St. LouiS AmericAn
‘North St. Louis deserves to be tested’
Black St. Louis left behind in COVID-19 testing, supplies
By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American
CareSTL Health received an alert in
health centers don’t turn anyone away.
“It was a normal process for us to actually set up a COVID-19 preparedness team, and that’s what we did,” said Angela Clabon, CEO of CareSTL Health. “But what we were not expecting was to have a lack of supplies and Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) that made it very difficult for us to respond. And we are still in that space.”
As the St. Louis region began confirming positive cases on March 7, CareSTL immediately volunteered to provide a testing site and facility. However, it only received five testing kits — a total of five tests — on March 20,
n “We were not expecting to have a lack of supplies and Personal Protection Equipment that made it very difficult for us to respond. And we are still in that space.” – Angela Clabon, CareSTL Health
october 6, 1921 –mArch 27, 2020
By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American
“With
n “This danger is a result of the close quarters in which people are held, poor sanitation practices, lack of ready access to supplies for hand-washing and other steps to prevent transmission.”
The communities we serve are disproportionately and adversely impacted by this crisis, and we have a responsibility to do everything in our power to help mitigate that harm.”
In June 2019, a federal judge ordered that
cash bail in the city of St. Louis was unconstitutional. As a result, 119 St. Louis residents who were being held, pre-trial, on account of not being able to afford their cash bail were released.
Now as the region faces a dramatic increase of COVID-19 cases in Missouri (the state’s number of reported cases crested 1,000 this week), the virus is expected to have a “deleterious impact” on jail populations in the Medium Security Institution (known as the Workhouse) and City Justice Center, the coalition said.
On Monday, March 30, the coalition filed motions asking the federal judge to issue a
By Chris King For The
St. Louis American
The Rev. Dr. Joseph Echols Lowery, who was hailed as the “dean of the Civil Rights Movement” upon his receipt of the NAACP’s Lifetime Achievement Award, made his transition peacefully at home on Friday, March 27, at the age of 98, the Lowery Institute confirmed. He was surrounded by his daughters.
Dr. Lowery had assumed and executed a broad and diverse series of roles over the span of his nine decades: community organizer, pastor, servant, father, husband, freedom fighter, non-profit leader and, always, advocate for justice.
Born in Huntsville, Alabama, on October 6, 1921, he became a civil rights advocate in the early 1950s, when he headed the Alabama Civic Affairs Association, which led the movement to desegregate buses and public accommodations. In 1957, with friend and colleague Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., he was a co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). He served as vice pres-
Cemeteries make changes to graveside services in response to COVID-19
By Sandra Jordan Of The
n “We know we have to do this for the health of the common good,” DeWitt said. “It is going to prolong closure.”
– Matthew DeWitt
the comfort, safety and health of families, officiants and burial workers in mind. At St. Peters’ Cemetery in St. Louis, Superintendent Bill Baumgartner said during this pandemic they are following everything recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or ordered by
Allie Sullivan enjoys a nice day outside fishing while practicing social distancing at the lake
Sullivan
Photo by Wiley Price
The Rev. Dr. Joseph Echols Lowery
Angela Clabon
Idris Elba stuck in New Mexico following COVID-19 quarantine
Idris Elba and his wife, Sabrina Dhowre Elba, who tested positive for the virus earlier this month, but have had few symptoms, and now that their quarantine period is over, they have been unable to get a flight from New Mexico to their home in London.
“We’re both doing okay, still asymptomatic,” Idris said in a video message posted on his social media channels. “We’ve passed the quarantine period but we’re a little bit stuck in limbo – we can’t get a flight back home. So, we just have to sit still for a little bit.
sane and not getting too worried or panicked. I thought I was definitely going to see the worst of it as an asthmatic. But thankfully I came through and you can too.”
Idris ended his message with a “big shoutout” to those working on the frontline and offered support to others finding themselves in difficulty during the current climate.
“And to everyone that’s going through some hard times financially right now: Just bare up. This is going to be a tough time for every one but keep your head up, basi cally, alright?
“Other than that, we’re OK, and we’re so thankful for that. I think the worst of it has probably passed.”
The 47-year-old actor stressed he and his wife were “both good mentally” and admitted he’s relieved the respiratory disease didn’t make him feel as ill as he’d expected.
He continued: “Just trying to stay optimistic. I hope you guys are too, keeping yourselves
“Hope you’re good. We’re going to fight this thing and everything’s going to be cool, man.”
DJ Jazzy Jeff reveals that he is recovering from coronavirus
Hip-hop legend
Jazzy Jeff is the latest celebrity to reveal that he contracted coronavirus. In a pair of posts on Instagram, Jeff revealed that he had a particularly tough bout with the virus.
“I’m recovering from pneumonia in both my lungs,” Jeff wrote. I lost my sense of smell and taste – which is the main
sign of the virus. I would NOT be here if not for my guardian angel wife. Please take this serious (sic). It does not care who you are, what you do or what your plans are. Stay safe.”
Da Brat confirms relationship with Jesseca Dupart
Last week New Orleans entrepreneur Jesseca Dupart gifted rapper Da with a brandnew Bentley and officially confirmed their relationship. In an interview on “The Rickey Smiley Morning Show,” Da Brat shared why she has never been open about her sexuality until now.
not a public person when it comes to my personal life.” She said that she was used to the speculations regarding herself, but didn’t want to subject partners to the negativity that surrounded homosexuality during the peak of her fame.
NOW HIRING
Jurnee Smolett
“I’ve always been an advocate of privacy, pretty much to protect the interests of the other party involved, because if you’re not used to this life and the scrutiny that comes with it, it can break you,” Da Brat said. “I’ve been talked about for, way over 20 years or more so I’m kind of conditioned for it. My coat of armor is pretty thick, so I learned what to say and what not to say and the battles that I decide to choose to fight. Most the time I just stay silent and let people speculate.”
Jurnee Smollett files for divorce
“I never confirmed anything, because in the ’90s, it wasn’t cool back in the day,” she continued.
“I’m a little bit nervous because I’m not really used to talking about this thing. I’m
Jurnee Smollett has filed for divorce after nearly ten years of marriage to Josiah Bell. A source told US Weekly Magazine that an attorney for the actress dropped off the paperwork sometime last week.
Jurnee, the sister of Jussie Smollett, married Bell, 37, in October 2010. The “Birds of Prey” star and the musician share 3-year-old son Hunter.
Jurnee and Bell last posted about each other on social media in October 2019.
Sources: US Weekly, Instagram, Twitter, Rickey Smiley Morning Show
DJ Jazzy Jeff
Editorial /CommEntary
Gov. Parson, you must tell Missourians we must stay home
This letter was sent to the governor on March 23.
Dear Governor Parson,
We write to you with utmost urgency to enact a statewide shelter-in-place order to help slow the spread of COVID-19 across Missouri. While we appreciate the recent actions to limit social gatherings and enact other social and physical distancing protocols, the rapid infection rate and rising death toll warrant further limitations and a directive that Missourians stay home.
We believe the heavy reliance on local authorities is exacerbating the burden on the local health care systems. Thus far, five counties, St. Louis City, and Kansas City have enacted even more restrictive measures by issuing stay-athome orders for their residents, with more counties pursuing such actions. Many of Missouri’s medical hubs are located in these areas where local officials have taken aggressive approaches to combat the virus. When neighboring counties do not implement consistent policies, it not only creates undue burden on these health care providers but puts them at heightened risk of exposure. We know that this threat will not subside quickly; therefore, we must issue statewide policy support to preserve our health care workforce over the next several months.
It is in recognition of these extreme circumstances that our organizations implore you and your office to enact the following restrictions statewide:
1. Order residents to shelter in place, except for essential activities, such as obtaining necessary supplies and performing work to provide vital products;
2. Limit in-person activity of non-essential
businesses with exceptions for industries such as groceries, pharmacies, health care providers, and gas stations. All other businesses should be done through drivethrough, curbside pickup, and electronic transactions; and 3. Support frontline workers including health care providers, first responders, fire, police, ambulance, and the public health workforce by implementing priority testing, childcare, and respite care.
This request demonstrates a calculated response by health care and public health stakeholders to protect our residents and providers during this global health emergency. Our organizations recognize the tireless work conducted on behalf of your administration at this time and want to reiterate our commitment to collectively addressing this pandemic.
Sincerely, Robert Hughes, PhD, president & CEO, Missouri Foundation for Health Clay Goddard, president, Missouri Center for Public Health Excellence
Kelsey Thompson, executive director, Missouri Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics
Terry Reese, MSN APRN FNP-BC, president, Heidi N. Lucas State Director, Missouri Nurses
Association
Herb B. Kuhn, president & CEO, Missouri Hospital Association
Joseph E. Pierle, chief executive officer, Missouri Primary Care Association
Kathy Pabst, MBA, CAE, executive director, Missouri Academy of Family Physicians
The St. Louis American Editorial Board, Donald M. Suggs, chairman and publisher
Commentary
COVID-19 and white male privilege and insecurity
By Mike Jones
Of The St. Louis American
How did this happen? How did we come to be in this place? Why are we so unprepared to deal with this?
An old grandfather is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight, and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”
He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, and compassion. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?” The grandfather replied, “The one you feed.” The reason America is so woefully unprepared to fight COVID-19 is white America has historically and regularly chosen to feed the evil wolf. Donald Trump isn’t an accident or an anomaly. He is a direct result of a conscious decision by a majority of white Americans to elect and unconditionally support him as president of the United States. Normally, the cost for maintaining white privilege is paid by black, brown and yellow people – white people get the benefit, we get the bill. This time will be a lot different, because global pandemics don’t recognize ethnic or racial distinctions. They’re totally democratic – ask the Prince of Wales.
In my adult lifetime there have been four Republican presidents besides Trump: Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. I didn’t vote for any of them because their philosophical view of the role of government was diametrically opposed to mine. But game recognizes game, and my policy opposition doesn’t affect my political judgement of their presidencies.
