september 28th, 2017 Edition

‘Blue silence is violence’

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

For the second Monday in a row since Judge Timothy Wilson announced a not-guilty verdict in the first-degree murder charges against former St. Louis police officer Jason Stockley for the 2011 fatal shooting of Anthony Lamar Smith, protesters marched silently down Market Street. This march was symbolic of the code of silence among police that the protestors said offers a shield of protection for officers who target the African-American community. “Blue silence is violence” was the theme of the silent march.

Hundreds of protesters assembled and stoically marched from 16th and Market streets to St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department

Protesting with privilege

‘White allies’ demonstrate without police brutality outside of concert

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

n “Man, if we were up there like that, we woulda been pepper sprayed, chased off and arrested by now. This is straight-up boring.”

– a member of The Lost Voices

full formation demanded that a racially diverse group of protesters clear the street immediately or face arrest.

“We respect your right to protest, but blocking the street makes it an unlawful assembly,” a police officer said Wednesday through his vehicle’s sound system to protestors marching down Brentwood Boulevard in Clayton. His words came just before

n “Just now, when a cop grabbed my 13-yearold grandson, I don’t think I’ve experienced anything like that.” – Rev. Karla Frye

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

Protesters marched silently down Market Street on Monday, September 25 with blue tape covering their mouths in a direct action with the theme “Blue silence is violence.”

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

Chris King Of The St. Louis American

Even the children who joined the “Blue silence is violence” silent march and direct action on Monday, September 25 wore blue tape covering their mouths, symbolic of the code of silence among police that the protestors said offers a shield of protection for officers.

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

Kevin Hart’s alleged fling comes forward

The woman at the center of the Kevin Hart scandal shared details of her fling with The Daily Mail

According to the celebrity gossip magazine, Montia Sabbag says she and Hart became “intimate” hours after she jetted in to Sin City with the star on a private jet. The pair, who traveled with a group of mutual friends, flew to Nevada from LA on August 19 and partied for three days and nights.

We clicked. ‘It was fun, he didn’t try to woo me, it was just an instant connection.’

Young Thug facing felony as legal woes continue

According to TMZ.com, rapper Young Thug is now facing a felony drug charge, and a misdemeanor for tinted windows.

The aspiring actress claims she didn’t know the comedian was married nor did he tell her that he was. He took an immediate liking to her - paying the pretty brunette a lot of attention and ultimately having sex with her three times.

‘We just get along, we get each other, he’s funny, I’m funnier,” Sabbag told The Daily Mail. “We had a connection, we had chemistry.

The rapper was arrested Saturday in Georgia by Brookhaven PD and was booked on one count of marijuana possession. He was also slapped with a charge for having tinted front windows. Thug was cleared of a felony drug charge in April on a technicality. He was also found not guilty in an assault case where he was accused of slapping a woman outside of a night club.

Cardi B. gets roses from Taylor Swift for knocking singer out of top slot

(CNN) -- Note to the haters: Even Taylor

Swift is happy for Cardi B. Late Tuesday, the rapper posted about Swift sending her flowers.

“Sooo beautiful and lovely,” the caption on a video clip showing Cardi B with an arrangement read. “Thank you @taylorswift for the flowers....and I freaking love your music.”

Cardi B made history on Monday when her song “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)” bumped Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do” from the number one spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.

Cardi B, whose birth name is Belcalis Almanzar, became the first female rapper to achieve that milestone as a solo artist since Lauryn Hill in 1998.

It looks like Swift had no problems with being dethroned. But not everyone is as happy about the Latina rapper’s success.

Fellow rapper Azealia Banks went on a nowdeleted Twitter rant Monday, calling Cardi B the “poor man’s nicki” -- as in superstar rapper Nicki Minaj -- and accusing her of having a ghostwriter for her hit.

Cardi B posted a video

on social media early Wednesday of Banks dancing to and rapping along with “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves).”

“One of the reasons Bodak Yellow went #1,” the caption read. “Cuz even the HATERS love it!”

Taraji shuts down rumors of ‘Empire’ exit

In an interview with Tanika Ray from Taraji P. Henson let the world know that she has no intentions of jumping from the “Empire” gravy train. “I don’t know who started this rumor that I’m done after [season] four,” Henson said. “I have bills to pay. I love Chanel too much to walk away from a hit show! Who is spreading that? Are you dumb? Who walks away from that money?” Henson reinforced the fact that she is staying put on “Empire” when Ray complimented her shoes.

“These are Gucci,” Henson said. “I can’t leave the show, because I bought these in every color.”

Sources: TMZ.com, Extra, The Daily Mail, CNN.com

Taraji P. Henson

Montia Sabbag

‘We need serious reforms in policing’

Bernie Sanders talks criminal justice, domestic racism, foreign policy at Westminster College

By Jessica Karins

For The St. Louis American

FULTON, MO.

– Many significant political figures have spoken at Westminster College’s Green Foundation Lecture, but when U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders arrived for his speech on September 21, he was treated more like a celebrity.

Students, faculty and guests at the Fulton college cheered heartily for the senator as he arrived and at many points during his speech addressing the flaws and triumphs of United States foreign policy at Westminster’s Champ Auditorium. The longestserving independent senator, Sanders ran a surprisingly popular campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016 and is currently sponsoring a bill to bring single-payer health care to the U.S.

The speech focused on foreign policy concerns, but in light of current events, Sanders also condemned marches of neo-Nazis and white supremacists in the U.S. and called on other politicians to unequivocally denounce them.

“There are no two sides of that issue,” Sanders said.

Carolyn Perry, the acting president of Westminster, said

the Green Foundation Lecture has always been a forum for significant political speech.

Established in 1936 as a memorial to Westminster graduate and St. Louis attorney John Finley Green, the lectureship hosts speakers to address “economic and social problems of international concern.” The most famous lecture was Winston Churchill’s 1946 “Iron Curtain” speech addressing the Soviet Union’s policies in Europe; other speakers have included U.S. president Harry Truman, Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush.

“We are proud of the rich role Westminster has been able to play in our country’s history,” Perry said. Sanders was presented with an honorary doctorate in political science from the college.

The warm reception continued as Sanders, in his speech, made a point to criticize the foreign policy of the Donald Trump administration. Sanders tied foreign policy to American budget priorities, pointing to the defense budget of approximately $700 billion, which Congress voted to increase by $50 billion last week.

“At the same time as my Republican colleagues want to

“If we are going to expound the virtues of democracy and justice abroad and be taken seriously, we need to practice those values here at home,”

said in a speech at Westminster College on September 21.

substantially increase military spending, they want to throw

are worried about the budget deficit,” Sanders said. “While

n “At the same time as my Republican colleagues want to substantially increase military spending, they want to throw 52 million Americans off the insurance they already have.”

– Bernie Sanders

the needs of our children and senior citizens.”

Sanders quoted from a foreign policy speech given by former president Dwight Eisenhower, the “Chance for Peace” speech Eisenhower made shortly after he took office as he was winding down the Korean war: “Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.”

the U.S. and North Korea over the latter’s potential development and use of nuclear weapons, could be solved through diplomatic means. He also raised concerns about the growing popularity of rightwing extremism, both abroad and at home.

“What foreign policy also means is that if we are going to expound the virtues of democracy and justice abroad, and be taken seriously, we need to practice those values here at home,” Sanders said. “That means continuing the struggle to end racism, sexism, xenophobia and homophobia here at home.”

After a week of protests in St. Louis following the Stockley verdict, the largest applause line for Sanders’ Missouri audience came when he addressed structural racism at home.

52 million Americans off the insurance they already have, because supposedly, they

increasing military spending, they also want to cut education, environmental protection and

Sanders’ speech was notable for its criticisms of the War on Terror and suggestions that international conflicts, including the dispute between

“As we saw here so clearly in St. Louis in the past week, we need serious reforms in policing and the criminal justice system, so that the life of every person is equally valued and protected,” Sanders said. “We cannot speak with the moral authority we need if we do not struggle to achieve an ideal we are holding out for others.” The bill Sanders criticized, calling for a $54 billion increase in military spending, will likely be passed by the end of the year once the House and Senate reconcile their versions of the bill. Sanders’ Medicare for All bill for single-payer health care has attracted 15 co-sponsors and considerable grassroots pressure for Democrats to sign on; two years ago, he introduced a similar bill and found zero supporters in Congress. In any case, he had plenty of supporters in the auditorium of Westminster. After the college’s choir sang a final song and its chaplain offered a benediction, the senator left the stage to a hearty, spontaneous chant from the crowd: “Bernie! Bernie! Bernie!” Jessica Karins is an editorial intern for the American from Webster University.

Photo: Westminster College

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders

Editorial /CommEntary

Who is – and isn’t –a ‘special victim’

The arrest of Rev. Karla Frye and her being charged with felony assault on a police officer – with those charges being enhanced because police officers are classified as “special victims” in Missouri – encapsulates almost every contradiction of the police accountability movement as it is being played out on the streets and in the courts of St. Louis.

From one perspective, which we share, this was a black grandmother trying to protect her black grandson from police brutality. Photographs of the incident at the Saint Louis Galleria on Saturday clearly show that the white police officer attempting to restrain the 13-yearold boy had him by the neck. If your life experience teaches you to distrust white police officers’ judgment on appropriate use of force where a black body is concerned, you would do anything to stop that man from choking your baby.

From the police perspective, a warning to disperse had been given for protestors to vacate a private property. While trying to subdue one suspect for failure to disperse, a police officer was attacked from behind. Both were subdued aggressively – photos clearly show that Frye ended up being held in a chokehold, too – because they were resisting arrest. The suspect who jumped on the officer from behind was charged with felony assault, and since police officers are protected as “special victims,” the assault suspect faces more severe charges and penalties.

was trying to protect herself or a loved one.

One could argue that we are in the hell we are in precisely because white police officers and prosecutors seem to have such a difficult time viewing the world from the point of view of a black grandmother or parent. To us, our children are children who need to be protected – including, in particular, from police officers. To law enforcement, our children are dangerous criminals or perpetual suspects – the very people from whom the public needs police protection.

n To Karla Frye, her grandson being choked by a white police officer was a very “vulnerable person,” a very “special victim,” and nothing would stop her from saving his life.

This business about police officers being “special victims” is especially hard to accept in the black community because of our feelings about the vulnerability of black people, especially black boys and men, at the hands of law enforcement. The message of the “Black Lives Matter” movement is that black people are “special victims” when it comes to police violence. In fact, the Missouri statue defining “special victim” includes in that category “a vulnerable person.” To Karla Frye, her grandson being choked by a white police officer was a very “vulnerable person,” a very “special victim,” and nothing would stop her from saving his life.

Regional governance benefits the African - American community

By Dr. Will Ross Guest columnist

We say a black grandmother may have saved her black grandson from losing his life at the hands of one of the most-feared classes of human beings in the black community, a white police officer. St. Louis County Police and St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch say a violent protestor assaulted one of the most-protected classes of American citizens, a police officer, and now must defend herself against serious charges. Admittedly, we are more accustomed to viewing the world through the eyes of black grandmothers than of white cops. Also, we know Karla Frye and her principled activism very well. She served as managing editor of The St. Louis American in the early 1980s and now works in a leadership role at Community Women Against Hardship, one of our closest community partners. We know that she does not have a violent bone in her body and would never lay a hand on anyone – let alone a police officer – unless she

To the police officer – the “special victim” in the eyes of the law – who choked her and the prosecutor who charged her, she is a dangerous criminal who assaulted a protector of public safety. Two sides this far apart would require incredibly sensitive mediation to try to bring them to a mutual understanding of the other’s fears and responsibilities. Unfortunately, what they are going to get is a cold-blooded prosecution by Bob McCulloch, one of the elected officials least trusted by the black community. As bad as things are now, it’s difficult to see how they are not going to get worse.

The stakes are high for the entire region, and there needs to be greater engagement from the broader community – beyond the police and prosecutors – to build a new police culture and new relationships between the police and the community, with a willingness to address the unfair institutionalized practices that are a plague in this community and endanger its future. Mayor Krewson’s announcement that the police department’s review of police behavior in recent protests will include the Civilian Oversight Board and an independent third-party investigator is a start.

Trump’s race-baiting rhetoric is who he is

President Trump’s racebaiting attack on AfricanAmerican athletes is nothing new. During the civil rights movement, blacks in the South who dared to stand up for justice were often punished by being fired from their jobs. Trump is demanding that National Football League team owners act like the white segregationists of old.

It was gratifying to see the overwhelming rejection of Trump’s hideous rabble-rousing by NFL players, owners and fans. But let’s be clear: There is no reason, at this point, to give Trump the benefit of any doubt. We should assume Trump’s words and actions reflect what he truly believes. His opening salvo, delivered Friday at a campaign rally in Alabama, could not have been clearer, or cruder: “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out! He’s fired. He’s fired!’”

Trump was referring, of course, to players who take a knee during the singing of the national anthem. The practice was started by quarterback Colin Kaepernick – and adopted by a smattering of players around the league, almost all of them black – as a way of protesting police shootings of unarmed AfricanAmericans.

Trump claimed in a Monday tweet that “the issue of kneeling has nothing to do with race,” but that is a lie. Kaepernick’s method of protest had everything to do with race, as its intent was to focus attention on racial injustice. Trump was speaking to a

virtually all-white audience in the Deep South. About 70 percent of players in the NFL are African-American. Some political analysts put two and two together and concluded that Trump was playing to the racial anxieties and animosities of his base. If this is true, however, he seems to have miscalculated.

Eugene Robinson

Hundreds of players, black and white, protested during the anthem on Sunday by kneeling, linking arms or, in some cases, declining to take the field until the music was over. Many coaches and owners joined in. Almost all team owners released statements defending the players’ right to protest, including New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, a friend of Trump’s who contributed $1 million to his inauguration committee and gave him a Super Bowl ring. Kraft said he was “deeply disappointed” by Trump’s remarks. Perhaps stung by the near-unanimity of the NFL’s reaction, Trump sought refuge by appealing to an audience he might have expected to be friendlier. “So proud of NASCAR and its supporters and fans. They won’t put up with disrespecting our Country or our Flag,” he tweeted Monday.

But a half-hour later, NASCAR’s most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., responded by tweeting, “All Americans R granted rights 2 peaceful protests.”

In June of this year, Better Together STL announced the formation of a task force to provide recommendations to the community on how best to address the fragmented structure of local governance in St. Louis city and St. Louis County. This task force has the endorsement of Mayor Lyda Krewson and County Executive Steve Stenger and is comprised of Spire CEO, Suzanne Sitherwood, Bryan Cave partner Arindam Kar, and me. Much has been made of the negative byproducts of fragmentation in our region. Along with a price tag of $2.5 billion annually, our system of local governance breeds unhealthy intraregional competition, a gross disparity in services, and an inability to act on a shared vision for our region.

While these factors clearly weigh heavily on the St. Louis region, it is imperative that any discussion of reform include a thoughtful consideration of the potential impact on African-American political representation and influence. Indeed, some have argued that a regional model of governance would dilute the political influence of African Americans. However, this opinion should also

acknowledge the benefits of a more unified African-American political leadership.

Regional governance could bring greater attention and allocation of resources to the issues of core interest to the African-American community. We would have a greater ability to address health disparities, universal police standards and training, neighborhood revitalization through creation of enterprise zones, along with regionwide expertise to address violence, maternal child health, and toxic stress. These are also goals of both Forward Through Ferguson and the For the Sake of All study. In effect, efforts already underway in many parts of our community could be focused and amplified in a way St. Louis has never achieved before. Already, area hospitals are collaborating with the city and county health departments on regional community health assessments and health improvement plans. Stronger regional governance would allow efforts like this to gain greater traction and ultimately enable the African-American

Letters to the editor

Verdict is a wake-up call

Police officer Jason Stockley’s acquittal does not change the facts:

Anthony Lamar Smith died unnecessarily, another casualty of excessive and deadly force by police against people of color. This region — and our country as a whole — have seen too many deaths caused by police, with little accountability for the officers or department involved.

Trump’s intent, I assume, was to create a wedge issue, with patriots on one side – his side – and non-patriots on the other. He did not realize that so many people who might dispute Kaepernick’s position on police violence would nevertheless defend the players’ right to take a stand, or a knee. We have a president who does not understand our fundamental freedoms.

We also have a president who, if he’s not a white supremacist, does a convincing impression of one.

On Saturday, he publicly disinvited the Golden State Warriors’ Steph Curry – one of pro basketball’s transcendent stars – from the White House. Curry had expressed reluctance to visit, and instead of reaching out, Trump slammed the door.

Recall that Trump and his father were sued by Richard Nixon’s Justice Department for illegally refusing to rent apartments to black prospective tenants. Recall that Trump continued to insist that the “Central Park Five” – four black men and one Latino –were guilty of a brutal rape even after DNA evidence had conclusively proved their innocence. Recall that Trump led the “birther” movement, ridiculously claiming that Barack Obama was not born in the United States.

And recall his reaction to Charlottesville, where he discerned some “very fine people” among the torchwielding parade of Ku Klux Klan members and neo-Nazis.

I don’t believe this can all be political calculation. I believe Trump is telling us what he really thinks – and who he really is.

Michael Brown. Philando Castile. Terence Crutcher. Alton Sterling. Tamir Rice. We must say their names and those of the many others killed by police in recent years. In 2016, black males between 15 and 34 years old were nine times more likely than other Americans to be killed by law enforcement officers. It is past time for Missouri and the country to say in one voice: “This cannot continue.”

We hope this verdict is a wake-up call that the community and the police must come together now to build trust and ensure justice. Each and every community member must have an equal say in the way their neighborhood is policed. To move forward, police and the people they serve must collaborate, be transparent, and communicate around the shared goals of equality, fairness, and public safety.

Jeffrey A. Mittman, executive director, ACLU of Missouri

Let us work together

Whether you agree with them or not, we ask everyone to respect the right of all people to demonstrate and call for change. Freedom of speech and assembly are at the core of American beliefs. We have learned it is vital to listen to those demonstrating to hear the message they are sending. This is the only way to find common ground, a path forward to bridging the divides between us.

While people have a right to protest, they do not have a right to hurt someone else or their property. Violence will only further divide our community

community to seek solutions of the magnitude to the problems that affect us.

As it was recently argued in the pages of The American, now is a time for African American leaders to bond together to ensure our community benefits from the collective impact of our collaboration. Equity in political representation will not automatically come with regional governance. However, my task force colleagues and I are fully committed to gathering meaningful input from the community and crafting recommendations that ensure an empowered future for the African-American community and all of St. Louis. Contrary to some opinions, rather than being lessened by regionalism, we will be stronger, focused, and committed to a strategic vision where everyone is a winner in the St. Louis region. Our first task force public forum is scheduled for October 9. We need to hear from you. I urge you to join us in this critical conversation and help us envision the new future of our region.

Will Ross, MD, MPH, is a member of the Regional Governance Task Force, and associate dean and professor of Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine.

and set back what progress and healing we have made together over the last few years.

Our thoughts are with those families who have been affected by this tragedy. Our hopes are firmly planted in our region’s future. Let us learn from each other’s fear, pain and frustration; let us work together to be the healing path forward.

Joe Reagan, president & CEO St. Louis Regional Chamber

Right to be safe

Black communities have had to deal with systematic violence, an unfair political system that disenfranchises their voices, and a whole host of environmental threats to their communities such as exposure to toxic pollutants, hazardous waste in landfills close to their homes, and even having their homes built on floodplains where they are more susceptible to flooding. It is up to us to stand up and fight for them so that we can all work to save the planet and home we love. We should all have the right to feel safe in our community regardless of the color of our skin, and no one should have to fear the officers that are enlisted to protect us.

Natalie Lucas, chair Missouri Sierra Club Equity Inclusion and Justice Committee

Justice was not served

Three years after the killing of Michael Brown sparked days-long protests, Judge Wilson shows that our region has still learned nothing from the sins of the past. We have a long way to go in winning racial justice in Missouri. As an organization dedicated to dismantling structural anti-black racism, SEIU recognizes that we cannot separate the fight for racial justice from economic justice. Justice was not served for Anthony Lamar Smith. Our prayers are with his family today. SEIU members will continue to fight back against police brutality and will not rest until real justice is attained.

Columnist

Guest Columnist Dr. Will Ross

Read local at Hometown Reads

Hometown Reads wants to fuel literacy in local areas while tapping into people’s desires to embrace everything local. Readers can discover books from metro St. Louis authors at http://hometownreads.com/ city/st-louis with books from many genres. Already, the Hometown Reads website showcases more than 1,500 books. Hometown Reads, launched in early 2016, is a division of Weaving Influence, a boutique digital and public relations firm that specializes in serving authors with comprehensive book marketing services. As of mid-2017, there were more than 1,500 local authors and 2,000 books in nearly 60 cities at HometownReads. com. Find more at www. weavinginfluence.com.

Ward 2 Special Election set for November 7

The St. Louis Election Board will hold a Special Election in Ward 2 on Tuesday, November 7 to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Alderwoman Dionne Flowers on August 10. Because the vacancy occurs more than 180 days prior to the next General Municipal Election in 2019, Article IV, Section 5 of the City Charter requires that a Special Election be held no sooner than 75 days nor later than 90 days after the occurrence of the vacancy. The individual elected will serve for the remainder of Flowers’ unexpired term.

A child displayed a haunting message during a protest of the verdict in the

Stockley trial on September 17.

St. Louis is once again at a crossroads

By Darlene Green For The St. Louis American

Atonement has been weighing heavily on my heart and mind these past few days. It is often thought of as seeking forgiveness, but atonement is much more. It is the process of taking a past wrong and making it right.

Atonement requires introspection and an honest assessment of oneself. A person can ask for forgiveness and make promises that he will do better; but eventually, without doing the hard work of that honest self-assessment and taking corrective actions, he is bound to fail again.

In everyday language, we often say, “Those who do not learn from history are bound to repeat it.” And so here in 2017 St. Louis finds itself again at a crossroads.

In 2014, our community faced this crossroads when we learned of Michael Brown, his death and the subsequent grand jury decision not to indict the Ferguson Police officer who killed him.

The movement that followed brought to light the social injustices that continue to permeate our communities in St. Louis and around the country, including racial profiling and use of excessive force by police, and the inequality that still faces our communities.

It is three years later. Now a verdict has come down in the killing of Anthony Lamar Smith, and it is clear we still have a long way to go for social justice.

