forces showing audiences just how musical animals can be as they perform works based on John Lithgow’s popular children’s book. 718 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, call (314) 533-2500 or visit www.stlsymphony.org.

Sun., Oct. 26, 4 p.m., All-N-1

Entertainment presents 2nd Annual I Am Exquisite Red Carpet Fashion Show. Join us for fun & excitement as our kid and adult models rip the runway with special guest performances by the Tiara Twins. Machinist Hall, 12365 St. Charles Rock Rd., 63044. For more information, call (314) 690-3660 or visit www. iamexquisite.eventbrite.com.

Thur., Oct. 30, 6 p.m., ESG Modeling Agency presents Community Halloween Runway Show. Enjoy an evening of Halloween with a Christian based modeling

agency like never before. This is a family friendly community event that will include a trunk or treat and a small runway production exhibiting the latest Halloween fashions. Also, assist us as we help a Ferguson Middle school raise money towards their 2014-2015 field trips. The trunk or treat is free of charge and open to the public. Third Degree Glass Factory, 5200 Delmar Blvd., 63108. For more information, email esgst.louis@yahoo.com or visit www. esgwalkortreat. eventbrite.com.

Thur., Oct. 30, 6 p.m., 2nd Annual Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation Gala: Sequins, Suits & Sneakers. Witness generosity in action as we highlight the exceptional programs offered by the Center, and spotlight some of the children beneiting from those programs and sporting new sneakers thanks to proceeds from last year’s gala. Hilton St. Louis Ball Park, One S. Broadway, 63102. For more information, call (314) 749-5606 or visit www. jjkfoundation.org.

Nov. 7 – Nov. 8, Dance St. Louis welcomes world renowned troupe Dance Theatre of Harlem, Touhill Performing Arts Center Tickets are available at the Dance St. Louis box office at 3547 Olive St. in the Centene Center for Arts and Education in Grand Center, by calling 314-534-6622, or by visiting dancestlouis.org.

comedy

Sat., Oct. 25, 8 p.m., World Wide Technology, Inc. presents An Evening with Cedric the Entertainer and Friends. Inaugural event beneiting the Rosetta Boyce Kyles Women’s Pavilion at SSM St. Mary’s Health Center. Peabody Opera House, 1400 Market St., 63103. For more information, visit www. cedricandfriends.org.

Thurs., Oct. 30 – Nov. 2, The Pageant welcomes Dave Chappelle, The Pageant, 6161 Delmar. For more information, visit www.thepageant.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

Sat., Oct. 25, 8 p.m., River City Casino presents Last Comic Standing Tour..777 River City Casino Blvd., 63125.

Fri., Nov. 7, 8 p.m., Chaifetz Arena presents Mike Epps. One S. Compton Ave., 63103.

For more information, visit www.thechaifetzarena.com.

Through Dec. 13, Satori presents STL Up Late. This is an interactive late night talk show featuring the most talented & engaging guests that St. Louis has to offer.

STL Up Late takes all of the best elements of your favorite televised late night talk shows, like live music & famous personalities, and adds interactive audience games, sketch comedy, and a spontaneity that you can’t ind on FCC regulated TV shows. 3003 Locust St., 63103. For more information, visit www. stluplate.com.

theatre

Oct. 24 – 26, Alfresco Production Presents Little Shop of Horrors. 2041 Delmar Ave., 62040. For more information, visit alfrescoproductions.org.

Oct. 24 – 26, Variety Children’s Theatre presents Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Bringing together an all-star collection of talent along with a live orchestra, dazzling sets, and stunning costumes, this will be an unforgettable experience for the entire family. Featuring professional performers with a children’s ensemble comprised of children of all ability levels.

Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center, 8001 Natural Bridge Rd., 63121. For more information, visit www.touhill. org.

Oct. 25 – Nov. 18, The Missouri History Museum presents Esther. For free black women like Esther, the world changed enormously with the Louisiana Purchase. Hear her story. 5700 Lindell Blvd., Forest Park 63112. For more information, visit www. mohistory.org.

arts

Oct. 24 – Nov. 22, Philip Slein Gallery presents Other Ways,

Other Times: Inluence of African-American Tradition from St. Louis Collections. An exhibition highlighting the inluences of African-American tradition culled from numerous private collections. The exhibition features works by Radcliffe Bailey, Jean Michel Basquiat, Dawoud Bey, Ellen Gallagher, Glenn Ligon, Kara Walker, Kehinde Wiley, and others. 4735 McPherson Ave., 63108. For more information, call (314) 361-2617.

Sat., Nov. 8, 7 p.m., FriendsbyChoice presents Choice Art 2014: 5th Anniversary Celebration. Mark your calendars for auction to benefit Planned Parenthood. Come celebrate with a juried art selection, hors d’ oeuvres, signature drinks, and a fantastic opportunity to meet new and like-minded people. Contemporary Art Museum, 3750 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www. choiceart.org.

Fri., Nov. 14, 8 p.m., Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis presents Art:314. Don’t miss this silent auction and party in support of CAM’s Open Studios STL program

and Front Room exhibition series. Bid on work by a variety of St. Louis artists—at a range of prices—and enjoy dancing and an open bar throughout the evening. 3450 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www. grandcenter.org.

lectures

Thurs., Oct. 23, 11 & 7 p.m., Author and educator Victor Rios will be the featured lecturer at two presentations at St. Louis Community College campuses. A professor of sociology at the University of California – Santa Barbara, Rios will discuss “Standing up for Justice: Personal and Community Transformation in the Struggle Against Hyper Policing” at 11 a.m. in the Student Center Multipurpose Room at STLCC-Florissant Valley, 3400 Pershall Road. Following the presentation at Florissant Valley, Rios and a team of sociologists will interview community activists before a second presentation and book-signing at STLCC-Meramec. At Meramec, Rios will present

“Punitive Social Control, the Youth Control Complex, and Restorative Justice” at 7 p.m. in the Meramec Theatre on campus, 11333 Big Bend Road in Kirkwoodf the books “Punished: Policing the Lives of Black and Latino Boys” and “Street Life: Poverty, Gangs and a Ph.D.” He also has given a TED talk at UC-Santa Barbara. The presentations, sponsored by the Global Studies program, are free and open to the public. For more information, call 314-513-4337 or 314-984-7689.