Guest Columnist
Mike Jones
Richard Nixon and George H.W. Bush were two of the best-prepared, most-qualified men ever to be elected president of the United States. Ronald Reagan is a member of the elite class of American transformational presidents. Like Franklin D. Roosevelt, he redefined the American political paradigm; he defined how politics has been practiced in the United States for the last 40 years. George W. Bush was an average, serviceable American president. Whether you politically or philosophically opposed them, you couldn’t question their basic fitness to hold the office. There are two prerequisites for public leadership that will always determine how the person performs: intelligence and character. Of the two, character is the most important. Donald Trump’s active ignorance and complete lack of character made him obviously unfit to be president from day one. His abject failure in this moment
was not only predictable but inevitable.
So how did someone so obviously unfit become president? Two reasons: white male privilege and racial anxiety. Only a rich white man could be this ignorant and incompetent and be promoted to this level.
The transformational demographic and cultural changes the United States has undergone in the last 50 years, along with global economic changes, created a fear of losing white privilege that led a majority of white Americans to support Trump.
What does this have to do with COVID-19?
Christian minister and author John Pavlovitz answered the question this way: “The president didn’t create this virus, but he ignored it, joked about it, weaponized it. He is culpable for the chaos and the unnecessary illness and, yes, the unnecessary deaths because of it – and his supporters are too. This is the human cost of the MAGA cult of delusion”
It’s this deadly combination of white male privilege and white racial insecurity that will make the human cost of this pandemic higher than it had to be. Arguably for first time in American history, white lives will literally be lost and economically destroyed because of white racism.
All chickens eventually come home to roost. Here’s what one of the most privileged white men in American history, Thomas Jefferson, had to say about that in “Notes on the State of Virginia”: “I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever.”
Trump is turning back the clock of racism
By Rose Jackson-Beavers
For The St. Louis American
It is disheartening to witness people stating that they will not vote for Joe Biden or Bernie Sanders.
Some feel Biden is too old. However, I have learned we should keep veterans like Biden for their valuable experience, source of contacts, and abundant knowledge. Yet, we have people who want to throw him out like he is no longer valuable.
Biden is the most knowledgeable about what it takes to be president and what is going to be needed to gain back this nation’s respect and power, especially after Trump, with his mob-like persona, destroys our image and reputation.
As for Sanders, he can be loud, abrasive, and pushy. He also has this grandiose idea to give everything away for free. Worst of all, he does not support the other candidates by insisting his supporters back the nominee, no matter who that person happens to be.
Black people are trapped in trauma. We harp on the wrong things. Many times, we do not support our brothers and sisters who are successful or own businesses. Other races hire from their own communities, but somehow we cannot get past the hurt and mistreatment perpetrated against us. We refuse to help ourselves or our communities, all because we cannot let things go.
Where did this trauma we hold onto come from, and why are we still living in it? Could 400 years of pain still haunt us? Does the legacy and hurt linger and run through our veins, making us relive the hell our ancestors experienced?
Tragedies in our neighborhoods happen daily as our friends, loved ones, and young people are slaughtered in the streets. How can we ever learn how to deal with such anguish?
Does trauma affect our choices when a candidate makes disparaging remarks and comments about our people?
Does that take us back down memory lane to a time when our ancestors were suppressed from working, voting, or eating in restaurants?
Trump is turning back the clock of racism. If we do not stand up and vote, we will give him a second term to wage war against our rights. This world, as we know it, is dying. You can help save it by choosing to vote. Here are some things you can do to help keep Trump from being re-elected.
Vote blue no matter who. We are not perfect human beings. We all have done something we would rather leave the cov-
Letters to the editor
Republican efforts to dismantle government Russian dictator-for-life Vladimir Putin has had an asset in the White House since the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump. Since the inception of Trump’s presidency, foreign operatives and Republican elected officials have been working gleefully to dismantle federal government programs and services, particularly those created or expanded by former President Obama. They achieve their goals by creating all sorts of chaos on social media and by limiting voting by those who do not favor the narcissistic, neo-nationalistic idiocy of the Trump-Republican confederacy.
Republican efforts to dismantle government can easily be traced to the Ronald Reagan era. Well-documented are Reagan’s unapologetic efforts to rend social services from low-wage American workers and to funnel wealth to corporate America and the ultrawealthy. Trump’s personal and business history paints Trump as a curmudgeon who was woefully unprepared to assume the presidency. As president, Trump has shown repeatedly that he is incompetent. The current COVID-19 virus pandemic that is paralyzing America is blatant evidence of that incompetence.
Contemporary Americans desire opportunity and a government that will assure equality for all, a viable environment, universal healthcare, meaningful education and employment, etcetera. These desires are attainable, but Trump and his Republican lackeys have proven themselves unable to govern and have in the process dam-
aged the GOP brand beyond repair. So, come November, Democrats and the gee-I-don’tknow-who-to-vote-for crowd need to get-off the couch and take back our country by voting all Republicans out of office.
Michael K. Broughton Green Park
Public transit access remains essential
While we adjust to the dramatic changes to daily life amidst the spread of COVID19, one thing is unchanged – public transit access remains essential. Local transit agencies, as well as those across the state and nationwide, are working tirelessly to provide as much service as possible during this pandemic, while also focusing on keeping operators and passengers safe. Enhanced safety precautions are paramount as drivers work to get essential personnel like healthcare workers and first responders to their jobs and ensure everyday citizens can gain access to food, medicine and other necessities.
This is being accomplished while facing the harsh realities associated with dropping fare box recovery, increased expenses from new cleaning protocols and significant driver absenteeism. Transit agencies have the backs of local communities – and right now they need support.
The days and weeks ahead will be defined by more change and new challenges. The transit service that is essential now will be even more so when Missourians get back to the business of building safe, sustainable and economically viable communities.
ers over. Recognize this, and do what is right for the country. Stop reading fake news stories. Remember: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t. Look at the web pages. If the link has something you never heard of, it’s probably fake.
Think about your families. If Trump stays in, what is going to happen to your unemployed relative or family member? How will you or your parents pay for your medication? Will you have health insurance coverage or benefits to feed growing babies, or will you have to continue to work two or three jobs?
Determine whether it is riskier not to vote than to vote for the Democratic nominee. Do you want to go to seek higher education? How will you pay for the rising cost of tuition? Will you be able to get a loan?
Think about the impact it will have if you do not vote. Trump abuses his power for selfinterest. Remember what Trump thinks of you, your family, and friends as you stay in bed and give up your right to vote. Remember the next time a Supreme Court nominee is considered, it will be Trumpappointed. If this happens, it could be worse than anything you can imagine for our rights. Do not stay at home. Vote blue no matter who. You do not want to wake up one day and realize you will never be able to vote again.
Please contact Congress by email or through social channels today to express your support for funding transit.
Kimberly Cella, executive director Citizens for Modern Transit, Missouri Public Transit Association, St. Louis Making sure healthcare providers have what they need
The coronavirus pandemic poses the greatest threat to Americans that we have seen in decades. People are scared for their health and the health of their loved ones. Businesses large and small are struggling to stay afloat. Workers are worried about losing their jobs and not being able to make ends meet. Healthcare providers and first responders are putting their lives on the line every day to take care of people in their communities. We have to speed relief to everyone who needs it. Over the past month, Congress came together to quickly pass immediate emergency funding for health-related response efforts. We followed that by passing a second package that addressed paid sick leave for individuals and family caregivers, enhanced unemployment insurance and food assistance, and increased healthcare funding for states. The CARES Act builds on those efforts by providing direct financial assistance to individuals and families, helping small businesses maintain their payrolls, stabilizing major sectors of our economy, and, most importantly, making sure healthcare providers have what they need to fight this pandemic.
U.S. Senator Roy Blunt Washington, D.C
Guest Columnist Rose JacksonBeavers
April 17 deadline for $2K Young Visionary Award
The Youth Council for Positive Development has extended its deadline for the Jamala Rogers Young Visionary Award. The award serves to recognize and support young people who work for or seek to work for racial justice, equality and human rights. Award recipients are youthful visionaries responding to society’s most pressing social, political and economic issues.
Eligible applicants must use the $2,000 award for community activism initiatives like leadership training or neighborhood service projects that promote racial justice and social change. You can also use the award to enroll in a college or vocational institution by the next academic semester. Distance learning and online education are accepted. Written or video submissions are encouraged. Whether you choose to submit a written or video response, you must answer all application questions.
The deadline for the application is April 17. Applicants must be between the ages of 17-26 years old and reside in the St. Louis bi-state area. For more information, visit www.positiveyouthdev. com or call 314-367-5959.
State waives fishing permits during pandemic
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and the Missouri Conservation Commission are temporarily waiving permit requirements for sport fishing and daily trout tags for Missouri residents and nonresidents whose fishing privileges are not otherwise suspended.
The waiver of needing a permit or trout tag to fish will run from Friday, March 27, through April 15. MDC will reassess the situation at that point. All season dates and limits will continue to apply and be enforced.
“Missouri’s rivers and streams offer high quality fishing as a way for people to connect with nature while still complying with all health and safety recommendations,” said MDC Director Sara Parker Pauley. “Fishing is also a great way to get some much needed physical and mental health benefits during this stressful time.”
Get more info on Missouri fishing at huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/fishing
Walking in the rain
Herbert Harry took a casual walk in the rain down the 5000 block of Lindell Boulevard to pick up his prescription at a pharmacy in the Central West End on Tuesday, March 24. Pharmacies are among the essential businesses not impacted by the region-wide Stay at Home orders in effect to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, and walking outside while maintaining social distance is recommended for health and well-being.
Teachers are superheroes needed in a pandemic
By Jana Haywood For The St. Louis American
(Snap.) Nope this is not a dream or a drill.
Just last week we were all ear hustling from our social distance about the invisible opponent that goes by the name COVID-19. Openly, we all wanted to know if we might get an extended spring break? After all, this is the toughest time of the school year for teachers. The only thing most of us in education could compare our wishes to was the longing for a coveted snow day. Never in a million years would any of us have allowed the anticipatory smiles, snow dances and water jug conversations to go forward had we truly understood. Do we understand? The school year might be over.