In 2014, I said, “the community unrest will be around as long as the injustice is not dealt with.” Sadly, that has proven to be true. It is clear we have not done enough of the hard work of atonement.

Among the 2014 recommendations we have yet to implement are police body cameras and additional training for interacting with communities of color. We know and understand that our police officers face highly stressful situations, but their training must include compassion. They need to come from a place of thinking, “It’s my job to take the suspect down – but it’s not my job to take his life.”

In the weeks and months ahead, I hope all of us will listen to one another and act with compassion. I especially hope that those of us in leadership positions will reflect on how we can help St. Louis atone for the social injustices in our community, correct wrongs, stop the cycle of missed opportunity and begin to move forward as a diverse, healthy, equitable and shared community.

Darlene Green is the comptroller for the City of St. Louis.

Darlene Green

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

Continued from A1

Class D felony, rather than a Class E felony, which is charged when the person allegedly assaulted is not a “special victim.”

St. Louis County Police claim Frye jumped on the back of the arresting officer, injuring his back. Photos of the incident by Gooden show her at least reaching around the officer. Photos from the vantage point opposite Gooden show that the officer arresting Frye’s grandson had him by the throat in a chokehold – which Frye would soon experience herself as police subdued her by the throat. She also was charged with rioting and resisting arrest. She was held on a $10,000 bail, and was released around 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.

The protests at the Galleria seemed peaceful until around 1 p.m., when mall management called the police. St. Louis County Police said the peaceful protest was disrupted when someone threw a trash can at a police officer. The Richmond Heights Police Department said protestors were then given three warnings to disperse and more than 150

SALUTE

Continued from A1

Since 1994, when the scholarship component was added to the educator recognition event, the foundation, together with its education partners, has fostered over $5 million in scholarships and community grants, Suggs said.

And that arc clearly remains on the upward swing.

Michael Middleton, the 2017 Lifetime Achiever in Education, came out of retirement a second time this spring to serve briefly as interim president at Lincoln University in Jefferson

people left, but some did not and 22 were arrested.

Marjorie Theodore, who protested at the Galleria, said if the police called for protestors to disperse, she was not able to hear them in the crowd. She said her son, who was arrested at the event, was not told what he was being charged with or offered legal counsel.

“The police took a peaceful situation and committed violence,” Theodore said. Frye told The American where she worked as managing editor in the early 1980s – that her lawyers advised her not to speak to media. But she was streaming live in Facebook immediately before her arrest.

“You know, I’ve been protesting and marching since I was in high school,” she said, as she descended on an escalator toward the food court where the arrests would take place.

“But just now, when a cop grabbed my 13-year-old grandson, I don’t think I’ve experienced anything like that.”

In the video, protestors chant and drum as police line up behind them.

Only one call to disperse can be heard in Frye’s Facebook Live video. About 30 seconds after the call to disperse, policemen begin pushing into the crowd.

City. In his brief remarks, Middleton said he was donating his $2,500 Salute educator grant to start a new St. Louis American Foundation scholarship at Lincoln, named in Suggs’ honor, as previous foundation scholarships at other universities have been.

Middleton – the first black law professor at the University of Missouri School of Law and a trailblazing administrator at Mizzou – previously returned from retirement in November 2015 to serve as interim president of the University of Missouri System when Mizzou was roiled by the aftermath of a black-led student protest movement.

Black-led protests cast a shadow on the 2017 Salute,

“No, what the hell?” Frye said. “Y’all don’t have to be physical! People are moving and you’re still doing this!”

Policemen began to push some of her fellow protestors to the ground.

“Why are you doing this?” she screamed.

Then, a policeman moved toward her grandson, and she yelled, “He didn’t do anything! Leave my grandson alone!”

The policeman dragged her away from the escalator and yelled, “You’re under arrest!”

The video ends there.

Frye was protesting at the Galleria alone, according to

as they also did in 2014 in the midst of the Ferguson unrest.

The 2017 Stellar Performer in Education awardee, Kelvin Adams, superintendent of Saint Louis Public Schools, acknowledged that the gala was being held during 9 days of ongoing police accountability protests following the verdict in the Jason Stockley murder trial.

Adams said the St. Louis region faces the same kind of urgent challenge that he faced nine years ago when he took over leadership of a dysfunctional, unaccredited school district (that achieved full accreditation and much more functional operations under his direction).

“I needed to show real humility and simply had to

her son, Jared Pleasant. Then her grandson and cousin, both black, arrived to pick her up and were seen by police as protestors.

After her grandson was handcuffed, he was not charged with anything and was released.

“The St. Louis County Police Department has used an incredible amount of discretion during these periods of civil unrest,” said County Police Chief Jon Belmar in a statement. “Citizens have been allowed to exercise their first Amendment Rights; however, when those protests

sacrifice,” Adams said in his brief remarks. “My challenge was what it would take to solve the problems of social inequity, violence and – yes – racism, by any means necessary.”

Adams also donated his $1,500 Salute education grant to scholarships in his district via the SLPS Foundation.

Another forthcoming Suggs Scholarship was announced at the 2017 Salute.

Maryville University, a relative newcomer to the program – it awarded its first foundation scholarship three years, 15 years after the University of Missouri-Columbia co-founded the scholarship program –announced that next year it will move up from one to two scholarships for full tuition, room and board.

Suggs also referenced the current turbulent times in his

descend into criminal activity, law enforcement has no other choice but to intervene.”

In the videos, no protestors are damaging any property. They aren’t even inside the businesses near the atrium –the surrounding stores all have their grates down. The order to disperse is given, and a minute later, Frye’s grandson is being shoved to the ground.

Frye and others arrested at the protest were released on bond after more than 24 hours. Legal observers alleged constitutional violations when county government locked the Justice Center and would

brief remarks thanking Salute attendees, foundation partners and donors.

“Our mission as a foundation is based on the wisdom of our esteemed leader, Malcolm X, who taught us that ‘education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to people who prepare for it today,’” Suggs said.

“These are very difficult times in St. Louis that challenge us to move together to seek justice and social and economic equity. Our reaction to these challenges can provide for a new direction toward a better future for everyone.”

not let them speak with their clients.

“At every turn, our lawyers were met with delay, miscommunication, and a general indifference to the rights of the people arrested and the attorneys who work with them,” said Thomas Harvey of ArchCity Defenders. “As it was in November of 2014 following the nonindictment of Darren Wilson, St. Louis County simply shut down the courthouse and arbitrarily denied access to lawyer.”

A speedy release was especially necessary for Frye, who – aside from having a family, a nonprofit organization, and a church to get back to – had to take her blood pressure medication. At a press conference on September 25 calling for an investigation into police conduct, Rev. Karen Anderson, the board chair of Metropolitan Congregations United, said the events at the Galleria seemed designed to create fear among those present. Anderson said, “I am appalled at the fact that police in this city, and in the county, feel like they have a right to practice domestic terrorism on the citizens of St. Louis.” Jessica Karins contributed to this report.

Platinum level sponsors for the 201 Salute: ANHEUSERBUSCH, MONSANTO, THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURICOLUMBIA, WELLS FARGO ADVISORS, WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY, THE STEWARD FAMILY FOUNDATION.

Gold sponsors: BJC HEALTHCARE, BARNESJEWISH HOSPITAL, ST. LOUIS CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL, THE BODLEY GROUP, CENTENE CORPORATION , PNC BANK, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY, WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY.

Silver-level sponsors: MCCORMACK BARON SALAZAR, URBAN STRATEGIES. Bronzelevel sponsors: AT HOME CARE, MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY, S.A.K. CONSTRUCTION.

(See next week’s paper for complete photo coverage.)

Rev. Karen Anderson, the board chair of Metropolitan Congregations United, accused police of “domestic terrorism” at a press conference at St. Peter African Methodist Episcopal Church in North St. Louis on Monday, September 25.

Photo by Wiley Price

Headquarters with blue tape covering their mouths. Each step was ordered as they walked in formation at a pace intentionally slower than the most casual of gaits. The fourblock walk took 30 minutes. There was also a unified seriousness planted on each of the marchers’ faces – even the children.

Once they arrived at their destination, State Rep. Bruce Franks Jr. pointed out cop-oncop incidents where he said officers were victimized by other officers because of the color of their skin.

“We have police officers coming into our neighborhoods telling us, ‘If you tell on a criminal, it is not snitching,’” Franks said. “They tell us that it is our responsibility to get these types of people off the streets. But we can’t get them to return the favor when it comes to their community.” Franks referred to an incident in June when a black off-duty officer was shot by a white officer after the black officer came out of his North

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Continued from A1 the demonstrators were forced to retreat to the parking lot or face the wrath of the riot cops. A few of them even followed the protestors to the side of the parking lot, where protestors chanted, “We don’t see no riot here, why are you in riot gear?”

The riot police stood in a line blocking Brentwood as the protesters scrambled back towards the mall – where they had been demonstrating. Police left after seeing the protestors had no intention of returning to the street. And just like that, the street protest was over. Thursday night, it was decided that there would only be white protestors

City home to respond to a robbery in-progress. He also spoke of the recent report of a black undercover officer working protests being beaten by white cops during the Sunday night protests that culminated with a mass arrest of more than 120 individuals.

“A black off-duty officer was shot, because that [white] officer feared for his life,” Franks said. “We have another officer who was beaten by a white officer, because they thought he was a black protestor – a black officer that was beaten by a white officer because he was a black man.

I’m supposed to believe that you that you will protect me, when you won’t protect your own that look like me.” Franks told the crowd that those incidents were examples that speak to a much larger issue.

“For our other [non-black] friends in the crowd, I thank y’all for being out here, because there are a lot of folks out there who think it’s farfetched – they think that it’s a figment of our imagination,” Franks said. “They think it’s just by chance that I keep getting pulled over – not because of my skin color, but

demonstrating. There were a few black protestors off to the sidelines. They met in Kiener Plaza. They marched to the middle of Broadway as traffic buckled because of Joel’s show. They stood there holding signs. They chanted, “White silence is violence,” “black lives matter,” “no justice no peace,” “no justice, no profits,” “if we don’t get it, shut it down.”

Aside from police redirecting traffic, nothing happened. They marched down Broadway while repeating the chants. “Whose streets? Our streets!” Nothing happened. They stood in front of Busch Stadium as concertgoers made their way into the concert. Nothing happened.

There were riot cops and tanks hidden in several

for a real reason. We are being targeted. They can say what they want, and they can paint the picture however they feel,

pockets downtown. None of them ever emerged from their respective stations to confront this enormous group of demonstrators. Instead, the white protestors were met with a long row of bike cops who stood between the barricades around Busch Stadium set up to block protesters from bombarding into the stadium.

A few protestors on the frontline yanked open the barricades. The bike cops acted quickly to keep the protestors out and secure the barricades again. But other than that, nothing happened.

A few minutes after Billy Joel began performing, the protestors blocked Broadway again before calling it a night. It was inspiring, almost breathtaking, to hear hundreds

but I’m here to tell you the truth.” Franks dismissed the false equivalency between “blue”

of white people march through downtown St. Louis – on a night where more than 40,000 people, mostly white, came downtown to see Joel– and proclaim that “black lives matter.” But it was just as disheartening, and frustrating, to see what happened – or didn’t happen – as they stood boldly on behalf the injustices that black people endure.

They were free to block the street, free to chant and voice their frustration with systemic racism and police brutality against people of color. And after they were done, they were free to go home. None of the tactics that protestors have been terrorized with since the start of non-stop protests in response to Jason Stockley’s first-degree murder acquittal – or a few years before in

and “black” lives.

“At the end of the day, my very existence – this skin that we are in – it frightens

Ferguson – were a part of the program.

The irony wasn’t lost on the few black people who stood on the sidelines in support of the white people for black lives. “Man, if we were up there like that, we woulda been pepper sprayed, chased off and arrested by now,” a member of The Lost Voices, a group of protesters from Ferguson, said as the protestors carried on. “This is straight-up boring.”

The protestors occupied Broadway for close to two hours. Concertgoers who approached the sidewalk where the black protesters supporting their white allies were stationed maneuvered through the thick of the protests to avoid them.

them,” Franks said. “They get the opportunity to pull off their riot gear. They get the opportunity to take off that badge and utility belt. They get to park their cruisers. We don’t get to do that. This body armor that I’ve got, it ain’t going nowhere.”

Franks called for the resignation of interim St. Louis Metropolitan Police Chief Lawrence O’Toole before leading the crowd to chant “blue silence is violence,” and vowing that the non-stop protests will continue.

“They gonna get tired before we do,” Franks said. After he acknowledged young protestors for their relentlessness, Brother Anthony Shahid led the crowd to chant the name of Annie Smith, the mother of Anthony Lamar Smith, 25 times. Annie Smith stood alongside

and was filled with emotion as she heard her name called by hundreds of supporters who demanded justice for her son’s death.

“Can you imagine what she has been going through for six years?” Shahid asked the crowd.

“Man, ain’t nobody thinkin’ about you,” a black observer yelled back. “Your cousins the ones over their protesting. Go tell it to them.”

The man scurried forward as fast as he could – almost breaking into a full-on jog.

The black observers were keen to their surroundings. They noticed a group of riot cops on the other side of the parking lot that separates Busch Stadium from 4th Street. “If things get crazy, let’s go that way,” an elder of the observers said, pointing south on Broadway. Things never did get crazy.

“We’re just trying to go to the concert,” one of the few who braved the sidewalk said to the group. “We don’t want any trouble.”

Shahid

The “Blue silence is violence” silent march on Monday, September 25 included a direct action at St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters, where protestors called for the resignation of interim St. Louis Metropolitan Police Chief Lawrence O’Toole.

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

Governor Greitens playing Trump playbook

Two weeks ago, Gov. Eric Greitens rappelled from the roof of an arena in rural Missouri, descending into the start of a rodeo. He was not slated to speak at the event, to ride a bronco, or to sing the national anthem. Indeed, there was no actual purpose for his appearance at all, outside the silly, Vladimir Putinlike PR stunt to highlight his extraordinary courage, manliness, and physical prowess.

Greitens quickly saw the backlash and also realized that there was a simmering cauldron brewing in St. Louis due to the looming Jason Stockley verdict. He quickly morphed from rural Missouri action hero to urban action hero, donning his vest for a confident streetside media hit during which he pledged that “violence will not be tolerated.”

When Greitens first came onto the scene as a partyswitching gubernatorial wannabe in early 2015, some fancied the Rhodes Scholar a modern day philosopherprince, scholar-warrior, Renaissance man. They talked about his ethereal wisdom, his humanitarian missions with refugees from war zones, his compassionate documentary filmmaking.

The EYE is not sure if a) that image was the “real” Eric Greitens and the current John Wayne-like character who likes to blow things up and shoot at inanimate objects is merely a

pantomime designed to appeal to people Greitens sees as rural rubes; or if b) the “real” Eric Greitens is actually a Tony Robbins-like self-help guru who pens cheesy books and mouths silly New-Age-cummanagement-speak platitudes like “If you want different, do different.”

But does it matter?

In fact, the more the EYE observes Greitens, the more he seems to be more in the mold of a Donald Trump than a philosopher-prince like the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. He evinces a Trump-esque thirst for attention and preference for glitz and PR instead of substance. While his rappelling stunt recalls the silly Gatling gun stunt of his campaign and his challenging of schoolkids to sit-up contests (that he refuses to let them win), business people who have met with him consistently lament that he is scarcely skin-deep when it comes to their actual policy concerns.

The one thing that is unquestionably certain about Greitens is that his eyes are on a much larger stage. The question is what type of persona he believes will get him to the White House. For the sake of Missourians who need a responsive and effective state government, let us hope that the Trump-like persona he seems to be adopting goes out of vogue quickly and is replaced by something more

serious. The EYE doesn’t expect to agree with everything the governor does, but we can at least hope that he’ll choose to spend more time on substance and less on cheap gimmicks.

The evidence thus far from the Stockley aftermath is not encouraging. Greitens tweeted a video of someone being carried, hog-tied and under arrest, after a protest in the Loop on September 16 devolved into a window smashup, with this comment: “some criminals broke windows & thought they’d get away. They were wrong. Officers caught ‘em, cuffed ‘em, and threw ‘em in jail.”

It reads rather like Trump watching cable news and tweeting out tough-guy trashtalk. The problem is it has no basis in fact. The Riverfront Times interviewed the hog-tied man under arrest, a Washington University student named Jeffrey Blackman, and he did not break any windows that night. The only crimes he was charged with were unlawful assembly and failure to disperse.

What actually happened is very important. Blackman admitted to the RFT that he ignored police orders to

disperse, but his motive was not lawless hooliganism but rather a protective respect for black lives and bodies. When police officers approached in body armor and carrying shields, ordering protestors to leave the street, Blackman said, “I thought it was important to put my body directly in front of any of the black protestors.”

For that crime he was hogtied and carried away by enough cops to field a beer-league softball team.

A compassionate governor, mindful of the already damaged relationship between police and citizens, speaking with fidelity to fact, might have expressed concern for overpolicing and manhandling someone suspected of non-violent offenses. Instead, Greitens tweeted a militaristic, bullying lie, precisely as Trump does daily.

It’s worth noting that the police provoked Blackman to attend the protest. He told the RFT that he was biking near campus with no plans to attend the protest when a caravan of police vehicles — including a bus full of cops in riot gear - passed him. “It looked like they were invading a country,” he said. The EYE wishes for a governor more concerned about

Governor Eric Greitens rode into North St. Louis with a bunch of state troopers on July 10 to announce troopers would be patrolling highways in St. Louis, which has resulted in more than 3,500 new tickets that local prosecutors say they lack staff to process.

Photo by Wiley Price

that nightmarish image than one who cheers on cops who have hogtied a peaceful protestor for being an ally to those seeking to redress longtime shameful treatment of people of color.

Greitens 2018

One of Greitens main blessings so far in office has been a) legislative supermajorities in both chambers and b) pent-up demand for conservative reforms that were vetoed consistently by former Democratic Governor Jay Nixon. Tort reform, right-towork, new abortion regulations, and other conservative wishlist items were passed into law almost immediately by the 2017 Legislature. Greitens will not be as fortunate going forward.

Remaining issues – such as transportation funding, and energy infrastructure and education reform – promise to be more challenging. And since Greitens showed himself to be maladroit in dealing with the famously prickly Senate, the path forward on these issues is not likely to be easy.

On both transportation and energy infrastructure,

Sen. Majority Leader Mike Kehoe is hoping to pass legacy legislation. He would like to find a dedicated funding stream to pass for highway improvements that will help make the state more hospitable to businesses that rely on shipping, and he will have allies in both parties for that fight. Will Greitens support such needed common-sense legislation, or will he bind himself to a stubborn “no new taxes or fees” philosophy that will continue to make Missouri an economic growth laggard? There appears to be alignment between most of the Legislature and the governor on energy issues, particularly with Ameren’s recent rollout of a long-term renewable energy capacity-building plan. Look for the Legislature to be more accommodating to Ameren than it has been in past years, now that the small but powerful group of Senate supporters of Noranda (an aluminum smelter in the Bootheel) has withered since the firm’s demise in 2016. The EYE is not sure exactly which direction Greitens wants to go on education reform, but it is clear that he wants to “do different” as evidenced by the multiple new State Board of Education appointments he has made – with little success. Each appointee has withdrawn for one reason or another, the latest in a snit after alleging that Greitens’ staff directed her to begin her service by helping depose current SBOE Commissioner Margie Vandeven

The governor has shown roughly as much tact and savvy in this process as he did in his initial dealings with the Senate last session, when he permanently alienated several senators by condemning them as venal, career politicians. As one asked, “Isn’t the fulltime Governor, who began buying up URLs like www. greitensforpresident.com nearly a decade before ever filing for office, more of a career politician than any of us part-time, term-limited state legislators?” Not a bad point.

Talkin’ Black: A Conversation with Artist Mickalene Thomas

By Jade Powers, Romare Bearden Graduate Museum Fellow

The Saint Louis Art Museum welcomes internationally acclaimed artist Mickalene Thomas on Friday, October 6, 2017, at 7 pm in The Farrell Auditorium. During this lively conversation, Mickalene will discuss her art interests and inspirations with Simon Kelly, Saint Louis Art Museum curator of modern and contemporary art, and Lisa Melandri, Director of the Contemporary Art Museum Saint Louis. Thomas’ painting Din, Une Tres Belle Négresse 1 is on view at the Saint Louis Art Museum, and the Contemporary Art Museum Saint Louis is currently presenting Mickalene Thomas: Mentors, Muses, and Celebrities, an exhibition of film, video, photography and installation.

Mickalene Thomas studied pre-law and theater arts before changing her major and earning a BFA from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York and a MFA from Yale University School of Art. Well versed in famous classical style paintings, Thomas is interested in negotiating the relationship of black women in both art history and contemporary culture. She focuses on ideas of beauty and her paintings often incorporate rhinestones, acrylic and enamel to discuss black female identity and sexuality. In some of her work, she reimagines famous works of art by removing the original artist’s subject and replacing them with a black woman. Other works of art by Thomas include well-known black women like Oprah Winfrey and Eartha Kitt to highlight performances by African American women. Thomas also places the black female body in spaces created from decorations and patterns from her childhood.

Thomas’ ideas about female power, sexuality, and identity can be viewed in different media, including painting, vinyl printing, photography and film making as can be seen at the

Basic rights under attack by the justice system

By Alison Dreith For The St. Louis American

Last Friday, I was maced by a St. Louis Metropolitan Police officer. Along with people of all backgrounds, we were in the streets protesting a court decision that undermined the right of communities to live free from the fear of bodily harm by law enforcement. Yet as I was still washing burning chemicals from my eyes, just one block away a different court was issuing another ruling undermining our right to bodily autonomy.

That court, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, moved to make it harder for women across Missouri to access basic reproductive healthcare by ordering a temporary stay on issuing licenses to abortion clinics across the state. By the time the day was over, one thing was painfully clear: The basic rights of Missourians were under attack from all sides by the very justice system designed to protect us.

Recovering at home, the news that the 8th Circuit had temporarily prohibited the state from allowing new abortion clinics to open was a slap in the face that hurt worse than any pepper spray.

Greitens over the summer dedicated entirely to restricting our reproductive freedom. So when the Supreme Court ruled that laws like those already on the books in Missouri unconstitutionally restrict a woman’s right to access abortion, hope was given to the 1.5 million women of reproductive age living across the state.