Thurs., Oct. 23, 5:30 p.m., For the Sake of All presents The Creating Economic Opportunity Community Action Forum, Scheduled speakers include Edward Bryant, president and CEO of the St. Louis Minority Business Council; Tishaura Jones, St. Louis treasurer; Roderick Nunn, interim vice president of St. Louis Community College at Forest Park; and Washington University’s Michael Sherraden, the George Warren Brown Distinguished University Professor and director of the Center for Social Development. Community room at St. Louis

Public Radio, 3651 Olive Street in St. Louis, 63108. For more information, visit www. FortheSakeofAll.org.

Thurs., Oct. 23, 7 p.m., Free Home Buyer’s Seminar. For more information, visit stlhomebuyingseminar.com or call Lisa at 314-446-7538.

health

Sat., Oct. 25, 10 a.m., Southern Mission Baptist Church Health Fair. Please invite your family & friends to come out and take advantage of some free services. There will be information and services available for all ages, free food, raffles and givea-ways. 8171 Wesley Ave., 63140. For more information, call (314) 521-3951.

Sat., Oct. 25, 10 a.m., Beyond Housing presents Destination Healthy Community: 4th Annual Health Festival. There will be free flu shots, diabetes screenings, a children’s health village, and more. St. Vincent Community Center, 7335 St. Charles Rock Rd., 63133. For more information, call (314) 5330600.

Thur., Nov. 18, 8:30 a.m., SSM St. Mary’s Health Center hosts Provident’s Mental Health Symposium. The keynote speaker will be Susan Dreyfus from the Alliance for Children & Families. Speakers include Rob Fruend, CEO, St. Louis Regional Health Commission; Daniel Body, Vice President, SSM Behavioral Health and more. Symposium also includes panels and discussion. CEUs available. 6420 Clayton Rd., 63117. For more information, visit www. providentstl.org.

spiritual

Fri., Oct. 24, 7 p.m., The Rhema Church presents The Pastor’s Ball in honor of Norman E. Owens. A black, red, and white tie affair to

celebrate a lifetime of sharing and caring. 2233 Cass Ave., 63106. For more information, call (314) 436-4567.

Fri., Oct. 24, 8 p.m., The Peace & Love Tour. Featuring gospel stars Mary Mary, Kierra Sheard and Isaac Carree, Chaifetz Arena. Tickets available at Ticketmaster.com, charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000, Ticketmaster outlets, and at the Chaifetz Arena Box Office.

Through Oct. 23, 5 p.m., We Believe, Inc. presents LaRhonda’s Way: Healing Through Laughter & Song. This event will be two nights of domestic violence awareness. Event will include breakout sessions/support meetings, a comedy show, and concert. Comedians include Eric Moore, Le’Andria Johnson (Thursday only), Reggie Reg, and Gerald Wilson. Wednesday location: Power of Change, Christian Center, 2348 Jerome Ave., Cahokia, IL. 62206. Thursday location: Greater Grace Church, 3690 Pershall Rd., 63135. For more information, call (314) 808-1125.

Sat., Oct. 25, 8 p.m., Cathedral Concerts presents Senegal St. Joseph Gospel Choir. Founded in 1950 by the United Nations’ Ambassador Artist for Peace, Mr. Julian Jouga, the choir is now directed by Mr. Ambroise N’Diong. The company is made up of 15 singers and 4 traditional Senegalese drummers. Cathedral Basilica, 4431 Lindell Blvd., 63108. For more information, call (314) 533-7662 or visit www. cathedralconcerts.org/events.

Sun., Oct. 26, 3 p.m., St. Matthew C.M.E. Church 69th Anniversary Celebration, Guest Preacher is Rev. James T. Stewart, Pastor of Murchison Tabernacle C.M.E. Church. 312 Attucks St., Kirkwood, MO 63122. For more information (314) 965-7144.

World Wide Technology, Inc. presents An Evening with Cedric the Entertainer and Friends featuring Jill Scott. See COMEDY for details.

“What’s happening in Ferguson is not the same as what’s happening in this film,” Richardson said. “Call it divine timing – or whatever you will – but this is coming out as people have just had enough. And that’s not just here, but all over the world, whether it be in Ferguson, Hong Kong or Palestine.”

Much like the Ferguson unrest did when it captured an international audience, writer/ director Justin Simien uses his first feature film to dispel the rumor of a post-racial society. The film is what some are calling the millennials’ answer to Spike Lee’s classic college campus flick “School Daze.”

In “Dear White People,” a small group of black students at a fictional Ivy League university must deal with the complexities of racial identity and racism from several angles as they are hit with harsh realities while attempting to function within the general population.

The film stars Tessa Thompson as Samantha White, host of a popular – yet equally controversial – radio show entitled “Dear White People.” The film is less about a show that delivers cold hard truths from a black perspective and more about illustrating the fact that one size does not fit all when it comes to one’s blackness – nor do the challenges faced by people of color with respect to race.

“Troy has his life mapped out for him,” Bell said of his character. “His father has a prestigious position at an Ivy League school. He’s kind of had life handed to him, but Troy has different plans for himself. His inner conflict with his identity is figuring out what he really wants to do juxtaposed with what his father wants and expectations for African-American men who come from Troy’s background – with all of that privilege.” Richardson’s Reggie

n The film is what some are calling the millennials’ answer to Spike Lee’s classic college campus flick “School Daze.”

character is the campus militant – and present love interest of Sam.

“Dear White People” also stars Dennis Haysbert as Troy’s father, Teyonnah Parris as the self-hating black Barbie doll and Tyler James Williams as the campus outcast and target.

“Dear White People” is a case of art imitating life for Bell and Richardson. The two met more than a decade ago when they resided on an allblack floor in a University of Southern California dorm. USC, in Los Angeles’ sarcastic slang, is the “University for Spoiled Children.”