WHAT?!
Education, along with every other industry, has forever changed. Like a top spun on its head by a young child, we are watching and waiting for this to end. All of it seems to be happening overnight.
We will undoubtedly rise as the triumphant heroes that teachers have always been in our communities. Even in the midst of a pandemic, teachers around the world are out looking over our children as keepers of the gate to adulthood. Every student. Every day.
n Even in the midst of a pandemic, teachers around the world are out looking over our children as keepers of the gate to adulthood.
A familiar motto that is being lived out right before the world’s eye.
A video came out a few years back, “What Teachers Make,” by Taylor Mali. It can now be expanded to include: stay-at-home survival kits (food, educational resources, inspirational notes, hand-sanitizer, etc.), thoughtful voice recordings for every student in their class so none of them feel alone, personal protective gear boxes for our first responders (you obviously have never been in a teacher’s closet) and parents who are reminded they have always been the first teacher.
Teachers have demonstrated their professional commitment to be lifelong learners, pivoting to a completely new way of being overnight. If there was any question about who we are…now you know! I am a teacher. No need to ask nobody.
You can temporarily find us solely online with the same familiar S on our chest. What’s your super power? I’m a teacher. Jana Haywood is a high school principal in St. Louis, Missouri.
Jana Haywood
Photo by Wiley Price
ident (1957-1967), chairman of the board (1967-1977), and as president and chief executive officer (1977-1998) of SCLC.
Calling on his over 40 years as pastor and in his inimitable style, Dr. Lowery delivered the benediction on the occasion of President Barack Obama’s inauguration as the 44th president of the United States in 2009. Later that year, President Obama awarded him the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in recognition of his lifelong commitment to the nonviolent struggle for the causes of justice, human rights, economic equality, voting rights, peace and human dignity.
told The American. “Wherever there was a movement to right this country’s wrongs, he was there.”
The Rev. Darryl Gray, secretary of the Missouri Democratic Party and former Kansas state senator best known in St. Louis for his leadership of Stockley verdict protests, first met Dr. Lowery in Atlanta in 1985 and worked under his leadership at SCLC as national communications director.
“He was very no-nonsense with us, but in a fatherly way,” Gray told The American. “He was task-driven and believed that if SCLC was to maintain its relevance that it would be through grassroots efforts.”
n “He was a dynamic leader who set the standard for measuring other leaders in the movement.”
– William L. Clay
“Michelle and I are grateful, of course, for the personal and spiritual support he offered us from the early days of our campaign when few thought victory was possible, and for the friendship and counsel he provided ever since,” Obama said in a statement. “We’re even more grateful for what he did for this country.”
“He was a dynamic leader who set the standard for measuring other leaders in the movement,” retired Congressman William L. Clay
Inmates
As a pastor, Rev. Gray cherished the opportunity to learn at the master’s feet.
“Dr. Lowery was a prolific, profound, and prophetic preacher,” Gray said.
“He was an amazing storyteller in the pulpit. He could keep you interested in the message through humor, but he made sure that each message was social justice- and social gospel-sound.”
Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, recalled something Dr. Lowery said in 1997 upon his retirement as president of SLCL: “In 1957, we saw a fire burning in the souls of Black America.
Continued from A1 class-wide preliminary injunction against Commissioner of Corrections Dale Glass that restrains him from enforcing “unconstitutional orders of detention.” The coalition also renewed a motion to reinstate a preliminary injunction against the City of St. Louis, Sheriff Vernon Betts, the judges of the 22nd Judicial Circuit, and Glass regarding cash bail. On Tuesday, the State of Illinois reported the death of an incarcerated man from Stateville Correctional Center in Joliet. Another 12 men who were incarcerated at Stateville are now hospitalized, including several requiring ventilators. There are 77 more incarcerated individuals with symptoms who are isolated at the facility. Eleven staff are also being isolated.
Water hoses couldn’t wash it out, billy clubs couldn’t beat it out and jails couldn’t lock it out.”
Rev. Gray recalled Dr. Lowery’s early support of Obama’s candidacy for president in 2008 that Obama remembered with gratitude.
“I am glad that he was able to see the fruits of the civil rights labor in the election of President Barak Obama,” the Rev. Gray said. “I know how much that meant to him, particularly because he broke from
“When the virus enters St. Louis’s jail facilities, it will ‘spread like wildfire’ with the potential to be highly fatal,” the motion filed in St. Louis states.
“This danger is a result of the close quarters in which people are held, poor sanitation practices, lack of ready access to supplies for hand-washing and other steps to prevent transmission, and substandard medical care. The class in this case consists of
the ranks of other national civil rights and political leaders (who supported Hillary Clinton) and took a chance, as he always did on the youngster, the unknown, the one who he saw something inside, the one whose time had come.”
In a statement, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) praised how in 2013, at the age of 91, Dr. Lowery celebrated the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, leading the crowd to chant,
individuals who are now, or soon will be, at risk of becoming infected with COVID-19 solely because they cannot afford their monetary conditions of release. Exposure to this virus should not be based on one’s financial circumstances.”
The coalition filing the motions include Advancement Project National Office ArchCity Defenders, Civil Rights Corps, and Georgetown Law’s Institute
“Fired Up, Ready to Go!”
“For Rev. Lowery, older age was no reason to relent in his efforts,” the CBC stated.
To continue Dr. Lowery’s legacy and promote non-violent advocacy among future generations, The Joseph E. Lowery Institute for Justice & Human Rights was founded in 2002 at Clark Atlanta University. The institute was later renamed to include and honor Dr. Evelyn Lowery, his beloved partner in marriage and the movement for 67 years.
for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection (ICAP)
The relief sought in this motion could also help people who are at elevated risk for contracting the coronavirus; who are detained on misdemeanors or on low-level drug offenses; and who are being detained on warrants, parole, or probation violation holds, the coalition stated.
“As cities across the nation begin to decarcerate people, we hope this motion inspires
“I grieve for his passing, because grief is the price that you pay to love,” Rev. Gray said. “I grieve for his family, not just the immediate family, but all of us who served with him in the movement.”
“Joseph Lowery changed the face of America,” Obama stated. “He carried the baton longer and surer than almost anybody. It falls to the rest of us now to pick it up and never stop moving forward until we finish what he started – that journey to justice.”
St. Louis to follow suit,” said Kayla Reed, co-founder and executive director of Action St. Louis
“Nearly three years ago, we started leading community bail outs so that money didn’t stand in the way of someone’s freedom, someone’s job, or someone’s family. This is the latest challenge to an unjust system that tears families and communities apart.”
Debra Greene (right), a 12-year resident of the Tower Grove neighborhood, walks down the 4100 block of Magnolia bringing home paper products and food for her family Friday, March 27.
Photo by Wiley Price
Testing
Continued from A1
which it ran through quickly. Clabon became “very concerned” that North St. Louis lacked the supplies to test the community.
“Our patients were coming in, some were showing symptoms, and we were sending them to the emergency rooms,” she said, where the bills for getting tested were high. “North St. Louis deserves to be tested.”
To date, CareSTL has only been able to test 15 people, and one came back positive.
Clabon is in regular communication with two other FQHC systems in North city — Betty Jean Kerr People’s Health Center and Affinia — and their testing numbers are similar, she said.
In early March, Clabon reached out to Missouri
Governor Mike Parson and the St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson asking for testing supplies, and their offices gave what they had, she said. But the lack of supplies nationwide was a barrier for everyone.
Clabon saw how hospitals in the region’s central corridor established testing sites —as they should, she said — but she worried about her patients, about 90 percent of whom are African American.
In the next week, three testing sites will be opening at FQHC locations in North St. Louis city — after black elected officials, clergy and community leaders were “very vocal” about the matter. And there is potential for more. But the lag has taken a toll.
“It has cost us a lot of anxiety and fear,” Claybon said. “I fear for my employees and not knowing who may or may not be infected. It’s still there.”
Leaders in North St. Louis County share a similar frustration. On March 27, Mayor Reggie Jones of Dellwood announced that he had arranged to open a testing site on West Florissant Avenue — near Ground Zero of the Ferguson unrest. However, on the day the phone line opened on March 30, they had received more than 400 calls before noon. They decided to postpone the opening of the testing site that same day.
According to FQHC doctors, patients with symptoms of the virus are being told to stay home and quarantine because the only place they can go to get tested is at a hospital — and doctors don’t want to bog down the hospital systems.
Clabon and elected officials worry that North St. Louis will face a similar problem as New York — they won’t know how bad it is until it’s a catastrophe because they couldn’t test people.
‘Testing is not being done equitably’
The first reported COVID19 case in St. Louis County was on March 7, and the City of St. Louis followed with its first case on March 16. As of March 31, the county had reported 436 cases and the city had reported 195.
Early on, Mercy and BJC HealthCare hospital systems had testing capacity in the Central West End and Chesterfield. However, a testing site wasn’t opened in North
Burials
Continued from A1
attending burial services to no more than 10 people, while still trying to show respect for the family.
“This number includes the funeral director and hearse driver,” Baumgartner said. “If they have two from the funeral home, then eight from the family. Family can follow to the gravesite while remaining in their cars. My employees act as pallbearers.”
Only the funeral director and a minister are allowed out of their cars for an interment ceremony. There also are no tents or chairs set up at the gravesite, he said, because there is no way to sanitize all of those items between services.
“It’s all about the families,” Baumgartner said. “We don’t want to be hard-nosed, but we will have to be compliant.”
North St. Louis COVID-19 testing sites
Affinia: 1717 Biddle Street. Call 833-2777.
CareSTL: 5471 Dr. Martin Luther King Drive and 2425 North Whittier St. Call 314633-6363
Note: There will be no cost to the patients. People must call ahead for phone screening and appointments to drive up (or walk up). If people arrive without calling, they will be asked to call from their cars (or go someplace to make the call) for the phone screening first, and depending on the criteria, they will be given an appointment time to come through.