After doing away with these medically unnecessary regulations, clinics in Kansas City and Columbia were able to finally receive their license to start accepting patients, and Springfield and Joplin clinics were due to follow. Now, that progress has ground to a halt, and women across Missouri are faced with the continued

n The news that the 8th Circuit had temporarily prohibited the state from allowing new abortion clinics to open was a slap in the face that hurt worse than any pepper spray.

prospect of having only one abortion clinic to serve the entire state.

Matter movement found its start in Missouri after the police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson went unpunished, sparking outrage that spread across the county. Even so, the explicit bias of the judge’s ruling in Friday’s case was like a rubber bullet to the gut of a community that is still deeply divided.

In Missouri, we are sadly no strangers to attacks on our bodily autonomy. Political leaders and their wealthy patrons continue to strengthen systems of oppression, whether they are taking the lives of Black citizens, unleashing chemical warfare in our streets, or dictating the private medical decisions of Missouri women.

Belle Négresse 1, meaning “Din, A Very Beautiful Black Woman” in French, is now on view at the Saint Louis Art

Conversations with the Artist: Mickalene Thomas

Museum in the East Building in Gallery 249. This photograph depicts Din, a medical student who appears in multiple works

of art by Thomas. The title of the artwork purposely uses the word “négresse” to create an empowering image to be associated with a word that was used to degrade African American women for centuries. This photograph is just one example of Thomas’ art that deals with sensual beauty, selfconfidence and empowering the female body.

The Saint Louis Art Museum looks forward to seeing you on October 6 at 7 pm for Conversations with the Artist: Mickalene Thomas. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at the Museum and on the museum website, slam. org. Tickets for members are $15, and tickets for nonmembers are $20. This talk, Conversations with the Artist: Mickalene Thomas is made possible by a grant from the Trio Foundation of St. Louis.

Missouri is already one of the most restrictive states in the country when it comes to the challenges women face in accessing abortion. We even recently endured a sevenweek-long abortion special session called by Gov. Eric

The news of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court’s decision went mostly unnoticed as news coverage rightly focused on another failure of the courts to deliver justice. Earlier that same day, Judge Timothy Wilson found former police officer Jason Stockley “not guilty” of first-degree murder in the 2011 shooting of Anthony Lamar Smith. For Missourians, the decision came as no surprise—the Black Lives

The violation of these basic human rights are not isolated from one another. Missourians deserve the guarantee of safety during routine interactions with law enforcement, the right to make decisions about our own bodies, and the peace of mind knowing that our state leaders are fighting for our best interest. Instead, Gov. Greitens and his GOP allies have repeatedly pushed policies that do exactly the opposite. Missouri should be a place where all people feel safe raising their family if, how, and when they want to. We should strive to be a place where every citizen feels supported by the communities we call home. This is the vision that drives us into the streets and inspires us to hold our leaders accountable when they betray our values. Standing together, we must, and we will, continue to fight back against any threats to our common values.

Alison Dreith is executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri.

Contemporary Art Museum Saint Louis. Thomas’ Din, Une Tres

Mickalene Thomas

Guest Columnist Alison Dreith

Be a Tourist in Your Own Town

Your spooky guide to St. Louis

Children are encouraged to wear costumes when visiting the Saint Louis Zoo from Oct. 17-30 for Boo at the Zoo Nights.

By Kiara Bryant

For the St. Louis American

Take a look at what’s in store for haunted St. Louis this October. Get the little monsters all dressed up in their costumes and take them to an attraction near you or see your worst nightmares come true at a haunted house. Many places are celebrating everyone’s favorite scary holidayHalloween. October means all things frightening, pumpkin picking, bonfires and hayrides for the family and St. Louis has it all.

The Fabulous Fox Theatre welcomes the return of Ghost Tours on select Mondays (Oct. 16, 23 and 30). There’s 88 years of history from paranormal activity to ghost sightings. Hear their stories about what happens after the shows are over and the lights go out. And the Fox isn’t the only one offering ghost tours. Step inside the Lemp Mansion for haunted history tours, ghost hunting and mystery dinner theatre. Visit the mansion and learn more about why it is known for being so spooky. Tours are offered most Monday nights year round, but Halloween is the perfect time to visit and the “Haunter Hunter” mystery dinner is ongoing from now until Oct. 27. When it comes to being creeped out, haunted houses never disappoint us. Creepyworld Haunted Screampark (Sept. 22 - Oct. 31) and The Darkness (Sept. 22 -Nov. 11) are no exception to that rule. Creepyworld features 13 major haunted attractions including a new haunted hayride and Quarantine World War Zombie. The Darkness features a variety of attractions including: haunted houses, escape rooms, zombie laser tag and much more.

For the kiddos, Grant’s Farm celebrates Halloween nights with themed shows, deer park rides featuring Halloween lights and more. The special

events are offered weekends in October (Oct. 6-7, 12-15, 19-22, 26-29) from 6-9 p.m.

The Magic House is hosting a Not-So-Haunted House Oct. 20-22 and Oct. 27-29. Children are welcome to dress up in costumes while enjoying trick or treating (candy-free) and story time.

The Saint Louis Zoo starts the party early with Zootoberfest Saturday and Sunday Sept. 30 – Oct. 1 and Oct. 7–8. Zootoberfest offers family-friendly flavors of Oktoberfest with live entertainment, animals and a “biergarten” for those 21 and up. The fun doesn’t stop there, as Boo at the Zoo Nights provides another opportunity for kids to celebrate Halloween in a non-scary way every evening from Oct. 17-30.

Children are encouraged to wear costumes. There’s so much to enjoy including: the herpetarium, children’s zoo, shows, rides, storytelling, 4D Theater, game area, painting pumpkins, photos and more. While this is not a trick-or treating experience, kids under 12 will receive a bag of treats when leaving. The Halloween celebration concludes with Spooky Saturday on Oct. 28 for a day of free educational stations, entertainment, crafts, games, character meet and greet as well as other activities throughout the zoo.

Enjoy a haunted hayride or bonfire at Millstadt Farm by Eckert’s Belleville Country Store and Family Farms (Fridays & Saturdays Sept. 15-16, 22-23, 29-30, Oct. 6-7, 13-14, 20-21, 27-28). The Pumpkin Jamboree begins weekends in October (Oct. 7-8, Oct. 14-15, 21-22, 28-29) from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. with wagon rides to the pumpkin patch to search for the perfect pumpkin. Your child will be thoroughly entertained with music, activities, pony rides, funnel cakes, festival foods and a petting farm.

All month long, the Butterfly House becomes the

Booterfly House, full of things that creep and crawl complete with story time featuring Little Miss Muffet and live carnivorous plant feedings. The Bug Ball on Oct. 27-28 gives your child a chance to dance, play games, create spooktacular crafts and view the hand-painted treat houses from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Join in the festivities at the Haunted Hayloft at the Purina Farms Visitor Center select (Oct. 20-22 and Oct. 27-29) for trick-or-treating, magic shows, face painting, storytelling, canine performances and adoptable dogs.

Even the Saint Louis Science Center is getting spooky with its annual Spooktacular event on Thursday evening, Oct. 26 from 5-8 p.m. Celebrate Halloween and science by making slime, seeing a live owl demonstration from the World Bird Sanctuary, watch pumpkins get splattered, telescope viewings, and themed shows in the OMNIMAX® Theater and James S. McDonnell Planetarium. Fright Fest is back once again at Six Flags St. Louis, every weekend from now until Halloween (Sept. 29- Oct. 31). During this most frightening time of year, the theme park is wholesome family fun during the day, but beware at night there is nowhere to hide as haunted houses and scare zones are all throughout the park. Whether you’re a Potter fan or not, head over to Ballpark Village for Johnnie Brock’s Dungeon Scary Potter Halloween Party (Oct. 28) beginning at 7 p.m. This themed party includes access to four restaurants and bars, DJ entertainment, characters, a costume contest, specialty drinks and magical decorations. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, there’s no doubt more seasonal entertainment and events are waiting for you to explore at www. explorestlouis.com

Photo by Roger Brandt

‘We

are letting them know that our lives matter’

Protestors disrupt St. Charles during Oktoberfest

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

About three miles into the nearly five-mile trek protesters made through St. Charles on Friday night, there was a moment of silence for Anthony Lamar Smith.

“[Expletive] black lives,” a man shouted and rushed towards the circle of people formed in the heart of the St. Charles downtown bar and restaurant row. “Blue lives matter.” He was pulled away by friends.

“Black lives matter,” an elderly white protestor yelled back. “Blue lives suck [expletive].” Other protestors followed suit and began to yell at him. He tried to rush back into the crowd, but his friends held him tight and successfully carried him away.

John Muhammad, the man facilitating the moment of silence, was furious.

“What the … what are y’all doing,” Muhammad said. “That was a distraction. We are not here to be distracted. We are not here to be agitated. We are here for Anthony Lamar Smith.”

He was angry and frustrated with the crowd for taking the bait, but he quickly got his emotions in check.

“We are not anti-police. We are not anti-white,” Muhammad said. “We are anti-racism and we are antiinjustice. There’s a verse in the Bible that says that wherever two or three are gathered in my name, the devil is also present. There is darkness all around us. We must continue to be the light. Now let’s try this again.” They stood and sat silently for six minutes. They ignored the heckles that continued to come.

Friday night was a long one for the protestors. They met on the parking lot of the St. Louis Outlet Mall (formerly St. Louis Mills) at 6 p.m. Law enforcement had been alerted that they would be coming. The mall was already shut down by the time they got there.

They hovered to say they would be heading to St. Charles. The exact location was never disclosed. Protestors were told to follow the flashing lights. Some got lost along the way, but eventually found the location where the action would begin – along South Main Street, as the city’s annual Oktoberfest carried on. Police in riot gear were already stationed there when the group began to arrive. The heckles began well before the march started.

“[Expletive] and your black lives matter [expletive],” a man heading to the festival said.

“You’re the real racists for bringing this [expletive] to St. Charles.”

The protesters waited for the rest of the demonstrators to arrive, then they proceeded to march.

A few from St. Charles decided to jump into the crowd and square off. Each time St. Charles Police pulled the individual out of the crowd.

As they made their first turn, a car attempted to drive forward in the direction of the protestors. The car hit a popular demonstrator known in the protest community as Chocolate.

“This [expletive] just hit me!” Chocolate screamed. The car stopped, then jerked forward again.

Chocolate rammed the pole of the red, black and green flag she was carrying directly into the windshield of the car.

“Try that [expletive] again,” Chocolate said. “Try it!”

She bashed the pole into the windshield again with enough force to break the glass and her pole. The car backed out and rerouted.

The march continued. They circled the area around Oktoberfest, but never attempted to enter. They passed by bars, restaurants and shops.

Some booed. Others scowled and shook their heads. A few showed their support.

“Woo hoo! I’m with you guys all the way,” a young white waitress said.

A water bottle came flying from the crowd, just missing the young woman’s head.

Scolds came from the protestors shaming whoever committed the act.

“Hey, I was saying I’m on your side,” the young woman said before getting yanked into the restaurant by a coworker, who proceeded to lock the door.

“Agitator! Agitator,” a person from the crowd yelled. “Where is the agitator?” Cori Bush asked. “We will call out all agitators. You will be called out.”

They continued. An inebriated man came into the crowd swinging. A bike cop who was following the protest attempted to subdue him. The man bit the officer on the ankle. Riot cops stepped in and detained him. It was the only time they used force the entire course of the march.

“We’re trying to keep things quiet here,” an officer said as

he marched on the sidewalk across from protestors. “The last thing we need is some drunk [expletive] to mess that up.”

As they entered the street across from where the Oktoberfest festivities were taking place, a man who was selling water to festival goers offered bottles to protestors for free. A wrought iron gate separated festivalgoers from protestors as they came along this stretch. They were shouted

down with “white lives matter,” “blue lives matter.” Expletives were hurled their way. On the last road before the march ended, four people attempted a standoff against the 200-plus protestors. They stood awaiting the group at the intersection. The group walked around them. They yelled and cursed and attempted to physically confront the group. A tall black man was pushed. He asked the man why he was being so

aggressive.

“Because this is our city,” the man said. “You don’t have the right to be here. This is St. Charles. These are our streets. We had nothing to do with that drug dealer getting killed.”

The man asked the tall black man why he was covering his face. He pulled his bandana down and attempted to have a conversation with the man leading the standoff. The crowd began to chant, “Black lives matter.” The other three with

on

the man started chanting, “All lives matter.”

“I need for you to understand that when they say, ‘All lives matter,’ they are not talking about us,” Tory Russell told the crowd.

“That’s why we are out here. We are letting them know that our lives matter – and that as long as injustices like this keep happening against us, they will no longer be able to enjoy sitting back and ignoring it.”

Protestors took to the streets of St. Charles

Friday, September 23 to disrupt its annual Oktoberfest as protests of the notguilty verdict in the Jason Stockley trial entered their second week.

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

Racism is a sickness

St. Louis and America must overcome a form of madness to heal, be made whole

By Jason Q. Purnell

St. Louis, was wracked with the initial convulsions of what would later be known simply as “Ferguson.”

I didn’t submit it for publication then. I wasn’t sure it would make a useful contribution. I didn’t know if it would jeopardize other important work I was involved in. I wasn’t confident that people would understand my meaning.

Three years later, as my city now confronts a new set of convulsions in response to a not-guilty verdict in another police shooting that left a young black

n There is scientific evidence that responses to race happen at the level of brain biology. More than one study has found that some people are less likely to empathize with pain experienced by individuals of a different race.

man named Anthony Lamar Smith dead, I’ve returned to what I wrote back in 2014. It was true to me then, and I think it’s still true now.

Michael Brown and Anthony Lamar Smith were human beings, with all of the complexity and profundity humanness entails. Obvious as that statement seems, it feels subtly subversive in some circles inside St. Louis and beyond.

“Racism is a form of psychosis that renders human beings incapable of recognizing other members of their species as such.” I tweeted this in the wake of the unrest in Charlottesville. I was speaking metaphorically, but there is scientific evidence that responses to race happen at the level of brain biology.

More than one study has found that some people are less likely to empathize with pain experienced by individuals of a different race.

Faith leaders slam GrahamCassidy health care bill

Bishop William Barber: ‘bill is racist and takes health care from millions of African Americans’

American staff

This week, a group of over 3,000 faith leaders representing various religious traditions from all 50 states, including 119 faith leaders from Missouri, sent a joint letter to the U.S. Senate voicing their opposition to the Graham-Cassidy health care bill and encouraging Senators to reauthorize the vital Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and disproportionate-share hospitals (DSH) program.

The bill would eventually die without coming to a vote.

“To allow Graham-Cassidy to pass the Senate –– and to allow CHIP and DSH programs to lapse –– is to allow the health of America’s most vulnerable people to face unnecessary and immoral obstacles,” they wrote. “Therefore, we deplore this proposed legislation and these potential

funding cuts and pray that you will work with your colleagues in Congress to prevent any disruption of health care for Americans.”

Many national faith leaders added a personal note to the group statement. Bishop William Barber II, president and senior lecturer at Repairers of the Breach in Goldsboro, North Carolina, stated: “This bill is racist and takes health care from millions of African Americans being peddled with a state’s rights agenda. It is a form of economic injustice that will hurt the poor who are mostly white. Bad for America.

The group also slams Graham-Cassidy for its eschewing of the bipartisan process that is essential to reauthorizing the CHIP and DSH programs, which have long enjoyed broad

See BILL,

For the 14th consecutive year, BarnesJewish Hospital will provide free seasonal flu shots beginning Monday, October 2. The flu, or influenza, is a contagious respiratory illness with symptoms such as fever, body aches and sore throat. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends everyone 6 months of age and older should get the flu vaccine. Last year, more than 200,000 Americans were hospitalized with flu-related complications each year, according to the CDC. All vaccines are free of latex and preservatives, and are available on a firstcome, first-served basis at the following Barnes-Jewish locations while supplies last:

City of St. Louis Monday, Oct. 2 – Wednesday, Oct. 4 7 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Adult vaccinations only (18+ years old)

Barnes-Jewish Hospital, main floor lobby One Barnes-Jewish Hospital Plaza, St. Louis, Mo. 63110

Parking is available in the South Garage for $2/hour

Monday, Oct. 2 – Wednesday, Oct. 4

8 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Adult & pediatric vaccinations (6 months and older) Center for Advanced Medicine, 3rd floor lobby 4921 Parkview Place, St. Louis, Mo. 63110 Parking is available in the North Garage and Forest Park/Laclede Garage for $2/hour

West St. Louis County Sunday, Oct.

“This bill is racist and takes health care from millions of African Americans being peddled with a state’s rights agenda,” Bishop William Barber II, president and senior lecturer at Repairers of the Breach in Goldsboro, North Carolina (photographed at the National Urban League 2017 Annual Conference held in St. Louis in July), said of GrahamCassidy health care bill. “It is a form of economic injustice that will hurt the poor who are mostly white.”

A protestor spoke with a Missouri State Highway Patrol during a protest action in response to the not-guilty verdict in the Jason Stockley murder trial on September 17.

Photo by Wiley Price

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

Why you should check your blood pressure at home

American Heart Association advises: Check. Change. Control.

By Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis American

Consider this a “pressure check.”

To maintain good blood pressure control, some individuals with hypertension, commonly known as high blood pressure, take their own blood pressure readings at home. Actually, the American Heart Association home recommends home self-monitoring for everyone living with high blood pressure. It helps the healthcare provider determine if treatments are working to keep blood pressure under control.

Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to life-changing and life-threatening conditions, including heart attack or heart failure, stroke, vision loss, kidney damage or kidney failure, narrowing of the arteries and sexual dysfunction. There are some simple steps to take to make sure you taking your blood pressure properly. Did you know that smoking, eating a large meal, taking decongestants or even drinking coffee 30 minutes before taking your blood pressure can affect the reading? You should

RACISM

Continued from A12

The parts of their brains that are thought to be associated with empathy don’t light up the way they do when a member of their own race is experiencing pain. This seems emblematic of the racial divide in the local and national reaction to the tragedy that unfolded in Ferguson. According to Pew, 80 percent of blacks in America believed the shooting of Michael Brown raised important issues of race; only 37 percent of whites did. There is a sense in which the legacy of race in this country makes Brown and Smith’s simple, basic humanity a difficult notion to comprehend. And I don’t mean at the surface level of thought. I’m talking about largely unconscious processes. Another body of psychological research looks at these so-called automatic thoughts using what’s called the Implicit Association Test Individuals who would never consciously endorse bias against African Americans, for instance, find it difficult to inhibit their bias when asked to quickly respond to pictures and words that place blacks in negative categories. Interestingly, even African Americans themselves are sometimes shocked to learn that they too carry these biases. In certain academic circles, including my own area of public health, we call this inward holding of bias “internalized racism.”

To continue the psychosis metaphor, that means believing the delusion that you and

BILL

Continued from A12

support on both sides of the aisle.

also use the bathroom, if needed, before you take your own blood pressure.

The American Heart Association says if you have your own blood pressure monitoring device, take it with you to your doctor for your doctor to examine. The doctor can make sure you are using it properly via your demonstration and check the device’s readings against the one at the physician’s office. Make sure it’s a certified cuff device – cuffs are more accurate than other marketed devices – and make sure the blood pressure cuff is the right size for your arm. If you are not sure which one to buy, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice. The AHA says use the same arm each time you take your blood pressure, take it at the same time of day, and keep a blood pressure journal to chart your progress. AHA recommends home monitoring for all persons with high blood pressure, using a certified, automatic cuff-style monitor. You don’t have to buy a blood pressure monitoring device to keep track, AHA volunteer and nurse Devita Stallings said.

others like you are less than human. When everything in your environment signals to you that your basic worth is in question, it is difficult to resist that impulse.

That is why AfricanAmerican parents and communities for generations have fiercely loved and prepared our children for the world that they will encounter.

As James Baldwin writes in the moving letter to his nephew that introduces “The Fire Next Time”: “...here you were: to be loved. To be loved, baby, hard, at once, and forever, to strengthen you against the loveless world.”

Anthony Lamar Smith had a one-year-old daughter at the time of his death. He was shot five days before Christmas in 2011. And if his mother’s reaction to the not-guilty verdict is any indication, he also knew that fierce love that Baldwin talks about. She said, “My soul is burning. My heart is broken. I didn’t get no justice; I could never be at peace.” I also know that kind of love. I know it first from having received it from parents who have never stopped supporting and encouraging me. And I know it now as a parent of my own children. I have looked long into the eyes of my baby boy and held him close these past several days. He, too, is a human being. The thought that anyone would question his humanity breaks my heart. The thought that he could be harmed because of it hurts in places only parents know.

In the only piece of literature that has ever brought me near tears, W.E.B. Du Bois writes of the untimely

“If you don’t have a blood pressure monitor or if you can’t afford one, we have a list of resources and places in the city where you can go in and have your blood pressure

checked for free,” Stallings said. “You can literally go to like a CVS, a Walgreens. Most grocery stores have a blood pressure kiosk where you can just stick your arm in and take

your blood pressure as well.” She added that some YMCA branches have blood pressure kiosks as well.

“When people keep track of it, it really sort of empowers them to take ownership of their health symptoms,” said Stallings, whose doctoral research centered around cardiovascular health. “What we find is that a lot of people may not take their medication because they don’t feel bad.”

Just keep track of your readings by jotting down the measurements, saving them in your phone as a note, in your calendar, or in an app that you can show to your doctor on your next visit.

The AHA has an online tracker (https://www.ccctracker.com/) where you can sign up to store blood pressure readings and set up reminders to take blood pressure. It’s called “Check. Change. Control.”

“It will actually graph your blood pressure over time, and you can see times when it was normal versus times it was higher,” Stallings said. “You can also set reminders that will send text messages or email to you to remind you to check your blood pressure.”

death of his own baby boy.

In the chapter of “The Souls of Black Folk” called “Of the Passing of the First-Born,” he says that he was prepared to teach his son to live behind what he called “the Veil” – that opaque covering of racism that obscures the humanity of black people, through which we are never truly seen.

Du Bois and his wife fell in love with their baby, the way so many parents do, but lost him. And poignant as the description of his son’s passing is, that’s not the part

n “Without this funding, many hospitals will face difficult decisions to cut services or close entirely.”

that makes me shudder still. It is the fact that Du Bois felt “an awful gladness” at the death of his son. “No bitter meanness now shall sicken his baby heart till it die a living death, no taunt shall madden his happy boyhood.” He was relieved that his son would not have to contend with the Veil.