“We lived this, though I didn’t realize it at the time we were filming,” Richardson said. “I feel like this is a story that, at the root of it, is about identity. So for me the movie is ultimately saying, ‘It’s okay to be yourself, wherever you are and whoever you are.’”

“Dear White People” was the darling of this year’s Sundance Film Festival –selling out every performance –but thanks to the title, the film has been met with unflattering feedback in advance of its mainstream release.

“A lot of times I feel like there is tension – not all white people, you can’t generalize any race – but there are people who have reactions to this film that are negative without having seen it,” Bell said. “To them I would say, ‘Dear white people, relax … and let’s talk.’”

“Dear White People” opens in theatres nationwide on Friday, Oct. 24. The film is rated R with a running time of 108 minutes.

FASHION

Continued from C1

metallic hardware accessories on clothing and shoes, texture can be used anywhere, making your look timeless and chic.

Gold and orange the new black Gold and orange are the colors of the season. I know it seems sort of cliché with Halloween being around the corner, but when these two colors are worn together or apart, it’s fire! To maximize these trends, one has to pair them with complimentary colors such as blue and purple. These colors can be color-blocked or worn in a monochromatic style to really highlight the trend.

Prints are pertinent

Another fall favorite are the prints. In addition to wearing bold colors, many designers are incorporating prints from different cultures into their designs. Prints ranging from African to Asian origin can be found in formal wear, coats and other outer wear items, and of course in accessories like scarves, hats and jewelry. Leopard is also here to stay. These prints aren’t just a fall focus. One can pull off a print any time of the year.

Work

the middle

Brace yourself for this one! Making the waist a focal point is all the rage this season. From wearing fall -friendly midriffs to wearing high-waist

pants, the abdomen area is being highlighted. Now I know this trend is not one-size-fitsall, but even curvy chicks can rock the middle out by pairing the high-waist pants with crop tops. This not only brings the eye in to make the waist look smaller, but it also highlights the rest of the curves. If you’re not that daring, try using different belts to contour and shape the waist.

Accessorize the prize

Shoes, belts, scarves, hats, gloves and jewelry are all kept to a minimum this season. Which is kind of blah to one who likes the “bling” – such as myself. But the over-accessorizing trend is long gone. This season we’re picking one statement

piece and rocking it to the fullest. For instance, having a transitional handbag that can be worn with a coat as well as work with your “ready to wear” look. Even an interesting pair of earrings can be all a girl needs to feel fly. My personal favorite accessory this fall will be scarves. They can stand alone when it comes to accessorizing. Having a multiuse scarf that can

Baby Wipes Art Supply Box

If you’ve ever had a baby brother or sister then you know how many diapers, and likewise baby wipes, they go through in the first few years they are alive. Most of the baby wipes boxes are refillable but if you end up with an extra box, they can be upcycled as storage boxes. They can hold extra school supplies, small toys, or a rock collection. But the best use is turning these baby wipes boxes into your own personalized art supply box! They easily fit crayons, pencils, markers, paint tubes, brushes, and longer scissors. But don’t leave the box plain and boring! Decorate the outside so that you and everyone in your family can see that this isn’t a baby wipes box anymore, it is a beautiful art box that allows you to explore your creative side.

Grocery Bag Dispenser

Another quick way to upcycle the empty baby wipes box is to turn it into another type of dispenser. Almost every house has a supply of plastic grocery bags that are saved for tiny garbage bags or some other use. Many times these bags pile up and look like a mess in some kitchen corner or cabinet. By dropping them into an old baby wipes box, not only do they stay out of view, but they are easily retreived when you need to grab a quick grocery bag. Another important thing to keep in mind is that most of these baby wipes boxes are made from recycleable plastic and should never be thrown into the trash.

Major employers from a variety of industries. Bring resumés. Open to the public. For more information, call 314-644-9225

ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE AT FOREST

From wearing fall -friendly midriffs to wearing high-waist pants, the abdomen area is being highlighted.

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

Black & Single

The b-day deal breaker

Does absent mind mean absent heart?

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American “IT.IS.OVER!”

She said this with the tone of maxed-out disgust in her voice after picking up her phone and looking at it yet again – and discovering that she had missed no calls or texts from her soon-to-be former boo.

We all knew why as we met up at her house. She had hired a catering company of three men to prepare an intimate four-course meal for her closest friends.

“I gave him a whole other day to tell me ‘happy birthday’ – and here it is after midnight going into two days past. And today I called myself giving him a chance to figure out why I’ve been so dry. And … well … crickets.”

Do I have to say that birthdays are a big deal for her since I’ve painted the picture of having chefs come to her house to cook? If so, let me say that this year she was actually on a “birthday spending freeze” – and she loosely operates on a calendar year that goes from birthday to birthday, with October being the first month of her year. The guy she’s been dating for the past eight months obviously doesn’t share her sentiment.

“Girl, this relationship is too fresh for you to be so bothered over a birthday,” one friend says.

all of my might, only to forget your birthday. I just forgot.”

Although she forgot, forgot and forgot – she did have a point.

“You said y’all have been swamped with work, maybe he has something planned later this weekend,” another friend said. “We didn’t meet up until the day after your birthday this year because of your schedule.”

“Maybe he feels like if you can plan and pay for a girlfriend’s get-together birthday dinner, then you should have organized something for the two of you to do.”

Her sister believed that he may have been so stressed about pulling off magic for the first birthday she celebrated in their relationship that he cracked under the pressure and decided to scrap the whole thing.

“But we were friends for five years before he wore me down and we started dating,” she clapped back. “He knows how I feel about my birthday, just like y’all do – as a matter of fact, this is the first year since we’ve known each other that he hasn’t at least called. Even when we fell out!”

“You forgot my birthday four years in a row,” I say. “Now, I know you felt terrible about it – and the guilt you served up was real. But perhaps he’s suffering a ‘mental block’ … you know, like you the one you experienced from ’05-’09 for my birthday.”