St. Louis County at Christian Hospital Northeast until March 21 – two weeks after the county reported its first case. Now, almost four weeks into the crisis with now more than 600 cases regionally, North St. Louis city is finally getting three testing sites. One will open near downtown at Affinia, an FQHC, on Thursday, April 2 at 1717 Biddle St.
Two more will open on Monday, April 5 at CareSTL locations – 5471 Dr. Martin Luther King Drive and 2425 North Whittier St. All testing is free. Clabon said the city health department will be providing them 2,500 tests on Friday.
These locations will come more than two weeks after St. Louis city had its first case. In essence, Black St. Louis is lagging an average of two weeks behind in testing.
The region has no way of knowing how many tests are being conducted and where, St. Louis County Executive Sam Page said in an interview with The St. Louis American on March 23. City officials confirmed this as well.
The American pressed Page that the lack of information poses a challenge in determining whether or not testing is being conducted equitably. Area medical experts believe it’s not.
“Testing is not being done equitably — it’s unequivocal,” said Dr. Will Ross, a dean and professor at the Washington University School of Medicine who is also part of a team of experts who are advising regional leaders on the COVID-19 pandemic response and racial equity.
“While individuals who are symptomatic can access testing at medical centers and some of the area hospitals, they still may be unduly burdened with travel, the costs of the testing and the unduly delays in receiving testing results,” Dr. Ross said. “That begs the need to have access to testing within the [African-American] community.”
There are 11 main testing locations in the region. BJC HealthCare has two locations: one in the Cortex corridor in the Central West End and one at Christian Hospital Northeast in North County. SSM Health has three locations: at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Lake St.
Although the cemetery’s chapel and office are closed to visitors, during office hours, payments can be made during office hours via a payment from their vehicles in a payment mailbox. At Calvary Cemetery, which is one of 17 cemeteries operated by the Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, Matthew DeWitt, managing director of Administration Services, said they have tents and chairs to set up roadside for the small number of family members who can be present after their loved one’s casket is moved to its final resting place.
“While healthcare professionals are considered essential workers, our staff is reduced and rotating to comply with the Stay at Home order,” DeWitt said. Once the funeral director, chauffeur, minister and two groundworkers finish the committal, they walk away, DeWitt said, which then allows for nine family members to approach the grave.
by
Can’t even pay to play
Louis and in St. Charles and then at St. Louis University Hospital in Midtown. Mercy has three sites: in Chesterfield, Washington and in Hillsboro. St. Luke’s has two locations: at St. Luke’s Hospital in Chesterfield and at St. Luke’s Hospital Des Peres. Finally, the VA St. Louis Health Care System is testing.
Page also said that there are Total Access Care locations, which is an urgent care company, and private labs that are also testing, but didn’t know where. A spokesman for the health department also did not know the private testing locations.
The introduction of private lab testing has posed a challenge in analyzing where and how much testing is actually happening in St. Louis city as well, a spokesman for Mayor Krewson said. Health officials are “not at the point yet” where they can determine the COVID-19 hotspots on a map, he said, but they believe there are cases in every zip code in the city.
The lack of information and transparency is troubling.
On March 24, Dr. Emily Doucette, the county public health department’s chief medical officer, signed an executive order requiring any laboratory company or healthcare provider to report any positive COVID19 test results within four hours.
However, the order didn’t require the reporting of negative test results.
Hence on March 31, Doucette updated the order requiring negative results to be reported within 24 hours and every positive result within six hours. It also requires hospitals to report the admission of every COVID-19 patient as well as any deaths within 24 hours.
A county spokesman said the order would help clear up any “ambiguities” in reporting and ultimately keep the public as informed as possible.
COVID-19 cases are doubling every three days, Ross said, and it’s important to move quickly to ensure that the region’s most vulnerable populations are not going to feel a devastating impact.
“It’s not there yet,” Ross said. “We are putting a racial equity lens on what we’re doing going forward. We are
“I’ve been telling our staff that losing a loved one is one of the most devastating things that can happen even in the best of times,” DeWitt said.
“And now you are suffering an injury of a loss and its subsequent grief, and insult has been added by the reduced number of mourners and the inability to grieve in the way we’ve grown accustomed.”
DeWitt said what benefits public health in this instance may intensify family grief.
“We know we have to do this for the health of the common good,” DeWitt said. “It is going to prolong closure. Whenever this is all over, whenever that may be, families will need to reevaluate where they are in their grief and to think about hosting more public memorial services for the loved ones that they lost during this time.”
Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery enacted new rules for burials at the military site on March 23.
looking at the case rates across the population. We are looking at this more broadly. Then we can identify the hotspots and the areas that are not lighting up at all because we have no data. The area that has no data is North St. Louis predominantly.”
Local leaders frustrated
Dellwood Mayor Reggie Jones has been very concerned about the lack of access to COVID-19 testing in North St. Louis County and North St. Louis city, he said.
“We need those tests,” Jones said.
Two weeks ago, he started “working hard” to try to find a solution. He spoke with Mike Jones of Platform Health Care Solutions, who reached out to a testing laboratory. This week, Jones said the City of Dellwood was supposed to start providing mobile testing for COVID-19. Mayors from surrounding municipalities were “100 percent behind me,” he said, noting that it has provided a solution to lack of testing access for many North County mayors.
However they were overrun with calls the first morning.
“We were prepared for 100 a day,” said Mike Jones of Platform Health Care Solutions. “It just put so much pressure that we had to back away and re-evaluate. The patients are emotional and scared.”
Mike Jones said the calls came from throughout Missouri and Illinois. They are now referring North St. Louis County residents to call Christian Hospital Northeast at 314-653-5000. Mike Jones said that they evaluated the number of calls that Christian Northeast receives and gaged their potential traffic on that.
In Mayor Jones’ statement, he said, “Based on the number of calls it shows that there is an overwhelming need to add several locations in North County to help people become more aware and to help stop the spread of this virus. We will continue to advocate making sure that happens.”
St. Louis Alderwoman Sharon Tyus (D-Ward 1) has been pushing to get two locations set up on North Kingshighway, which she believes would be centrally
“As a matter of public health and safety, committal services and the rendering of military funeral honors, whether by military personnel or volunteer organizations, will be discontinued until further notice at VA national cemeteries,” it stated.
“Immediate family members (limited to 10 individuals) of the deceased may choose to witness the interment if desired. Cemeteries will work to schedule a committal or memorial services at a later date for those families that choose to continue with the direct interment.”
While Jefferson Barracks and other military cemeteries currently remain open to visitors, the Veteran’s Administration states, “We strongly urge all guests to obey local travel restrictions and avoid unnecessary travel. Visitors should expect that certain portions of a cemetery typically open to the public may be closed.”
located for North St. Louis residents. Prior to the announcement of the CareSTL sites, city officials had been focused on opening up the testing site on Biddle Street near downtown. Tyus told them that it was “out of the way.”
“This strategy may not be in the best interest of a great majority of residents in North St. Louis,” Tyus wrote to Public Safety Director Jimmie Edwards on March 25. “I am sure the people making these decisions do not live in North St. Louis. We are always the afterthought if we are included in the process at all. We will not be treated as such in this medical crisis.”
Tyus said Edwards has been responsive to her concerns, and she has support from black elected officials throughout the city for additional testing sites at 3330 North Kingshighway at the parking lots of a church and elementary school.
Transformation
“One virus is getting ready to transform the way to deliver care,” Dr. Kanika Turner, associate medical director at Family Care Health Center.
The FQHC has two locations in South St. Louis. And like its North City counterparts, Turner said it has “very limited” testing capacity. She has been advising her patients to stay home and quarantine if they have symptoms and go to the hospital only if they have “red flags.” As with CareSTL, her patients have challenges with transportation. If they have to go to a hospital, they
will most likely be traveling on a bus or other family members, which could risk infecting other people. However, the pandemic has produced a valuable tool that FQHCs didn’t have before — telemedicine. And it’s expanding service for her patients, something she hopes sticks after things calm down.
“There are some positive things that will come out of this,” Turner said. “Unfortunately, it will take the lives of many people. We are going to see some transformation.”
Dr. Hari K. Nallapaneni, chief medical officer at CareSTL Health, has been working on creating a processing lab for COVID-19 tests at CareSTL. The analyzer machines are high in demand, but he believes he will be able to get them by mid- to late April — which is the same time when they expect the St. Louis region to hit its peak. He hopes to be able to have the capacity to run 100 tests a day. Every day, he calls his suppliers for medical supplies, he said. But, he is fighting with other medical systems across the nation to get them. When asked if he is frustrated, he said, “If you lose the stability of the mind and decision making, then our patients will suffer. The patients have a right to be frustrated. My workers have a right to be frustrated, but I have to provide that balance. No matter what it is, we will do the best we can.”
The Beckett Park playground in the Lewis Place neighborhood at Page and Taylor Avenues goes unused after the City of St. Louis closed all park play areas and basketball courts.
Photo
Wiley Price
Poor bear brunt of coronavirus
Hopefully this column finds you with an endless supply of toilet tissue, paper towels and bottled water, all the stuff necessary for self-quarantine and survival during a global pandemic, i.e., if you can afford it.
It’s a laughable point but underscores, in the mass hysteria of the coronavirus pandemonium, that it helps to be rich during a pandemic.
Because, if you’re wellheeled, you can purchase and hoard pallets of food and sup-
plies. If you have the financial means, you have the luxury of working from home and watching your children, who are home due to school closings. It may be inconvenient, but it’s manageable.
However, my hometown of East St. Louis and communities with similar economic challenges are likely to be devastated by the impending selfdistancing, shutdowns, closures and restrictions that have created a new normal that the poor
are least equipped to handle. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has, wisely, chosen to temporarily limit crowds to gatherings of 50, closed schools, bars, casinos, the DMV and other public offices, as well as limited restaurants to drive-through, curbside and delivery services.
Given the lack of direction and abysmal mismanagement of this crisis by the Trump administration, it was the only thing to do and buys needed time to slow and eventually stop the spread of the virus. But in the interim, East Boogie and other low-income communities will, unfortunately, bear the brunt of these abrupt changes to their reality.
