Riverfront Times, September 22, 2021 by Riverfront Times

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MARCH 6-12, 2019

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THE LEDE

PHOTO BY THEO WELLING

“When you’re sailing, it’s like slipping into the well of eternity. Time stops. Nothing else matters. The wind, the water, the boat.” JIM SCHERER, PHOTOGRAPHED AT CREVE COEUR LAKE ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 9

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SEPTEMBER 22-28, 2021

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Surviving Poison

ne of the parts that will stick with me from Richard Weiss’ expertly told profile of Ebony Smith-Thomas is how casually we put people in peril. Ebony’s mother was a student at Saint Louis University, living in university-run housing with her young family, when Ebony ingested lead paint chips. It changed her life. Lead poisoning was rampant in St. Louis, and it hit the city’s Black population hardest for many of the same environmental reasons that a multitude of health and economic problems do. Weiss, cofounder of Before Ferguson Beyond Ferguson, works to highlight those inequities and show the real consequences on real people, such as Ebony. Her resilience is inspiring, but I read about her and can’t help think how unnecessary it all is. A little better housing. A little more support from her hometown. That would have changed her life, too. —Doyle Murphy, editor in chief

TABLE OF CONTENTS Publisher Chris Keating Editor in Chief Doyle Murphy

E D I T O R I A L Digital Editor Jaime Lees Interim Managing Editor Daniel Hill Food Editor Cheryl Baehr Staff Writer Danny Wicentowski Contributors Eric Berger, Jeannette Cooperman, Mike Fitzgerald, Eileen G’Sell, Ryan Krull, Andy Paulissen, Justin Poole, Jack Probst, Richard Weiss, Theo Welling, Ymani Wince Columnists Thomas Chimchards, Ray Hartmann Editorial Interns Phuong Bui, Zoë Butler, Madyson Dixon A R T

& P R O D U C T I O N Art Director Evan Sult Production Manager Haimanti Germain M U L T I M E D I A A D V E R T I S I N G Associate Publisher Colin Bell Account Managers Emily Fear, Jennifer Samuel Director of Business Development Rachel Hoppman Director of Public Relations Brittany Forrest

COVER ‘Ebony Is a Survivor’ Ebony Smith-Thomas is fighting for her life — again Cover photo by

ERIN MCAFEE

C I R C U L A T I O N Circulation Manager Kevin G. Powers E U C L I D M E D I A G R O U P Chief Executive Officer Andrew Zelman Chief Operating Officers Chris Keating, Michael Wagner VP of Digital Services Stacy Volhein www.euclidmediagroup.com N A T I O N A L A D V E R T I S I N G VMG Advertising 1-888-278-9866, vmgadvertising.com S U B S C R I P T I O N S Send address changes to Riverfront Times, 5257 Shaw Avenue, St. Louis, MO, 63110. Domestic subscriptions may be purchased for $78/6 months (MO add $4.74 sales tax) and $156/year (MO add $9.48 sales tax) for first class. Allow 6-10 days for standard delivery. www.riverfronttimes.com

INSIDE The Lede Hartmann News Big Mad Feature Cafe Short Orders Reeferfront Times Culture Savage Love 6

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HARTMANN Failblazers Missouri Governors make LGBTQ history BY RAY HARTMANN

n December 19, 1949, the governor of Missouri made a stand against homosexuality. Governor Forrest Smith announced that he was refusing a California extradition request for a Missouri woman facing kidnapping charges filed against her by her own daughter. That’s unusual but wasn’t half of the story. It turns out that 28-year-old Bernice Hough had been drugged by her mother and two men in a Los Angeles doctor’s office “to get her away from homosexual influences” in LA and return her to the mother’s home in Springfield. Hough said she woke up handcuffed in the backseat of a car headed back to Missouri. About a week later, Hough made it back to California somehow, but filing those charges proved futile. The governor of Missouri was having none of it. Here’s how the Associated Press reported the story: “Missouri’s Gov. Forrest Smith refused today to send a ‘brokenhearted’ Springfield [woman] to California to face kidnapping charges brought by her daughter. Smith said it looked to him like a family affair and ‘no useful purpose would be served’ by ordering the elderly woman’s extradition. “The mother, Mrs. Ethel Magers, testified in an extradition hearing [in Jefferson City] that she went to Los Angeles to get her daughter away from homosexual influences. She said she and her husband, Roscoe Magers, and Herbert Stubblefield brought [Hough] back to Springfield, but they did not use force, she declared.” The AP report stated that Hough alleged her mother took her to a West Covina, California, doctor’s office “where she was given two hypodermic shots. When she recovered consciousness, she alleged, she found she was handcuffed in the back seat of Stubblefield’s car on the way to Springfield.

“James Meredith, the governor’s legal secretary, said the extradition was denied because ‘it doesn’t make sense that the mother should be tried for kidnaping,’” the AP reported. “She only did what she thought was right in her own mind.” Meredith also noted that Magers previously had gotten an audience with Smith “seeking his aid in the freeing her daughter of the homosexual influences in California. He described Mrs. Magers as a ‘good Christian mother.’” Presumably that was the end of it. But flash forward 72 years, and here’s Governor Mike Parson channeling his inner Forrest Smith to make a Christian stand against homosexual influences. Only the vernacular has changed. Parson removed an exhibit from the state capitol three weeks ago because it featured the history of the LGBTQ movement in Kansas City. The exhibit, created by historians at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, recounts the role city residents played in that movement. There’s a simple explanation for this: Republican cancel culture. The mere mention of LGBTQ beliefs and accomplishments constitutes rampant immorality in the narrow minds of social wingnuts. This is bigotry, uncut and unapologetic. Parson — who as a state senator voted for some gay-rights protections and had signaled in 2018 he wouldn’t oppose them as governor — seems to have had a change of heart. Or perhaps, in the current political climate, he simply lacks the spine to stand up to some of the worst in the residue of the Republican Party. The anti-LGBTQ bigotry is far more despicable in 2021 than it was in 1949. In Smith’s case, it can at least be rationalized by the context of the times in which he lived that the governor would block the extradition of the “good Christian mother.” What’s Parson’s excuse? Senator Greg Razer of Kansas City, the only openly gay member of the state Senate, rightfully called it out. “This display was supposed to be up until December 26 [and] made it all of four days before some members of the legislature threw a fit and DNR apparently acquiesced to them and took it

Parson’s removal of the gay history exhibit is classic Republican cancel culture. The mere mention of LGBTQ beliefs and accomplishments constitutes rampant immorality in the narrow minds of social wingnuts. This is bigotry, uncut and unapologetic. down and literally put my history back in the closet,” Razer said. It is true that Parson did not act alone. At least two Republican legislators expressed their indignation to him that “the gay agenda” was on display at the exorbitant cost of several taxpayer dollars. Some bottom-feeder legislative staffer proclaimed “To God be the Glory!” upon learning that the exhibit would be moved down the street to a less-traveled building. God help him. Personally, I wish someone at UMKC had stood up to Parson and taken the exhibit home rather than suffer the indignation of having it closeted in an inferior location. UMKC has justifiably taken its fair share of hits for lacking the courage to stand up at all to the bigotry. But perhaps it’s something to do with not biting the hand that feeds you, the bane of the university’s existence for decades. In any event, it’s pretty pathetic. Same-sex marriage was made the law of the land by a conservative U.S. Supreme Court, yet the hatred burns on. And it’s no consola-

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tion that Missouri is hardly alone among red states in perpetrating bigotry against its own citizens. Perhaps the telling contrast between Governor Smith in 1949 and Governor Parson in 2021 is how much more candor people got from Smith. In his day, Smith’s spokesman had no problem whatsoever just telling it like it was: The governor wasn’t going to allow his friend to face justice for kidnapping her daughter because he was cool with it. He didn’t follow the law because he didn’t want to. Contrast that with the verbal gymnastics of Kelli Jones, Parson’s spokesperson, as reported by the Kansas City Star. “Jones said DNR removed the exhibit because the ‘statutorily mandated process’ for putting up temporary exhibits in public buildings was not followed. She said Parson was not aware of the exhibit, but his office received ‘several complaints’ about it.” He may have received complaints, but none of the rest was remotely true. There is no such process, at least not one that has been followed in recent decades. And even if Parson had somehow not been aware of the exhibit — which is unlikely at best — he most certainly knew about it before making the call to shuffle it out of the capitol. Whether Jones — and Parson — was misinformed or lying is of no significance. What matters is that their word cannot be trusted, not even a little bit. Smith hailed from Ray County, which today is viewed as part of the Kansas City metropolitan area, ironically enough. But he probably wasn’t part of the exhibit on Kansas City residents who had contributed to LGBTQ progress. In a way, that’s too bad. Whether they like it or not, Governors Forrest Smith and Mike Parson are linked in an important way: They’ll both always be part of gay history in Missouri. n Ray Hartmann founded the Riverfront Times in 1977. Contact him at rhar tmann1952@gmail.com or catch him on Donnybrook at 7 p.m. on Thursdays on Nine PBS and St. Louis In the Know with Ray Hartmann from 9 to 11 p.m. Monday thru Friday on KTRS (550 AM).