“You ain’t my man,” she said. “And I didn’t spend the past nine months pursuing you with

“Girl, it is not that deep. I think he just forgot,” I said, hijacking the start of her sister’s one-woman show of not-so-quiet shade. It was an attempt to chop the tension I felt rising when the sister went on to talk about all the pressure she puts on everybody like “it’s Jesus’ birthday or something.”

She calmed down, and decided the best way to go about it was to hold out from confronting him about it until he remembered and came apologetically crawling.

After two weeks, she couldn’t take it any longer – and turns out I was right.

“He was so casual about it,” she said “I couldn’t believe him.”

I told her to tell him how she feels and give him a pass.

“This says a lot about how he really thinks – or should I say doesn’t think – about me,” she said.

“Letting this go sets a tone for how he will treat me in this relationship.”

“But didn’t he treat you just fine in the relationship every day except one so far?” I said. “If y’all are in it for the long haul like you say, this will be a small fish to fry in the scheme of things.”

“The level of importance that someone places on what you consider important says everything about how they feel about you,” she said.

“If they neglect the things that are priority for you, it’s just a matter of time before they start neglecting you.” What do you think?

her leadership the ULYP will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Urban Renissance Gala. Ashley Dantzler and Bree DeGraw with Susan G. Komen St. Louis were the most energetic pair out of the over 30 organizations represented. f you are still one of the sad few that complain that St. Louis has nothing to offer, it’s time to admit that you just haven’t taken the time to become engaged. And not that I’m trying to play matchmaker, but there was also a room full of single (not to mention wellpaid) professionals.

New-to-town leaders at Harris-Stowe. Harris-Stowe State University is heading in a progressive direction under the leadership of new President Dwaun J. Warmack. He does more networking around town than anybody I’ve seen – and with good reason. President Warmack is committed to St. Louis and wants his new team to stay connected, increase enrollment and take community engagement to a new level at our HBCU. So if you see him or his wife Lakisha, please introduce yourself and welcome them to our city.

Dr. Warmack wasn’t alone as far as fresh new talent. Joining him is Emmanuel Lalande, the new Dean of Student Success at HarrisStowe. And like the newly elected president, Lalande is also native of Detroit. Director of admissions, advisement and retention is Brooklyn, NY native Reynolda Brown. Mr. Brown, who most recently was with Bethune-Cookman University, comes to St. Louis with his wife and three daughters. He’s also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi.

Save the date. Napoli Night for Crisis Nursery, hosted by their Young Professionals Board, is Thursday, November 20 at Bar Napoli. I’m honored to represent The St. Louis

Reynolda Brown, Dwuan Hardwick and Emmanuel Lalande

American this year as a “Celebrity Watiress,” so please make your reservations now. VIP admission is only $40 per person or $50 at the door. Don’t wait too long to inquire about this event – because it will sell out. For more information, please visit www. crisisnurserykids.org.

n Not that I’m trying to play matchmaker, but there was also a room full of single (not to mention wellpaid) professionals.

A magical wedding.

Congratulations are in order for Britteni Williams –daughter of well-established businessman Jerome Williams and his lovely wife Gwen. She is now Mrs. Williams! She married Kent Williams at the Magic House on Saturday in a beautiful ceremony surrounded by family and close friends. Britteni looked absolutely stunning in her white gown with the sweetheart neckline and curls off to one side. Britteni who was a basketball standout at

Incarnate Word and University of Arkansas at Little Rock where she graduated, is now relaxing in St. Thomas with her groom Kent. Her husband Kent along with his groomsmen looked like the perfect gentlemen that they are in their custom fitted grey tuxedos. But their dapper attire didn’t stop them from staying on the dance floor all night long at the reception. Congratulations, Britteni and Kent on your magical nuptials.

Tea & Crumpets. Christmas is coming, and before you buy an expensive watch for the special man in your life please make sure you aren’t buying them a fake.

A local entertainer was recently called out in social media by an Instagram user whose sole purpose is to “out” celebrities who wear fake Rolex watches and other highend brands. Well, someone who calls St. Louis home recently was called out as well – but a local businesswoman defended his name for him, because he was too busy enjoying his honeymoon with his new wife. I’m definitely going to need to some sugar with this hot tea. Need more details, follow me on Instagram @ theSTLsuite.

ESL NAACP drifts from its mission

Back in February of 1909 the NAACP was founded, in part, to “advance the interests of colored citizens … and to increase their opportunities for education.”

Apparently E. St. Louis NAACP Branch President Stanley Franklin and his officers failed to read their own mission statement, that is, if one were to judge from the scholarship recipients at their 60th Annual Freedom Fund Awards Banquet held, recently, at the Renaissance Grand Hotel in St. Louis.

Three of the four scholarship recipients – Brian Fitzgerald, son of Belleville NewsDemocrat reporter Mike Fitzgerald; Noor Aftab; and Joseph Kirkpatrick – are all non-black students who attend the prestigious Governor French Academy of Belleville, IL. One African-American student, Destiny Brandy of East St. Louis Senior High, tied for third place. What’s wrong with this picture, aside from the awkward visual optics and the

obvious insult to the AfricanAmerican community? And how does the ESL NAACP and Stanley Franklin have the audacity to see nothing wrong or to justify such a flagrant slight to their community?

Perhaps it is because the banquet was chaired by powerful Belleville attorney Bruce Cook, and the chair of the scholarship committee was none other than Erin Kern (wife of St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern), rendering the officers of the ESL NAACP to the status of mere spectators and sycophants.

And, historically, when an African-American organization (like the NAACP) allows white politicians to chair, control and sponsor black events, the whites tend to dictate the tone, tenor and, in this case, the honorees for such so-called “black” affairs.

Stanley Franklin, a former member of the Nation of Islam, should know better.

But, apparently, when Stanley threw away his bowties and Final Calls he also discarded everything that Min. Louis Farrakhan ever taught him, namely, to “love your own and do for self.”