Racism is a sickness. Until we see behind the Veil, there can be no cure – not in St. Louis or anywhere else in America. We will not be whole as a region, as a nation, until we recover from the madness that would render any child,

woman, or man anything less than human.

And yet that rendering is precisely what many read in Judge Timothy Wilson’s decision. Anthony Lamar Smith is just another “urban heroin dealer” in the eyes of “the court.” It’s also what they heard in the recording in which the officer who shot him said that he was “going to kill this motherf****r.”

The pain and anger of that dismissal of humanity and the compounded grievances of so many lost since Michael Brown is what has found me

Check. Change. Control. enrollees can connect to other American Heart Association volunteer ambassadors who encourage you to monitor your blood pressure. While they do not have access to your health information, Stallings said they can help people track their numbers and understand what the levels mean.

“If they see that their numbers really are high, they are more encouraged to take their medications,” she said. “That’s another problem with high blood pressure – people are not compliant with taking their medication.”

There are also health care providers in the system that you can connect to as well. Stallings said, “If a person’s physician is also enrolled in the program, they can go in and monitor their patient’s blood pressure as well, remotely.”

Find out more about the AHA online blood pressure tracker Check. Change. Control. at https://www. ccctracker.com/. For more information about checking your blood pressure at home, visit http://bit.ly/2xzGq6i.

and others like me, who were not actively involved in the Ferguson protests, taking to the streets in nonviolent protest this time. I have also been engaging in dialogue on social media, where I’ve talked about my experience in protest.

I’m not a protest leader, but no matter who you are, I think you have to appreciate the human dynamic at work in protest. I keep thinking of a 26-year-old Martin Luther King Jr., who was leading protests in Montgomery, Alabama, when he said: “There comes a time when people get tired of being trampled over by the iron feet of oppression...we are tired now.”

Nearly 62 years separate us from that first meeting of the Montgomery Improvement Association and the launch of the modern Civil Rights Movement. We are still tired from the sickness, hoping near the end of hope that this country can finally heal.

Jason Q. Purnell is an associate professor in the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. He leads the For the Sake of All project, which works to improve the health of all people by eliminating racial inequities in the St. Louis region. Purnell is on the boards of Beyond Housing, Inc. and the American Youth Foundation. He is the former director of community engagement with the United Way of Greater St. Louis. The views expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author. The St. Louis American is a CNNWire affiliate.

FLU SHOTS

Continued from A12

“Without this funding, many hospitals will face difficult decisions to cut services or close entirely. In rural areas especially, lower-income

“Graham-Cassidy not only threatens the health coverage of millions through cuts to Medicaid, but it also delays bipartisan congressional action to extend funding for programs like CHIP. . . and DSH, which supports safety-net hospitals that provide health services to people without insurance,” they wrote.

Americans will face a crisis. The $43 billion in proposed funding cuts over the next eight years will cause job loss, a decrease in the quality and number of services hospitals provide, and create lifethreatening gaps in healthcare service for many Americans.”

They urged: “As faith leaders, it is our duty to care for and minister to people in our communities. As Senators, you have a similar duty to care for your constituents. Please focus on bipartisanship rather than political posturing, oppose Graham-Cassidy, and extend CHIP and DSH funding.”

The full letter can be read at https://tinyurl.com/ y832uh5e.

Adult and pediatric vaccinations (6 months and older) Siteman Cancer Center at Christian Hospital Christian Hospital AtriumDetrick Building 11133 Dunn Road, St. Louis, Mo. 63136

Free parking is available on-site

Flu shots are not available to individuals who have had a previous allergic reaction to the flu vaccine, those with egg allergies or anyone who has ever had Guillain-Barré Syndrome. For more information, visit barnesjewish.org/flushots or call 314-TOP-DOCS (8673627).

Nina Elliott, development coordinator at the American Heart Association in St. Louis, demonstrates the proper position to get the most accurate blood pressure reading.

Photo by Wiley Price

Photo by Vincent Lang

A family participated in a die-in direct action at St. Louis Metropolitan Police Headquarters on September 17 in response to the not-guilty verdict in the Jason Stockley murder trial.

NEWSPAPER IN EDUCATION

Healthy Kids Kids

Fall Foods!

Nutrition Challenge:

We recently celebrated the first day of fall — and with that comes fall fruits and vegetables! Some things in season now are pumpkin, apples, squash and pears.

No Smoking! Fall Exercise

Fall brings cooler temperatures. It’ll no longer be too hot to enjoy the outdoors! So put on your shoes and jacket and go out and enjoy the weather. Choose activities that raise your heart rate and increase your breathing for at least 20 minutes.

One fun fall activity is to have a leafcatch race. Stand behind a specific line

Studies show that one of the easiest ways to stay healthy and extend your life expectancy is to not smoke. Smoking affects your lungs, your heart and many other parts of your body. And smoking is very addictive. So it’s way easier not to start, than to stop later!

Learning Standards: HPE 1, HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 3

“In season” generally means that the food is extra flavorful and yummy this time of year, but also easier to find and less expensive!

As a class, plan a Fall Foods Feast. What foods would you include, and what are nutritious, healthy ways that you could prepare them? What are ways that these foods might be served that aren’t so healthy?

Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 3, NH 5

(using sticks or a sidewalk to mark your starting point). When you see a leaf fall from a tree see who can catch it before it hits the ground. The first one to catch 10 leaves wins!

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

Dried

Apples

Ingredients:

2 Apples

2 Tsp Sugar

½ Tsp Cinnamon

Directions:

Core and thinly slice the apples. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in a Ziploc bag and drop in a few apple slices at a time to coat. Lay the apple slices in a single row on a cooling rack sitting on top of a cookie sheet. Bake at 200 degrees for 2-3 hours until dry.

them.

What is your favorite part of the job you have? I love doing Sandtray and play therapy with all ages. I think it is wonderful to get paid to “play” with children and families and to see them get better because of it. I also enjoy being in private practice where I am my own boss.

Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3

“Questions or comments? Contact Cathy Sewell csewell@stlamerican.com or 314-289-5422

Ella M. Duncan, PhD, LCSW, RPT-S

CLASSOOM SPOTLIGHT

SCIENCE CORNER

What Is A Pixel?

The term “pixel” is actually short for “Picture Element.” Images on computer monitors are made up of these small little dots, called pixels. The computer screen is divided into a matrix of thousands of pixels. You cannot see pixels because they are so small, but if you set your monitor to a low resolution, and look closely, you might be able to see individual pixels. An example of a low resolution is 640x480. This means the picture is created by a matrix of 640 by 480

SCIENCE INVESTIGATION

pixels. Therefore, there are 307,200 little dots that create the image on the monitor. Although pixels can only be one color at a time, they often blend together and form various shades and blends of colors because they are so small. If you want to see pixels in action, play Pixel This!: www.spaceplace.nasa.gov/pixel-this.

Learning Standards: I can read nonfiction text to gain information about pixels.

Color by Numbers!

Computer screens are divided into a grid of small dots called pixels. You will be using graph paper to create a pixel image.

Materials Needed:

• Graph Paper • Pencils or Crayons • Marker

Procedure:

q This image has a resolution of 6X5, which means it is created by 30 pixels. On your graph paper, use a marker to block off a square that is 6x5. Your square will be six rows, with five squares in each row.

w In the first row, leave the first square blank, color the next three squares, and leave the last square blank. The code for this is (1, 3, 1).

MATH CONNECTION

e In the second row, leave the first four squares blank and color the last square. The code for this is (4,1).

r In the third row, leave the first square blank and color the last four squares. The code for this is (1,4).

t In the fourth row, color the first square, leave the next three squares blank, and color the last square. The code for this is (1,3,1).

y In the fifth row, repeat the same pattern you completed in the fourth row.

u In the last row, leave the first square blank, and color the last four squares. The code for this is (1,4).

Discussion Questions: Look at your pixilated image. What letter of the alphabet did you create? Write directions, or code, for a new pixel image and trade directions with a classmate.

Learning Standards: I can follow step by step directions to complete a task and observe the results. I can apply what I have learned to a new task.

SCIENCE STARS

ELECTRICAL ENGINEER AND COMPUTER SCIENTIST:

Marc Hannah

Marc Hannah was born on October 13, 1956, in Chicago, Illinois. He received a scholarship from Bell Laboratories and attended the Illinois Institute of Technology where he earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 1977. He received a master’s degree in 1978 and a doctorate degree in 1985 from Stanford University.

Barcodes seem to be everywhere. Computers use them to read information. Published books have a ten-digit code on the back cover called an ISBN (International Standard Book Number). If you order a book, the publisher will use the checksum to verify that they are sending the correct book. In order to calculate a checksum, you multiply the first digit of the ISBN code by 10, the second digit by nine, the third digit by eight, and so on down to the ninth digit multiplied by two. Then, you will add each of these values together. For example, this ISBN code 0-13-911991-4, gives the following value:

Next, divide your answer by eleven. What is the remainder? 172 divided by 11= 15 remainder 7. If the remainder is zero, then the checksum is zero, otherwise subtract the remainder from 11 to get the checksum. 11-7=4. Look at the ISBN code. Is the last digit 4? Yes! The checksums match. Use an ISBN code from a book in your classroom to calculate the checksum. Be sure to show your work! Learning Standards: I can add, subtract, multiply, and divide to solve a problem.

Hannah co-founded Silicon Graphics, Inc. (SGI) with Jim Clark and five others in 1982. Although this company’s technology was used in engineering, research, and military applications, SGI was famous for its computer graphics technology, used to create effects for movies like “Jurassic Park,” “Aladdin,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Hunt for Red October,” “Field of Dreams,” and “Terminator 2.” In addition to movies, Hannah’s programs have been used to create television commercials and the opening introduction for Monday Night Football. Hannah is also a partial owner of Rondeau Bay, which is a construction company located in Oakland, California.

Hannah has appeared in Ebony magazine, Electronics magazine, Forbes , and PC Magazine. He has also received the Professional Achievement Award from the Illinois Institute of Technology and the National Technical Association.

Discussion Questions: What goes into making special effects in movies? How have special effects in movies changed since the early 1990s? How has Dr. Hannah’s work inspired that change? What makes computers so useful in creating special effects? How would they be created without the use of modern computers?

Learning Standards: I can read a biography to learn about an African American who has made strides in the fields of math, science, and/or technology.

Newspaper

Road Map: With a friend, choose a news story to be your make believe road map. Both of you cut the story from two separate newspapers. Your starting point will be the first word. Your partner will give you cardinal directions (ex: two words east, 4 lines south, 1 word west, etc.), while he also navigates the route. When he says “stop” compare your maps. Choose another article so you can give your partner directions.

Evaluating Layout: Newspapers must have an enticing layout and meet space constraints. Choose a page of the newspaper to evaluate. Measure the square area of text, advertisements, and photographs. Place the measurements from least to greatest and write the percentage of space that each type of category used.

Learning Standards: I can use cardinal directions. I can measure and order numbers.

Mr. Gardner’s 6th grade class at STEAM Gifted Academy

In Chris Gardner’s 6th grade class at STEAM Gifted Academy in the Ferguson-Florissant School District, students Isaiah Taylor, Grace Ford, Anijah Heard and Adam Coleman look over new science experiments by using examples from the newspaper’s NIE page. Photo by Wiley Price Teachers, if you are using the St. Louis American’s NIE program and would like to nominate your class for a Classroom Spotlight, please email: csewell@stlamerican.com

The first computer mouse, designed by Doug Engelbert in 1964, was made of wood.

In 1988, a small team using SGI workstations created the first digital character in movie history. It was a shimmering, snake-like figure that appeared to be made of water. It was the “pseudopod” in the 1989 film “The Abyss.”

Scenes from the Tishaura Jones golf tournament

Annual event held recently at Forest Park

Photos by Patrick I. Gaydon

Business

Local small business owners express support for protestors

‘Glass can be replaced, profit is not everything’

American staff

A statement circulating among small business owners is calling for perspective on the issue of police killings versus the broken windows resulting from recent protests.

Posted on Facebook on Friday, the statement has already received 50 sign-ons from area business owners and 60 more from their patrons. The list includes a wide variety of businesses from St. Louis city and county.

The letter comes out strongly in favor of those protesting the recent acquittal of Jason Stockley. A few broken windows, they say, are nothing compared to the ongoing injustices committed against black lives.

“We recognize that glass can be replaced, that profit is not everything and can eventually be recovered, and that fear of these problems heading to our business districts or our shops is fleeting,” they stated. “We further recognize that lives cannot be replaced, families do not eventually recover, and the fear of being murdered in the streets will haunt certain residents of our community forever.“

n “We see police escalating tensions on the streets and then denying responsibility for the results. We see our innocent patrons caught up, brutalized and arrested.”

The statement also tackles the question of responsibility for what has occurred on the streets.

“While we believe in personal responsibility, we believe that deeper responsibility lies with our local governments and all those who have turned a blind eye to abuse,” they stated. “We must all take our share of the responsibility.”

Indeed, these business owners wonder if the police are making them less safe.

“We see police escalating tensions on the streets and then denying responsibility for the results. We see our innocent patrons caught up, brutalized and arrested in the Central West End, Loop and downtown. When media is arrested for doing their jobs, how do we tell our staff they are safe doing theirs?” they stated.

“It is not at all clear that police have our best interests at heart when they are preoccupied with macho attempts to ‘own’ the streets. Frankly, we have reason to wonder if we have more to fear from the police officers than from a small handful of vandals.”

The statement’s author, Eliza Coriell, owner of The Crow’s Nest, a restaurant in Maplewood, expressed hope that the letter would give police tacticians pause.

“We’re not arguing that police shouldn’t do

their job. We do want them to operate with a higher standard and we want to keep the focus on black lives, and the legitimate issues voiced by the black community.”

Other businesses who had a representative sign the statement include MoKaBe’s

Coffeehouse, Pi Pizzeria, Yoga Source of St. Louis, Golden Grocer, Sommer Property Investments, Engelbreit Art & Design and RISE Coffee House.

For the complete statement and list of those who signed it, visit https://tinyurl.com/y9ysa9sq.

Dream Builders 4 Equity win Social Enterprise Innovation Competition

By Chris King Of The St. Louis American

Celebration and student book release on Thursday

Dream Builders 4 Equity was selected as one of the awardees of Washington University’s Social Enterprise Innovation Competition, competing in a field of more than 150 startups.

Dream Builders uses an innovative model to provide at-risk youth with the opportunity to attain financial ownership in real estate located in low-income, highly distressed communities. This ownership will be earned by attending life- and job-skill courses and contributing to communitydevelopment efforts.

Winners of the competition receive a oneyear intense entrepreneurship support program, structured workshops, access to community mentors and SEIC staff, an opportunity to be matched with graduate-level interns from Washington University, and an opportunity to receive small amounts of investment during the year, depending on the venture type and progress. “It was a bittersweet day,” Michael Woods, co-founder of Dream Builders 4 Equity, said of receiving the award. “The day we were awarded for Dream Builders success was also the same

See DREAM, B2

Anne-Marie Clarke was installed as chair of the Judicial Council of the National Bar Association. She will focus on judicial diversity and ethnic fairness. She is Family Court commissioner of the St. Louis Circuit Court. The National Bar Association is the nation’s oldest and largest national network of predominantly African-American attorneys and judges. It represents the interests of approximately 65,000 lawyers, judges, law professors and law students.

Dr. Douglas Perry was promoted to Assistant Vice President of Community Health Services at Affinia Healthcare. Affinia provides affordable primary and preventative health services at six locations in the St. Louis area. Perry will oversee community health initiatives and the school-based health center located at Normandy High

Dr. Misty C. Farr was awarded the Pharmacists Making a Difference Award by the Missouri Pharmacists Association (MPA) at their 2017 annual conference. Farr serves as the Pharmacy Manager to the Florissant Walmart location, which she opened. She received the award for her advocacy to help seniors and lower-income patients access resources.

Damena D. Agonafer is joining the faculty of Stanford University as an assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering and Material Sciences. Agonafer received the Alfred P. Sloan PhD Program Fellowship and has been a postdoctoral student at Stanford since 2012. His research focuses on issues including water desalination and electrochemical energy storing.

Charles Willis Jr. of Collinsville, Illinois successfully defended his 2016 NHRA Super Pro Motorcycle title at Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Illinois. It’s Willis’ fourth title in the Missouri-Illinois area motorcycle race. Willis, a retired U.S. Army veteran, will undergo spinal surgery in the off-season and will plans to sit out the 2018 season to recuperate.

Michael Woods and Neal Richardson are co-founders of Dream Builders 4 Equity.

Malayzja D. Anderson was selected for the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Foundation’s inaugural class of legislative research fellows. The program aims to train future political leaders from the black community through work experience in the legislature. Anderson is pursuing a Master’s Degree in from the University of Illinois at Springfield, and works as a Graduate Assistant in UIS’s Diversity Center. On the move? Congratulations! Send your professional news and a color headshot to cking@stlamerican.com

Anne-Marie Clarke

Dr. Misty C. Farr

Damena D. Agonafer

A vandal used a large rock to destroy a window at Clarkson Eyecare’s downtown location following September 17 protest of the not-guilty verdict in the Jason Stockley trial. (Note: Clarkson Eyecare is not one of the businesses that signed a statement siding with Stockley verdict protestors and criticizing police tactics in responding to protests.)

Malayzja D. Anderson

Charles Willis Jr.

Dr. Douglas Perry

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

Lawmakers, civil rights leaders challenge DeVos on student loan enforcement

By Charlene Crowell Columnist

Civil rights leaders and Capitol Hill lawmakers are standing up and speaking out against a recent Department of Education (DOE) decision to sever its working relationship with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). In separate and independent actions Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and staff are being challenged and corrected as to its understanding of a sole office having complete authority and enforcement regarding the nation’s student loans. As readers may recall, an earlier column reported on an August 31 advisory by the Department of Education’s decision to formally end two Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) that guided Education’s working relationship with CFPB. The first MOU detailed how DOE would share information with CFPB. The second detailed how the two agencies would cooperate on supervisory oversight, the process that has led to multiple million dollar settlements for fraud and other legal violations. For CFPB, the correspondence was an unexpected 30-day cancellation notice. It was also one that affects more than 40 million consumers who together owe $1.4 trillion in a combination of federal and private student loan debt. Among Black students who used student loans to finance a bachelor’s degree, the burden of debt is disproportionate. Four years

following graduation, they owe almost double the amount of their white classmates, according to research by the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL).

Since then, reactions have ranged from questioning the advisability as to why DOE would cut its ties to CFPB, to outright challenges to the agency’s knowledge and interpretation of applicable federal laws.

For example, 10 members of the Congressional Black Caucus joined with other Capitol Hill lawmakers in a bicameral effort that represented 18 states to challenge in a September 15 letter to Secretary DeVos that advised the department’s “assertions are false”.

Led by Senators Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Patty Murray of Washington, the correspondence was a direct challenge.

“While the Department does have the authority to administer the federal student loan programs,” wrote the lawmakers, “that authority is not exclusive and has been intentionally constrained by law due to the Department’s historical negligence in carrying out many of its oversight responsibilities over federal student loan servicers.”

“Congress also established a Student Loan Ombudsman at the CFPB whose responsibilities include working with the Department to ‘resolve complaints related to [borrowers] private education or federal student loans’ and is specifically instructed to enter into a MOU

with the Department to do so,” the letter continued. The lawmakers also advised in their letter that the authority to monitor and enforcement laws affecting student loan servicers beyond those held by CFPB additionally includes duties for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC),

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) at the federal level and in the states by attorneys general and other state agencies.

“We are pleased to see Senators Brown and Murray are joined by more lawmakers in leading the way to assert CFPB’s authority and that of other federal agencies that together share oversight and regulation of student loans and student loan servicers”, commented Whitney BarkleyDenney, a CRL policy counsel and student loan specialist.

“The claims made by the Department of Education made in signal a disturbing intent to withhold key information that should be shared.”

“These lawmakers are standing up for borrowers and taxpayers against a Department of Education that seems more interested in protecting the interests of big money corporations than struggling families. On behalf of the more

than 40 million consumers burdened with student debt and our allies in this struggle, we are also most grateful,” Barkley-Denney concluded.

If lawmaker chidings weren’t enough, days later on September 20, another communique continued what the lawmakers began. Led by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCCHR), a coalition of diverse national organizations pledged to promote and protect civil and human rights of all people, sent its collective concerns to Secretary DeVos, citing federal laws like Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

“All of these laws require regulations and guidance, and oversight and enforcement, in order to provide their intended benefits to students,” stated the coalition.

More than 40 national organizations joined in noting DOE’s apparent failure to

embrace its duties in civil rights when it comes to higher education. Among the signatories were a broad range of concerns from the NAACP, National Urban League, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, to the National Council of Jewish Women, UnidosUS (formerly the National Council of LaRaza), American Association of University Women, and Asian Americans Advancing Justice.

“Students deserve, and the law requires, a Department of Education that is working to protect all students from discrimination and to provide for equal educational opportunity,” the coalition concluded.

Charlene Crowell is the communications deputy director with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at Charlene. crowell@responsiblelending. org.

Target raises wages to $11 an hour, commits to $15 by end of 2020

Target announced Monday that it would increase the minimum hourly wage for all workers to $11 next month and committed to a $15 minimum wage by the end

of 2020. The company said the increase will also apply to the more than 100,000 hourly workers it is hiring for the holidays. The $11 wage is higher than the minimum wage in 48 states, and it matches amounts in Massachusetts and Washington, Target said. It’s also much higher than the current federal minimum wage of $7.25.

Justine Peterson gets $150K micro-entrepreneur grant

The Justine Peterson Housing and Redevelopment Corporation, based in St. Louis, was granted $150,000 by the U.S. Small Business Administration as part of its Program for Investment in Micro-Entrepreneurs (PRIME).

The SBA placed special emphasis in this year’s competition on projects that will offer training and technical assistance to strengthen cooperative forms of business, particularly those that service economically disadvantaged entrepreneurs. PRIME was created by Congress as part of the Program for Investment in Microentrepreneurs Act of 1999. Grant funds will be made available on September 30, and the project period for each grant is one year. For more information on the SBA’s PRIME grants and for a list of this year’s grantees, go online to www.sba.gov/ content/prime-grantees. Contact Justine Petersen at 314-533-2411 or http://www. justinepetersen.org.

DREAM

continued from page B1 day another white police officer was acquitted for killing another black man.” Neal Richardson is the other co-founder of Dream Builders 4 Equity, which currently partners with Beaumont High School, where they launched their first pilot this past spring.