For instance, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics only a third of workers have the ability to work from home. Only 31% of workers with salaries in the bottom 10% have paid sick time, while 92% of high wage earners receive paid sick time.
Approximately 8% of African-American and Hispanic workers earn wages below the poverty level, are most likely to live from paycheck to paycheck and work in low-income jobs such as nurse’s aide, cooks, grocery store clerks, nannies, food service and janitorial jobs, which can’t be done remotely. These are the people, the working poor, who can’t work from home, don’t have the disposable income to stockpile food and supplies, and who can’t afford to be quarantined
for any amount of time. By and large, low-income children rely upon free and reduced breakfast and lunches provided by their schools. And if their schools are closed, this puts an additional financial burden on their parents, exacerbated by an inability to suddenly afford childcare.
If, God forbid, a quarantine scenario arises, poor families have limited access to healthcare, compounded by the likelihood of living in smaller homes, with shared kitchens and bathrooms and a minimized capacity to self-distance themselves. This nightmarish reality is in stark contrast to those who are financially capable of living in more spacious accommodations.
And what about those who are incarcerated in America’s overcrowded prisons, a disproportionate number being poor and black? There is no room for social distancing in prison and many prisoners already tend to be medically fragile. For the poor, it’s an additional layer of trauma atop an already stressful existence. Yet, amazingly, I have heard nothing put positivity among those in East St. Louis; especially the elders who have lived through hard times, from depressions, recessions to personal loss. Studies show that panic and worry suppresses the immune system which, in turn, increases our capacity to become ill. Many of those that I’ve spoken with are from the faith community. To a person, they are preparing for the worse but praying for the best. That’s wisdom that can’t be found on CNN, MSNBC or Fox News. Email: jtingram_1960@ yahoo.com; Twitter@ JamesTIngram.
Columnist
James Ingram
Would you like a deadly virus with that traffic ticket?
On March 19, according to the Ethical Society of Police (ESOP), St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden issued a directive authorizing division commanders to order officers to continue routine, invasive policing during the COVID-19 pandemic at their discretion: “A commander has full discretion to allow self-initiated activity when warranted.”
This was when COVID-19, a deadly disease with no known cure that is spread through physical proximity and casual contact like exchanging a driver’s license and a traffic ticket, was spreading in the city and all over the news media. City public health officials were recommending that people avoid physical contact and remain six feet away from others, which you can’t do when pulling over motorists and writing traffic tickets.
According to ESOP, an association that advocates for racial and gender equity in police work, some of its leaders approached Hayden and advised the chief that allowing self-initiated activity in Traffic Safety in particular placed officers, other employees, and the public at unnecessary risk. And all for what? A traffic ticket.
“His decision to send a temporary directive allowing selfinitiated activity was the wrong decision and put officers and citizens in harm’s way,” ESOP claimed.
Days later, Hayden’s boss’ boss, St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson, ordered people in the city to stay at home and to stop going to all jobs that are not essential. Though the police remain an essential public service for maintaining public safety, under the circumstances, maybe writing traffic tickets was not essential. Yet ESOP claimed that the Traffic Safety commander ordered officers to continue routine traffic enforcement. ESOP claimed that officers in Traffic Safety repeatedly voiced their concerns with this decision, yet were ignored. How many traffic tickets did St. Louis police officers in the Traffic Division write between the mayor’s issuance of the Stay at Home order on March 23 and March 27, when at least two of them tested positive for COVID-19?
Though asked repeatedly to report the number of citations issued by the Traffic Division during the first week of the mayor’s Stay at Home order, Sgt. Keith Barrett, a police spokesman, did not reply. Local civil rights attorney Chelsea Merta filed a Sunshine Law request for the information, partly on behalf of The St. Louis American. Amazingly, the police department replied that there are “no responsive
records” – claiming it does not track the number of tickets its officers write.
ESOP broke the news that the Traffic Division of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department was under quarantine after at least two supervisors in the division and one officer had tested positive for COVID-19 (and some other front-line officers are beginning to exhibit symptoms of the disease) on Saturday, March 28. Asked to comment, the same police spokesman said, “We do not discuss the health status of our employees.” Asked again, without divulging any personal health information, whether the Traffic Division was under quarantine, the police spokesman did not reply.
As the story continued to gain momentum on Saturday, a spokesman for Krewson finally confirmed that two city employees had tested positive for COVID-19 and other city employees were “under self-quarantine” and “being monitored intently,” which in essence confirmed the ESOP’s claims.
The police spokesman said department officers had been issued personal protective equipment, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). ESOP disputed that claim.
“There was a shortage of some personal protective equipment (PPE), some equipment was not approved PPE, or simply unavailable until recently,” ESOP claimed.
A police spokesman was invited to respond to these claims and stuck to his story:
“Our citizens can expect to receive the same level of professional service from the men and women of the SLMPD with regards to life safety as they do every day.” For those who would claim that bungling a pandemic is just another day on the job for St. Louis police leadership, it appears the department itself cosigns on that.
The ESOP’s statement about the incident included guidance for the leadership of the city and police department:
“We urge the City of St. Louis leadership, the chief of police, all command in SLMPD to adhere to the CDC guidelines with social distancing and warn the public and employees in SLMPD when an employee has been exposed to COVID-19 or tests positive.”
Sgt. Heather Taylor, president of ESOP, also made a more personal comment to The American, sounding more like a concerned colleague than a police accountability advocate:
“I can say we would welcome your prayers.”
Post dogs Tishaura for pandemic protections
It’s common under these stressful pandemic conditions to hear people claim that things will never be the same. That remains to be seen. So far, one thing remains the same. The editorial board of the PostDispatch still has a vendetta against St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura O. Jones. The city coppers ordered to write traffic tickets during a plague in a city shut down by the mayor who runs the police department makes the Tod Robbersonera Post editorial board look unusually petty and misguided for this cheap shot.
The treasurer runs the city’s Parking Division, despite the best efforts of the Post, Krewson, City Counselor Julian Bush and Alderman Jeffrey Boyd to wrest it away from her. As the city began to come to grips with the pandemic hitting the region, on March 16 Jones announced her office would suspend ticketing people for parking infractions “to limit the spread of COVID19.” This was three days before Krewson’s top cop would tell his commanders they could order routine, invasive policing such as writing traffic tickets and five days before Krewson would declare a Stay at Home order to address the pandemic.
What did Robberson and the gang at the Post say about the treasurer? Good, proactive governance? Good looking out? Thanks for trying to keep your staff and the public healthy?
No. “Regardless of the motive, where was her legal authority to make this unilateral declaration?” Robberson and the gang said, their dander all up. “Her spokesman, Benjamin Singer, was unable to cite a specific statute but asserted that ‘prosecutors, judges, police, etc. exercise discretion within their authority.’ Jones, he added, ‘has discretion, and these are extraordinary circumstances.’ Judges, police, mayors and, yes, even treasurers are bound by the laws as written. They might have the best of intentions, but the coronavirus outbreak is not a license for officials to do as they please.”
A public official should not go protecting city staff and the public from a pandemic?
At least not if that official is Tishaura O. Jones. The treasurer, as the public must know, is both black and a woman. The Post editorial board, led by Robberson, includes (above him on the masthead) Ray Farris and Gilbert Bailon and below him Kevin McDermott, Aisha Sultan, Frank Reust and Dan Martin. That is zero black people on the Post editorial board and seven people who are not black. That is one woman and six men. That is where lack of diversity will get you – into petty, bigoted public vendettas with strong black women. Do better.
Hawley revives red menace
President Donald Trump calling the novel coronavirus “the Chinese virus” was picked up here in Missourah by Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, who picked a fight with the province in China that first experienced the outbreak, calling it the “Wuhan virus.” This has now spread like a
virus to some amusing red-baiting and chicken-hawkish sabre rattling in the Show Me (more COVID-19 corpses before I get all worked up over this thing) State.
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) is sponsoring a resolution “calling for an international investigation into the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) cover-up of the early spread of COVID-19,” Hawley’s office announced. Hawley, a former law professor sensitive to language, must have approved of that nice, alliterative acronym play, CCP and the COVID.
What’s ironic is this resolution could be rewritten to call for an investigation into the Trump administration’s mishandling of the pandemic.
Quoting Professor Hawley: we must “quantify the harm caused, by the handling of the COVID–19 outbreak by the Government of the People’s Republic of China, to the health and economic well-being of the people of the United States and other nations; and design a mechanism for delivering com-
pensation from the Government of the People’s Republic of China to all affected nations for the harm caused by its decision to hide the emergence and spread of COVID–19 ...” Just swap in “the Trump administration” for “the Government of the People’s Republic of China” and extend the timeline from the early months of the outbreak to the next time Trump opens his mouth, and you’ve got a resolution.
Republican action figure antics
Meanwhile, the former Polk County sheriff and cattle rancher who is Missouri governor is trying every action figure stunt – get me an emergency declaration now! Get me the National Guard! – when what he really needs to do is sit down, stay home, and tell everyone else in the state to stay home until the number of cases drops back to zero instead of rises every day. But Gov. Mike Parson, who is running for election as a Republican, still won’t do that. His Democratic challenger Nicole Galloway challenged him to do so on Tuesday, saying, “A statewide stay-at-home order is necessary because we have a limited window to take steps that will lessen the surge on our healthcare system and that window is closing rapidly. Had Peter Kinder stayed lieutenant governor instead of running for governor (and losing to Eric Greitens, the action figure, whose resignation called Parson up from the farm), then Kinder would be governor. And Missouri would be at war! With China! Or Wuhan!
“We MUST hold China responsible,” Kinder did his best Trump impersonation on the real Donald Trump’s favorite social medium on Tuesday. “They unleashed this #pandemic worldwide, lied about it, refused access 2 researchers.” Kinder is neither #ignorant nor #stupid; he knows that infectious diseases are not “unleashed.” So, who is he playing this act for? Why?
“TakingCareofYou”
Testing for COVID-19 has expanded in St. Louis County and in other areas as the state has slightly broadened the rules for who can get tested, more aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance.