It is a travesty and hypocritical, on a number of levels, to reward three non-black students with

scholarships intended for black students; particularly when those students already have the added advantage of attending a college prep academy –while the lone black recipient comes from a disadvantaged background and failing public school system.

No wonder blacks (like myself) view the ESL NAACP, skeptically, as an organization which has lost its vision, moral compass and has been relegated to prostituting itself for crumbs from the white power structure in order to fund their banquets and scholarship programs which, in this case, don’t even benefit their own people. I recall a speech in which Min. Farrakhan very brilliantly stated, “He who gives you the diameter of your knowledge prescribes the circumference of your activity.” I ask, Stanley Franklin, who prescribes the circumference of YOUR activity? I think we both know the answer.

And while Stanley Franklin and the officers of the ESL NAACP may, by and large, be highly educated and accomplished individuals, they have failed their people, the city of East St. Louis and our youth with this affront to the NAACP’s very own mission.

Email: jtingram_1960@ yahoo.com; Twitter@ JamesTIngram.

Black Press launches anniversary hashtag campaign

As the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) prepares to kick off its 75th anniversary in 2015, the organization is launching a new hashtag on November 3 to celebrate the milestone and engage the public in participating.

#OurVoice75 will provide an opportunity for the public to participate in commemorating 75 years of the NNPA and its 200 member black newspapers delivering news, information, sports and entertainment to the world from the black perspective.

NNPA is inviting the public to Tweet @NNPABlackPress in response to “What does having a voice mean to you?” #OurVoice75. For example: .@NNPABlackPress “Having

a voice means that I am not overlooked, but heard #OurVoice75. Be sure to include the period (.) before the @ in the response.

NNPA serves as the only collective print source that covers news from the black perspective. As 2015 marks 75 years of the NNPA serving as the Voice of the Black Community, #OurVoice 75 offers members of the public an opportunity to be heard on the important role black newspapers play in giving the black perspective on news.

“The Black Press is one of the only opportunities for black Americans to see their history from their perspective and have it recorded and archived in this unique way,” said Cloves C. Campbell Jr.,

chairman of NNPA. “The NNPA’s 75th anniversary is a great opportunity for members of the public to voice their opinions on the special role that black newspapers serve in their lives.”

#OurVoice75 will run throughout 2015.

“We have shown the nation the struggle, sacrifice, progress and triumph of black Americans and of America as a nation from the black perspective,” said Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., president and CEO of the NNPA. “The Black Press covers the progress of black Americans and provides interpretation of the events involved in our progress. No other print or digital media serves in this role quite like the Black Press.”

James Ingram

Vote NO on Amendment 6

So-called ‘Early Voting measure is a sham

By Linda C. McDaniel and Kathleen Farrell Of The League of Women Voters

The League of Women Voters USUALLY supports Early Voting. Not this time!

We STRONGLY oppose Constitutional Amendment 6 on the November 4th ballot. Amendment 6 allows for an early voting system that is a complete SHAM. This amendment proposed by the MO General Assembly would:

• Rely on the Legislature to fund early voting every year. It could simply refuse to fund it.

• Allow early voting for six business days during normal business hours. It is not stipulated what those days are. This would be very confusing to voters.

• Prohibit voting on weekends, which eliminates the ability to vote outside of regular business hours.

• Allow voting only at a single location in each county, such as the County Clerk’s or Election Board office. This could clearly pose a transportation issue for citizens who have enough difficulty getting to their usual polling place.

• Not permit “Souls to the Polls” campaigns that would allow for churchgoers to exercise their right to vote on Sundays. This important ecumenical movement “to combat voter

disenfranchisement” provides free transportation to and from designated polling places. If approved, this system would be very difficult to reverse. To have a voterfriendly system of early voting or just improvements in the process, such as weekend voting, would require another constitutional amendment and a statewide vote.

While only a simple majority is required to pass Amendment 6, a two-thirds majority would be required to repeal and replace it.

Amendment 6 would put in place a more restrictive system than in 29 other states, including the neighboring states of Iowa, Kansas, Illinois and Arkansas.

The League strongly supports the concept of early voting to expand voting opportunities for everyone by expanding days, hours and locations to vote before election day. This version of Early Voting is WRONG for Missouri.

Vote NO on Constitutional Amendment 6. Linda C. McDaniel and Kathleen Farrell are Co-Presidents of the League of Women Voters of St. Louis.

Passing the road blocks of silence and violence

By Karlton Thornton For The St. Louis American

I was out recently on an early Saturday morning drive with my daughter, who is a 17-year-old high school senior when out of nowhere she asked, “daddy what do you see me doing as a career”?

I was totally caught by surprise and did not have an immediate answer. Because up to this point every conversation between us was about getting her Doctorate of Pharmacy. Not because that is what Mom and Dad want her to do, but because that is what she sees herself doing. So we have had all our college tours planned for the schools with programs that support that career strand.

Still analyzing what the appropriate answer from me would be, I knew my daughter wanted the thoughtful and serious dad to respond, and not the goofy sarcastic dad who would say something like, “Oh, I think Clown College would be a great fit.” I should say no offense to anyone who has chosen that as a career, because that would be hypocritical of me, as I was once on the board of a private school that had circus arts as a course offering.

My mind could not help but go to Lesley McSpadden, the mother of Mike Brown, as she let out her most primal response in an interview to KMOV when faced with the horrible truth that her son was dead.

She said, “Do you know how hard it was for me to get him to stay in school

and graduate? You know how many black men graduate? Not many. Because you bring them down to this type of level, where they feel like they don’t got nothing to live for anyway. They’re going to try to take me out anyway.”

In doing so she cried out to the entire world to hear of the stark reality that many black households are faced with, and that is black children dropping out of school or failing.

The National Center of Education Statistics reports on graduation rates: “While the rates for both Whites and Blacks declined during the period of 1990 to 2012, the gap between the rates in 1990 was not measurably different from the gap between the rates in 2012. The White-Black gap did narrow between 2000 and 2012 (from 6 percentage points to 3 percentage points.)”

I serve on a school board of a public school district with a predominately black student population and we – members of the board, superintendent and administrative staff –always grapple with solutions

and policies to change the trend.