SEPTEMBER 22-28, 2021

RIVERFRONT TIMES

NEWS

Cherokee Street Statue Removed Written by

DANNY WICENTOWSKI

statue of a Cherokee Native American has been removed from the street corner where it’s stood since the 1980s. The statue, which loomed over the intersection of Cherokee Street and Jefferson Avenue, has been relocated to the National Building Arts Center in Sauget, Illinois. The removal followed a September 16 vote by the Cherokee Street Community Improvement District. In a statement, the district confirmed the statue’s removal as of Friday morning. “The statue was commissioned in 1985 by the Cherokee Station Business Association to serve as a landmark for the street and its commercial district,” the district said in the statement. “However, the statue does not appropriately honor the indigenous communities that have called this land home.” The district added that the planned relocation has the support of artist Bill Christman, who had been commissioned to create the 2 pound, foot tall fiberglass statue. Though Christman worked to touch up the statue with a new coat of paint in 2009, the artist himself has criticized his own work. In 2007, he told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he believed the statue itself is not insensitive — the story claims he “worked closely with a Cherokee Indian group to ensure it didn’t conjure up cliched images of Indians” — but that he regretted the proportions of the final piece. “It’s more anatomically incorrect than it was political,” Christman said at the time, later adding, “To my everlasting mortification, was the sculptor of that.” It’s not clear which Cherokee groups Christman consulted during the making of the statue, though the figure’s feathered headdress does not appear to be consis-

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Sawed off at the base, a statue of a Cherokee man has been removed from a Jefferson Avenue corner in the Cherokee Street district. | DOYLE MURPHY tent with traditional Cherokee garments and fashion, which broadly included a shaven head, ear piercings, facial tattoos and distinctive hats. The elaborate feathered headdresses, or war bonnets, are traditional garb associated with the American Plains Indians and are often portrayed in stereotypes of Native American regalia. The headgear was not part of the traditional clothing for Cherokee. The statue’s creation was not a product of any historic connection to the Cherokee tribes, but was

overtly a marketing ploy by local merchants in the early 1980s. As the Post-Dispatch reported in 2007: “Recognition lies at the root of the statue. In the early 1980s, merchants on the street were looking for one big thing to distinguish the area. “‘We had spoken about possibly doing like a trolley-car thing,’ said Rick Ruzicka, manager of the Globe Discount Variety, 2700 Cherokee St., who was a member of the Cherokee Business Association at the time the decision was

Guidance Counselor Charged with Sex Crimes Written by

DOYLE MURPHY

guidance counselor at a south St. Louis County high school is facing sex-crime charges tied to allegations of illicit interactions with multiple students. James Jenkins preyed on girls at Hancock Place High School in Lemay, according to allegations described in an indictment filed last week. The 37-year-old is accused of having intercourse with one girl at his house in February while another student was there, sending photos of his genitals and a video of himself

SEPTEMBER 22-28, 2021

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James Jenkins targeted students, according to prosecutors. | ST. LOUIS COUNTY POLICE

made. When a vote was taken, the Indian was chosen. “‘It was kind of like having some type of landmark,’ Ruzicka said. “‘It was the merchants’ association that wanted to increase visibility,’ said Christman, who has a studio in his University City home.” The statue’s removal was first reported Friday morning by the St. Louis Observer, which posted a photo of the now-statueless intersection at Cherokee and Jefferson. n masturbating to another victim, and attempting to groom yet another student, asking her for inappropriate photos. That student told investigators Jenkins also ran his hand up her thigh while she was in his office this spring, according to the charges. Two of the girls recorded Jenkins admitting to his wife he’d had a sexual encounter with the first student, authorities say. Jenkins is being held at the St. Louis County Justice Center on $20,000 cashonly bond. He was charged with a felony of sexual contact with a student, misdemeanors of furnishing pornographic material or attempting to furnish to a minor, and fourth-degree assault. Police suspect there may be more victims and are asking for help. To offer information as a victim or witness, police say to call the department’s child-abuse unit at 314-615-5400. n

St. Louis County Executive Sam Page signed the legislation last week. | VIA SAM PAGE/TWITTER

Country Mandates Employee Vaccines Written by

JENNA JONES

he St. Louis County Council voted along party lines last week to pass a vaccine mandate for county employees. The bill had been debated for more than a month and faced strong opposition from the Republican members of the council. The county employees required to get vaccinated does not include political appointees or police officers. Employees who refuse or those who have an exemption will have to mask and get tested regularly. Citing the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, speakers during a public comment portion of the meeting — a hotbed of antivaccine and anti-mask conspiracy theories in past meetings — spouted numbers about people dying from the COVID-19 vaccine.

The video of the county council meeting was later taken down by YouTube for violating the site’s prohibitions against misinformation. The CDC and AERS say that the cited statistics do not claim the vaccine caused deaths or illness; they instead report the number of people who died of any cause or became sick at any point after getting the vaccine. “The FDA requires healthcare providers to report any death after COVID-19 vaccination to AERS, even if it’s unclear whether the vaccine was the cause,” the website reads. That clarification hasn’t persuaded opponents of the vaccine. Councilman Tim Fitch, who voted against the mandate, introduced the County Employee C D Health Protection Act. The legislation would require the county to provide lifetime health care at no cost to any employee who became sick due to the COVID-19 vaccine. If an employee died “as a result of the COVID-19 vaccine,” a beneficiary would receive $1 million. “If county employees are forced to make the decision to either take the vaccine or lose their job, they should have protections in case they opt to take the vaccine,” Fitch tweeted. Last Thursday, St. Louis County Executive Sam Page signed the bill requiring employee vaccinations. n

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THE BIG MAD DOING THE JOB Fake Blues fans, road diets, ice cream indulgences and an overdue McCloskey reckoning Compiled by

DANIEL HILL

elcome back to the Big Mad, the RFT’s weekly roundup of righteous rage! Because we know your time is short and your anger is hot: STREET DREAMS: If you’ve driven on Hampton Avenue between Chippewa Street and Gravois Avenue lately, you’ve immediately noticed the change in vibe. Not only has it become a hot spot for outdoor dining, the road traffic over there is more chill than anywhere else in the south city. That section of Hampton recently underwent a “road diet.” The street was torn up and replaced, and the lines were redrawn with just one lane in each direction, a two-way center turn lane and wide parking lane at each side that’s also used by runners and bicyclists to avoid getting clobbered. The change has completely transformed the driving experience on that section, and it’s now a nice, almost relaxing experience. God, this makes us mad. Why on Earth aren’t we doing this to all of the other streets in the city? Why must we seethe with rage while driving on cramped streets, doomed to constant lane-switching and having to use a combination of instinct, prayer and sheer ballsiness just to make it to Ted Drewes for a damn Cardinal Sin concrete? Go on a diet, St. Louis streets. You’re all way too fat. MCCLOSKEYS ON THE DEFENSE: The state Supreme Court could suspend Mark and Patricia McCloskeys’ law licenses. The state’s chief disciplinary counsel, a University City native named Alan Pratzel, recommended St. Louis’ gun couple finally face repercussions for their firearm-swinging, unrepentant response to peaceful protesters. The McCloskeys will surely spin any possible consequences into a full production of false victimhood theater, but that’s not the infuriating part. The outrage is that Pratzel, whom you’ve probably never heard of before, is apparently the only statewide official willing to hold them accountable for undeniably dangerous behavior. He doesn’t have the clout of Donald Trump, who hailed the McCloskeys as heroes, or even of Governor Mike Parson, who fell in line and promised a pardon before the couple was even charged. The guy didn’t even

send out a press release or hit the talk show circuit to grandstand. It’s maddening that Pratzel, just by doing the job, seems like a throwback to a less insane time. ICE CREAM INTERRUPTION: We’re fed up with the ice cream-creation industry. A couple of weeks ago, we had to deal with the barbaric creation of Lion’s Choice and Crown Candy Kitchen’s bacon-vanilla monstrosity. This week, Ben & Jerry’s announced a new ice cream in support of Congresswoman Cori Bush’s public safety bill. Ben & Jerry’s Change Is Brewing flavor supports the organization Movement for Black Lives and Bush’s People’s Response Act. But we’re not mad about the cold-brew, brownie and marshmallow concoction. We’re mad that we cannot immediately consume it. This actually sounds like a slice of heaven coffee and brownie lovers alike can get behind. We mean, seriously, how is this fair?! You’re going to announce this on a Monday morning? We’re going to have to stop what we’re doing and find the nearest ice cream dealer. Then we’ll have to speed over to the grocery store and grab at least two cartons. We’re also going to have to find the right movie to watch while consuming ice cream in copious amounts. It’s a lot to ask, Ben and Jerry and Bush. Could you not have waited until the weekend? We need a minute to process all the deliciousness we will be consuming throughout the week. “DIE-HARD” FANS: The St. Louis Blues made the smart choice last week to require fans to show proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test to attend games. After a year and a half of dealing with the pandemic, you’d think making commonsense decisions aimed at digging us out of virus life would be welcomed. Well, you’d think that if you weren’t also living through one of the dumbest times in history — a time when a ruthless minority of the population continues to wage war on solutions and anyone who suggests them. So, predictably, the Blues’ are getting slammed by “fans” vowing to stay home (fine), claiming the team is embracing tyranny (right), and generally wishing disaster on an organization they claim to love (liars). It’s those kinds of reactions that have caused companies, elected officials and everyday people to weigh doing the right thing against the venom it will trigger. The Blues ultimately came down on the only side the organization could, but the attacks by the team’s supposed supporters has made what should be a no-brainer of a decision seem brave. Maybe all these “die-hard” fans should consider getting a vaccination so that term means something. n

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EBONY SMITH-THOMAS IS FIGHTING