Best call before you test
Why it’s not safe to just show up at a COVID-19 testing center
By Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis American
Call first. That’s the message St. Louis County Executive Sam Page wants to get out to the public anxious to get tested for COVID-19. Testing has expanded in St. Louis County and in other areas as the state has slightly broadened the rules for who can get tested, more aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance that leaves it to medical professionals to decide who needs a test. The state is also working with the University of Missouri to expand testing capabilities, and Washington University is working to increase testing capacity. Page said he meets with the leadership of the major hospitals once or twice a week to make
n “If you don’t need a test, you don’t want to be around people who are waiting to get a test, because you’ll get sick from them.”
– St. Louis County Executive Sam Page
sure he understands what is happening with the hospital systems and the medical community’s response to COVID-19, and they are working well together.
“They have kept their commitment to
me to make sure that the access to testing is equally distributed across the county,” Page said.
The county’s first testing site was set up in West County. A few days later, it had testing sites all over the county, he said.
“We’ve had a testing site at Christian Northeast now for some time, although it’s not widely known in the community,” Page said. “DePaul also has testing centers all over the community, and private testing companies like Quest and LabCorp are also testing,” as well as some urgent care centers.
“These are not walk-in sites. The problem with testing is that there are restrictions, so not everyone who would like a test can
See TEST, A11
Area leaders need to act now
By Kayla Reed and Brittany Ferrell For The St. Louis American
St. Louis and St. Louis County have recorded their first deaths in our region that are a result of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The region confirmed its first case of COVID-19 on March 10, with the first few cases that followed noted to have been contracted from recent international travel. Less than two weeks later, the virus was community spread, meaning the people infected with the virus in our area are not sure how or where they became infected.
The first two deaths were an SSM Health clinical nurse specialist in her 60s who had underlying health conditions and a young woman in her 30s whose relative youth was described as “a cause for concern” by Dr. Fredrick Echols, St. Louis health director. The two women lived in different parts of the region and worked in different fields but they shared a commonality – both were black women. In the United States, black people are 60 percent more likely to have diabetes than whites. Black Americans have a higher prevalence of certain coronary risk factors, including delay in the recognition and treatment of high-risk individuals and limited access to cardiovascular care. Deaths from heart disease are higher in black Americans than in whites, and heart disease develops at a younger age in black Americans.
Unfortunately, there are no exceptions to be made for the St. Louis region. According to the 2013 For the Sake of All report, black people in St. Louis city and county with heart disease and diabetes have a higher rate of death, as well as a significantly higher prevalence of hypertension compared with whites.
Why North St. Louis city needs a COVID-19 testing site – now
Our national, state and local mitigation efforts need a racial equity lens
By Dr. Will Ross
For The St. Louis American
The novel coronavirus disease (COVID19) pandemic, which started in Wuhan, China in December 2019, has marched across the globe and wreaked a path of death and debility that may soon eclipse the great Influenza Pandemic of 1918. COVID19 is now present in every continent except for Antarctica and is indiscriminately striking at every demographic group. As of March 26, there were 495,086 cases globally and a total of 22,295 deaths. Within the U.S., on that date there were 69,197 total cases and 1,046 deaths. The highly contagious and dead-
n As of March 26, there were 207 cases in the City of Milwaukee, and the majority of the cases were on the north side of town, primarily among African Americans.
ly virus, having wreaked havoc in Seattle, California, New York and New Orleans, is now slashing through the heartland.
Within the U.S., there is no sign that the pandemic is abating. What should frighten anyone with common sense and a conscience is the graph of world-wide
See ROSS, A11
World-wide mortality from COVID-19
Kayla Reed
Brittany Ferrell
Dr. Will Ross
Ross
Continued from A10
mortality from COVID-19. The graph shows death by country (on a log scale) as a function of time, with the U.S. deaths in red. What is apparent is that our death rate and the rapid rate of rise precisely mirrors that of Spain and Italy, which have both overtaken China’s death counts. The difference is that our death rate lags about two weeks behind Spain and Italy. By all accounts, given that our deaths are doubling every three days, when the COVID-19 pandemic peaks in the US within 2-3 weeks we will likely have the highest deaths in the world. These data argue for longer and even more comprehensive Stay at Home or Shelter in Place orders than we currently have in place.
So, who exactly is dying from COVID-19? And who is at risk of dying?
Based on the epidemiological studies in China, we know that over 80 percent of deaths in China occurred in adults over 60 years of age. However, according to the Morbidity
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get one because of the restrictions placed by the federal government,” Page said.
“It’s important to call the phone number and get instructions on what to do if you believe you need the test than to drive to the testing center and ask for one. And that’s important because if you don’t need a test, you don’t want to be around people who are waiting to get a test, because you’ll get sick from them.”
He said before you go to a testing center, make certain you actually need to be there.
“And if you are short of breath or feel like you have a medical emergency, certainly you should call 911 or go to an emergency room,” Page said.
“Most patients who have a dry cough and a fever can be managed outside of a hospital setting, and that’s what we would like to do to keep this from spreading to other people, but also to manage people in the best environment for them.”
To call about a COVID19 test in St. Louis County, call: North County – 314653-5000; Mid County –314-747-3000; West County – 314-251-0500; South County – 314-966-9666. Contact the City of St. Louis Department of Health ay 314-657-1499 or health@ stlouis-mo.gov.
The St. Louis American is a black-owned, missiondriven news organization. We use the tools of journalism to inform, educate, inspire, empower and defend the black community in the St. Louis region.
COVID-19
Continued from A10
Factoring in gender, black women fare particularly worse with two of these three conditions. Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the United States, and black women are disproportionately affected. Black women also experience a higher rate of diabetes due to other factors that impact our lives, like hypertension, obesity, and unregulated stress. Furthermore, if we take into account the effects of stress and how it deteriorates the overall health of a person, we must recognize the insurmount-
As
and Mortality report by the Centers for Disease Controls and Prevention (CDC) for the week ending March 27, among patients who need hospitalization due to COVID-19 infections, 20 percent were ages 20-44 years; and among those who died, 20 percent were between the ages of 20-64.
However, the CDC data does not identify cases by race, and that may contribute to a false sense of security that African Americans are somehow less susceptible to the infection. That belief could not be further from the truth.
As African Americans, we suffer from higher rates of conditions like asthma, obesity, diabetes and kidney disease; these problems could predispose us to COVID-19 and make us more vulnerable to its complications. African Americans are also more likely to be uninsured or underinsured. According to Dr. Lisa Cooper, an esteemed epidemiologist with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, “this is because as a group, African Americans in the U.S. have higher rates of poverty, housing and food insecurity, unemployment or
“TakingCareofYou”
underemployment, and chronic medical conditions, and disabilities.”
Although there is a scarcity of data on how COVID-19 affects the African-American community, as well as LatinX and Native American communities, a series of case reports are indicating that no group has been spared by the spread of the virus.
Case in point is Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As of March 26, there were 207 cases in the City of Milwaukee, and the majority of the cases were on the north side of town, primarily among African Americans. In a report by City of Milwaukee Health Commissioner Jeanette Kowalik, the northern half of Milwaukee has seen most of the city’s outbreak of COVID19 cases. The three-recorded deaths in Milwaukee County as of March 26 were all middle-aged African-American men.
n African Americans suffer from higher rates of conditions like asthma, obesity, diabetes and kidney disease, which could predispose us to COVID-19 and make us more vulnerable to its complications.
There is no reason this is an isolated phenomenon. While actor Idris Elba and basketball star Kevin Durant quickly became the public face of COVID-19 among African Americans, the gripping photos of Judy WilsonGriffin, the first person to die of COVID-19 in St. Louis County, and Jazmond Dixon, the first person to die in St. Louis City – both African-American – should have been a wake-up call for all of us. The problem is that many have not fully embraced the risk of COVID-19 because we are not aware of the number of cases of COVID-19 in the African-American and other underresourced communities. This is primarily due to the unconscionable delay in testing for COVID-19, the lack of testing facilities in the AfricanAmerican community, and the need for a targeted communication campaign to increase awareness of COVID-19. Any
further delays in action will have a devastating effect on the health and economic vitality of African Americans. While all this information is sobering, there is hope we can contain this threat. It starts by placing a racial equity lens on our national, state and local efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. We must ensure that all symptomatic individuals can get rapid access to COVID19 testing and results without accruing a cost. Currently the Cortex corridor has the only testing site in St. Louis city, and that is available to those who are referred by providers in the BJC hospital network. Amid the unprecedented collaboration between St. Louis city and county health departments and area hospitals to develop a regional response to COVID-19, there is ongoing discussion on how to urgently stand up a COVID-19 testing facility in North St. Louis. This effort must include community leaders, as well as respected institutions such as the St. Louis Regional Health Commission and the Integrated Health Network, and the Missouri Foundation for Health. Likewise, there
is an active effort by the regional response team to develop and execute a targeted communication campaign to increase awareness of COVID-19, particularly in the African-American community. There is no room for delay; so many lives are as stake. Based on all available data, we need to act within two weeks to flatten the curve –that is, slow the spread of the disease. That means slowing the rate of infection to ensure that healthcare systems and hospital bed capacities are not overwhelmed, so that ultimately lives are saved. There are proven ways to accomplish this: enforce even stricter social distancing guidelines and, above all else, stay at home. And let us remember a Hausa proverb: “However long the night, the dawn will break.” Will Ross, MD, MPH, is professor of Medicine, Division of Nephrology and principal officer for Community Partnerships at Washington University School of Medicine, as well as chairman of the Board of Health for the City of St. Louis.