As school board members, we must dialogue with engaged parents, guardians, teachers and administrators.

I purposely use the adjective “engaged,” because unfortunately there are parents, guardians, teachers and administrators who are not engaged in the life of all children.

The world has been awakened to the reality that black children are faced with many obstacles. We as the leaders, neighbors, municipal authorities and faith leaders must hold ourselves accountable for the muchneeded paradigm shift.

Our youngest generation is crying out. They want us to help them, but they want to dialogue with us and not be lectured to. As much as we want to see change in our municipal leadership and to see more equity in the hiring practices of those who protect, serve and build our communities, we too must take responsibility. We must

A young peaceful protestor momentarily blocks traffic during the Moral Monday direct actions on Monday, October 13 as part of Ferguson October.

– as experienced leaders, relatives and co-workers who have witnessed struggles and discrimination – leave our egos and comfort zones and do our part in mentoring the younger members of our community. We must also hold ourselves accountable for redirecting the conversation to find a center of shared values and ideas. The roadblocks of silence and violence must be moved incrementally to get unstuck and moved into that path of shared meaning.

So now I can answer my daughter’s question by telling her that because she has strong leadership qualities, I can see her as a leader in a non-profit or an administrator in a corporate environment that exhibits environmental and humane responsibility. More importantly, I want her to know that her dad, mom, family and the whole community has her back. Karlton Thornton is a member of the Hazelwood School District Board of Education.

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

Celebrations

Diamond Anniversary

Reunions

Beaumont Class of 1968 meets on Oct. 25 and Nov. 22, 2- 5 p.m. at St Louis County Library, 7606 Natural Bridge, to organize and plan the 47th Class Reunion. For more information email bhsco1968@att. net or call (314) 869-8312.

Beaumont High School Class of 1970 is looking for team

On October 28, 2014, Adolphus (95) and Learlean (90) Watson will celebrate 75 years of marriage. The Watsons were married on the front steps of the family’s home in Clarendon, Ark. in 1939. They have four sons, one daughter, 18 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. Their key to such a long marriage is trusting in God to see you through. Learlean retired after 19 years from St. Mary’s Hospital where she was an LPN and Adolphus retired from Ore & Botta Construction Company, where he was a construction worker for 30 years. Congratulations on this remarkable milestone!

members to plan its’ 45th year reunion. Lets’ avoid the rush, plans are underway to celebrate starting with you. Interested? Please email Beatrice Palmer (Vanzant-Smith) at bvanzantsmith@yahoo.com or bsmithrealtor@att.net.

Beaumont High School Class of 1984 can stay updated via our Facebook page “Beaumont Class of 1984” for class information. The class meets the last Friday of every month. Contact Rochelle Williams at rochellewilliams001@yahoo. com.

Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri District 3 would like to invite you to an Alumni Event. We are looking for anyone who worked in or was a member of

Girl Scouts in St. Louis City. If you would like to participate, please contact Essie Harrison at essie.harrison@att.net or call (314) 400-4602 with your name, address, phone number, and email address.

Soldan Class of 1975 (40th ) reunion planning committee will be hosting a fun illed evening of activities, and music. Friday, October 24th, 5pm-til, Legacy Cafe & Books, 5249 Delmar/Union, Contact AnnieSue Preston 314 606- 5618 or email SOLDANCLASS1975@ gmail.com for additional information.

Sumner High School Class of 1965 is planning a 50th year reunion for June 12-14. 2015. Please join us via Facebook:

Birthdays

Happy “6th” Birthday Eddie “EJ” Barnes Jr. on Oct.26! Love NaNa and PaPa

Deborah A. Brown and her daughter, Brandi HowardStinson share the same birthday—October 19, and both were born at Barnes Hospital. Happy Birthday, daughter! I love you!

Class of ‘65 Sumner High School St. Louis, MO. You may provide your contact info and/or attend our next planning meetings on Monday, September 8 & 22, 2014 Lower Level Ronald L. Jones Funeral Chapel at 7:00 p.m. 2161 E. Fair Ave. Luther Maufas, chairperson (314) 541-4556.

St. Louis Community College has created a districtwide Alumni Association, and needs your help identifying the 1.5 million STLCC alumni. An alum is anyone who has completed at least one course at STLCC. Alumni are encouraged to visit the website: www. stlcc.edu/foundation/, to

Regina Askew celebrated her birthday on October 17. Regina and her husband, Melvin, also celebrated their 7th wedding anniversary on October 19.

become members or update information. For more information, contact Ashley Budde, coordinator of alumni relations, at abudde6@stlcc. edu, or 314-539-5145.

Sumner High School Class of 1965 is planning its 50th Reunion on the second and fourth Mondays at 7 p.m. at the Lower Level of Ronald L. Jones Funeral Chapel. For updates and/or to leave your contact info--visit our Facebook group Sumner Class of ‘65.

Sumner High Class of 1975 has started planning its 40th reunion. Please provide contact information to sumnerclassof75@gmail.com or C. Jackson 314-477-6785 for more information.

Do you have a celebration you’re proud of? If so we would like to share your good news with our readers. Whether it’s a birth, graduation, wedding, engagement announcement, anniversary, retirement or birthday, send your photos and a brief announcement (50 words or less) to us and we may include it in our paper and website – AT NO COST – as space is available Photos will not be returned. Send your announcements to: kdaniel@stlamerican. com or mail to: St. Louis American

Reunion notices are free of charge and based on space availability. We prefer that notices be emailed to us!

However, notices may also be sent by mail to:

Kate Daniel, 2315 Pine St., St. Louis, MO 63103

Deadline is 10 a.m. on Friday. If you’d like your class to be featured in a reunion profile, email or mail photos to us. Our email address is: reunions@ stlamerican.com

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

For the first hour, everything about Ferguson October’s The Mass Meeting: An Interfaith Service held on Sunday, October 12 went according to schedule. More than 20 faith leaders from across denominations sat ready to offer prayer, devotion and words of encouragement in preparation for Dr. Cornel West to give the keynote address at Chaifetz Arena.