FOR HER LIFE — AGAIN

BY RICHARD H. WEISS

bony Smith-Thomas likes to celebrate anniversaries. In August, she held what might be described as a festival on Facebook as she counted down the days to the first anniversary of her heart transplant. On the big day, she treated her hundreds of fans and followers to a YouTube video set to music and with a mashup of favorite images she collected during the weeks she spent in the hospital. On the day we last Zoomed with each other, Smith-Thomas had been sharing images on Facebook from a rather more grim anniversary. It was the day — just weeks after the transplant — that she underwent a second open-heart surgery to address a blood clot. Still, she marked it in an upbeat way with a selfie in which she signaled victory with two fingers and wore a mask saying, “EBONY IS A SURVIVOR.” Smith-Thomas marks these occasions in part because she was often unconscious or only semiconscious back then. Now that she is clear headed, she wants to remember what happened. But the anniversaries also give her a chance to inspire other people who share her plight and “to thank the ones who were praying for me, encouraging me and showing me love.” There are other anniversaries in her life to mark as well, but they are hazier — and the support sys-

tem perhaps not as strong. There was that day in mid-September, in 1985, when physicians at Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital diagnosed Smith-Thomas with lead poisoning. Her mother, Debbie Thomas-Smith, remembers a physician telling her that her toddler likely would be impaired for the rest of her life. A hospital record that Debbie saved indicates the physicians had worked at flushing the lead from Ebony’s body. The record also indicates that a “social service consult was obtained to look into the source of lead.” The source, according to Debbie, was paint chips that Ebony had eaten while the family had been residing in student housing at Saint Louis University. In the immediate aftermath of her daughter’s diagnosis, Debbie remembers asking the university to eliminate the lead contamination in her apartment and to provide support for her daughter’s care. She said officials never responded in a meaningful way. She contacted an attorney about the issue, but said he quickly lost interest. Despite the dire prognosis, Ebony Smith-Thomas, now 38, recovered and did quite well for the next three decades of her life. By her early 30s, she had managed to earn a bachelor’s degree and dual master’s degrees in business management and information systems. She would go on to serve

This story was produced in partnership with the Pulitzer Center. for nearly fourteen years with the nation’s largest operator of campus bookstores, while also raising two sons, Clayton, 5, and Khamari, 16, and parenting two beloved nieces, Mykinzi, 21, and Mareah, 23, through their adolescence. And then, five years ago, Smith Thomas found herself at death’s door with an illness called peripartum cardiomyopathy. And she began to wonder ... Did the lead poisoning from her childhood have anything to do with her current condition? Does Saint Louis University bear some responsibility to help her, now that she can no longer work and must rely on government benefit programs to maintain her health and support her children? Did the “social service consult” lead to any mitigation efforts at the student residence? Did anyone else ingest paint chips in the student housing? If so, what were their outcomes?

Environmental racism

Whatever the answer to these questions might be, it’s easy to connect Smith-Thomas’ childhood experience to what many publichealth practitioners and socialjustice advocates have identified as environmental racism. Civil rights leader Benjamin Cha-

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vis is credited with introducing the concept in the 1980s, describing it as “racial discrimination in the enforcement of regulations and laws, the deliberate targeting of communities of color for toxic waste facilities, the official sanctioning of the life-threatening presence of poisons and pollutants in our communities … .” Smith-Thomas would qualify in the “presence of poisons” category. She was one of thousands of St. Louis children afflicted with lead poisoning because of their exposure either to lead-based paint or tap water running through lead pipes — or because they lived in a neighborhood with airborne contaminants. Smith-Thomas’ malady — as her mother Debbie Thomas-Smith later determined — came from eating paint chips from a windowsill located in what was once the Coronado Hotel. Thomas-Smith had caught her daughter peeling the chips from the sill. She couldn’t know if perhaps she had done it before. It was only after some time, when her child began crying and complaining that her fingers hurt, that Thomas Smith sought medical attention for such an unusual symptom.

SLU’s role in the lead-poisoning crisis

Ebony Smith-Thomas’ lead-poisoning diagnosis came in the mid-

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EBONY SMITH-THOMAS Continued from pg 13

1980s as St. Louis was struggling with a plague of lead poisoning falling most heavily on families of color in the city’s most vulnerable neighborhoods. Almost every year since the s, public health officials were able to document at least one case of a child dying from lead poisoning, with hundreds more identified as having severely high levels of lead in their blood that affected their cognitive abilities and their behavior. Mass screening programs began in the 1970s, and advocacy groups organized protests to pressure regional leaders to do more. Notably, the Saint Louis University School of Medicine organized a Get Out the Lead conference in 1971, and by 1972 the city had established a lead-poisoning evaluation center. Around that time, the city introduced stricter leadabatement statutes. More funding and staffing would follow in the 1980s. n the early 2 s, city officials would proudly say that they were making significant inroads against lead poisoning. But not long after that, the city’s public-health department underwent budget cuts. The city would have many fewer people to address compliance with lead-poisoning mitigation. Still, there was some good news. Older buildings with lead issues either were getting demolished or repainted with non-toxic paint. Manufacturers were getting the lead out of their products. Many children with lead poisoning exhibit no immediate symptoms, and so the toxic effects are given time to take a toll on brain function. In Smith-Thomas’ case, the hospital report from September 1985 states that her lead level had been “checked at day care as long ago as 10 months” and there were signs of lead poisoning. “Follow up was poor in the meantime” and the lead level increased. “Symptomatically, the mother reports the patient has been somewhat clumsy and increasingly so over the last several months.” From her own recollection, Thomas-Smith remembers that as she sought attention for her daughter, a physician at first discounted the symptoms. But Thomas-Smith remembers returning to the doctor and insisting that she take another look. That ultimately led to six days of treatment at Cardinal Glennon, from September 6 to September 11, 1985.

Ebony Smith-Thomas still wants to be there for her family, which includes cheering on her son Khamari Smith in football. | ERIN MCAFEE Even with early intervention, some lead remains in the body, seeping into the bones where it can linger throughout life. The family’s apartment, inside the old Coronado Hotel, built in the 1920s, was at 3701 Lindell Boulevard. Designed by architect Preston J. Bradshaw along with other significant structures along that boulevard, the hotel fell on hard times in the 1960s and closed. SLU purchased the Coronado in 1964 to use for student housing, renamed it Louis Hall, then closed it in 1986. The oncegrand building stood vacant and fell into disrepair until developers Amrit and Amy Gill purchased the property and began reviving it in 2002 with apartments, a restaurant and event spaces. University officials were asked to see if they could find records relating to Ebony Smith-Thomas’ stay there. Debbie Thomas-Smith and her family moved in while she pursued her education as a paralegal at the law school across the street. Looking back, and knowing what she knows now, Thomas Smith finds it ironic that some professionals at the university’s medical school were at the forefront of lead-poisoning mitigation, while other university officials turned a blind eye to her daughter’s plight. “Not just a blind eye,” Thomas-

Ebony Smith-Thomas at the Coronado as a child. | FAMILY PHOTO Smith says in a recent interview. “The SLU on-campus housing staff treated Ebony’s health crisis like their mouths were sewn shut, too.” Maybe still. University President Fred Pestello, a sociologist by training, has through his Twitter feed and other communications taken strong stances regarding matters of racial equity and social justice, but the university had

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little to say about this instance of lead poisoning or the family’s concerns. Jeff Fowler, SLU’s vice president of marketing and communications, said he could only state that Thomas-Smith was a student there in 1984 and 1985 but could not confirm her connection to the Coronado/Louis Hall. Nor did the university provide any information about its administration of

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EBONY SMITH-THOMAS Continued from pg 15

the Coronado. Fowler declined to provide any answers to follow-up questions, including: Does the university have any record of lead poisoning having occurred at the Coronado? Will the university check to see if it has any record indicating that lead-paint issues were ever addressed at the Coronado? Would a university official speak to Smith Thomas and her mother so they could share details to make a record search more effective Fortunately, Smith Thomas rebounded strongly after getting treatment. She sailed through school and on to college, earning high marks along the way. “My mom never let me [use lead poisoning] as a crutch,” she recalls. “When computers came out, probably was the only kid who had a computer. She got me Hooked on Phonics. She said, our number one job is getting your education.’” Back in the day, it was common to use the phrase “mentally retarded.” As she grew up, Smith Thomas sometimes heard it applied to her. t carried a special sting, because she was smart — and knew it. She is resilient and determined, too. “ did college because was told that wouldn’t be able to go to college,” Smith Thomas says. “ felt like had to prove the doctors wrong. And did.” n 2 , she landed a job with Follett Education Group. She worked in the bookstore Follett operated at Harris Stowe State University while earning her bachelor’s degree at the university. By 2 , while working on earning dual master’s degrees at Webster University, Smith Thomas had been promoted to store manager. The work was complicated and stressful, requiring at once great people skills and T know how. But it would fill her with joy to see the students who she supplied with their texts freshman year come into the store years later to pick up their mortarboards and gowns.