Stay at home, walk in park
Joe Ross 67, took a walk through Forest Park on Wednesday, March 25. He said he needed to get out of the house after being inside for a while due to the COVID-19 pandemic. St. Louis city and county are under Stay at Home orders to stop community spread of the contagious and deadly novel coronavirus for which there is no developed cure or vaccine. Public health officials directed people to stay home, limit non-essential contact with others, and stay six feet away from people you do come into contact with until the outbreak subsides. Walking outside at a safe distance from other people is recommended for physical and mental health.
able amount of stress community members, especially single mothers, are facing. Due to increased layoffs and termination of employment due to the pandemic, many families are on the brink of economic devastation. Increased levels of stress may consequently exacerbate existing conditions or welcome the onset for new disease. These data make the reality of this pandemic even more dangerous for black Americans. In Italy, where more than 6,000 have died from COVID-19, nearly half (48.6 percent) of those who have died had three or more comorbidities, including hypertension, diabetes, and coronary artery disease. In the United States, that means as the virus continues to spread
throughout this region, black people will likely see an increased mortality rate. The pending catastrophe that black communities face is due to the failure of decision makers to act and intervene in a growing gap in health disparities that has existed for decades. As the virus began to spread across the region, our communities watched as whiter areas of town were prioritized for drive-through testing sites. Meanwhile, the first two deaths
n The pending catastrophe that black communities face is due to the failure of decision makers to act and intervene in a growing gap in health disparities that has existed for decades.
in our region were black women who did not live in Chesterfield, Hillsboro, or Washington, the areas to receive the first testing sites. The region’s failure to place testing sites in black communities will only increase the severity of the pandemic’s impact overall. We demand for our elected officials to recognize the vulnerabilities of black communities and act to ensure that all measures taken to flatten the curve of deaths related
to the novel coronavirus take into specific consideration the increased risk of mortality for our families and loved ones . If our leaders truly believe in racial equity, more testing sites will be placed in black communities and testing will be made accessible to anyone who needs it.
If our leaders truly believe that racial equity is essential to community health and wellness, they will wage a robust public health campaign –including educating the broader public of the availability of telehealth services and making the necessary equipment available for high-risk populations to access it – to educate the most vulnerable on their increased risk of severe illness and potential death as a result of COVID-19. Our response to COVID19 must center a public health framework and be accountable to marginalized communities. Black residents with pre-existing conditions and families on the brink of economic devastation must not be left behind as our region’s leaders implement strategies to curtail the spread of the virus.
Kayla Reed is the co-founder and executive director of Action St. Louis, a grassroots racial justice organization. Brittany Ferrell is a St. Louis registered nurse and second-year Master of Public Health candidate at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.
Photo by Wiley Price
NEWSPAPER IN EDUCATION
Planting the Seeds for Success!
Nutrition Challenge:
We often hear people talk about how hard it is to eat healthy on a budget. Let’s look at some ways to be successful at this challenge!
RightEatingon a Budget
Healthy Kids Kids
found in The St. Louis American to compare prices for similar, healthy food choices at different stores.
> Buy fruits and vegetables that are in season. These will be the lower-cost options.
Balloon Juggle!
> Cook from “scratch” whenever possible. This is the best way to know exactly what ingredients go into a dish. And it is usually cheaper than buying pre-packaged products.
> Use coupons and buy the healthy items in bulk when they’re on sale.
> Comparison shop — use the grocery ads
A fun way to stay active and burn calories indoors is as simple as blowing up a few balloons. Here are a couple of balloon challenges to try.
> Have each person in your group count off to decide the order you will
When you are riding in a car, there are a number of things you can do to keep you (and other people in the car) safe. Here are just a few:
Auto Safety
> Stay seated on the car seat and ALWAYS wear a seatbelt.
> Do not fight, yell or throw things — this could distract the driver.
> Think about packaging. For example, a head of lettuce will make more salads than a smaller, more expensive bag of lettuce.
> What are other ways that you can save and shop smart?
Learning Standards: HPE 1, HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 5
play. Blow up a balloon and take turns hitting the balloon to see how long you can keep it in the air. If it falls to the floor on your turn, you get a point. The first to reach 10 points loses.
> Set up a kind of volleyball “net” between a couple of chairs. Sit across from a friend and take turns hitting the
> Keep your arms inside the vehicle at all times.
> Never toss anything out the window — No Littering!
> Can you think of other Car Safety Tips?
Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 5, NH 7, SC 4
balloon one time to make it go to your friend’s side of the net. See how many times you can both hit it (counting as you go) before it hits the ground.
> Create your own balloon game and share your idea with your classmates.
Learning Standards: HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1
Peanut Butter Banana Mini Rice Cake Sammies
Ingredients: 8 Mini Rice Cakes Peanut Butter Banana Slices
Directions: Spread 4 mini rice cakes with peanut butter; top each with a banana slice and the remaining rice cakes.
Where do you work? I am the owner and clinical therapist of Purposeful Counseling, LLC.
Where did you go to school? I graduated from McCluer High School. I then earned a BA in Political Science from the University of Missouri – Columbia (MIZ-ZOU!), and an MA in Teaching (secondary education) and an MA in Counseling from Lindenwood University.
What does a clinical therapist do? I help adults and children with their problems and run my own business! I comfort people with talking and helping them through tough times. One strategy I use with kids and adults is changing their bad thoughts into good thoughts. So instead of thinking, “Today is the worst day ever,” I have them focus on the good things that happened throughout the day.
Why did you choose this career? I chose this career because I enjoy talking with children and adolescents about the things they are going through. I recently started talking to adults and I find joy in helping them navigate through tough relationships and trauma. People are resilient and I help them to see that.
What is your favorite part of the job you have? My favorite part is when people grow and change for the better! One successful client of mine was dealing with bullying. By the end of therapy, she learned to love herself more and how to be nicer to her family and friends.
Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3
While
We
Spring classes at the Saint Louis Zoo
Whether you want to learn more about turtles, penguins, apes, or big cats, the Zoo has a class for you! Our programs are designed to help individuals of all ages and abilities learn through experience, involvement and discovery. Programs include live animals, guided tours, and exciting activities and experiences for the whole family. Programs available for homeschoolers and scouts too!
For program listings and registration information, visit www.stlzoo.org/education or call (314) 646-4544, option #6.
Melissa Webb, LPC, BC-TMH
The St. Louis American’s award winning NIE program provides newspapers and resources to more than 8,000 teachers and students each week throughout the school year, at no charge.
Questions or comments? Contact Cathy Sewell csewell@stlamerican.com or 314-289-5422
Premier Charter School 8th grade teacher Carly McAdams-Velten
shows students
CLASSROOM SPOTLIGHT SCIENCE STARS
African American Biochemist William C. Davis
SCIENCE CORNER
Metabolism is the process of converting the food we eat into energy through a series of chemical reactions. The thyroid gland produces hormones to determine how fast or slow this process takes place. The pancreas secretes hormones to determine the body’s metabolic activity. Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the rate your body burns calories at rest. People with a low BMR tend to gain weight more easily. The more muscle you have, the higher your BMR rate will be. If you want to burn more calories while you sleep, you need to lose fat and add more lean muscle. Get active!
What can you do to help the process? First, choose your calories wisely. Even though a
SCIENCE INVESTIGATION
In this experiment, you will use chemistry to see the different components of milk. You will turn milk into a solid.
Materials Needed:
• Skim Milk • White Vinegar • Microwave Proof Bowl
• Strainer • Measuring Cup • Measuring Spoons Procedure:
q Add 4 teaspoons of white vinegar to 1 1/2 cups of skim milk.
w Microwave the mixture for a minute.
e After a minute, the milk and vinegar will be separated into two parts, a liquid and a solid. If it has not separated, try microwaving the mixture for another 15-20 seconds.
Keep a food journal for one day. Write down everything you eat and drink. At the end of the day, calculate the number of calories you consumed. What nutrients did you get? What changes do you think you should make?
As a class, keep track of your daily activity /exercise minutes. Set a goal and work to meet it. Brainstorm ideas of ways to add exercise and fun activity to your day.
Survey 20 people regarding their activity level. 1 = inactive and 10 = very physically fit. Graph the results.
DID YOU KNOW?
chocolate bar has the same number of calories as a banana with yogurt, your body processes those calories differently. Choose foods with a lot of nutrients for your calories— fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy, lean protein, and whole grains. Aim for 60 to 90 minutes of activity each day to boost your metabolism. Drink plenty of water to flush wastes from your body. And finally, get plenty of sleep. This allows your body to build and repair cells.
Plastic Milk
Learning Standards: I can identify main idea and supporting details in non fiction text. I can make textto-self connections.
r Stir the milk, and the solid curds will become a “blob.”
William Davis was born August 1926 in Georgia. When he was 15, he moved to New York City to live with his brother. He graduated from Dwight High School in 1945, then attended New York University before going to Talladega College in Florida. Davis left college to serve as 2nd Lt. of Engineers in the Korean War. He did return to Talladega College, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1956. Two years later, he earned a master’s degree in organic chemistry from Tuskegee Institute. In 1965, he earned his PhD in biochemistry from the University of Idaho. Davis has worked as a research director at Physicians Medical Laboratories. He specialized in the chemistry of food while there. He worked to improve such foods as the potato chip, instant potatoes, and soft serve ice cream. He also developed an organic glue that holds particle board together.
t When you strain the liquid off, you can make the blob into one big lump.
y Let it cool off before you play with it. It feels like rubber. The protein in the curds is what makes it act like rubber. You can form the blob into shapes. If you leave it out, it will harden.
Beware: The smell is very foul! What happened? By adding the vinegar, you have created a chemical reaction that separated the milk into two parts, a solid (curds) and a liquid (whey).
Learning Standards: I can follow sequential directions to complete an experiment. I can draw conclusions and analyze results.
Food and Activity Challenges
Bring in three food labels to class. Use them to write math problems for your classmates to solve. Trade labels and answer the questions asked.
Many fast food menus are trying to offer more nutritious choices. Use a fast food menu to showcase unhealthy vs. healthier choices. Create a poster with the amount of calories, fat, and sodium in an unhealthy meal vs. a healthier meal choice at the restaurant.
Learning Standards: I can add, subtract, multiply, and divide to solve a problem.
Processed foods, especially those with added sugar and salt, are addictive.
Davis was a visiting scientist at Washington D.C.’s George Hyman Research Institute and a research associate at the University of Texas Health Science Center. Next, he worked as a chemistry professor at St. Philip’s College in San Antonio, Texas.