The service was led by Rev. Traci Blackmon, pastor of Christ The King United Church of Christ in Florissant, and featured faith leaders from around the nation.

A few, like Blackmon, had been on the front lines of the Ferguson unrest from early on as young people took the streets to protest the killing of Michael Brown Jr. on August 9.

“The protesting going on in this season is really nothing more than our babies crying out,” said Rev. Renita Lamkin of the St. John AME Church of St. Charles. “They are tired, they are hungry, they are sick and they are angry. They are tired of losing friends. They are tired of losing young loved ones. They are tired of lost

opportunities and tired of lost hope.

Lamkin, who was injured by rubber bullets early on in the unrest, was well received as she spoke on the protestors’ behalf.

“They are hungry for change. And we are telling them, ‘Stop all that crying, it’s getting on our nerves,’ while the system is out there saying, ‘If you keep all that noise up, we are gonna give you something to cry about.’ But their cries will not be silenced.”

Her words proved prophetic when national NAACP president Rev. Cornell William Brooks approached the podium – and unwittingly changed the course of the program as the youth cried out from their seats at Chaifetz.

“This is some bull [expletive],” a young protestor named Dennis Black said as the crowd of about 3,000 quietly listened to Brooks’ remarks.

Movement leader Rev. Osagyefo Sekou left the stage of ministers to counsel the young man, and Organization for Black Struggle president Montague Simmons followed suit. It only worked for a moment as Brooks continued to speak amidst the agitation. Then a small group of young people

stood up and turned their backs to him. One shouted out, “You know, he already said that [expletive] somewhere else.”

“Go to Canfield with all that. We got revolutionaries out there starving,” Black hollered as Brooks talked. “Y’all ain’t going to Ferguson. We turned our back because y’all don’t want us to be heard. Y’all talking about us – but here we are.”

Brooks was able to make it through his talk as the jeers continued. Rev. Jamal Bryant also addressed the distracted crowd. But there was a rumble in the audience that would not have been contained had Blackmon not stepped in.

“The next voices you will hear will be from the streets,” Blackmon said, before introducing Tef Poe and Ashley Yates – and scratching the remaining group from the original lineup, with the exception of keynote speaker Cornel West.

“You see the Jews, the Muslims and the Christians –but you don’t see the Bloods, the Vice Lords, the Gangster Disciples or the Crips,” Tef Poe

Dr. Cornel West gave the keynote address at Chaifetz Arena during Ferguson October’s “The Mass Meeting: An Interfaith Service” on Sunday, October 12.

Photo by Wiley Price

DECEMBER 18

Thursday aT 7:30pm

Kevin mcBeth, conductor Oleta adams, vocalist

st. Louis symphony IN uNIsON® Chorus

Oleta adams joins the sTL symphony and IN uNIsON® Chorus led by director Kevin mcBeth for a night of soul-stirring Gospel music to celebrate the most joyous of seasons.

asked them what their home value was and had been, and each them was able to tell me a number. Then I said, ‘What’s the value of a life that was born in 1996?’ Until we get an answer, we won’t stop.” Black, who had initiated the interfaith unrest, shocked the masses when he chose to read a Martin Luther King Jr. quote when given the floor.

said. “They don’t have a suit and tie on, but they’ve been the ones out there protecting us out there. The people who will take the time to break down racism on a philosophical level, y’all aren’t showing up.”

Tef Poe could barely contain his emotion when accusing the mainstream leaders and faith community of being passive as Ferguson erupted.

“A lot of us are not scholars, we are not trained organizers, we are not activists. We are just real people who identified a problem and decided to get out there and do something about it. We were getting tear gassed and hit with rubber bullets and saying, ‘You know what – I can’t stay home for this –they’re killing us,’” Poe said.

“I ain’t nobody’s leader; I’m a young black man living in an oppressed system and trying to find a way up out of it. People I thought I could truly rely on I found out I couldn’t and it broke my heart, man. To the clergy – get up off your [expletive] and join us. I don’t care how it looks. This ain’t yo’ daddy’s Civil Rights Movement. ”

It was a sentiment Yates eloquently reinforced.

“Before we got up here, Rev. Lampkin asked if she could say we were angry, because of the narrative that it paints,” Yates said. “They take our anger and try to make it violent, but the real violence is the AKs and M16s that were pointed at us when all we were trying to do was stand up for a black life, and all you have are your hands and your words. If you can see a young man’s body lying in the streets for four and a half hours and not be angry, then you lack humanity.”

She also talked of being involved in the civic side of things in the wake of the Ferguson unrests.

“I sat in a closed council meeting with some Ferguson representatives, and there were a lot of business owners there.

One of the things they talked about was the fear of property value decreasing and customers decreasing – and what their home value looked like before and after ‘Ferguson’ was said and done,” Yates said.

“I looked each and every one of them in their eye and

“I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Council or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to ‘order’ than to justice,” Black read from King. “Who prefers a negative peace, which is the absence of tension, to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: ‘I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action’; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a ‘more convenient season.’” The keynote was almost an afterthought – even to West himself – when he stepped to the microphone with no introduction.

“I want to talk about how do we ensure that we love the young people enough that we can heal their brokenness, scars and bruises and do it in such a way that we respect them, correct them and in a way that they speak back to us with dignity,” West said.

“Ferguson, and now St. Louis, is presenting its challenge in a magnificent way. When the last set of black leaders came through it looked like a media circus, because the disconnect was so deep. They didn’t allow the young people to be center stage. I want to connect organically with the youth.”