Momma to the rescue

Then in 2 6, on a warm day in late May, Smith Thomas’ world turned upside down. t had been just two months since she birthed her second child, Clayton — or Clay Clay as family and friends affectionately call him. Smith Thomas was living in an apartment in the Hyde Park neighborhood in north St. Louis, along with her two sons and two nieces,

when the air-conditioning failed. They packed up and moved in for what they hoped would be a short stay with Smith Thomas’ mom and dad at their home a few miles west in the Jeff ander Lou neighborhood. That night, Debbie Thomas Smith noticed her daughter sleeping fitfully and heaving with a dry cough. “There’s such a thing as walking pneumonia,” she told Smith Thomasthe next morning. “And that could kill you.” At first, Smith Thomas remembers thinking, “Well, nursing new moms generally don’t sleep all

of pregnancy or first few months after delivery. “ am glad you came in,” Smith Thomas recalls a physician telling her, “because your heart was going to eventually stop pumping.” Smith Thomas battled the illness for three years, until yet another health crisis, when a blood clot traveled to her lung. “ t felt like elephants were sitting on me,” she says. ver the next several weeks, Smith Thomas lost 6 pounds. n ctober 2 , doctors put her on a list for a heart transplant, which she received in Au-

Debbie Thomas-Smith always paid close attention to her youngest daughter’s health. | CONTRIBUTED that well.” But her own mom had always been on high alert when it came to her youngest daughter’s health. Family members called her Dr. Webbie Smith, as in WebMD, because, as Smith Thomas puts it, “if she doesn’t know [about an illness], she is going to find it and figure it out. She reads and reads.” And so when it comes to her health, Smith Thomas says, “There’s nothing feel like my momma don’t know.” t turned out, Dr. Debbie Webbie had been right. After several hours at an urgentcare center where tests confirmed pneumonia, Smith Thomas was taken to Barnes Jewish Hospital. There, more tests revealed something worse peripartum cardiomyopathy, or PPCM. The life threatening illness affects women who are either in the last month

gust 2 2 . “ made it,” she said when she awoke from the nearly 2 hour surgery. Just three weeks later, Smith Thomas would undergo open heart surgery to address a blood clot in her new heart. “ made it,” she would sigh again. n the meantime, both Smith Thomas and her mother were doing their homework. Smith Thomas had taken part in a support group of women with PPCM, where she learned a lot more about the illness — but also had to deal with a lot of sadness, as some members of the group were dying. ne thing she learned was that PPCM falls more heavily on people of color. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2 7 reported that African American women “presented with more severe cases of

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PPCM, recovered less fre uently and took at least twice as long to recover despite apparent ade uate treatment when compared with their non African American counterparts.” Smith Thomas resolved that once she got better she would start a nonprofit that would educate, help and support women with PPCM, and urge others to become registered organ donors. What she has only recently learned is that there is also research suggesting that lead poisoning may play a role in cardiovascular disease even years after exposure. So it’s possible — though it would be hard to prove — that Smith Thomas dodged a lead poisoning bullet three decades ago, only to have it circle the Earth and take her down in the prime of her life. Dr. Andrew White, a professor of pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine who has treated children with lead poisoning, says it’s possible that lead poisoning can lead to cardiovascular issues later in life. But he added much more research would need to be done to demonstrate a definite link. “ think it’s plausible. Lead shares some properties with other atoms and molecules that are important to the heart, like calcium,” White says. “Calcium and lead can certainly compete with each other. But in reading the Lancet journal article that reported the link, they were looking at ischemic heart disease, which is really like heart attacks and which are distinct from PPCM. So maybe there’s no direct correlation … but maybe there is.”

Parenting is a challenge

Whether it’s lead poisoning or other factors that contributed to her PPCM and conse uent heart transplant, this much is clear Ebony Smith Thomas can no longer work, nor be as active in her children’s lives as she once had been. She is entitled to what the government offers to everyone. n Smith Thomas’ case, it’s a mixture of Medicare and Medicaid benefits, which paid for her transplant and a good deal of her medical care. She also receives food stamps. But it doesn’t make up for the lost income from the job she had to relinquish, nor does it pay for the deductibles attached to her health-care coverage. Smith Thomas’ cousin, Chantel Neal, whom she calls “Fav,” put together a GoFundMe site for her

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EBONY SMITH-THOMAS Continued from pg 17

that to date has raised just over $1,000. In the meantime, on her own Facebook page, “EB’s Heart Journey,” Smith-Thomas keeps friends apprised of her journey and she promotes #letstalkppcm, a group that supports and informs mothers with the illness. Her mom and dad, and her cousin Misha Marshall, help out with childcare, so that Ebony can focus on regaining her health and spend quality time with ClayClay, Khamari and her nieces as she is able. “Because I have been in and out of the hospital for quite some time, I’m not always home. But I’m a parent. I want to stay in the loop,” Smith-Thomas says. “Whatever I could do to make my sons and nieces successful in whatever class that they are in, I’m going to do that. I’m that type of parent.” Her support system also includes the Webster Groves School District. Both of her sons are participants in the region’s desegregation program. Smith-Thomas says she can’t say enough about the administrators, teachers and parents, who once having learned

about her situation created workarounds for her children to get to school and participate fully in activities. She says that when her younger son, Clayton, balked at taking a cab that the district provides for transportation to his school, administrators made sure to have a bus to take so that he could ride with other children. When it comes to Khamari, Smith-Thomas singled out Webster Groves football coach Matt Buha for her most effusive praise. “I love coach Buha because he loves my boy,” she says. Buha’s team is, so far, winless this season. But the coach manages to find his joy in other ways, and in particular his growing bond with Khamari, who plays offensive tackle for the Statesmen. Khamari stands 6 feet, 3 inches tall and weighs in at 320 pounds. Buha can’t wait to see how Khamari develops as a player. He is already certain Khamari will succeed as a leader. “I am so lucky to have that young man on our team,” Buha says. “Khamari is one of those students who is pulling the best things out of the sport. He has learned at home to be responsible and accountable to his family, and

that’s how he is with our team.”

Uncertain future

In mid-September, when we last spoke at length, Ebony SmithThomas was looking forward to attending Khamari’s upcoming game at Lindbergh High School. Her outings have been more frequent of late, but there’s always a measure of uncertainty concerning how they will unfold. At various times over the spring and summer, she suffered episodes in which she would collapse as if in a trust fall. “Everyone learned to walk beside me, and there would be Clay-Clay trying to catch my head from hitting the ground,” she says. Some new medication seems to have put an end to those episodes, but Smith-Thomas and her family have learned to live with uncertainty. Even so, she looks ahead to some anniversaries she is hoping to celebrate. “I have a business plan I am putting together to start a nonprofit to bring awareness to PPCM,” she says. “I’m going to name it I Heart University.” A year from now, Khamari will be filling out applications for college. Maybe some college football recruiters will come calling. Clay-

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Clay will be a first grader. Smith Thomas is determined to be present for them, whether it’s on the sidelines at a game, a school jamboree, a taekwondo class or a swimming lesson. “When they are participating in an activity,” she says, “they are looking for me. I don’t care who shows up. They are looking for me. “I live for myself, but I live and breathe for my boys.” n Richard H. Weiss is cofounder of Before Ferguson Beyond Ferguson and also serves as executive editor for the nonprofit racial equity storytelling project. Zach Bayly, a board member for Before Ferguson Beyond Ferguson, also contributed information for this story. Before Ferguson Beyond Ferguson, a nonprofit racial equity project, is telling the story of families in 63106 one by one over the course of the pandemic. You can find an archive of other family stories at beforefergusonbeyondferguson. org/63106-project/. Sign up for Before Ferguson Beyond Ferguson’s newsletter — STL Equity Matters.

SEPTEMBER 22-28, 2021

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WEDNESDAY, 9/22

SUNDAY, 9/26

LEAH OSBORNE 4:30PM SEAN CANAN'S VOODOO PLAYERS 9PM

KEVIN BUCKLEY 2PM

THURSDAY, 9/23

WOODEN PUDDIN 5PM SOULARD BLUES BAND 9PM

BUTCH MOORE 5PM TBA 9PM FRIDAY, 9/24

ERIC LYSAGHT 4:30PM MOM'S KITCHEN 10PM SATURDAY, 9/25

TBA 12PM FUNKY BUTT BRASS BAND 10PM

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MONDAY, 9/27

TUESDAY, 9/28

DUHART DUO 5PM ETHAN JONES 9PM

ORDER ONLINE FOR CURBSIDE PICKUP!