The youth are publishing a book describing their experiences, how the program has benefited their present lives and will assist them in the future, and how they plan to continue to provide support to underserved communities. The book will be for sale when Dream Builders 4 Equity celebrates its inaugural cohort of students 5-7 p.m. Thursday, September 28 at the William J Harrison Education Center, 3140

Cass Ave. All profits from book sales will be utilized to establish their personal savings accounts. For more information about Dream Builders, email michael@ dreambuilders4equity. org or visit www. dreambuilders4equity.org. For more information on the Social Enterprise Innovation Competition, visit https://seic.wustl.edu.

“While the Department does have the authority to administer the federal student loan programs,” 10 members of the Congressional Black Caucus joined with other Capitol to write, “that authority is not exclusive and has been intentionally constrained by law due to the Department’s historical negligence in carrying out many of its oversight responsibilities over federal student loan servicers.”

Charlene Crowell

“He’s a hater. What makes what he says credible? Because he’s on TV? I’m not going to let him disrespect my legacy like that.”

– LeBron James, in response to criticism from Charles Barkley

PreP Football Notebook

Riverview Gardens starts out strong in 2017

Rams off to 4-2 start after going 5-27 last three seasons

One of the pleasant developments during the current season has been the emergence of the Riverview Gardens Rams.

The Rams have really struggled in recent years with a 5-27 record during the past three seasons, including a 0-10 mark in 2015. Things have changed this season at “The View” as the Rams are out of the gate with a 4-2 record.

Led by a hardened group of seniors, the Rams defeated Hazelwood East 26-6 last Saturday in what was their biggest victory of the season to date. Senior quarterback Lawrence Johnson had a big day with 323 yards of total offense and four touchdowns against East.

The 6’1” 175-pound Johnson has been a big dual-threat throughout the season with 563 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns; and 899 yards passing and 12 touchdowns. The other top offensive weapon is senior Davion Evans who has rushed for 469 yards and four touchdowns while catching 19 passes for 401 yards and seven touchdowns.

Riverview’s defense has been strong this season with a strong corps of seniors leading the way. Defensive lineman Maurice Hall has a team-high seven quarterback sacks while defensive back leads the team with 53 tackles. Defensive lineman Aaron Spottsville has 45 tackles and six sacks while linebacker Stephen Harris has four sacks. The Rams will close out of the sea-

See PREP, B4

IN the ClutCh With Ishmael H. Sistrunk

NBA arms race continues

Melo to OKC, DWade to Cleveland

Last season, teams around the NBA were put on notice. The star-studded Golden State Warriors team waltzed its way to a 16-1 postseason record and a NBA championship. Teams around the league were left with two options. They could sit on the sidelines and cede the dancefloor to the Bay Area’s ‘Big Four’ or fight to stack their own squads with selfless superstars.

Just one year after Kevin Durant chucked the deuces to Oklahoma City, leaving teammate Russell Westbrook to ball out by himself, the Thunder has restocked the cupboard. In July, the Thunder acquired four-time All-Star Paul George for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. Now, the Thunder has also acquired 10-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony from the New York Knicks for a stale box of Cheerios and an open pack of blank DVDs Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott and a second-round draft pick.

Ishmael H. Sistrunk

In the blink of an eye, the Thunder went from one AllStar to three. The move puts OKC in contention with the San Antonio Spurs and the Houston Rockets as the West’s best team, outside of Oakland, of course. Whether the Thunder can compete for a championship will come down to team chemistry. Westbrook, George and Anthony are all accustomed to being ball-dominant players. Westbrook co-existed with Durant and James Harden, so he should be able to adjust to playing with star players, despite coming off an MVP season in which he averaged a triple-double. Make no doubt about it, the Thunder is Westbrook’s team. George and Anthony will need to check their egos at the door in order to make it work. That is especially a concern for Anthony, who laughed at the idea of coming off the bench at his introductory press conference.

With Earl Austin Jr.

Earl Austin Jr.

CLUTCH, B4

extremely talented basketball player. Many players though would take the diplomatic route

Carmelo Anthony was traded from the New York Knicks to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The big question is whether he can adjust and share the ball with his two all-star teammates Russell Westbrook and Paul George.

Cleveland Commanders quarterback Tajh Robinson (2) steps out

against Sumner. The Commanders would defeat the Bulldogs 36-28 at Cleveland.

Photo By Wiley Price

From The easT

With Maurice Scott Jr.

side

Flyers vs Belleville West for ‘The Bell’

The East St. Louis Flyers and the Belleville West Maroons have staged some epic battles dating back to 1916 during this long rivalry.

The winner takes home the coveted Alton Southern Bell that’s put on display at the respective high schools. This rivalry game used to be played annually on Thanksgiving Day.

However, when the Flyers started participating in the IHSA state finals, often played on Thanksgiving weekend, and other circumstances, the schools and the Southwestern Conference agreed to play the game during the regular season.

During the last three years the East St. Louis Flyers and Belleville West Maroons have not disappointed anyone. In fact, controversy usually surrounds the rivalry in a various ways. In 2014, the Maroons defeated East St. Louis 29-28 in a thriller.

On October 26, 2015, the Maroons defeated the Flyers

CLUTCH

Continued from B3

when joining a new team. They would say something like, “I’m willing to do anything to help this team win a championship.”

Not Melo. Anthony is about getting buckets.

In his defense, Anthony has shown a willingness to be a team player as he agreed to switch positions. He will start a power forward for the Thunder this season, a position he scoffed at while in New York. Early in the season, chemistry will be a big issue for the Thunder. However, if the team’s stars start to gel, they will make the race out West extremely interesting.

Wade headed to Cleveland

After dealing Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics, in the most talked-about trade this offseason, the Cleveland Cavaliers decided to make another splash. After coming to a buyout agreement with the Chicago Bulls, LeBron James’ BFF Dwyane Wade signed with the Cavs in a one-year, $2.3 million deal.

Wade joins Isaiah Thomas Derrick Rose, Jae Crowder and a few other newbies in Cleveland. The move gives the

PREP

Continued from B3

son with Seckman, McCluer North and a showdown with Hazelwood Central in the finale. The Undefeated

35-26 in Belleville when so many penalties were called against East St. Louis the officials didn’t have to do laundry for over two years. In addition, that was the last game of the Flyers season because the teacher’s strike forced them to forfeit their remaining games, thus putting a damper on the season. Last season, Flyers’ quarterback Reyondous Estes (Minnesota) threw for 226 yards and four touchdowns, two to All American Jeff Thomas (Miami) as the Flyers got revenge with a 52-0 rout of the Maroons, which I’m sure left a sour taste in the game mouths on the west side of Belleville. That sets up Saturday afternoon’s game. The winner will be in the driver’s seat for the Southwestern Conference crown. Simply put, if East St Louis wins, it probably will wrap up consecutive conference titles. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.

But traveling to West will be a tough tour for Darren Sunkett’s team and the Flyers won’t take the Maroons lightly. Belleville West and East St. Louis both enter the matchup with 4-1 and 3-0 in conference play.

The only losses from both teams came in the Gateway Scholars Football Classic on September 2 against Timber Creek New Jersey for West, and Evangel Christian Academy for East St. Louis where both teams had a shot late to earn victories with those national powers.

touchdowns). Wide receiver Will Laxon is their main go-to guy with 22 catches for 264yds and four touchdowns.

It is one defense where the Maroons hope that they can contain the high-powered Flyers offense. Sherod Boyd, DeUndrey Johnson, Keith Randolph and LaMondre Carter are all guys who love to fly around the football and make plays for Belleville West.

Belleville West is led by running backs Kriston Davis (100 carries for 628 yards and 11 touchdowns), and Sherod Boyd. The Maroons feature a duo of quarterbacks in Matt Schmidt (22 for 44 for 304 yards and four touchdowns) and Jake McCloskey (13-19 for 174 yards and four

Cavaliers increased depth as they prepare to make another run at capturing a NBA title. However, the move also gives the Cavaliers another serious injury concern. Thomas’ well-chronicled hip injury means the diminutive guard may not suit up until January. Wade and Rose seem to spend as much time in street clothes as they do in uniform. James has been amazingly durable throughout his career but is approaching the age where injury concerns are move prevalent. The East is still essential-

*Stellar Performers

ly a two-team race between the Celtics and the Cavs.

Chemistry isn’t as big a concern in Cleveland as it is in OKC (after all, James has proven he can win with almost anyone) but health will be a major factor in determining if Cleveland can once again reign in the East.

The NBA scheduled less back-to-back games this season and is set to approve new rules against resting healthy players. Fortunately for the Cavs, the team could rest half its aging roster and nobody would become suspicious unless King

However, Flyers head coach Darren Sunkett and his staff will have plenty of firepower to offset the Maroons defense. Quarterback Christian Perez has been brilliant for East St Louis. The 6’2 senior has completed 72-112 for 956 yards and 13 touchdowns with only one interception.

The Flyers lost their top two running backs in Jarrell Anderson and DeMonta Witherspoon earlier this season.

James’ name was involved. It should go without saying though, if the Cavs remain healthy, the Cavs are serious contenders.

Quick shouts

It’s been a long and eventful sports week. Here are a few quick sports shout outs dealing with topics I don’t have space to cover at length.

Shout out to LeBron James for continuing to resist the ridiculous statements coming out of the mouth of the POTUS. Unlike some star athletes, who are afraid to speak out and put their endorsement dollars at risk, James has repeatedly spoken out against injustice, racism, bigotry and just plain ol’ ignorance.

Shout out to Andre Ward, who announced his retirement from boxing at just 33-yearsold. Ward retired as the best pound for pound fighter on the planet, after dispatching of Sergey Kovalev twice. Due to injuries and long bouts of inaction, Ward never received his due recognition as a truly great fighter. Some believe he’ll come back, but once Ward makes a decision, he usually sticks with it. I think he’s gone for good. Sad day for boxing, but I’m glad S.O.G. went out on top. Shout out to the NFL

However, running back Jigg Brown has 87 carries for 586 yards with nine touchdowns through five games.

Freshman Jaylon Reed torched Collinsville last week for 242 yards and two touchdowns.

The Flyers offensive air attack is breathtaking. Receivers Eric Rogers II (28-catches 371 yards, three touchdowns), LaWaun Powell Jr. (19 catches, 250 yard and seven touchdowns) and Perez Hall Jr. (13 catches for 139 yards and one touchdown) lead the way.

Defensively, East St. Louis has been quite impressive and has one of the best linebacker groups in the state. They are led by highly touted outside linebackers Eric Owens (6’2, 208), Terrion Williams (6’2, 247) and Julian Smith (6’1, 235). In addition, inside linebacker Imuniqe Williams, (6’1, 200) East St Louis will also be hard to deal with.

Strong safety Oliver

players who took a knee. I’m all for any resistance to the POTUS, but forgive me if I give a side eye to the teams who locked arms or stayed in the locker room for the anthem.

McDowell (6’2, 220) leads the secondary with an impressive seven sacks through five games along with Antonio ‘A.J. Johnson at cornerback. The defensive front is also huge for the Flyers.

Walter Baxter (6’2, 275) leads the way with six sacks on the young season. It will be a another knock down showdown this Saturday afternoon with plenty of bragging rights up for grabs with many of the players growing up together in East St. Louis now playing at Belleville West.

Scott’s Prediction:

The Maroons will have a lot of familiar faces from East St. Louis rooting for the Maroons on Saturday. But it won’t matter and Darren Sunkett and his boys dial it up once again and keep the Alton Southern Bell in East Boogie.

Flyers 32, Belleville West 17

Apparently it’s OK to protest the anthem when the POTUS calls football players SOBs, but not OK to do when people of color die. For those bold enough to kneel, thank you. For those attempting to appropriate the protests, but only when it’s safe, kick rocks.

Follow Ishmael and In the Clutch on Twitter @ IshmaelSistrunk

The sT. louis american college aThleTes oF The Week

Davis Missouri Baptist – Football

of 19, 15 and 64 yards. It was first Missouri Baptist victory of the season. As a freshman last season, Davis rushed for 278 yards on 68 carries and one touchdown while averaging 4.1 yards per carry. The sophomore running back from Edwardsville, Ill. enjoyed a big game in the Spartans’ 42-37 victory over St. Ambrose last Saturday. Davis rushed for a career-high 200 yards on 24 carries and scored three touchdowns on runs

Miaya Peacock

Harris Stowe – Volleyball

There are still a handful of undefeated teams still going strong in the area as we head into Week 7 in Missouri and Week 6 in Illinois. They include Vianney (6-0), Lutheran North (6-0), Trinity (4-0), Fort Zumwalt North (6-0), Lindbergh (6-0), Ritenour (6-0) and McCluer SouthBerkeley (5-0).

Trinity’s Isaiah Williams passed for 323 yards and three touchdowns in the Titans’ 68-6 victory over ChristianO’Fallon.

Lutheran North’s Canaan Brooks rushed for a school record 324 yards and six touchdowns in the Crusaders’ 50-12 victory over Lutheran South.

Maurice Massey of Francis Howell North caught 10 passes for 237 yards in a 35-18 victory over Francis Howell Central.

Earl’s Pick Game of the Week

Ritenour (6-0) at Lindbergh

(6-0), Friday, 7 p.m. – A showdown in South County featuring two undefeated teams who are on a big roll. Lindbergh has experience a big turnaround after finishing 3-7 last season. The Flyers have an explosive offense, led by quarterback Parker Powell (1,325 yards pass and 17 touchdowns) and the receiving duo of Rico Payton (834 total yards and 15 touchdowns) and David Grenia (686 yards and 10 touchdowns).

Ritenour is led by senior quarterback Mann McGruder, who has amassed more than 2,000 yards of total offense and 25 touchdowns. Senior running back Demetrius Jackson has rushed for 891 yards and

13 touchdowns. The top two receivers are Barrion Clemons (357 yards, five TDs) and Demeetrie Beach (319 yards, two TDs).

Other Top Games of the Week

• Westminster (3-3) vs. MICDS (4-2) at Kirkwood, Thursday, 7 p.m.

• O’Fallon (2-3) at Edwardsville (2-3), Friday, 7 p.m.

• Borgia (6-0) at St. Charles West (2-4), Friday, 7 p.m.

• Francis Howell (4-2) at Timberland (4-2), Friday, 7 p.m.

• Lafayette (3-3) at Webster Groves (3-1), Friday, 7 p.m.

The senior outside hitter from Champaign, Ill. has been one of the top offensive performers in the America Midwest Conference. Peacock had a team-high 16 kills in the Hornets three-set victory over Central Baptist in the AMC season-opener. She added another 16 kills and 15 digs in a five-set loss to Fried-Hardeman last

Saturday. The 5’6” Peacock currently leads Harris-Stowe in kills, digs, service aces and blocks. Before coming to Harris Stowe, she was a standout at Parkland College, where she led them to a National Junior College Athletic Association national championship two seasons ago.

Maurice Scott

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are reunited in Cleveland after Wade signed a one-year, $2.3 million deal with the Cavs.

SportS EyE

Alvin A. Reid

With

Black players brought the NFL, America to its knees during anthem protests

Black America can thank this nation’s somewhat psychotic president for creating unforeseen momentum in its quest for equality.

All he had to do was call about four or five black guys “sons of bitches” and suddenly the entire NFL put on a show in support of these players and their individual stands that will forever be remembered.

Owners, players, staff and some family members knelt, locked arms, sat or raised a fist before and/or after the national anthem before games on Sunday and Monday night. It was inspirational – but what was it about?

The real threat - On Saturday, NFL boss Roger Goodell and every NFL owner knew that there was going to be a reaction to the president’s comments on Friday night. I guarantee you it wasn’t the fear of mass kneeling or other demonstrations. The thought running through their respective minds was, “What if a lot of black players refuse to play tomorrow?” If most black players – especially many of the NFL’s stars – ever decide to forfeit a game check, take whatever punishment comes their way and sit out a game, the NFL and America would never be the same. This was, and is, the owner’s greatest fear.

their collective actions can have an impact on the NFL and the country.

America’s Team action –Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and his family joined players and staff in kneeling before the national anthem was played before Monday night’s game in Phoenix. They all stood with locked arms as the song was performed. This lifelong Cowboys fan was worried the team would do nothing. The conservative Jones is more worried about his bottom line than the plight of blacks in America, but the kneeling was a nice touch.

Ray Lewis, really? – Retired Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis suddenly remembered he was black on Sunday and knelt with some Ravens players before the game in London. Lewis defended the Ravens’ not signing Kaepernick based on some ridiculous social media message Kaepernick’s girlfriend sent out that mocked Lewis and the Ravens’ owner. He said in July he would never protest during the national anthem. Shannon Sharpe was critical of him a few weeks ago and he was on Monday too.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. By the way, the coach of the youth football team says the idea to kneel came from the players as a way to support protesters in St. Louis. Whatever.

Owners’ hypocrisy – The same gentlemen that refuse to hire Colin Kaepernick stood and locked arms with players from London, where the Jacksonville Jaguars and Baltimore Ravens played, to Los Angeles, where the Chargers faced the Kansas City Chiefs. Most of them probably voted for the president, but they mustered up enough courage to use harsh words like “very disappointed,” and “divisive.” Yes, I’m being facetious. They ignored their own effort to blackball Kaepernick while spouting off about the great work NFL players do in the community. Give me a break. This was about keeping black players on the field, not chastising the president.

Black players unite – Black NFL players should protest during the national anthem the remainder of the season. Regardless of what owners or white players do in the future, this fight is about them and their people. I wrote here several weeks ago that every black player should kneel during the national anthem. That would end all debate about the subject. You can’t fire or suspend all of them. I guess the president doesn’t read the St. Louis American. He should. He might learn something. Black players learned last weekend that they do have power and

“Ray Lewis sat in that chair right there and said he could never kneel, he could never not stand for the national anthem because so many people died and he had family members that fight for this country … and the flag means so much to him and he kneeled. Not on one knee — on both knees. So, what are you kneeling for?

The very people that said they would never, ever kneel — I just want to know what are you unifying against? … Are you showing solidarity against racism or the [injustice] that’s in this country? Or are you showing solidary against President Trump and what he said? His attack on the very NFL?”

Where is Jim Brown? –Jim Brown went off on black parents and coaches who orchestrated a team of 8-yearold football players to kneel during the national anthem. He called it “exploitation.” I agree with him. I don’t agree with his silence, as of Tuesday, on the president’s comments on black NFL players who protest during the national anthem. Brown said he would not do it, which is fine, but he called Kaepernick’s protest “unintelligent.” More than 200 players were part of demonstrations last Sunday and we have not heard a word from tough-guy Brown. Brown is a renowned activist, but he seems a bit confused as to what to say when grown-ups do grown-up things that mirror the actions of great black athletes of the past including the late Muhammad Ali and

The big payback – Any player that kneels should prepare for backlash. Denver Broncos All-Pro defensive end Von Miller lost his endorsement contract with Phil Long Ford in Denver, but the business was careful to say he wasn’t fired for his demonstration on Sunday in Buffalo.

“We are evaluating the events of the weekend. It is important to state that we haven’t fired Von. We are in the middle of contract renewal and this weekend’s events remind us that sometimes we feel that we best represent ourselves. We support Von and his first amendment rights, we know Von and he’s a good person. He donated a police car to his hometown police dept. All that notwithstanding when we bring in celebrities to represent us we run the risk of being misrepresented.”

The dealership’s statement went on to wrap itself in the American flag and boast of its financial support of veterans. I wonder how many black people buy cars there? My guess is very few or the dealership would not be so quick to take this action. Miller was fired. Period.

Nerves of steel – The Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans did not appear on the field during the national anthem last Sunday. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin let the players decide what action to take before their game.

“We will not be divided by this,” Tomlin said. “We got

a group of men in there that come from different socioeconomic backgrounds, races, creeds, ethnicities, religions and so forth. That’s football, that’s a lot of team sports. But because of opposition, we get drug into bulls–t, to be quite honest with you. Some have opinions, some don’t. We wanted to protect those that don’t, we wanted to protect those that do. We came here to play a football game today and that was our intentions.”

Defensive lineman, Alejandro Villanueva, exited the locker room and stood at attention just outside the players’ tunnel as the anthem was played in Chicago. Villanueva is a West Point graduate and veteran of three tours of duty

in Afghanistan. His jersey sales have skyrocketed and he’s a national hero, according to FOX News. All his fellow Steelers supported the move, although some were surprised he took that action. Many Steelers felt like they were putting him in a tough situation, which is why the entire team stayed in the locker room. Also, the Steelers were close behind him, just not close enough to be on camera. Also, he could have stood next to Tomlin, who WAS on the sideline for the national anthem. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is now saying he wished the team had not stayed in the locker room. I guess he got some hate speech hurled his way.

Paying the Bills - Former Buffalo Bills quarterback and Hall of Famer Jim Kelly was critical of the national anthem protests in Buffalo – and brought religion into the equation in a social media post with a photo of him standing with his hand over his heart. “The only time I will ever take a knee is to pray and to thank the Good Lord for what he’s given me. We all have our issues. … But I do know that we need to UNITE not SEPARATE. I hope next week we can STAND, LOCK ARMS and become ONE FAMILY.” Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes, who is black, countered saying “I was very disappointed in him. I was very disappointed in how he approached the whole situation.”

LeSean McCoy was stretching during the national anthem, which really set Kelly off.

“I like LeSean McCoy, don’t get me wrong, but I totally, 100 percent disagree with what he did,” said Kelly, who joined the Bills on the sideline Sunday and stood for the anthem.

“You want to kneel? Fine. But when you go and do what he did yesterday, that sort of bummed me out. And I lost a lot of respect for him.” Respect must be earned, Jim, and McCoy gained more among his people than he could possibly lose in the eyes of you and other white Americans.

Alvin A. Reid is a panelist on the Nine Network program, Donnybrook, is a weekly contributor to “The Charlie Tuna Show” on KFNS and can also be heard on Frank Cusumano’s “The Press Box.” His Twitter handle is #aareid1.

Alvin A. Reid

African-American players on the Buffalo Bills sit for the playing of the national anthem before their game at home on Sunday against the Denver Broncos.

The Equifax data breach: what you can do

By Seena Gressin Of The Federal Trade Commission

If you have a credit report, there’s a good chance that you’re one of the 143 million American consumers whose sensitive personal information was exposed in a data breach at Equifax, one of the nation’s three major credit reporting agencies. Here are the facts, according to Equifax.