Celebrity Swagger Snap of the Week

Talkin’ with Tamar. When word hit the streets that Tamar Braxton was coming to the Ambassador for a show, half of y’all swore she wouldn’t show up. The other half said she would show up for the check, but she wouldn’t be happy about the ambience of the venue. Well … she showed up. Actually, she was far more graceful than I expected when she hit the stage. She only gave the Ambassador one tiny chop by saying, “No shade, but it’s not always about the place. It’s about the people.” You can translate that however you like, just understand that any response that starts off with “no shade” quietly means “ALL SHADE.” Now, she exited the backstage area after the show like she heard there was an Ebola patient being secretly treated back there. But she was cool on stage– well, except for all of that talking. I was sick to my stomach from her pouring all this sugary sweet Kool-Aid commentary (coupled with non-stop lip smacking and wig whipping) about her and Vince’s relationship down my throat. She was one “I found my soul mate” away from me snatching the mic and saying “Girl, who are you trying to convince? If I want to know about your relationship, I will watch your reality programs! Get back to the songs!” Other than that, it was a cute little show – even though we all know her heart wasn’t all the way in it. The “Tamartians” seemed thrilled enough – especially the crew in the homemade garments that were clearly constructed from recycled “moo moo” material. The one in white with the train was the absolute most. At first sight I was like, “She left her wedding to see Tamar? Now, that’s a true fan.” Anyway, my favorite part of the night was when Sheronna Towns joined a group of aspiring singers from everywhere except St. Louis and shared her testimony of being inspired by Tamar as she dealt with the loss of her boys in that devastating Berkeley house fire. She blew everyone else out the water, even though I quietly caught life from Tony’s gold tooth and his shoulder-length, active-wear quick weave.

Stone soul. My body was at the Ambassador, but my heart was at the Ready Room – where I knew soul singer Allen Stone was probably ripping the stage to pieces. Because Tamar’s set broke the record for “the earliest ending set ever for an Ambassador performance,” I was able to punch it to the Grove and catch the last sip of his set. It was everything! While he looks like a nerdy snowboarder, he gave me more musical life in 17 minutes than Tamar did the entire night. He, his band and backup singers brought that house down to the ground!

Soho’s second Saturday win. Now I try to spread my love and hate around as equally as possible and not hit the same spot two weeks in a row, but the line to get into Soho was all the way down to the Gramophone as I was leaving the Ready Room. I had to peek my head in. As I made my way past the line and towards the door, I felt as if I had stumbled upon a casting call for an upcoming reality show entitled “When Bad Fashion Happens to Good People.” The first potential star showed the most robust of shapes that had squeezed into a leather cat suit with gold studs across the cleavage. While my soul won’t let me co-sign her choice of clothing, her confidence level had me downright envious. And I don’t know what the lovely young lady with the sweater, sequined hot pants and what appeared to be leg warmers was going through. She had a look on her face that said “I might be dressed like I’m half go-go dancer and half Eskimo, but I have the body to pull it off – so soak in all three seasons of this style.” I also ran into a baby Kiki Shepherd with a strobe light freakum dress and a Shug Avery Jr. (as in finger waves and a flapper dress … yes, at Soho) along with a man who was clearly inspired by Prince in “Graffiti Bridge.” Side-eye worthy styles aside, Soho was absolutely winning. It was almost too packed to get turnt up (yes, I said turnt…even at my age) but the folks made due with the limited space they had.

Day Party with the dudes. At the rate we’ve been going with the Sunday day parties this year, I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a “Winter Wonderland” day party with the fellas in fur and leather and the ladies shivering down in freakum dresses and open toe stiletto booties. That being said, the STL day party originators presented their “Fall-Nale” Sunday at Mandarin. And luckily for them, a warm front had the weather absolutely perfect. If ever there was an opportunity to “get chose” by an eligible bachelor, this was it. The fellas outnumbered the ladies for a change. And these weren’t your run of the mill brothers either. These were well dressed, DRINK BUYING gentlemen with bodies that afforded them the opportunity to pretend to be on the Rams practice squad. Charlie Chan Soprano – one of my favs – was on the tables, and his sounds set the tone for a superbly ____________ (insert new slang for “grown and sexy”) afternoon. I also got a chance to steal a moment to celebrate with half of one of my favorite couples. Smitty had a section to himself thanks to Mousie – who also presented him with the most adorable beat machine birthday cake.

Lite nights at The Loft. I decided to see what was crackin’ at The Loft on a Saturday night – and for the second week in a row, the size of the crowd looked like it was Tuesday morning. I don’t know if the lack of a live broadcast is to blame, but it’s been as empty as I’ve ever seen it over there. The fact that folks used to be lined up down to Pappy’s gives me cause for pause.

Truthtodoit, one of the talented top 50 of Jack Daniel’s Jack’N for Beats hip-hop competition, unwinds in V.I.P with Tahiry of Love and Hip-Hop @ Jack Daniel’s Jack’N for Beats Golden Ticket event Thursday night @ Envy

Triky, Rob, and Art enjoyed the turnout for the Day Party STL Finale @ Mandarin Rooftop Lounge Sunday

LaVell, JaMarius, T. Jelks, and Maurisha were on hand to celebrate The Emerging 100 All Black Affair Friday night @Rustic Goat

Café Soul’s Nichol was on hand as Majic 100.3’s Tammie Holland prepared to play hostess with the “mostess” for Tamar Braxton’s STL performance Saturday night @ The Ambassador

Indiana Rome and Dre Co popped up @ Envy for Jack’N for Beats Golden Ticket event hosted by Tahiry of ‘Love and Hip-Hop’ Thursday night

Kawana and Aaron were eager to “get their life” from Tamar Braxton Saturday night @ The Ambassador

Loyal “Tamartians” Carmen and Tanisha are too excited as they wait for one of their favorite singers to take the stage in STL Saturday night @ The Ambassador

Niddy, St. Louis Rams player TJ McDonald, video vixen Stephanie Santiago and Los kick back in V.I.P during Privileged Society’s Ballers and Baddies edition Friday night @ Envy

Rhashad and Candace came out to the Fall-nale Day Party STL Sunday @ Mandarin Rooftop Lounge

Elena, Lakeisha, and Alicia ended their weekend Sunday @ Mandarin Rooftop Lounge

Def Jam recording artist Big Krit with Hump, Will, Nate and Trey of DNA during a special meet and greet at DNA before Krit’s show Wednesday night.

Photos by Lawrence Bryant & John Scott