MONDAY-THURSDAY 11AM-9PM, FRIDAY-SUNDAY 11AM-3PM

CAFE

[REVIEW]

Cup Runneth Over Coffeestamp flourishes through the pandemic with elevated cuisine and specialty brew Written by

CHERYL BAEHR Coffeestamp 2511 South Jefferson Avenue, 314-7978113. Mon.-Sun. 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

n March 23, 2020, Patrick and Spencer Clapp could not have been more excited. After a little more than a year of hashing out a business plan that would bring to life their dream of a brick-and-mortar shop for their burgeoning coffee brand Coffeestamp, the brothers’ business loan had finally gone through. It had been a long time coming; the pair had worked hard to grow Coffeestamp from the germ of an idea for a specialty coffee company six years ago into a successful roastery that had gained a good following at farmers’ markets and specialty grocery stores around town. Finally, they were on the cusp of realizing their full plans. On that late March day, however, another act of official business was also happening. At 6 p.m. that evening, the City of St. Louis put into place stay-at-home orders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, upending all regular business activity in the area in order to combat the virus. Patrick and Spencer could not believe their luck (or lack thereof) — the ink wasn’t even dry on their loan documents when the future of their business suddenly seemed to rest on shaky ground. Undeterred, they decided to forge ahead with their plans and threw themselves into the construction of their storefront, figuring that if they failed in their Coffeestamp plans at least they would be able to get a rent discount for their efforts out of the deal. Now, a year and a half later, the

The coffee is unsurprisingly excellent, but Coffeestamp offers a selection of thoughtful, delicious dishes, many unlike any you will find anywhere else in St. Louis. Pictured: choripan, chocolate chip cookies, latte, turtle alfajores, empanadas and Mayan tortilla. | MABEL SUEN brothers have been able to put those worries about failure aside. The Coffeestamp storefront was not only able to weather the shutdown and other pandemic-related challenges — it has thrived in the midst of them as a beloved cafe patronized by its Fox Park neighbors, as well as anyone in search of a conscientiously sourced cup of joe and thoughtful, Honduraninflected cuisine. Coffeestamp’s reception by the community validated the Clapp brothers’ long-standing notion that there was both room and need for their voices in the specialty coffee industry. Ever since they were growing up in Honduras, in the shadow of the country’s coffee farms near La Tigra National Park, the brewed beverage had been a part of their lives. Not only did they enjoy great coffee at home with their mom, they had many friends in the industry, so they got to see firsthand what it was like to work on the grower and picker side of the coffee trade. When a couple of those childhood

friends started their own coffee exporting business about six years ago, the idea to help them on the importing and roasting side began to percolate within the brothers. Though at the time Patrick and Spencer were working in the construction business by day, they dove headfirst into researching the specialty coffee industry in the hopes of launching a small-scale operation. In 2018, they bought a small commercial roaster and began roasting their friends’ coffee under the name Coffeestamp, selling their wares directly to customers at local farmers’ markets. The response was so positive the brothers began work on their brick-and-mortar idea, pushing forward even in the midst of the pandemic because they knew they were onto something special. In August of last year, the Clapp brothers finally got to show off what they were up to when they opened the doors to the Coffeestamp storefront. Located on Jefferson Avenue just north

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of Gravois, the small cafe has a quintessential coffee-shop vibe; bags of whole beans and coffeebrewing supplies sit on wooden shelves against exposed brick walls, while burlap bean bags and plants decorate the rest of the space. An order counter, pastry case and espresso machine sit at the back of the small room, and a few tables, booths and window seating round out the eat-in dining room. Though Coffeestamp got its start as a coffee roaster — and the various brewed beverages are indeed delicious and worth a visit in their own right — the cafe stands out because of its excellent food menu that has grown over time. Though not limited to strictly Honduran cuisine, the menu takes it as a jumping-off point with dishes like empanadas, which are filled with everything from bacon, scrambled egg and white cheddar for a breakfast-inspired offering to the Pino, which features warmly spiced ground beef and olives that

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HELP WANTED ST. LOUIS AND SURROUNDING AREAS

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infuse the meat with a mouthwatering, briny flavor. However, the most thrilling version is the Napolitana, a cherry tomato, mozzarella and basil wonder that tastes like the Rolls Royce of pi a rolls. t’s a thing of beauty. Coffeestamp offers two different burritos: the AM, stuffed with scrambled eggs, bell peppers, cheese and (optional) ham, or the PM, which features roasted chicken, baked beans, cheese, tomatoes and arugula. Both are exactly what you want for that particular style overstuffed, well seasoned and wrapped in a delicate tortilla that gets just a hint of crispiness from being pressed. The Mayan Tortilla is a magnificent hybrid of a uesadilla and tostada. Here, creamy, well seasoned refried red beans and molten cheese are sandwiched between two corn tortillas. Piuant tomato salsa and slices of avocado adorn this magnificent concoction. The grilled cheese is another gooey wonder, a blend of mozzarella, swiss, cheddar and cream cheese that makes you wonder why on earth no one reg-

Patrick and Spencer Clapp prove there is always a place for good food and coffee. | MABEL SUEN ularly puts the latter on a traditional grilled cheese. After eating Coffeestamp’s version, you may never again want one without this luscious addition. Those who have lamented the lack of a proper Cuban sandwich in St. Louis need look no further than Coffeestamp. The restaurant,

hands down, has the best version in town — a mélange of roast pork and warm ham, both so succulent that their juices mix together to form a stunning meaty jus. Swiss and mayo add richness, while a generous garnish of pickle slices cuts through the decadence. Then there’s the bread — a wonderful

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Cuban-style, hoagie-shaped roll grilled on a panini press so that it develops just a bit of char and crispness. t’s flawless. That Cubano is a tough act to follow, but the Choripan is up to the challenge. This glorious sausage sandwich is like if the best hot dog of your life took tango lessons in a Buenos Aires dance studio. For this masterpiece, three halved pieces of snappy chorizo are grilled, then placed into a pillowsoft, mayonnaise-slicked bun and topped with a mixture of chopped white onions, cilantro and chimichurri sauce. Rich and verdant at the same time, this sandwich is a masterpiece. It’s easy to get so mesmerized by the food that you forget the reason Coffeestamp exists in the first place is to be a source of ethical, specialty coffee in town. That it has done that, but also set the bar so high with their food, makes this a wonderful addition to the city’s food scene — and proof that when you are on the path to something special, no amount of setbacks can keep you from making it happen.

Coffeestamp Burrito AM....................................................$6 Cubano ...................................................... $10 Choripan................................................. $8.75

SEPTEMBER 22-28, 2021

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SHORT ORDERS

[ S T. L O U I S S TA N D A R D S ]

Keepin’ It Old School As new owner of Brentwood’s storied Carl’s Drive-In, David Kraemer vows not to change a thing Written by

CHERYL BAEHR

f fans of the longtime Brentwood burger institution Carl’s Drive-In have any worries about the restaurant being sold, they need only look to David Kraemer’s first official act as its new owner. “We’re going back to Frank’s recipe for the grilled onions,” Kraemer says. “If you asked for grilled onions anytime in the past six years, you would’ve gotten sautéed onions browned on the grill. However, the way they used to do it — and it’s so good it’s a game changer — is that they used to smash diced onions into the burger, then flip it. So when it cooked, the flavor really got in there. When it’s cooked right like that, it’s amazing. Apparently they got a lot of blowback when the old owner took that away because he didn’t like them like that, so we know that everyone will be excited. We’re taking things as far back as they will go and as original as original gets.” Though Kraemer has only owned Carl’s Drive-In for a few weeks, he already understands the responsibility that comes with the purchase of such a storied restaurant. That historical weight is something he felt long before he ever considered buying it in fact, it was the main reason he wanted to own the diner in the first place. Having grown up in Wildwood, Kraemer had only gone to Carl’s a handful of times until about six years ago, when he moved to Kirkwood and started patronizing the place three or four times a week. As he became a regular, he got to know the story of the place — how it was built as an automobile ser-

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Carl’s Drive-In has a new owner, but don’t worry; he’s holding onto the history that has made the burger shack a local legend. | ANDY PAULISSEN vice station in , became a hot dog stand in the early s, was established by Carl Meyer as Carl’s Drive in in and had a good run under its second owner, Frank Cunetto, from 6 through 2 . However, it wasn’t just the facts of the history that moved him it was seeing how the diner’s story lived in the hearts of the generations of regular guests who see it as more than a place to grab a cheeseburger and fries. “What’s great is the generations of people from Brentwood who come here,” Kraemer says. “There are kids who come up riding their bikes and old-timers too. Some of the old guys come in talking about when Carl was here, and that was 62 years ago. There’s just so much history here.” n his time coming to the restaurant as a patron and now as an owner, Kraemer has pieced together parts of that history. Some of it involves stories of Meyer, the original owner, who came to the place because his family delivered meat to its original culinary iteration as a hot-dog stand. Under his tenure, he turned the spot from carhop and pickup window service to an enclosed, air condi-

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Smashed thin and cooked to perfection, burgers at Carl’s are the main event. | ANDY PAULISSEN tioned space with seating for sixteen patrons and, most notably, obtained the restaurant’s famous root beer recipe. According to Kraemer, rumor has it the recipe is an original World’s Fair formula that became so popular at Carl’s that people associated with Dr. Pepper sent in scientists undercover to create knockoffs of the beverage. Most of what Kraemer has come to know, however, centers around

the drive in’s second owner, Cunetto, a larger-than-life personality who cultivated the restaurant’s reputation as the quintessential nostalgic burger joint. More than just an owner, Cunetto was an ever present figure at Carl’s, flipping burgers from open to close and making the diner’s famous root beer himself. Because he was always there, he got to know everyone who came in as if they were family when he sold the restau-

It’s never too early to become a regular at Carl’s Drive-In. | ANDY PAULISSEN rant to longtime customer Mike Franklin in 2 , that legacy continued thanks to veteran employees Kelly, Pam and Lisa, who have each worked at Carl’s for more than two decades. “Those gals pour their hearts and souls into this place,” Kraemer says. “They’ve been running it for years and really keep it alive — collectively, they have been there longer than the business has been around. They’ve watched so many people who come in here grow up and now bring in their kids, and they know all of their orders. They really put a lot of dedication into knowing you. The place wouldn’t be anything without them.” With Kelly, Pam and Lisa by his side, Kraemer hopes that he can continue that legacy, and he is adamant that he has no desire to change what makes Carl’s so special. With a background in the homebuilding and contracting business, Kramer plans on doing a remodel of the space — not a full-gut rehab by any means, but a project he describes as a “facelift” of the interior and exterior. His hope is that the work will be more about restoring the restaurant to its past glory than modernizing it, and, to that end, he says he is insistent on keeping the old charm and feel of the space. ne noticeable change he plans