The breach lasted from mid-May through July. The hackers accessed people’s names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and, in some instances, driver’s license numbers. They also stole credit card numbers for about 209,000 people and dispute documents with personal identifying information for about 182,000 people. And they grabbed personal information of people in the UK and Canada too.

n Whether or not your information was exposed, U.S. consumers can get a year of free credit monitoring and other services.

There are steps to take to help protect your information from being misused. Visit Equifax’s website, www.equifaxsecurity2017.com.

Find out if your information was exposed. Click on the “Potential Impact” tab and enter your last name and the last six digits of your Social Security number. Your Social Security number is sensitive information, so make sure you’re on a secure computer and an encrypted network connection any time you enter it. The site will tell you if you’ve been affected by this breach.

Whether or not your information was exposed, U.S. consumers can get a year of free credit monitoring and other services. The site will give you a date when you can come back to enroll. Write down the date and come back to the site and click “Enroll” on that date. You have until November 21 to enroll.

You also can access frequently asked questions at the site. Here are some other steps to take to help protect yourself after a data breach. Check your credit reports from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — for free — by visiting annualcreditreport.com. Accounts or activity that you don’t recognize could indicate identity theft. Visit IdentityTheft.gov to find out what to do.

Consider placing a credit freeze on your files. A credit freeze makes it harder for someone to open a new account in your name. Keep in mind that a credit freeze won’t prevent a thief from making charges to your existing accounts. Monitor your existing credit card and bank accounts closely for charges you don’t recognize.

If you decide against a credit freeze, consider placing a fraud alert on your files. A fraud alert warns creditors that you may be an identity theft victim and that they should verify that anyone seeking credit in your name really is you. File your taxes early — as soon as you have the tax information you need, before a scammer can. Tax identity theft happens when someone uses your Social Security number to get a tax refund or a job. Respond right away to letters from the IRS.

Visit Identitytheft.gov/databreach to learn more about protecting yourself after a data breach.

Seena Gressin is an attorney in the Division of Consumer & Business Education at the Federal Trade Commission.

Members of the Resource Accountability Project (RAP), a project of St. Louis Advocates for Youth.

Where did all the money from Ferguson go?

Youth

accountability project having a hard time

By Jessica Karins For The St. Louis American

After the national response to protests in Ferguson, the region received donations from all over the nation to organizations working against racial injustice, police violence and poverty. But where has that money gone, and what has it accomplished?

One youth organization said the organizations that received funding to deal with the underlying social problems in Ferguson and the St. Louis region haven’t been transparent about how they have spent the money and what they accomplished.

The Resource Accountability Project (RAP), a project of St. Louis Advocates for Youth, is calling on 10 charities in the St. Louis area to be more open about how they have spent grants they received after the Ferguson protests and how much youth have benefitted.

In a press release, RAP said the organization spent the summer requesting information from 10 organizations that received funding from corporate donations. Only one – the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis’ Save of Sons program –responded.

These organizations had first been contacted by RAP in 2015, when they requested information about how much money each organization had received and what they intended to spend it on.

“It was easy for us to find out how much money each program received and for what purposes,” RAP stated. “Unfortunately, these organizations haven’t been as transparent over the past two years in how they’ve been spending the money.”

getting answers

The organization’s initial report found that Emerson Electric had donated $7.4 million to youth programs; $1.4 million of that was unaccounted for at the time.

RAP is now calling on the nine other organizations they contacted to provide detailed information on how the money they received from corporate grants has been spent and how many young people have benefitted.

The programs which did not provide their information, according to RAP, are Lutheran North High School Scholarships, North County Christian School Scholarships, Incarnate Word Academy Scholarships, Harris-Stowe State University Emerson STEM Scholarships, STL Youth Jobs, SLATE Youth Jobs League, University of Missouri St. Louis Opportunity Scholars, Cardinal Ritter College Preparatory High School Scholarships, and Ranken Technical College Ferguson Forward Scholarships.

“Too often, agencies receive money that never actually reaches the people it was intended to assist,” RAP stated. “Much of the money provided to these organizations was intended to help and serve young people like us. Therefore as young people, we think it is important that we hold these programs accountable to the intent of the donations they received. These agencies received over $5 million in 2014 but have yet to publicly disclose how it’s been used.”

RAP told The American in 2015 that the goal of the project was to involve St. Louis youth in holding charitable organizations accountable, while teaching young people about civics, budgets and research along the way.

‘It is still a real fight to have our humanity recognized’

Emmy-winning STL native Sterling K. Brown links new film to unrest at home

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

“It is sad that this movie is so relevant,” said Sterling K. Brown. “That it’s been 75 years, and we are still fighting the same fight.” Fresh off his Emmy win two weeks ago for “Outstanding Lead Actor in A Dramatic Series” for “This Is Us,” the St. Louis native is one of the biggest stars on television. He’s gearing up for the theatrical release of “Marshall” next month. Brown co-stars in the film, which is directed by East St. Louis’ own Reginald Hudlin.

“Marshall” also stars Chadwick Boseman and Josh Gad and chronicles a case early in the career of civil rights icon Thurgood Marshall – who would later become the first black U.S. Supreme Court Justice.

n “Maybe this film jars some people into saying, ‘you know what, we can be better. I don’t want to go back to how it was 75 years ago. That’s not making America great again.”

- Sterling K. Brown

A young, hungry Marshall is trying the case of Joseph Spell, the character Brown portrays. Spell is wrongfully convicted of rape and attempted murder of his employer’s wife. In the film, the odds are stacked against Spell –partly because of poor choices he made over the years – but mostly because of the color of his skin.

“There is no such thing as a perfect defendant,” Brown says of Spell. “Just because we are not perfect, doesn’t mean that we are guilty. It’s important that we see this person in all of his imperfections – and even in those imperfections, his right to life.”

The case, which took place in 1941, makes Brown think of home in 2017.

“The fact that we as African Americans are guilty until proven innocent is still something that is alive and well today,” Brown said. “It

See STERLING, C4

Living It

Dance St. Louis’ presentation of Tap Dynamics will take place this weekend at The Grandel and will feature a tribute to jazz legend and East St. Louis native Miles Davis.

Tapping to Miles

When Emmy Award-winning choreographer and world-renowned tap dancer Jason Samuels Smith takes the stage with Dormeshia SumbryEdwards and Derrick K. Grant for Dance St. Louis’ presentation of Tap Dynamics at The Grandel this weekend, part of their program will consist of paying homage to East St. Louis’ own Miles Davis.

“I’m really humbled by the fact that I get a chance to honor somebody’s legacy and work,” said Smith. “And what better place to present that than the place the person spent the majority of their time developing as a person and as an artist.”

“Going The Miles” was originally created as part of the Miles Davis 90th birthday celebration festivities happening around the world last year.

Smith first performed a version of the show at The Harlem Stage.

“Going The Miles” includes the tunes

“Joshua,” “Will O’ the Wisp” and “Easy Living.”

“I tried to pick a range of music that would showcase his personality – and his styles –within jazz,” Smith said. “I wanted to show that he wasn’t limited to one approach with his style. And I tried to reflect that with the dance.”

The feedback from the show was phenomenal. Smith gives Davis all the credit for the powerful reception by audiences for the inaugural presentation of “Going The Miles.” The idea of bringing the show to Davis’ native region is overwhelming to Smith.

“He was such a giant – not only in music, but in culture – and all over the world,” Smith said of Davis. “Audiences will get a chance to hear tap dance with his music and to see the connection – and to see that there is a relationship between the dance and the music.

Miles Davis hung out with a lot of tap dancers, so who knows how he was influenced or

See TAP, C4

Art between black and blue lives

Pulitzer exhibition works address complexity between people of color and police

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

The Pulitzer Arts Foundation’s current exhibition of “Blue Black,” curated by Glenn Ligon, features more than 50 pieces by more than 40 artists with an overtone of unapologetic blackness and a celebration of African, African American and Caribbean culture.

On display through October 7, “Blue Black” was inspired by, and is the namesake of the Pulitzer’s permanently installed Ellsworth Kelly wall sculpture. When Ligon, an acclaimed visual artist, came for a site visit for an upcoming show of his work, he was haunted by Kelly’s piece –which essentially spans almost the entire height of the two-story Pulitzer Arts Center.

As he toured the gallery, he felt the piece speaking to him by way of a familiar song.

“The show sort of started because when I was in the galleries, I kept hearing Louie Armstrong sing, ‘What did I do to be so black and blue?’”

It made him think about the two colors get connected in so many different arenas – blues music, African American people and, of course, the formal pairing of the two colors.

“I know it was designed around the space – and not the other way around it – but they seemed in such harmony,” Ligon said if Kelly’s sculpture. “And because it is a permanent

installation, every show that is housed in this space has to respond to it in every way.

I thought it would be interesting to create an exhibition that directly took on the two colors in the Kelly – because they so resonate visually, conceptually, emotionally and spiritually.”

Among the pieces that would come together to create “Blue Black,” a few speak directly to the current climate in St. Louis with respect to law enforcement and the African American community.

(policeman)” (2015) is one of more than 50 pieces by more than 40 artists on display at The Pulitzer Arts Foundation as part of “Blue

“It was not something that I thought about at all,” Ligon said during a press preview of the exhibition back in June. “But it it’s definitely an important conversation that the works create.”

The pieces, and the entire exhibition, have a new relevance in wake of the nonstop protests that have continued for nearly two weeks in response to the acquittal of former police officer Jason Stockley in the 2011 shooting death of

Sterling K. Brown

Kerry James Marshall’s “Untitled

Black” curated by Glenn Ligon. The exhibition continues through October 7.

By Kenya Vaughn Of The ST. Louis American

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.

concerts

Fri., Sept. 29, 5 p.m., National Blues Museum presents Howlin’ Fridays Concert Series with Annika Chambers. 615 Washington Ave., 63101. For more information, visit www. nationalbluesmuseum.org.

Sun., Oct. 1, 4 p.m., National Blues Museum presents Soulful Sundays with the Usual Suspects

Fri., Oct. 6, 7 p.m., Pulitzer Arts Foundation presents The Score feat. Brian Owens and Composition for Life. 3716 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www. pulitzerarts.org.

Sat., Oct. 7, 9 p.m., The Boulevard Concert Series present T.K. Kravitz. 2543 N. Grand Blvd., 63106. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.

Sun., Oct. 8, 7:30 p.m., The Kevin Eubanks Band Eubanks is a guitarist and composer, and the former Music Director of The Tonight Show band. Wildey Theatre, 252 N. Main St., Edwardsville, IL. 62025. For more information, visit www.tickets. vendini.com.

Tues., Oct. 10, 8 p.m., Old Rock House presents Benjamin Booker. 1200 S. 7th St., 63104. For more information, visit www. oldrockhouse.com.

Fri., Oct. 13, 7 p.m., “RAW” EP Release Concert. Join us in a night of music, singing, theater, and dance. Harris Stowe State University, 3026 Laclede Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www. facebook.com.

Fri., Oct. 13, 8 p.m., The Gaslight Cabaret Festival presents An Evening with Paula West. 358 N. Boyle Ave., 63108. For more

information, visit www. gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

Fri., Oct. 6, 7 p.m., Pulitzer Arts Foundation presents The Score feat. Brian Owens and Composition for Life. 3716 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www. pulitzerarts.org.

Sun., Oct. 22, 5 pm Chuck Flowers: Up Close & Personal with Darrell Mixon/upright bass, Leland Crenshaw/acoustic guitar and David A. N. Jackson, BB’s Jazz Soups and Blues, 700 S. Broadway.

special events

Fri., Sept. 29, 5 p.m., Jazzmine Marie Nolan Foundation Charity Event. Join us for food, music, and a speaker, while also learning about our programs aimed at ending youth homelessness. 11836 West Florissant Ave., 63033. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Fri., Sept. 29, 8 p.m., The Sumner Alumni Association presents its Maroon & White Homecoming Dance Machinist Hall, 12365 St. Charles Rock Road 63044. For tickets, call 314.556.3944 or 314.452.1275 For more info email: sumneralumniassn@yahoo. com.

Sat., Sept. 30, 7 a.m., St. Louis Reconciliation Network invites you to the Race for Reconciliation 5K To heal broken race relations in our city by uniting diverse faith communities. Tower Grove Park, 4256 Magnolia Ave., 63110. For more information, visit www.stlrn. org.

Sat., Sept. 30, 11 a.m. & 2 p.m., Kids United in Dance:

The Guide

The Ugandan Kids Choir and Afriky Lolo. The Zack, 3225 Locust St., 63103. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.

Sat., Sept. 30, 11 a.m., Brains, Beauty & Brunch. Industry professionals will their journey, and discuss entrepreneurship and what it takes to thrive in business. .Zach Urban Ballroom, 3224 Locust St., 63103. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Sat., Sept. 30, 8 p.m., The Factory Fashion Show and Night Market. Preview clothing lines from some of St. Louis’ best local designers. 2720 Cherokee St., 63118. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Sept. 30 – Oct. 1, Dance St. Louis presents Tap Dynamics. Jason Samuels Smith, Dormeshia SumbryEdwards, and Derick K. Grant perform Going The Miles and And Still You Must Swing Grandel, 3610 Grandel Sq., 63108. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

Sun., Oct. 1, 3 p.m., Pretty Girls Rock presents the Walking Pretty Fashion Show. The Ambassador, 9800 Halls Ferry Rd., 63136. For

Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., Kappa Sigma Chapter presents their 5th Annual Sigma Charity Classic Golf Tournament. Eagle Springs Golf Course, 2575 Redman Ave., 63136. For more information, visit www. sigmacharityclassic.com.

Sat., Oct. 7, 2 p.m., 12th Annual Grove Fest. Come out for a kid’s zone, street performers, vendors, live performances, and more. Machester Ave. between Tower Grove and Sarah, 63110. For more information, visit www.thegrovestl.com.

Sun., Oct. 8, 11 a.m., Florissant Old Town Partners presents Florissant Fall Festival. Join us for a chili cookoff, wine garden, flea market, vendors, pony rides, and much more. 955 St. Francois St., 63031. For more information, visit www. facebook.com.

Sat., Sept. 30, 4 p.m., Don’t Call it a Comeback: Beating the Odds Book Release Party with author Sherrod Tunstall. Come out for music, a book discussion, a raffle, and more. Legacy Books and Café, 5249 Delmar Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com

Sun., Oct. 1, 7 p.m., Subterranean Books hosts author Jay Navies, author of The Day Cometh: Total Race Separation. After growing up in apartheid South Africa Zordyn proposes the Black population move to Mars. 6275 Delmar Blvd., 63130. For more information, visit www. thebookfirm.com.

more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Fri., Oct. 6, 5 p.m., Sistahs Entertaining U invites you to Camo for a Cause. Help raise funds for families devastated by the recent hurricanes. Lowes Café, 8911 Natural Bridge, 63121. For more information, call (314) 7411646.

Sat., Oct. 7, 2 p.m., Thomas Dunn Learning Center presents Missouri Prairie Festival 2017. 3113 Gasconade St., 63118. For more information, visit www. tdunn.org.

Oct. 7 – 8, 3rd Annual St. Louis Natural Hair and Black Cultural Expo 2017. Holiday Inn Downtown, 811 N. 9th St., 63101. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Sat., Oct. 7, 11 a.m., Community Birth and Wellness Center invites you to our Community Baby Shower. We’ll collect and distribute new and gently used maternity and infant items. 8 Church St., 63135. For more information and a list of needed items, visit www. facebook.com.

Sat., Oct. 7, 12 p.m., Phi

Tues., Oct. 10, 7:30 p.m., UMSL Student Involvement presents Todrick Hall Live! – Conversation & Performance. Touhill Performing Arts Center, UMSL, 1 University Blvd., 63121. For more information, visit www.touhill.org.

Oct. 12 – 14, Helium Comedy Club presents Sinbad. 1151 St. Louis Galleria, 63117. For more information, visit www. heliumcomedy.com.

Sat., Oct. 14, 12:30 p.m., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Omicron Theta Omega Chapter and Harris Stowe State University present the HBCU Awareness College Fair. Emerson Performance Center, 3026 Laclede Ave., 63103. For more information, email henscsc@gmail.com.

Sat., Oct. 21, 12 p.m., Black Nurses Association of Greater St. Louis invites you to their First Annual Scholarship Luncheon Catering To You, 12777 New Halls Ferry Rd., 63134. For more information, visit www. bnast.louis.org.

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Gamma Omega Chapter presents Girl’s Month. Throughout the month of September, they will have events to celebrate the strength of young girls, while also addressing some of the biggest challenges they face. For more information, visit www.akagostl.com.

Sun., Oct. 8, 11:30 a.m., Left Bank Books presents Christian Robinson: When’s My Birthday? A celebration of birthdays written by Julie Fogliano and illustrated by Caldecott and Coretta Scott King Honoree, Robinson

Fri., Sept. 29, 5:30 p.m., Artists First presents HeART of the City. A non-profit open art studio for adults with disabilities, youth with and without disabilities, and Veterans. Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 Union Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www. artistsfirststl.org.

Fri., Oct. 6, 7:30 a.m., Arts and the Innovation Economy: St. Louis’ Competitive Edge. Learn how the arts are fostering a more competitive and innovative workforce in the region. CIC St. Louis/Cortex, 4240 Duncan Ave., 63110. For more information, visit www.focusstl.org/events.

Fri., Oct. 6, 7 p.m., St. Louis Art Museum presents Conversation with the Artist: Mickalene Thomas. Thomas works on a larger-than-life scale using diverse media to explore black female identity and representation. 1 Fine Arts Dr., 63110. For more information, visit www.slam. org. Oct. 7 – 8, The Shaw Neighborhood Improvement Association presents the Historic Shaw Art Fair Featuring 135 artists, music,

Kenya Vaughn recommends

Helium Comedy Club presents Sinbad. For more information, see SPECIAL EVENTS.

art demonstrations and kids’ activities, and more. 4100 & 4200 blocks of Flora Place, 63110. For more information, visit www.shawstlouis.org.

Through October 7, The Pulitzer Arts Foundation presents Blue Black curated by Glenn Ligon, The Pulitzer Arts Foundation, 3716 Washington Blvd. For more information, visit www. pulitzerarts.org.

lectures and workshops

Sat., Sept. 30, 1:30 p.m., Black Jurors Matter Campaign Speaker William Snowden, J.D. will discuss the discriminatory practices of removing jurors from the jury panel. Legacy Books and Café, 5249 Delmar Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www. facebook.com.

Sat., Oct. 7, 10 a.m., Women on a Rise presents Speak Out: Domestic Violence Awareness Event. Gain awareness about domestic violence, healthy relationships, and more. Youth and Family Center, 818 Cass Ave., 63106. For more information, visit www.facebook.com.

Sun., Oct. 8, 2:30 p.m., STL Village Community Engagement Committee presents Gray Power –Older Adults and Activism Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112. For more information or to register, call (314) 802-0275.

Wed., Oct. 11, 5:30 p.m., Show-Me Institute presents War of Words: Free Speech vs. Tyranny on Campus. David French will discuss today’s main threats to free speech. Washington University School of Law, 1 Brookings Dr., 63130. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Fri., Oct. 13, 7 p.m., St. Louis Art Museum presents

Come to Your Senses: African Arts, Sensiotics and Understanding of Persons, Cultures, and Histories African Art Lecture in honor of Tom Alexander. 1 Fine Arts Dr., 63110. For more information, visit www.slam. org.

Sat., Oct. 14, 8:30 a.m., Beyond Housing presents a Home Buyer Education Class. Learn more about the benefits of homeownership and if buying a home is right for you. 24:1 Excel Center, 6724 Page Ave., 63133. For more information, visit www. beyondhousing.org.

Wed., Oct. 18, 6:30 p.m., The Scholarship Foundation invites you to a FAFSA Workshop. Learn about The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, and completion assistance is available by appointment. 6825 Clayton Ave., 63139. For more information, visit www.sfstl. org.

theatre

Oct. 5 – 7, TLT Productions presents Chasing Waterfalls. This R&B musical revue features music from the 90’s and early 00’s, while exploring pop culture and the glorified life of the music industry. .Zack, 3224 Locust St., 63103. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

Oct. 3 – 15, Fox Theatre presents The Bodyguard The Musical starring Deborah Cox. 527 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www.fabulousfox.com.

Fri., Oct. 6, 7 p.m., Acts for Houston: Artists Helping Artists. A variety show with all proceeds going to benefit the professional artists of the Houston Theater District. Grandel, 3610 Grandel Sq., 63108. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

Fri., Oct. 13, 7 p.m., Phil Woodmore Singers presents Antigone in Ferguson.

Performance will be followed by a discussion. Harris Stowe State University, 3026 Laclede Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Sat., Oct. 14, 7 p.m., The Drum Major Instinct. See Dr. Martin Luther King’s final sermon performed in a dramatic reading. Harris Stowe State University, 3026 Laclede Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Oct. 20 – 22, COCA presents The Wiz. The Black Rep’s Ron Himes directs this upbeat retelling of Dorothy and her crew’s adventure through the Land of Oz. 524 Trinity Ave., 63130. For more information, visit www.cocastl.org/event/thewiz.

health

Fri., Sept. 29, 6 p.m., Better Family Life presents Dr. Sebi Naturopathic Symposium Learn about alternative medicine, holistic practices and more. 5415 Page Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Sat., Sept. 30, 6 p.m., Sickle Cell Association invites you to the Sickle Cell Gala –Committed to the Cause. DK Annex, 2727 S. Jefferson Ave., 63118. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Sun., Oct. 1, 10 a.m., American Foundation for Suicide Prevention invites you to the Out of the Darkness Walk. Creve Coeur Park, Tremayne Pavillion, 2143 Creve Coeur Mill Rd.,

63146. For more information, visit www.afsp.donordrive. com.

Sat., Oct. 7, 8 a.m., 8th

Annual Sista Strut Breast Cancer Walk. Help us raise awareness about the issues of breast cancer in women of color and provided information on resources. For more information, visit www. thebeatstl.iheart.com.

Thur., Oct. 12, 6 p.m., Lifelong Vision Foundation presents The Eye Ball. Help support our programs such as free vision exams and glasses for low-income families. The Hilton St. Louis Frontenac, 1335 S. Lindbergh Blvd., 63131. For more information, visit www. lifelongvisionfoudation.org.

Fri., Oct. 13, 7 p.m., Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis

Region and Southwest Missouri’s Centennial Community Celebration. Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www. ppaction.org.