“There are kids who come up riding their bikes and old-timers too. There’s just so much history here.” on instituting, however, is opening up on Sundays, something customers have been begging to happen for decades. Though he’s still working out the details, he hopes to launch the new hours once the work to the building is done as a way to reintroduce the restaurant to the community that has made it what it is — one that he is thrilled to now be a part of in this new capacity. “We’re not open on Mondays, so I was sitting there one Monday and just looking around thinking how cra y it is that own this special place,” Kraemer says. “ ’m still pinching myself. ’ve already had someone ask to buy it for more than I paid for it. If it was about the money, I would have taken it, but this is not about the money.” n

The new shelf-stable sangria mix is now available locally. | COURTESY SOUTHSIDE ALCHEMY

[DRINKS]

Southside Alchemy Drops New Sangria Mix Written by

CHERYL BAEHR

ix years ago, Todd Brutcher started selling his wildly popular sangria in frozen mix form and received such a great response, he was eventually able to quit bartending to go all-in on his drink mixers brand, Southside Alchemy. Now, Brutcher is building upon his creation with his new shelf-stable sangria offerings, which will make the drink available to a much broader audience. “Getting the sangria mix shelf-stable was the next logical step,” Brutcher explained in a press release announcing the new product. “I’d get emails and DMs from people in St. Charles, West County and Chesterfield asking what stores the mix was in because they couldn’t make it to the farmers market. Now, I can focus on getting it in stores.” Brutcher’s road to sangria greatness began twelve years ago, when he developed a cult following for the boozy beverage as a bartender at Onesto Pizza & Trattoria. When he arrived, the bar

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was serving sangria, but it was just the typical mix of fruit soaked in wine with a little sugar. The chef and owner was the one in charge of making the mix, but he eventually passed it on to his servers and bartenders; whoever had the time would make it, so there wasn’t much consistency to the product. When Brutcher’s friend Jen came on staff, she took over the task of making Onesto’s sangria, and the extra care she put into it paid off in a far superior product. Her secret was to cook the fruit before she soaked it to bring out bigger, juicier flavors. People took notice, and the sangria became one of the restaurant’s most popular drinks — so popular, that when Brutcher found out at the last minute that Jen would not be able to make it one night, he panicked. “Jen was going over to work at Mad Tomato, and I thought I had her one more day,” Brutcher recalls. “I needed her to make the sangria, and when I found out she was already gone, I didn’t know what to do. I panicked and stuck a bunch of measuring cups into sugar with no idea what I was doing. I didn’t know how much wine or sugar she added, but I knew that she cooked the fruit, so I followed what I remembered from watching her and came up with my own recipe for it. People really responded.” Brutcher, who credits Jen as the catalyst and inspiration for his mix, became Continued on pg 27

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A new Oakville location of Boardwalk Waffles is already drawing long lines of customers. | COURTESY BOARDWALK WAFFLES

[ T H E M O S T I M P O R TA N T M E A L ]

Boardwalk Waffles Opens in Oakville Written by

CHERYL BAEHR

hen Eric Moore first signed his lease for the space that would become the second location of Boardwalk Waffles & Ice Cream (multiple locations including 4348 Telegraph Road, Oakville; 314-9391079) in 2 , he didn’t anticipate it taking so long to open. Now, after two plus years, a pandemic, e uipment delays and a renegotiated lease and expansion before even serving his first customer, he’s thrilled to finally welcome guests to a brand new spot in the heart of south St. Louis County. The new Boardwalk Waffles ce Cream opened on Saturday, September in akville, serving up the Jersey Shore inspired treats guests have come to know and love from his original location in Maplewood. As Moore explains, he had anticipated that there would be a good amount of interest in his restaurant from people in the surrounding neigh-

borhoods, but the magnitude of the initial response was pleasantly overwhelming. “We opened on Saturday at noon, and there was a line 2 yards long that started that morning at a.m. and didn’t end until we closed [Tuesday] night,” Moore says. “The numbers were through the roof. never expected such a warm welcome from akville.” The reception he received for the second location was proof that Moore’s plans for Boardwalk Waffles ce Cream are on the right track. Not long after opening the Maplewood store in 2 7, he reali ed that this was a brand he could expand, and made moves to do so, beginning with relocating his original store to a larger spot. From there, he secured the South County spot, as well as one in Soulard, which is slated to open

in five or so weeks, and another in Grand Center, which is still under construction. As for the newly opened akville location, Moore is offering the same menu as the Maplewood store, including Boardwalk’s signature ice cream filled waffle sandwiches, waffle sundaes called Wachos, waffle cones, shakes and waffle bowls. ce cream flavors, made by the ce Cream Factory, rotate regularly current options include chocolate chip cookie dough, black walnut, peanut butter blast and pumpkin spice. Moore has yet to launch brunch at the new spot, though that may come in the future. He also teases that, should business keep going the way it did this past weekend, he may add boo y beverages and live music in the future. n the meantime, Moore is just thrilled to finally be open and

serving a little bit of joy to the South County community, hoping that he can keep the momentum going and reali e his vision for Boardwalk Waffles ce Cream as a national brand. “My brother was telling me that if could be successful in akville, it would be a test case to see if could cross brand to different neighborhoods,” Moore says. “Next up is Soulard, then Grand Center, and after that ’m eyeing West County and alley Park. f can be successful in all of those different neighborhoods, then feel am much more closer to going nationwide.” The akville Boardwalk ce Cream Waffles is open from Sunday through Thursday from noon until p.m. and Friday and Saturday from noon until p.m. Click through for more photos of the new space. n

SOUTHSIDE ALCHEMY

Since then, Brutcher has enjoyed great success by selling his products at area farmers markets, pop-up shops and a handful of specialty stores around town. He’s even received numerous accolades for his mixes, including gold medal awards for his Bloody Mary mix at an international Bloody Mary competition. However, now that he has found a way to make his sangria mix shelf-stable, he feels that he is on the cusp of taking his business to the next level. Brutcher hopes that the two-year shelf life of his sangria mix will allow him to begin selling more broadly in stores; currently, the product is available at Edibles & Essentials, Southside Wine & Spirits and LeGrand’s. He is also in talks with Craft Republic and Fox River Dairy, two distributors, that will help him get the mix in more

stores, which will expand his reach. For now, he is currently offering only the Paradise Plum mix, but he is getting ready to launch raspberry-mango soon and plans to have more flavors added to the mix as soon as he has the capacity to do so. As for how to enjoy the Paradise Plum mix, Brutcher suggests putting the entire jar into a large carafe, then filling it with an entire 750ml bottle of wine. Though he encourages people to be creative, he’s found that Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc work best for white wine enthusiasts, while those who want to drink red wine should stick with something light, like a Pinot Noir. “Honestly, if it was me, I’d just add Franzia, because it changes the taste of the wine anyway,” Brutcher says. “Any bottle over $10 is wasting your money.” n

Continued from pg 25

so well known for both his sangria and Bloody Marys at Onesto that his regulars would often ask him if he would ever consider bottling and selling them. While working a subsequent job at the Copper Pig, he began playing around with that idea when a coworker offered him the opportunity to start selling his wares at a pop-up winter market. He was so amazed at the response he got to both his sangria (which he was selling frozen at the time) and Bloody Mary Mix that he decided to make his business official. After a few years of hard work, he officially launched his company, Southside Alchemy, in 2019.

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REEFERFRONT TIMES

[MEDIA]

Vape Panic Lives On Written by

LEE DEVITO This story was first published by the RFT’s sister paper, Detroit Metro Times.

pparently, the mainstream media has learned nothing from the big vaping scare from a couple of years ago, with even outlets like The New York Times still getting basic facts about it wrong. To recap: Back in 2019, hundreds of people began to get sick with a mysterious respiratory illness that was sending otherwise healthy young people to the hospital. At the same time, such disparate officials as Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and President Donald Trump found common ground in declaring a war on nicotine e-cigarette companies like Juul, citing a rise in teen vaping. That led to bans on flavored e cigs, with the reasoning being that these flavors are more appealing to kids. But health officials eventually identified the cause of the deadly illness as black-market marijuana oil cut with a chemical called vitamin E acetate, which could stick in the lungs. By then, it was too late — the hysteria caused many people to conflate vaping black market pot, which is dangerous, to vaping e-cigs, which is less dangerous. It didn’t help that the mainstream media repeatedly conflated the two issues, routinely reporting on the vaping illness without clarifying that it was connected to black-market cannabis and not e-cigs. These reporting issues are still happening, however. Last week, The New York Times ran an opinion piece about sexism and double standards in Silicon alley that led to the high profile trial of Elizabeth Holmes and her former company Theranos. Tucked in the story was a brief reference to the popular e-cig

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Two years after a vape scare swept across the country, people who should know better are still spreading confusion. | PEXELS/TNARG company Juul: “Leading this race to the bottom, Juul brought vaping mainstream, raising billions of dollars along the way. Kevin Burns, the chief executive who helped raise $12.8 billion for Juul from Altria, a tobacco giant, claimed his product was designed to help people stop smoking cigarettes. Nevertheless, in June 2019, Congress launched an investigation into Juul’s part in the youth nicotine epidemic, including efforts to market its products as safe to children. By midFebruary 2020, a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that 68 people in the U.S. had died from lung injury associated with the use of vaping products.” To support the claim about “68 people,” the Times piece originally dead linked to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention page about EVALI, or the CDC’s term for the illness, also known as “ecigarette or vaping use-associated lung injury.” Right at the top of the page, the CDC notes, “National and state