Sat., Oct. 14, 7:30 a.m., Dynamic Participators Enterprise, Inc. presents 5K Prayer Walk/Run and Inaugural Community Health Expo. 5195 Maple Ave., 63113. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Sat., Oct. 14, 9 a.m., Shalom Church City of Peace presents Health Fest. Counseling services, chiropractic care, vision testing, mammograms, and much more. For more information and to pre-register, call (314) 653-2322.

spiritual

Sat., Sept. 30, 10 a.m., 20th Annual HIV/AIDS Prayer Breakfast. St. Alphonsus Liguori Rock Catholic Church, 1118 N. Grand Blvd., 63106. For more information, visit www.facebook.com.

Oct. 2 – 6, True Vine M.B. Church of Ferguson invites you to Fall Revival of the Soul. 8420 Hill Ave., 63121. Guest Evangelist: Pastor Amos Gilmore of Greenville, Mississippi. For more information, call (314) 8053721.

Oct. 5 – 7, James Lee Ward Sr. District’s Women’s Conference 2017: Holy Women Standing on the Promises of God. Nazareth Temple C.O.G.I.C., 3300 Marshall Ave., 63114. For more information, call (314) 578-1388.

Thur., Oct. 12, 7 p.m., Greater Mt. Carmel Missionary Baptist Church presents Jekalyn Carr. 1617 N. Euclid Ave., 63113. For more information, visit www. bandsintown.com.

The Gaslight Cabaret Festival presents An Evening with Paula West. See CONCERTS for details.

Kenya Vaughn recommends

Continued from C1

is still a real fight to have our humanity recognized. A police officer wouldn’t say ‘I’m going to kill this m-f,’ if we were seen as equal. If we were truly seen as equal by all, that kind of statement couldn’t be made.” Brown is well versed in what’s happening in St. Louis. “I was talking to my brother after everything went down with the Jason Stockley verdict,” Brown said. “And he said, ‘Man, I have been here all my life, and there’s something the air that feels particularly unsafe.’ You know, I asked myself this question, ‘Who watches the watchmen?’ There is a group of individuals that are supposed to protect and serve all of us. But what do you do when that group does not protect or serve us? As a matter of fact, it seems like we have to be in fear for our lives from that group.”

The first-degree murder acquittal of former police officer Stockley in the 2011 shooting death of Anthony Lamar Smith has led to non-stop protests in St. Louis, and compounds the already thick racial tension around the nation.

“You walk inside a haze where you think that it’s normal – where the debasing of a group of people based on the color of their skin is supposed to be the status quo,” Brown said. “With the election of number 45 and the rise of hate rhetoric – we’ve taken a step back.”

He hopes that seeing “Marshall” will steer people back in the right direction, by reflecting on the history of racism, bias and a broken criminal justice system – and Marshall’s determination to fight for what’s right.

“Maybe this film jars some people into saying, ‘you know what, we can be better. I don’t want to go back to how it was 75 years ago. That’s not making America great again,” Brown said. “This man, Thurgood Marshall, used his brilliant legal mind and placed himself in the face of peril to right the wrongs that he saw being done in the world. I want people to recognize the power and importance of their voice – and that one individual can make a difference.”

“Marshall” opens in theatres nationwide on Friday, October 13. The film is rated PG-13 with a running time of 118 minutes.

TAP

Continued from C1

inspired by them.”

Smith is certainly inspired by Davis and other jazz giants. As a matter of fact, he considers himself a jazz musician who uses shoes as his instrument. “A lot of people hear tap and say it sounds percussive,” Smith said. “That’s the obvious sound that you hear. But the reality is that as a tap dancer you imagine your sounds are like all types of instruments. It could be a horn or a violin or a bass.”

Tap Dynamics will also feature excerpts from SumbryEdwards’ “And Still You Must Swing.” “People can expect us to be high energy, extremely musical, extra innovative,” Smith said. “We’re going to be surprised as much as they are because of the improvisation element – and we try to approach every show as if it’s our last.”

Smith is no stranger to St. Louis. He credits the late Robert Reed, who presented the St. Louis Tap Festival for more than 15 years, for catapulting his career.

Reed was the first to invite Smith to a major tap festival as a performer and teaching artist back in 1999.

The invitation gave him exposure in the tap community and beyond. By 2003, Smith had won an Emmy Award for “Outstanding Choreography” for his tribute to the late Gregory Hines on Jerry Lewis’ MDA Telethon.

“Every time I come to St. Louis, I think of Professor Reed,” Smith said. “He was a champion for tap dance, but

ART

Continued from C1

Anthony Lamar Smith.

One of the first paintings visitors who enter the “Blue Black” exhibition currently on display at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation see is Kerry James Marshall’s “Untitled (policeman)” (2015).

“I thought it was interesting to put the Kerry James Marshall in this exhibition, particularly because it was such a direct representation of police power,” Ligon said. “But he just looks like your uncle sitting on that car hood. That’s what’s really complicated about that image. He’s not readable. He’s just kind of there, but he’s wearing the uniform.”

also for jazz culture. I definitely wouldn’t be in this position if he hadn’t given me that opportunity – and now I direct my own tap festival in Los Angeles and that’s because of him.”

Smith plans to honor Reed’s undying love for jazz and tap by delivering an unforgettable performance along with his fellow dancers.

“People can expect to have a great time and hear some amazing compositions and to see tap incorporated with jazz sharing the platform,” Smith said.

Ligon believes that Marshall’s painting references a painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat entitled “The Irony of the Negro Policeman,” (1981) and speaks to the relationship between law enforcement and the African American community.

“Given that we are in St. Louis, given how close we are to Ferguson – given how important those have been, not only in this community but nationally and internationally – that it is important that there was a reference to that in the show,” Ligon said. His words came a full two months before the not guilty verdict was handed down and St. Louis City and caused the region to once again erupt in protest.

“It is a complicated

“Hopefully people will say, ‘these things belong together’ and that the platforms should always be shared.” Tap Dynamics starring Jason Samuels Smith, Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards and Derrick K. Grant will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 30 and 3 p.m. on Sunday, October 1 at The Grandel, 3610 Grandel Square. Tickets are $20. This event includes two add-on options: a post-performance cocktail party on Saturday, September

reference. And it’s a terrific painting,” Ligon said. “I thought this was one that works well with what I want to do and it also exceeds my argument for why it should be in the show – because it’s such a good, complicated painting.”

Ligon’s own “A Small Band” (2015) consists of the words “blues,” “blood” and “bruise” illuminated in six feethigh neon that sits diagonally across from Kelly’s “Blue Black.” Ligon references the words of Daniel Hamm. Hamm was part of the “Harlem Six,” a group of young black men wrongly accused and convicted of murder in 1965. Following his release from prison, Hamm spoke out against the police brutality he experienced while in custody, testifying “I had to, like, open the bruise up and let some of the blues blood… bruise blood…come out to show them.”

30 for an additional $20 or a post-performance benefit dinner with drinks in the Grand Hall on Sunday, October 1 for an additional $45. For performance-only tickets ($20), contact Metrotix at 314-5341111 or www.metrotix.com. For cocktail reception add-on ($20) or post-performance dinner add-on ($45), contact the Dance St. Louis box office at 314-534-6622 or boxoffice@ dancestlouis.org.

One of the final paintings in “Blue Black,” is by Kara Walker’s large tempera and watercolor collage, “Four Idioms on Negro Art #1 Folk” (2015). The painting shows men in military uniforms pointing weapons at black figures as they slide down stripper poles with their hands in the air.

“The issue with respect to law enforcement and the African American community is complicated,” Ligon said. “These works compliment the issue – and its ongoing complexity.”

The Pulitzer Arts Foundation’s installation of “Blue Black” will be on display through October 7 at The Pulitzer Arts Foundation, 3716 Washington Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63108. For more information, call (314) 754 1850 or visit www.pulitzerarts. org.

Tap Dynamics starring Jason Samuels Smith, Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards and Derrick K. Grant will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 30 and 3 p.m. on Sunday, October 1 at The Grandel, 3610 Grandel Square.

Celebrations

Nuptials Anniversaries

Happy 50th Wedding Anniversary to Arthur J. and Mildred Matthews who will celebrate on September 30 by renewing their vows. Thanks to our family and friends for their support. With God at our side, we can do all things. We have been blessed with two children, four grandchildren and one greatgranddaughter.

Happy 50th Wedding Anniversary to Rodney and Jacqueline Tatum on October 1! The Tatums celebrated this golden anniversary in with a cruise to Cuba, followed by a stay at Jewel resort in Jamaica in February 2017.

Best Anniversary wishes to Rev. J.J. and Joyce Shields! We are so grateful that God has blessed us to celebrate 28 years of marriage and love on October 7.

Reunions

Beaumont Class of 1968 will begin planning for its 50-year reunion to be held in St. Louis, Missouri in 2018. For more information contact Vanetta Cobbs, 314-869-5665, or email vanetta.cobbs@ sbcglobal.net.

Beaumont High Class of

1978 will celebrate its 40-year reunion in 2018. For further information, please contact: Marietta Shegog Shelby, 314-799-5296, madeshe@ sbcglobal.net.

Hadley Tech Classes of 1962-1963 are having their 55th year reunion on October 13-15, 2017 at the St. Louis Airport Marriott. For more information, please contact Hellon (Merritt) Jefferson at 314-307-3681, Ora (Scott) Roberts at 314-222-3662, Wilhelmina (Gibson) Baker at 314-630-9647, Pearl (Tillman) Holden 314-685-0466 or Virdell (Robinson) Stennis at 314-773-8177.

Jennings Sr. High School

will celebrate its 2017 Homecoming on October 6-7 for all alumni and students. For more information, contact Carmen Keaton at 314-3635172 or Sandra Wells at 314368-8874.

Kinloch High School Class of 1967 has finalized plans for an outstanding 50-year reunion. If you haven’t received your registration letter or email, please call 310-346-7235. You may also email your contact information to alreemc@aol. com .

Northwest High School Class of 1978 is planning its 40-year reunion for next year. PLEASE reach out to our classmates, tell them get

Congratulations to newlyweds Curtis III and Naya (nee Washington) Smith, who were united as one in a beautiful wedding ceremony on Saturday, August 19.

ready for this. If you have any questions please contact Sly at (314) 397-0311 or email us at northwestbluedevils@78gmail. com. Check us out on Facebook Northwest High School-Class of 1978.

Soldan High School Class of 1967 will be holding its 50th class reunion September 29-30, 2017. For additional information, please contact Nona Binion Simpkins at 314361-3799or Melvia Forniss at 314-725-8103.

University City High School Homecoming will be October 21, 2017. Parade at 10am; Tailgate at Jackson Park immediately after parade; U. City vs. Jennings game at 1

pm; Homecoming Dance at the Ambassador, 9800 Halls Ferry 7:30 pm-1am, donation $10. For more information contact Denise WeatherfordBell at (314) 484-6318 or msdenise38@yahoo.com.

Vashon High School will celebrate its 90th anniversary October 5-7, 2017 for alumni, students and community activities to celebrate educational commitment and tradition. For additional information, go to Vashonhigh.org or contact Elvis Hopson, elvishopson@ att.net, (314) 535-0243, Pearl Lake, lakep6@aol.com, (314) 388-0743 or Cozy W. Marks, Jr., jr3810@sbcglobal.net, (314) 383-5682.

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, 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 Celebrations c/o Kate Daniel 2315 Pine St. St. Louis, MO 63103 FREE OF CHARGE

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

Rodney and Jacqueline Tatum

Arthur J. and Mildred Matthews Rev. J.J. and Joyce Shields

Swag Snap of the Week

Slam dunk for Salute 30. When I tell you people really outdid themselves for Salute 30, you wouldn’t understand unless you were in the building! We had an epic night at the St. Louis American Foundation’s 30th Annual Salute to Excellence in Education Saturday at America’s Center. I’m talking the folks behind the scenes, the staff, the decorations, the guests, the honorees, the scholars, the Jazz cabaret, the after party … every bit of it! I’ll need a whole Partyline to name every individual considering they filled the whole ballroom at America’s Center. But I do want to take a moment to recognize all the honorees for their hard work, dedication and commitment to the field of education – and give a shout out to the brilliant scholars as the future leaders of the region. You can read the story on the front page if you want specifics on the HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF dollars that were awarded to give opportunities for students to further their post-secondary, graduate and post-graduate studies. Let me get to my favorite part of the night – the clothes, honey. Y’all were not playing with those ensembles. And by y’all, I mean me. In hindsight, I wish I would have gone head and brought that industrial fan to blow my way as I tore it up on the dancefloor to DJ Kut. Oh well, there’s always next year. Now back to the clothes. Navy was clearly the preferred color – which made Johnetta’s designs even more glorious, because they matched about half the gowns. My girl Kacy Seals, principal at Central VPA High School and one of last year’s honorees, came dangerously close to claiming my best-dressed prize for the second year in a row with that hot red ruffled dress. Girl, at this point I can’t wait to see what you do next year! But my favorite look of the night went to Jasmine Lewis, who also used a dramatic ruffle to slay the whole game. I would be crazy if I didn’t give a nod to Carol Daniel and Rebeccah Bennett for the African Goddess realness they brought to Salute 30. I wish I could remember the name of the designer. Tell it to me and I’ll be sure to shout him out next week. And somebody would be right to slap my face, if I didn’t tell y’all Denise Thimes was giving a tall glass of vintage platinum glamour as she brought the house down with her jazz cabaret. And to Mrs. Cofield, you proved on Saturday night that slayage knows no age! Those gold stilettos were killingthegame.org. And your granddaughter was gorgeous too!

Legions for Lucci. Listen, at this point, I think the Marquee is going to have to consider creating a secret burrow to scoot some folks next door when they have one of their club concerts come through. The crowd to see YFN Lucci was tighter than his denim outfit. What? You know that whole set was too tight! That doesn’t mean the show was any less lit. Actually, the little outfit might have had a regular fit when he first got to the Marquee Friday night, but the steam and body heat could have quite possibly shrunk it down to Osh Kosh B’Gosh sizes. Okay, I’m done dragging his clothes. That’s the only bad thing I have to say about it. Lucci brought the folks out in droves – do you hear me? I’ve seen people with a catalog of platinum albums that couldn’t get a look like that as far as a capacity crowd. Lounging at Shi’Sha. After I turned back into a pumpkin following Salute, I hit the streets just in time to catch my first Saturday night set at Shi’Sha. I tried to go over there back when they first opened, but the crowd was pretty light. A few months made all the difference, because I could barely get through when I stopped by. Part of it was the big lounge furniture, but every piece had a person on it. What I loved about Shi’Sha’s vibe is that there was no bother to be on anybody’s dance floor. Instead of standing around looking cute, everybody was sitting pretty. I can’t tell you how comfortable it was for me to peep the scene while perched on an ottoman.

Classical music – with stank. Hey, don’t look at me sideways. I’m just repeating how brothers who make up Black Violin described their music when they took to the stage for their sold-out show at The Sheldon Sunday night. And I’m not mad about it. I thought that it was going to be a first- and second- violin duo doing trap classics on sheet music – which I can’t say I oppose. But I knew when the DJ and drummer took to the stage that they were on another level than just orchestral cover artists. I was right! They had their own original compositions woven into a few covers and hip-hop spins on masters like Bach and Beethoven – which gave me the most life of their set. I can’t say that I was utterly blown away by them like the folks who seemed ready to get in their cars and follow them on the road, but I was pleasantly surprised. Anybody that can pour 808s and bass on top of Baroque music is alright with me. And let me take a moment to shout out Stanley Coleman, who I saw getting his life from Black Violin like nobody’s business. Everybody knows he has a heart for music and teaching it to young people and “deserves some ink.”

Cool points for Poetic Justice. Speaking of black, thanks to Black Violin, I was beyond fashionably late when I came through Poetic Justice Sunday night to Show love for Corey Black at 2720. I will say that the “Insecure” effect is real: because the crowd beefed back up from the lowkey slump I saw when Issa and ‘nem were on the air. As usual it was a great vibe. I must tip what’s left of my Salute up-do to Corey for hipping me to my new jam. Too bad it’s like a year old. When the beat dropped on what I now know to be Daniel Caesar’s “Get You,” I was like, “What song is this, and how did I miss it?” Thanks to my Shazam app the song is now on repeat. I know, welcome to winter 2016. Oh well, good grooves never get old – and neither do good vibes … which is why I will be stopping through Poetic Justice from here to forever!

DJs Rico Kimmy Nu and Nico rocked 2720 for Ladies Night Saturday night

CJ and Robert showed that classic is always current @ SALUTE @ America’s Center Saturday night

Vernon and Malnie just before they hit a two-step @ the SLAUTE afterparty @ America’s Center

Ty Kyvia Marsha and Al enjoyed a group chat and a few laughs Saturday night @ SALUTE @ America’s Center

Michael Davis was quite the gentleman as he and Angie wrapped up the night @ SALUTE Saturday night @ America’s Center

Daylen and Whitney called the crew and linked up @ Mood for Lifestyle Saturdays

Dr. Roberts and Keisha found their way through the crowd as DJ Kut got the afterparty started for SALUTE Saturday night @ America’s Center

Jalanee and Nisha grabbed a table to chat the night away@ The OBAR on Sunday

Adrian and Jazz beamed with excitement @ America’s Center St. Louis American Foundation’s 30th Annual Salute to Excellence in Education Saturday night

Rapper YFN Lucci had the club on lean for his performance Friday night at The Marquee. The lovely Porcha couldn’t help but glow up when she was greeted by the rap star.

Photos by V. Lang

Endya and Demtria arrived early to see Lucci live @ The Marquee Friday

CONTRACT HOME CONFINEMENT PROGRAM TRACKER

St. Louis County Juvenile Office is seeking to enter into a professional service agreement with an individual or agency to fill the position of Home Confinement Program Tracker. These services are funded through June 30, 2018 by special monies received from the Office of State Courts Administrator and are subject to renewal and continued availability of these monies. Work duties include community-based monitoring and telephone checks of youth that are at risk of committing new law violations or violating court imposed conditions, and accurately documenting all contracts. Position will cover St. Louis County in its entirety. The professional service agreement is funded at $16.00/hour typically working 12 hours/week. Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in Social Work or a related behavioral science, with preference given to candidates with a master’s degree. Access to an automobile, a valid driver’s license and insurance. Two years experience working with juveniles and/or families is preferred. NOTE: All selected individuals will be required to submit to a background check. To apply (position open until filled), please send a resume, along with cover letter to the following address: Contract Home Confinement Program Tracker, Attn: Human Resources Department, Family Court of St. Louis County, 105 S. Central Ave., Clayton, MO 63105. EOE. Please contact the Human Resources Department at 615-2959 (voice), RelayMO711 or 1-800-735-2966 if you need any accommodations in the application process, or if you would like this posting in an alternative format.

Join St. Louis Development Corporation and use your talent, experience and energy to be a part of the positive economic change in the City of St. Louis. SLDC has the following positions available immediately:

• Major Project Manager I – Infrastructure

• Project Manager – Vacant Land Strategy

• Real Estate Specialist – Marketing/Sales

• Commercial District Manager/Project Manager

Full job descriptions can be found on-line at www.stlouis-mo.gov/ sldc select “Careers at SLDC.”

SLDC offers a full range of benefits including deferred comp, 401(a), and medical insurance. Successful candidate must be willing to or establish City residency within 180 days of completing a probationary period.

SLDC values a diverse workforce, and is an equal opportunity employer.

American

EMPLOYMENT

OPPORTUNITY O’FALLON

FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT

The O’Fallon Fire Protection District is currently seeking qualified applicants to establish a hiring list for the position of Firefighter/EMT-P. Application packets can be picked up at the O’Fallon Fire Protection District Administration Office located at 111 Laura K Drive, O’Fallon, MO 63366 beginning October 2, 2017 at 8:00 a.m. CST, and must be returned to the Administration Office by October 13, 2017, 4:00 p.m. CST (Monday thru Friday between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.). Packets may be obtained electronically by contacting the office at 636-272-3493 and returned via US Mail. The O’Fallon Fire Protection District is not responsible for any correspondence or mail that is lost or misdirected, or received after October 13, 2017, 4:00p.m. CST.

The O’Fallon Fire Protection District is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Haven of Grace

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

The Haven seeks experienced and qualified applicants for its next Executive Director. The Haven is a nonprofit organization providing safe, supportive and caring residential services to young homeless pregnant women. If interested please go to www.havenofgracestl.org for more information on the needed qualifications for the position and how to submit resumes. The Haven is an EOE agency.

DEPARTMENT

ASSOCIATE

The School of Education has an opening for a Department Associate. Please apply online at http://webster.peopleadmin. com/postings/2705. No phone calls please. Webster University provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national origin, ethnicity, age, protected veteran or disabled status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

HANDYMAN/HOME REPAIR TECHNICIAN

18-20 hours per week

Job Duties include painting, carpentry, minor tuck-pointing, plumbing, roof repair, gutter cleaning, wall repair, door hanging and general residential home repair. This job requires operating hand and power tools in a safe manner, working on a ladder and exerting 50 pounds of force on occasion. Must be able to maintain effective and cooperative working relationships and hold or be able to attain EPA Renovator-Initial Certificate within 90 days. High School Diploma or GED, valid Driver’s License, PPD Test and Background Check required. Minimum one year experience. CCBF is an equal opportunity employer. Send letter of interest and resume to fhessel@ccbf6408.org.

QUALITY ASSURANCE MANAGER

Lead level professional position which manages to the accomplishment of I.S. practices and objectives that will achieve business goals and objectives. This position reports directly to an AVP of I.S. Leads and mentors QA analysts across all development teams. Demonstrates and mentors advanced working knowledge and concepts of software testing. To apply, please visit: www.safetynational.com and click on the Careers tab.

QA ANALYST

Perform thorough inspection and methodical examination of all Commercial Automobile, General Liability, Excess and Primary Workers’ Compensation system changes released to the various testing environments for proper operation and freedom from defects. This process will follow all prescribed Quality Assurance rules and testing guidelines. Reports directly to the Delivery manager of his team. To apply, please visit: www.safetynational.com and click on the Careers tab.