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Vapes got the blame for “lung injury” deaths, but was it actually just bad weed? data from patient reports and product sample testing show tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-containing e-cigarette, or vaping, products, particularly from informal sources like friends, family, or in-person or online dealers, are linked to most EVALI cases and play a major role in the outbreak.” THC, of course, is the main component of marijuana that makes you high. In other words, the deaths have nothing to do with Juul and everything to do with black-market cannabis oil. The Times later removed references to vaping deaths in the piece. That editors at one of the world’s

top news organizations are still getting this wrong is alarming, to say the least. It’s no wonder so many people were confused about vaping. To be clear, e-cigs, which were marketed as a healthier alternative to old-fashioned cigarettes, are not harmless. They are still addictive, and as a relatively new technology researchers are still learning about their effects on the body. And they’re still highly appealing to kids. A study published in June in the journal JAMA Network Open found that nearly 20 percent of high schoolers and almost 5 percent of middle schoolers reported last year that they currently vaped. Many reported vaping fruit flavored products. In the meantime, U.S. Food and Drug Administration has asked for an extension as it reviews ecigarette products for approval. While the products have been sold in stores for years, they have not yet been technically approved by the agency and have been in a sort of regulatory limbo since 2016. n

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CULTURE

[CRAFTINESS]

Getting Creative Closed for more than a year due to COVID-19, Philomena + Ruth thrives by taking its artsy wares online Written by

JACK PROBST

small town like Waterloo, Illinois, might seem like an unusual place for a shop like Philomena + Ruth to be found. The hip, artsy clothing store feels more like a place you might frequent in the Delmar Loop or over on Cherokee Street than on the cozy streets of the quaint municipality. But as it turns out, this seemingly quiet city is a hip place to be. And that’s thanks, in part, to Philomena + Ruth owner Elizabeth Hahn, who opened the shop in April 2015. The business boasts original, handmade clothing, including designer tees, and other handcrafted items made within the shop and sourced from likeminded vendors across the country. The store was named after Hahn’s grandmothers as a reminder of the connection within community and tradition. As detailed on its website, “P+R believes in the power of good vibes, cat cuddles and changing the fucking world!” It wasn’t a straight line that brought Hahn to this point, though, but rather a winding journey that included a change in career, a position in the Mafia no, not that one) and even a retail space in a decidedly less hip, now-dying monument to consumerism. “I have my degree in fashion design and advertising, so I thought that I wanted to work in corporate fashion. I went that route for a couple of years, but it wasn’t really what I wanted,” says Hahn. “So I got back into creative mode and started my own line of handmade accessories and some clothing. It was called Just Live. I started

Elizabeth Hahn’s store Philomena + Ruth has become part of a new vibe in Waterloo, Illinois. | JACK PROBST that in 2007, and through that I was able to hook up with the St. Louis Craft Mafia, which doesn’t exist anymore. But we were this band of misfit crafters who put on craft shows and things like that, so I met a lot of people through that. And I had partnered up with a friend of mine on a store called the Foundry, and that was in Chesterfield Mall.” While the Foundry had a similar vibe to Philomena + Ruth, it was mainly a consignment shop, Hahn explains. The experience helped Hahn shape her ideas on how she wanted to run her business moving forward. “Immediately, I started looking for a building. I wanted to open up a store in downtown Waterloo. I wanted to do the dream, you know, where we live upstairs, I have my studio, and all that,” Hahn says. “And luckily, we were able to make that happen. So in October 2014, we purchased this building, and then April was when we were able to open the doors. So it was really cool to be able to make that happen. And also, at the same time we were opening, Hopskeller Brewery was opening,

Stubborn German Brewery was opening — it was like all this sort of newness was coming to downtown Waterloo. It felt like a really great time to open up down here.” Things were great — and then COVID-19 came along. On March 15 of last year, Hahn and her team had to shut down the brick-andmortar operation, uncertain how long it might be closed. But Hahn would not be deterred from her dream, so after taking a couple of weeks to figure out what her next steps would be, she dove headfirst into ramping up her e-commerce game. Pre-pandemic, the store’s site was home only to some of her designs — not the store’s entire inventory. Since last year, the site has gone through two redesigns; the most recent best displays the mantra and mission of the brand and store. It’s colorful, charming and, crucially, contains the entire inventory of what the store has to offer. Even with its doors shut for the time being, the inside of Philomena + Ruth brings plenty of smiles. The displays that hold the product that lines the store during regular times are among boxes and boxes

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of the new items set to be added to the website’s inventory. Most of Hahn’s best-selling graphic tee designs — some funny, some displaying messages of hope — hang up on a wall of shirts: “HUMAN,” “FEMINIST,” the colorful “DON’T BE A DICK,” and “BLACK TRANS LIVES MATTER” are all currently on display. Sadly, the customer favorite “HARDWORKING STONER” is missing from the wall, due to the fact they struggle to keep it in stock.) Philomena + Ruth is constantly adding new items from vendors all over the country, and now that marijuana is recreationally legal in Illinois, Hahn promises new weed-related items are on the way. Some of Hahn’s favorite vendors include Pennsylvania’s Three Potato Four who make a bandana that says “FUCK” an infinite number of times on it and another that says “LOVE” in a similar fashion), the Five15, a Canadian illustrator that is all about empowering women and people in general, Kansas City-based candlemaker Untamed Supply and local crafter Flare City Supply Co. And Hahn

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PHILOMENA + RUTH Continued from pg 33

is always on the lookout for additional vendors to work with, ensuring the store is always stocked with fresh looks and accessories. But while the business’s success online has been a welcome lifeline, two employees are desperate for customers to get back into the building. The store cats, Dottie and Pancho, miss all the pets they’re used to stealing from anyone who might stroll in, Hahn explains. Philomena + Ruth was set to open again in August, she says, but the rising infection and hospitalization numbers due to the delta variant made Hahn decide it wasn’t the right time to reopen their doors. While masks, social distancing and bottles of hand sanitizer are all well and good, Hahn says she has to consider her health and that of her husband, since they live above the store. It was a difficult decision, but one

[ VA C C I N E S ]

No Shot, No Slapshots St. Louis Blues games, Enterprise Center events now require proof of vaccination or a negative test for entry Written by

JENNA JONES

f you’re ready for hockey to begin and aching for a chance to witness the quest for the Blues’ second Stanley Cup in person, you’re going to have to follow a couple more rules this season beyond the unspoken mandate to wear the blue-and-gold jersey. The St. Louis Blues announced Friday the need for proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours to enter the Enterprise Center. The Blues are the sixteenth team in the National Hockey League to announce this policy. The measure goes beyond just Blues games. If you’re attending another event at the venue or at the Stifel Theatre, the rule still applies. “We have introduced and ad-

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Philomena + Ruth hopes to reopen its physical store in Waterloo, Illinois, soon. | JACK PROBST where she knew she needed to put her family first. Hahn hopes to reopen as soon as possible, but she knows it’s going justed policies for our fans and guests throughout the pandemic to reflect the evolution of the virus and the best safety practices available,” Chris Zimmerman, president and CEO of Business Operations of the St. Louis Blues, Enterprise Center and Stifel Theatre, says in a release. Zimmerman says the plan is “in line” with policies implemented by division rivals in Chicago and Nashville, as well as dozens of other stadiums, sports teams, festivals and other places “people come for a good time.” He adds in the release that the center strongly encourages people to get the vaccine. “That is the quickest and most effective way to put this pandemic behind us,” Zimmerman says. “In the meantime, we will do our part to protect our fans and guests by requiring vaccination or a negative test result as they arrive at the Enterprise Center and Stifel Theatre. It’s the right thing to do for ourselves, and for others.” Fans age twelve and older are required to follow the new policy. If a guest is under the age of twelve no proof is necessary, but they must wear a mask. All guests are asked to wear masks inside the Enterprise Center. Just this week, Harry Styles required all concertgoers at the venue to wear masks during his show, as well as provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test or proof of vaccination. “We all want the same thing — Blues hockey as it was meant

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to take the help of the community at large — both inside and outside of the surprisingly hip town of Waterloo — to get to that point.

“Do your part to make things safe for your small businesses, because that’s what will make them survive,” Hahn says. “It is hurting worse for small businesses than during the first shutdown, because this has been so prolonged, and even if we’ve been chugging along, the bleeding is still happening, you know? And a lot of that intense need to help, and all of those things to help the businesses at the beginning when things were shutting down, aren’t necessarily available now. “Be patient with businesses if we do have to close our storefront, or if things take a little bit longer — we’re dealing with staff shortages and things like that,” Hahn adds. “P+R will be back open. So keep ordering online, but also, don’t give up on our brick-and-mortar yet. We are here.” For more information and to shop Philomena + Ruth’s wares, visit philomenaandruth.com for curbside pickup, or have items shipped to your door. n

The Blues now require proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 tests for games. | JAIMES LEES to be. We want everyone getting back together as one, with players and fans alike feeding off the energy as we remember it not that long ago,” Zimmerman says in the press release. “The same holds true for a concert or performance. The experience of enjoying a headlining act is something we’ve missed, and we look forward to again hosting the biggest artists and tours at Enterprise

Center and Stifel Theatre this fall and beyond.” Zimmerman adds that the most important thing is to return to the shows or games safely and responsibly. The policy begins on October 15. The first game of the season at the Enterprise Center is October 23, where the Blues will face the Los Angeles Kings. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster. n

[CONCERTS]

Blues Museum Announces Fall Shows Written by

JENNA JONES

he sounds of blues and soul music will fill the National Blues Museum (615 Washington Avenue) this fall. After COVID-19 shut down most forms of live music last year, the museum is now returning to its concerts and has announced this year’s lineup. Evening shows begin on Friday, September 24, and run weekly until October 15. After that, the show schedule switches up to Saturday, October 23. Another Friday show follows on November , and the finale takes place on Friday, November 19. All shows begin at 7 p.m.