FIREFIGHTER

City of Alton, IL

Must have current Paramedic License See website for further requirements and link to online application www.cityofaltonil.com

Written test will be held on October 28 at 9am Deadline for applications: October 13, 2017

STAFF ACCOUNTANT

Explore St. Louis has an immediate opening for a Staff Accountant. Responsibilities of this position are to maintain general ledger database and responsibilities. Supervise the entry and maintenance of the Accounts Payable and accruals; accounts Receivable and accruals, and Cash Receipts entries. Maintain hotel tax collection database files, reporting and tax return files. This position will work

City of St. Louis, Missouri seeking Advisory Team to Assist in RFQ/RFP Process and Evaluating Lease Option for Publicly Owned Airport

The City of St. Louis, Missouri is seeking proposals from teams of advisors and consultants to assist the City in conducting a competitive solicitation and procurement for the creation of a public-private partnership for the lease of the St. Louis Lambert International Airport, as authorized by the federal government’s Airport Privatization Pilot Program (49 U.S.C. § 47134).

As set forth in the Request for Proposals, the City will require, at a minimum, a team that includes legal counsel, specialists in privatization, complex regulatory transactions, government finance and financial analysis.

The deadline for submission of proposals is October 20, 2017.

The entire Request for Proposals is available at the City of St. Louis website, https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/ procurement.cfm

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS

SEWER DISTRICT

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is accepting proposals in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 631032555 until 10:00 a.m. on October 25th, 2017 to contract with a company for: Pressure Washing, Sealing and Window Restoration Services for the Market Street Location.

Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from www.stlmsd.com, click on the “MSD AT WORK” link, (bid opportunities). The bid document will be identified as 9176 RFP. If you do not have access to the internet, call 314.768.2735 to request a copy of this bid.

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

Saint Louis Zoo Distribution Center Freezer

Replacement RFP

The work consists of the removal and replacement of the existing 33’ x 33’ x 12’H freezer building at the St. Louis Zoo Central Warehouse including replacement of the insulated floor and vent-tubes, foundation demolition. (see Bid Documents and Drawings). A mandatory pre bid meeting will be on at 10/13/2017 at 9:00AM. Meet at the Distribution Center located at Gate 5 off Wells Drive.. Bids are due on 10/25/2017 At 2:00 PM Bid Documents will be available on 9/27/2017 at: https://www.stlzoo.org/about/contact/ vendoropportunities/

The Saint Louis Zoo Veterinarian Hospital and Orthwein Animal Nutrition Center Engine Generator Set RFP

The Saint Louis Zoo seeks contractors to install a diesel engine generator at the Veterinarian Hospital located at the Zoo in St. Louis, Missouri (see Bid Documents and Drawings). A mandatory pre bid meeting will be on 10/13/2017 at 9:00AM. Meet at The Living World lower rotunda. Bids are due on 10/30/2017 At 2:00 PM Bid Documents will be available on 9/27/2017 at: https://www.stlzoo.org/about/contact/ vendoropportunities/

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS

SEWER DISTRICT

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is accepting proposals in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 631032555 until 10:00 a.m. on October 25th, 2017 to contract with a company for: Pressure Washing, Sealing and Window Restoration Services for the Market Street Location.

Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from www.stlmsd.com, click on the “MSD AT WORK” link, (bid opportunities). The bid document will be identified as 9176 RFP. If you do not have access to the internet, call 314.768.2735 to request a copy of this bid.

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

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS VENDOR LIST

Great Rivers Greenway District, the St. Louis region’s park and trail district, is requesting qualifications for planning, engineering, surveying, landscape architecture, and architecture services for their 2018 vendor list. See www. greatriversgreenway.org/jobs-bids/ and submit by Oct. 20th, 2017. GRG reserves the right to reject any or all proposals. EOE

ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

St. Louis Community College will receive separate sealed bids for Contract No. F 18 501, Replace Retaining Wall at Training Center, St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley, until 2:00 p.m. local time Thursday, October 5, 2017. Bids will be publicly opened and read aloud at the office of the Manager of Engineering and Design, 300 South Broadway (Room 423, Fourth Floor). Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from the Manager’s office at the above address, or by calling (314) 539-5012.

www.stlamerican.com

Public Notice of Single Source Procurement Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is proposing to procure: Public Block Program (Training). The District is proposing single source procurement to National Seminar Training. Any inquiries should be sent to dlegrand@stlmsd.com Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Public Notice of Single Source Procurement

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

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

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS

SEWER DISTRICT

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District will receive RFQ’s in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103-2555 until 10:00 a.m. on October 26, 2017 to contract with a company for: PVC PIPE & FITTINGS SCH 40/80. Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from www.stlmsd.com, click on the “MSD AT WORK” link, (bid opportunities). The bid document will be identified as 9177 RFQ. If you do not have access to the internet, call 314-768-6254 to request a copy of this bid.

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

BID REQUEST

KCI CONSTRUCTION REQUESTS

SUBCONTRACT PROPOSALS FOR THE MSD COLDWATER CREEK CLARIFIER REPLACEMENT. PROPOSALS ARE DUE IN OUR OFFICE BY 10 A.M. ON OCTOBER 10, 2017. PLANS AND SPECIFICATIONS ARE AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING IN OUR OFFICES AT: 10315 LAKE BLUFF DRIVE, ST. LOUIS, MO, 63123. 314-894-8888. A PRE-BID MEETING WILL BE HELD IN OUR OFFICE AT 10:00 AM ON SEPTEMBER 25, 2017. KCI IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

BIDS

Contegra Construction Company, LLC, will be submitting a bid on the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) project: Coldwater Creek WWTF Final Clarifiers Replacement -12504-015.1, bid date is 10/10/17. We are requesting bids from qualified Minority Business Enterprises (MBE) on this project to help in our effort to meet or exceed the 30% goal set forth in MSD’s MBE utilization program. A pre-bid meeting for interested parties will be held at Contegra’s office, 22 Gateway Commerce Center Drive W, Suite 110, Edwardsville, IL 62025, on 9/28/17 at 9am. Please contact Joe Koenig (618931-3500 ext. 106) for more information regarding bid opportunities.

SEALED BIDS

Sealed bids must delivered to the Construction Manager, S. M. Wilson & Co. at the Creve Coeur Fire Protection District Office, 11221 Olive Blvd. until 2:00 p.m. on October 5th, 2017 for the Bid Packages described herein. Bids will be opened publicly and read aloud at that time. If you elect to mail your bid, it must be mailed to 11221 Olive Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63131. Creve Coeur Fire District Engine House #2

• Work Package 24 – Direction Boring and Buried Conduit Work for Charter Communications

• Work Package 25 – Exterior Building Signage

There will be a Pre-bid Meeting scheduled on September 28th, 2017 at 4:00 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Creve Coeur Fire Protection District, Fire House No. 2 at 10940 Schuetz Road St. Louis, MO 63146. The purpose of this meeting is to address technical questions concerning the project from prospective bidders. All Contractors are encouraged to attend this meeting. Those Contractors who do not attend the Pre-Bid Meeting but wish to schedule a site visit must contact Project Manager Steve Platt at S. M. Wilson & Co 314/645-9595. Contractors are not allowed to visit the site unless prior arrangements are made with the Construction Manager.

The bid package will be available for viewing after September 19, 2017 at the following locations: Smartbidnet https://secure.smartbidnet.com/External/PublicPlanRoom.aspx?Id=328295

The Fire District reserves the right to reject any and all Bids, to waive informalities therein to determine the lowest and best bid, and to approve the Bond. The prevailing wage law is in effect on this project. No Bid may be withdrawn for a period of Sixty (60) days subsequent to the specified time for receipt of Bids. A Bid Bond or Certified Check made payable to the Owner, in the amount of 5% of the Base Bid shall accompany the Bid Packages as a guarantee that the bidder, if awarded the Contract, will furnish a satisfactory Performance and Payment Bond; execute the Contract; and proceed with the work. Upon failure to do so, he shall forfeit the deposit or amount of the Bid Bond as liquidated damages, and no mistakes or errors on the part of the Bidder shall excuse the Bidder or entitle him to a return of the deposit or Bid Bond. If a Bid Bond or Certified Check is not attached to the bid at the time of the opening, the bid will not be read or considered for the project.

Bidders must be in compliance with the rules and regulations of the Fair Employment Practices Commission. The Construction Manager for this project is S. M. Wilson & Co. and the Project Manager is Mr. Steve Platt, (314/645-9595 phone, steve.platt@smwilson.com email or 314/645-1700 fax.) or the Estimator Mr. Mike O’Sullivan(phone (314)645-9595, fax (314) 645-1700 or email mike.osullivan@smwilson.com or 314/6451700 fax).

S.

SEALED BIDS

for Bridge Restoration, Union Covered Bridge, State Historic Site, Paris, MO, Project No. X1703-01 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 10/12/2017. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo. gov/ facilities

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

The St. Louis County Port Authority (the “Authority”) is soliciting proposals from qualified contractors to research and develop a food industry cluster study and strategy in St. Louis County, Missouri.

To be considered, proposals must be received no later than 3:00 PM on Thursday, October 12, 2017. Proposals should be sent by e-mail to dallison@stlpartnership.com, or to St. Louis County Port Authority, c/o St. Louis Economic Development Partnership, ATTN: Dustin Allison, General Counsel, 7733 Forsyth Blvd., Suite 2200, St. Louis, Missouri 63105. DBE, MBE, and WBE firms are encouraged to bid.

The Request for Proposals may be obtained from the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership’s web site at www.stlpartnership.com. The Authority reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and to waive informalities therein. Any questions should be directed to Dustin Allison, General Counsel, St. Louis Economic Development Partnership at (314) 615-7663 or dallison@stlpartnership.com. St. Louis Economic Development Partnership Equal Opportunity Employer

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

The St. Louis County Port Authority (the “Authority”) is soliciting proposals for a qualified contractor to purchase salvage rights to materials located in the former Macy’s (500 Jamestown Mall) and former JC Penney (246 Jamestown Mall) at the Jamestown Mall site in Florissant, Missouri 63034. The successful contractor shall obtain the rights to remove all materials whose removal does not compromise the security of the site.

To be considered, proposals must be received no later than 3:00 PM on Thursday, October 12, 2017. Proposals should be sent by e-mail to hbean@stlpartnership.com, or to St. Louis County Port Authority, c/o St. Louis Economic Development Partnership, ATTN: Howl Bean II, 7733 Forsyth Blvd., Suite 2200, St. Louis, Missouri 63105. DBE, MBE, and WBE firms are encouraged to bid. The Request for Proposals may be obtained from the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership’s web

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS

Sealed BIDS for Bid 17-165 – McClay Road Resurfacing I, Federal Project No. STP 7305 (615) will be received by the City of St. Peters, Purchasing Agent, City Hall, One St. Peters Centre Boulevard, P.O. Box 9, St. Peters, Missouri 63376 until 10:00 AM local time, Friday, October 20, 2017 and then opened and read aloud. Contract Documents will be available on September 28, 2017 and are on file at the office of Drexel Technologies at http://planroom.drexeltech.com and are open for public inspection. Copies of documents may be obtained from Drexel Technologies for the fee listed online.

All questions regarding this project shall be submitted to the City of St. Peters Purchasing Department in writing to Bids@stpetersmo.net under the subject line Bid 17-165 – McClay Road Resurfacing I, Federal Project No. STP 7305 (615) or by mail to City of St. Peters Purchasing Department, One St. Peters Centre Boulevard, P.O. Box 9, St. Peters, MO 63376 before noon local time, Friday, October 13, 2017.

Special Needs: If you have special needs addressed by the Americans with Disabilities Act, please notify Bids@ stpetersmo.net under the subject line Bid 17-165 – McClay Road Resurfacing I, Federal Project No. STP 7305 (615), or through Missouri Relay System, TDD 636.477.6600, extension 1277, at least five (5) working days prior to the bid opening you plan to attend.

The wage rates applicable to this project have been predetermined as required by law and are set forth in this appendices. When Federal wage rates are applicable and included, this contract is subject to the “Work Hours Act of 1962”, (P.L. 87-581: 76 Stat. 357) and implementing regulations.

The City of St. Peters hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively ensure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, religion, creed, sex, age, ancestry, or national origin in consideration for an award. A DBE goal of seven (7%) has been established for this project. Only the work performed by approved DBE subcontractors at the time of the bid opening will be applied towards calculating the DBE goal.

All prospective bidders are required to complete the DBE Submittal Form, made part of Section V of this document, and submit it with the bid proposal or within three working days after the bid opening date. Failure to deliver the completed and executed DBE Submittal Form showing DBE participation by 4:00 p.m. on the third working day after the bid opening date may be cause for rejection of the low bid and the proposed guaranty will become the property of the City of St. Peters. If any DBE’s shown on the DBE Submittal Form are not shown on the approved listings, then that DBE’s work will not be counted as DBE participation work and may because for rejection of the bid.

No trainee hours will be required under this contract.

All bidders must be on MoDOT’s Qualified Contractor List per Section 102.2 of the Missouri Standard Specifications for Highway Construction, 2011 Edition including all revisions. The contractor questionnaire must be on file 7 days prior to bid opening.

Contractors and sub-contractors who sign a contract to work on public works project provide a 10-Hour OSHA construction safety program, or similar program approved by the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, to be completed by

of

Employer.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Missouri 63144, (314) 961-3800.

DIRECTOR OF PROCUREMENT AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES ST. LOUIS, COUNTY

NOTICE TO MINORITY BUSINESS ENTERPRISE (MBE) (AFRICAN AMERICAN AND/OR HISPANIC AMERICAN)) ADVERTISEMENT RIVER CITY CONSTRUCTION, L.L.C., 101 HOFFER LANE, EAST PEORIA, ILLINOIS 61611, (309) 694-3120 (PHONE) (309) 694-1332 (FAX) IS SEEKING QUALIFIED MBE (AFRICAN AMERICAN AND/OR HISPANIC AMERICAN) BUSINESSES FOR THE COLDWATER CREEK WWTF FINAL CLARIFIERS REPLACEMENT PROJECT IN FLORRISANT, MISSOURI FOR THE SUBCONTRACTING/ SUPPLIER/ INSTALLER & MANUFACTURER OPPORTUNITIES IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS: DEMOLITION, EARTHWORK, PAVING, CONCRETE, METALS, THERMAL & MOISTURE PROTECTION, FINISHES -PAINTING, HVAC, ELECTRICAL, PROCESS INTERCONNECTIONS, HOISTS AND EQUIPMENT ALL INTERESTED AND QUALIFIED MBE BUSINESSES SHOULD CONTACT, IN WRITING, (CERTIFIED LETTER, RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED) KENT KAMPWERTH OR JR PETERSON, TO DISCUSS THE SUBCONTRACTING OPPORTUNITIES. ALL NEGOTIATIONS MUST BE COMPLETED PRIOR TO THE BID OPENING BID DATE OF 10/10/2017 @ 2:00

PM.PROPOSALS WILL BE EVALUATED IN ORDER ON THE BASIS OF LOW RESPONSIVE BID RECEIVED. PROOF OF MBE CERTIFICATION MUST BE PROVIDED WHEN SUBMITTING A BID.

Advertised

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Sealed bids for the Dorsett Road (West) ARS Infrastructure, St. Louis County Project No. AR-1588, will be received at the Office of the Director of Procurement for the County of St. Louis, County Government Center Administration Building, 41 South Central Avenue, 8th Floor, Clayton, Missouri 63105, until 2:00 p.m. on October 4, 2017

Plans and specifications will be available on September 14 and September 21, 2017 from the St. Louis County Web Site (www.stlouisco.com), or by contacting County Blue Reprographics, Inc., 1449 Strassner Drive, St. Louis, Missouri 63144, (314) 961-3800.

DIRECTOR OF PROCUREMENT AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES ST. LOUIS, COUNTY

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

# 57817262, Instruction in programming/coding (using Java) and virtual reality to middle school minority male students

Harris-Stowe State University (HSSU) is requesting sealed proposals for providing instruction in programming/coding (using Java) and virtual reality to middle school minority male students . A copy of the RFP is available by calling (314) 3403325, emailing: barskys@hssu.edu or faxing a written request to: (314) 340-3322.

Proposals will be received until 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 10, 2017 and should be mailed or delivered in sealed envelopes clearly marked “Proposal for Instruction in Programming/Coding and Virtual Reality” to Harris-Stowe State University,Attn: Shelley Barsky; 3026 Laclede Ave., Room 105, St, Louis, MO 63103.

PUBLISHER’S NOTICE:

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Staff Attorney, St. Louis Economic Development Partnership at (314) 615-7663 or hbean@ stlpartnership.com.

DEACONESS SEEKING COMPANY FOR INTERIOR SIGNAGE

Deaconess Foundation is requesting proposals from firms to provide interior signage for the new Deaconess Center for Child Well-Being. The Center is currently under construction at 1000 N. Vandeventer with substantial completion scheduled for December 15, 2017. For more information visit www.deaconess.org. Proposals are due by 5:00 p.m. Central Time on September 22, 2017.

BIDS for Replace Perimeter Fence Detection Systems, Algoa and Tipton Correctional Centers, Jefferson City and Tipton, Missouri, Project No. C1606-01 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 10/12/2017. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo. gov/ facilities

The Message

When you know that you know

I have often thought, heard and to some degree concluded that Jesus, as was Paul, was killed because He dared to stand up and speak truth to power. He and many of His followers, convicted by their beliefs, professed and preached that the ruling religious law of the day, although large and in charge, was indeed corrupt and deserving of renunciation. A poster in my office states, “One man with courage makes a majority.” Until recently, I had never associated this powerful statement with the life and death and life of Jesus Christ. But the courage of faith coupled with the commitment to act on that faith sometimes leaves you in the unenviable position of being alone. Have you ever found yourself so committed to a course of action, so positive in your convictions and your resolve, so steadfast in your purpose that nothing could change your mind or your behavior? We should all be so blessed, at least once in our lives, to know that we know that we know. Can you now imagine Jesus, so sure, so confident, so right that even in death, He knew that He knew? I must then ask the question of you and myself. What do you know? What does your faith and courage allow you to be the majority of, when numerically, you’re in the minority? One day, it will become necessary for you, as well as me, to take a position of faith that will perhaps alienate us from so-called friends and family, just as Jesus was alienated from the hierarchy of the church of His day. Expect to one day be forced to take a stand based solely on faith. On that day you consciously decide to choose the Lord instead of the world, you know that you know. People who are recognized in this world as having principles and integrity are supposed to be honored for their stances even when they go against popular opinion. The bible teaches us that those men and women of God were often victimized, sometimes ridiculed and often times crucified. The bible also lets us know these are the exact people we should emulate. These people, who are our faith examples, lived lives ‘set apart.’ We’ve all heard the phrase ‘stepping out on faith.’ Reality suggests that this is a very scary, sometimes lonely place to be. The beauty of this spiritual reality is God cannot show up until you step out. Our struggle with faith then is clearly trying to recognize its power. Without the absolute conviction of the inherent power of faith, we never get a chance to experience the Hand of God at work in our own lives. We’re afraid. It’s probably the biggest fear that we have with the most devastating of consequences; to believe that you know versus, knowing that you know. I will concede that we are put to the test on a daily basis. Do you believe or don’t you? If you do, prove it. Put some substance behind the phrase, ‘faith based initiative.’ Put some effort behind your vocal commitments. The truth is we so easily sound like it’s a forgone conclusion regarding our faith, when in actuality we shy away from the courage it takes to stand alone and stand for God in this world. My belief is that the first step, the first time, is the hardest. But after that, God takes over and takes us places we could never imagine.

Religion

Clergy speak out after Stockley verdict

Most Reverend Robert J. Carlson, Archbishop of St. Louis

“If we want peace and justice, we must come together as a community through prayer, mutual understanding, and forgiveness. While acknowledging the hurt and anger, we must not fuel the fires of hatred and division. We must ask God for peace in our own hearts and share it with those around us. Violence does not lead to peace and justice – they are opposing forces and cannot coexist. I implore each of you to choose peace! Reject the false and empty hope that violence will solve problems. Violence only creates more violence. We must work together for a better, stronger, safer community, one founded upon respect for each other, and one in which we see our neighbor as another self.”

Metropolitan Community Church of Greater Saint Louis

Today, as people of faith and conscience, MCC of Greater St. Louis is saddened, concerned and outraged by the “not guilty” verdict in the case of a St. Louis police officer who shot and killed an African American man as part of a chase. While we understand that there are deep emotions and responses from the many perspectives around this issue, we stand with all those, especially our African American siblings, who feel afraid, marginalized and violated on a regular basis by those who are sworn to protect them. We affirm that black lives matter. We acknowledge that not every police officer is part of this ongoing violation. We acknowledge that we live in a city that is deeply divided by issues of race. We acknowledge that we do not all agree about the answers to the problems we face. And even as we acknowledge these things, we also lean into the one who we follow, Jesus, to inform our outrage, our prayers, our protests and our actions. In that spirit, we commit to pray; stand with the “least of these” even when it costs us something; act on the side of justice for everyone, not just the privileged and powerful; pause at every turn and pray some more for peace; move with clarity and fierce tenderness for those who are grieving and injured because of this decision; work for peace, love, equal justice,

and basic decency; and speak out against systems that lift up some and endanger others.

We call on all people of conscience to do your part in standing against injustice wherever you see it and be compassionate toward those who feel that their very existence is invisible. As a community of faith, we commit ourselves to ongoing actions for justice that will be determined as the days unfold.

Negro Spirituals concert

Oct. 1 at St. Alphonsus Liguori ‘Rock’ Church

The 7th Annual Concert of Negro Spirituals at St. Alphonsus “Rock” Church takes place Sunday, October 1 at 4 p.m., 1118 N. Grand Blvd. in St. Louis

(63106). Negro spirituals are religious songs created by enslaved African people in the United States and were originally an oral tradition that imparted Christian values while also escribing the hardships of slavery. Although original spirituals were unaccompanied songs sung in unison, they are best known today in harmonized choral arrangements. This historic group of uniquely American songs is now recognized as a distinct genre of music.

Guests include Dr. Doris Wilson and the Legend Singers; the Cardinal Ritter Choraleers, directed by Judy Jackson; Dance Soloist - Carrie Collins Whitfield. Rock Church Choirs include the Rock Men’s Quartet, directed by Bwayne Smotherson; the Voices of Praise, directed by Min. Malcolm Speed; the Voices of St. Alphonsus, directed by Danny DuMaine; and the Dance Ministry - the Liturgical Leaders in Motion.

A love offering will be taken, however, concert admission is free.

Columnist James Washington

Photo by Wiley Price

Reverend Arthur J. Cavitt makes remarks during a Tuesday afternoon interfaith prayer service for Peace and Solidarity in Kiener Plaza.