Paige Alyssa will perform a tribute to Stevie Wonder as part of the National Blues Museum’s fall season. | RJ HARTBECK “We need live music now more than ever,” the museum’s deputy director, Erin Simon, says in a press release. “I am thrilled that we are restarting the arts safely and that we can come together again to experience music.” There’s also a “bluesy brunch” concert series that has recently been introduced. The new addition kicked off on September 18. Two more brunches are available on Saturday, October 9, and Sat-

urday, November 13. The brunch shows begin at 10 a.m. A tribute to Stevie Wonder is also on the calendar for November, performed by Paige Alyssa. “The fall NBM calendar is filled with outstanding examples of today’s blues talent and celebrates the legacy of the Blues while embracing its impact on contemporary genres,” Alyssa, who is also the marketing and community manager for the museum, says in

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a press release. “As we prepare for the fall, I’m looking forward to seeing the blues community back at our concerts along with embracing folks who may be coming to NBM for the first time.” Concerts will take place inside the museum in the Lumiére Place Legends Room. All guests, staff and performers either must have a negative COVID-19 test or be vaccinated against COVID-19. Tickets are $15 for the evening shows and $25 for the brunch shows. Purchase tickets by going to nationalbluesmuseum.org, calling 314-925-0016 or visiting the box office. The full lineup is below • Jake Curtis Blues Band, September 24, 7 p.m. • The Renaissance Band, October 1, 7 p.m. • Justin Hoskin, October 8, 7 p.m. • Robert Nelson, October 9, 10 a.m. • Ms. Hy-C and Fresh Start, October 15, 7 p.m. • Jeremiah Johnson Band, October 23, 7 p.m. • Cheri Evans, November 5, 7 p.m. • Be.Be, November 13, 10 a.m. • A Tribute to Stevie Wonder featuring Paige Alyssa, November 19, 7 p.m. n

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SAVAGE LOVE POWER TRIPPING BY DAN SAVAGE Hey, Dan: I’m a 26-year-old masculine straight guy who loves exploiting the fantasies so many gay men have about straight men. When a gay guy is into me because I look like his straight-masculine-jock dream, it’s a power trip like no other. It’s always a specific type of bottom gay dude I seek out when I get on Grindr: a very feminine “thicc” guy with a pretty face and physical features begging for a dick. The kind of guy where from the right angles you can’t tell the difference between his big ass and a thicc chick’s big ass. And I always follow the same script: I send my dick pics, I make one of these thicc bottom boys want me, and I tell him to send me a video of him twerking like a stripper for me. But I don’t go through with the meetup. I’ve experimented a few times and have gotten head from a few guys, but I have no interest in dick or fucking one of these dudes. I don’t want to harm anyone or live a lie, but I don’t feel queer or bisexual at all. I actually feel like I’m “earning my heterosexuality” when I do this. It’s like I’m proving to myself just how straight I am by teasing these gay guys. And in all honestly, I feel like I’m doing them a service because a lot of gay guys are looking for that rare, mythical thing — the straight and strict Dom top — and I can play that role. But on some level, this all seems pretty fucked up and I don’t know why I do this and sometimes I’m confused by it. I also worry this comes from a homophobic place. (“Look at this dumb twink, he’s so stupid and obsessed with dick he’ll do whatever I tell him to, I’m the alpha.”) And I guess it is homophobic because when you remove the intensity and power trip of being the straight male in this scenario, I just have no interest in guys at all. I know this was heavy. Sorry. But please answer my question. Ally Loves Personifying Homophobic Assholes “I don’t see any major problems with this, and I’m not fully clear on what he perceives his problem to be,” said Alexander Cheves, the famed gay sex writer, author, and columnist. “For gay men, straight men can be a kink, and the reverse

can also be true. Regardless of how he identifies, ALPHA enjoys dominating feminine gay men, who he ultimately denies. Sexual withholding — denying and being denied sex — is part of many fetishes and is really hot. So this guy’s kink involves withholding and, like many kinks, it involves role play. He’s role playing as the straight strict Dom top.’” And that’s fine, ALPHA. There are lots of gay men are into “straight strict Dom tops,” as you already know, and you’re giving these men something they want. You’re not giving them everything they want — you’re not meeting up with them — but you’re not obligated to give them everything they want. “We all enter Grindr chats willingly, and we should do so knowing that anyone we talk to may have no plans of following through with their promises to meet,” said Cheves. “Many queer men do the same — talk and tease with no intention of meeting — and for similar reasons. The guys he is messaging are chatting with him consensually, so I don’t see any consent violations.” Now if you were uploading or sharing the video clips these guys make for you without their knowledge, ALPHA, that would be a very serious consent violation. It would also be a crime in many places. But if feeling powerful and/or powerfully desired is all you want, ALPHA, and these femme thicc boys are willing to meet that need for you, and you’re meeting a need for them, there’s nothing wrong with what you’re doing. “Even the homophobia bit is not alarming to me,” said Cheves. “Shame, stigma, and prejudice have their place in many fetishes. I think these things often lead to fetishes in the first place. So long as ALPHA isn’t committing violence against these men or causing them harm, I don’t mind that he likes degrading them. I like guys who degrade me and call me a faggot, and I don’t much care if this fun part of my sex life comes from latent homophobia in me or the men I play with.” There’s a big difference between screaming homophobic slurs at someone on the street and seeking out gay men who enjoy what linguist John McWhorter described on my podcast as “theatrical subjugation.” While homophobia unquestionably shaped the desires

of the men who find your schtick appealing, ALPHA, you’re not promoting homophobia or justifying homophobic violence. Indeed, implicit in stepping into these roles — straight alpha top, gay submissive bottom — is your ability and, even more importantly, their ability to step right back out of these roles. While playing erotic games with homophobic themes won’t eradicate homophobia from the earth (wouldn’t it be nice if it could?), a gay guy who consents to this kind of “abuse” gets to decide when it starts and when it stops. “ f ALPHA’s problem is confusion’ — a concern that maybe he’s not fully straight — that’s something neither of us can help him with, as that problem boils down to a foundational debate on what it means to be queer,” said Cheves. “Is there a discernible difference to an outsider between a straight man who titillates gay men for fun and a gay man who does the same Not really. This could be his inlet, his way into queerness, his version of same-sex attraction.” And if you were to decide you are some kind of gay or some kind of bi or a whole lot of heteroflexible, ALPHA, you wouldn’t be the first Dom top who liked feminine gay men but had zero interest in dick. Some gay bottoms are fine playing with tops who ignore their dicks; some gay men get off on having their dicks ignored. And since some trans men are gay and since some trans gay men are femme and since some trans men are subs and since not all trans men — gay or otherwise — get bottom surgery, ALPHA, that means there are lots of gay men out there without dicks for you to choose from. “But unless he calls himself gay, he’s not gay,” said Cheves. “Being gay or queer isn’t really about the chemical processes of arousal in the brain and body. It’s a willingness to be one of us, to claim oneself as part of our tribe. If he doesn’t feel the need to do that or thinks doing so would be disingenuous — indeed, if he must be straight for this kink to work — then he’s straight. As long as he’s doing no harm — just having hot, consensual Grindr chats with guys before ghosting them — he can be whatever feels true for him.” Alexander Cheves is a columnist for OUT Magazine and runs

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the popular Love, Beastly advice blog. His new book My Love Is a Beast: Confessions comes out next month. Follow him on Twitter BadAlexCheves. Hey, Dan: I call bullshit on RUBBED’s letter and query about reporting her former massage therapist. Business relationships can turn into friendships and friendships can turn into something more. In this case he fucked up, he should have been monitoring his emotions better, but she was a willing and equal participant in their evolving connection. But she says she “went into instant shock” when her “very close friend” of three years told her he had feelings for her? SHOCK? Did she call 911? She seems to want it both ways: She wanted him to be her “very close friend” while at the same time maintaining a professional distance. Her reaction could have simply been, “I don’t feel that way about you, and I can’t see you anymore.” I think your advice was correct, Dan, but something about the tone of letter rubbed me the wrong way. Perhaps it was the total lack of empathy for her “very close friend” (sorry I can’t help myself) who has also suffered in this, even if it was a consequence of his mistake. Getting Outraged Over Dumbass Letter On Rainy Day People are allowed to have a WTF moment when something blindsides them — and RUBBED sounded blindsided — but I agree that she’s overreacting. Also, her former massage therapist is already out of work, G DL RD, as some other readers pointed out. The business RUBBED helped him get off the ground shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic — a pandemic that’s still raging, thanks to all the idiots out there who refuse to get vaccinated. Unless there’s a pattern, I don’t think RUBBED should report her former massage therapist to the licensing board. Also! My new book, Savage Love From A to Z: Advice on Sex and Relationships, Dating and Mating, Exes and Extras comes out this week from Sasquatch books. Get it whereever you get your books! mail@savagelove.net @FakeDanSavage on Twitter www.savage.love

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