Davis is a member of the American Chemical Society, Health Physicist Society, Society of Nuclear Medicine, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is the chair of the National Sciences Department and director of the Renewable Energy at St. Phillips College. The science building at St. Philip’s College is named in his honor, he received the Tuskegee Institute’s George Washington Carver fellowship, the U.S. Armed Forces Purple Heart, and he was inducted into the Texas Hall of Fame in 2000. His research has been published in the Journal of Medical Technology and the European Journal of Pharmacology.
Learning Standards: I can read about an African American who has made strides in the STEM fields. I can make text-to-text connections.
Enjoy these activities that help you get to know your St. Louis American newspaper.
Activities —
Vowel Scavenger
Hunt: Cut out words from the newspaper and count the number of vowels and consonants in each word. Paste the words on a separate piece of paper and write the fraction of vowels for each.
Reduce the fractions, if possible. For example, cat = 1/3 (1 of the 3 letters is a vowel).
Newspaper = 3/9 or 1/3.
Purchasing a House: In the classified section, find a house that you would like to own. If you paid $500 a month towards the house payment, how many years would it take to buy the house?
Learning Standards: I can use the newspaper to locate information. I can identify and reduce fractions. I can add, subtract, multiply, and divide to solve a problem.
Javier Weibley, Dominic Fuchs, Rhema Simmons and Sandy Cucue how to use the newspaper’s NIE page for STEM ideas.
Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis America
MAP CORNER
According to Melanie Warner, author of “Pandora’s Lunchbox,” 70% of our calories now come from processed food.
The FDA has approved over 5,000 additives to be allowed in our food.
Soul food to go to be safe
Diner’s Delight staff Markeith Houston, Reginald Holiway and Greg Houston served up a takeout order for former St. Louis Fire Chief Sherman George at the restaurant located at Compton and Park avenues on the city’s near South Side on Tuesday, March 24. The main dining room has been closed until further notice because of COVID-19 concerns, as public officials in St. Louis city and county ordered the closure of dining rooms to stop community spread of the deadly virus. Diner’s Delight and many other restaurants are adapting by selling orders to-go, often with curbside service. People are advised to keep six feet of distance between others and to wash their hands for at least 20 seconds after being in public spaces and touching surfaces recently touched by others.
‘Workers need clear protections’
SEIU demands Parson
issue Stay at Home order, mandate safeguards in health and home care
By Chris King Of The St. Louis American
As public officials and the community move to stop the community spread of COVID-19, health care workers are at great risk of getting infected – and becoming vectors for community spread of the deadly disease.
SEIU Healthcare Illinois Indiana Missouri & Kansas – which represents 90,000 workers in healthcare and child care in six hospitals, medical clinics and 25 nursing homes – is urging Gov. Mike Parson to do more to protect front-
n “We have a moment – or we will have a catastrophe here.”
– Lenny Jones, state director and vice president at SEIU Healthcare Missouri Kansas
sterile gloves,” Caprice Nevils, a care partner at St. Louis University Hospital and an SEIU Healthcare Missouri Executive Board member, said at a press conference on Thursday, March 26.
“Those of us on the front lines need Gov. Parson to step up at this crucial moment and make sure we are equipped to deal with this deadly virus.”
Nevils, colleagues and the union called on Parson to implement a statewide Stay at Home
SEIU, B2 line healthcare workers. “Some of our members do not have access to goggles, full-face shields, gowns, or non-
McMillan says he is needed ‘in
By Chris King Of The St. Louis American
James Clark was appointed vice president of Public Safety and executive director of the Neighborhood Alliance for the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, Inc. He will head a newly created Division of Public Safety and Community Response.
“During this tumultuous time in our history, we felt that our most challenged communities are going to need increased support with food, shelter and public safety to weather the coronavirus crisis and its aftermath,” Michael P. McMillan, president and C.E.O. of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, Inc., said in a statement.
The Community Response part of the position will get the first look, McMillan told The American. “With the pandemic, our focus has to be on basic needs – food, toiletries, diapers, utility assistance – and James will be out there leading the way,” McMillan said. “Literally knowing and working with James for 32 years, I know the extent of his grass-roots network, his
B2
our most challenged neighborhoods’
Companies offer bonuses, union expands protections during COVID-19 pandemic
By Chris King Of The
St. Louis American
Though Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has not responded to calls to designate food workers and pharmacy techs as emergency first responders, the largest grocery companies in the St. Louis region are offering bonuses for their workers during the COVID19 outbreak.
n “I wish the governor would show the same courage and leadership as my members and these employers.”
– David Cook, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 655
Schnucks bonuses will be determined by job classification and will be issued no later than April Dierbergs will calculate bonuses based on hours worked between March 16 and April 26. Dierbergs will pay a $2/ hour premium on all hours worked under 40 per week, and $3/hour for hours worked in excess of 40 per week during that time, and will issue bonuses in May. Straubs also just announced a $2/hour adjustment.
“Our largest employers, Schnucks, Dierbergs, and Straubs, have been working with us to expand benefits and make changes to the workplace to enhance their safety,” said David Cook, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 655, which represents more than 9,000 workers, primarily in the grocery industry. “The steps to increase compensation are greatly appreciated and absolutely deserved for these hard-working heroes.”
See WORKERS, B2
Schnucks donates $500K to COVID-19 relief
Schnuck Markets, Inc. is donating $500,000 to the St. Louis COVID-19 Regional Response Fund, to support people in the St. Louis region experiencing hardship due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
“When businesses and nonprofits work together, we can make a difference in bridging the gap for many of those who are in the midst of uncertainty due to the rippling impacts of COVID-19,” Schnucks Chairman & CEO Todd Schnuck stated.
The St. Louis COVID-19 Regional Response Fund was created and funded by a coalition of area foundations, businesses, and individual donors assembled by the St. Louis Community Foundation, and modeled after a similar effort launched by the Seattle Foundation. The intent of the fund is to quickly make targeted grants to nonprofits already serving vulnerable populations affected by COVID-19.
An Advisory Council comprised of public health experts, foundation partners, and corporate and community representatives are guiding the grant making process, with $370,000 grants to 16 nonprofits announced.
See SCHNUCKS, B2
Photo by Wiley Price
Photo by Wiley Price
James Clark (center, in a file photo from 2015) will head a new Division of Public Safety and Community Response for the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, Inc.
Continued from B1
order, secure adequate personal protective equipment, mandate immediate access to paid leave for healthcare workers exposed to or infected with COVID-19, provide free testing and treatment, and child care and transportation assistance.
The demands were forwarded to Parson’s office. His response will be reported when and if received.
“This is our time of need,” said Ebony Smith, a certified nursing assistant from Truman Medical Center Lakewood in Kansas City. “We are on the front lines, but never noticed. Doctors and nurses get great priority. We are in harm’s way as well.”
Elinor Simmons, a home
Workers
Continued from B1
During the COVID-19 pandemic, grocery workers
care worker in St. Louis, said they can not do their jobs from their homes – they work in other peoples’ homes – and social distancing at work is not an option for them.
“We have to clean our clients up, cook for them,” Simmons said. “We are everything to them – even companionship.”
Simmons expressed anguish that she has to put herself and her own loved ones in danger to do her job.
“I am very afraid to go out my door and take care of my clients, but there is a need,” Simmons said. “It is very scary. They give me gloves, but not a proper mask. I wash my hands, but it’s not enough. I don’t have what I need to take care of myself – and my brother lives with me.”
She called on Parson to
face unprecedented levels of work, including longer shifts and a deluge of customers –and unprecedented risk. The social distancing guideline of remaining six feet away from others to avoid possible
n “We need the right and proper equipment to take care of clients so we won’t receive this very deadly virus and take it home to our families.”
– Elinor Simmons, a home care worker in St. Louis
mandate better workforce protections for front-line home and health care workers.
“I need to have resources to take care of my clients,” Simmons said. “We need your help to get what we need to protect ourselves. We need the right and proper equipment to take care of clients so we won’t receive this very deadly virus and take it home to our families.”
transmission of the highly infectious novel coronavirus is scarcely possible for most food service workers. Their risk of infection is high.
“You can’t be around that many people in the general public and not contract it,” Cook told St. Louis Public Radio. “It’s going to happen.”
The union has enacted its own protective measures including expanding its benefits package. Members who become infected with COVID19 will now have higher shortterm disability benefits and maintain 90 percent of their current pay, St. Louis Public Radio reported.
“I don’t think any of us thought that our jobs would be as important as they are today,” Cook told St. Louis Public Radio. “Why would you not do everything in your power immediately to protect the people that are supplying the food chain to your state?”
That is why Cook and the workers the union represents find Parson’s lack of recognition and protection cowardly.
“I wish the governor would show the same courage and
Front-line health and home care workers are vectors of infection to more people in the community than their own families. Simmons said that “some workers take this seriously, some do not,” and those who do not will contribute to the community spread of the virus if they are infected at work.
Lenny Jones, state director and vice president at SEIU Healthcare Missouri Kansas,
leadership as my members and these employers,” Cook said.
“Everyone recognizes how hard these people are working and how essential they are to our society right now – except, apparently, our own governor.”
Clark
Continued from B1
relationships with churches and schools. He will provide excellent ways to distribute to those in need working in our most challenged neighborhoods.”
The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis is the largest affiliate of the National Urban League with 250 employees, 15 locations and a budget of over $20 million. It serves 100,000 residents in St. Louis, St. Louis County and St. Clair County, Illinois with 50 different programs in the areas of Economic Opportunity, Community Empowerment, Educational Excellence, Civil Rights and Advocacy. But those 50 programs will take a back seat to the provision of more basic needs and services as the pandemic undermines the economy.
“Once we get out of the pandemic,” McMillan said, “then James can go back to his public safety focus.” For years, Clark has helped to organize and lead a series of proactive public safety programs as vice president of Community Outreach at Better Family Life, Inc. Clark told The American
said the union messages its members on self-protection and social responsibility. At the moment, he said, the union has no knowledge that any member has COVID-19.
“We have members who are ill and have requested testing who are unable to get tested,” Jones said. “There is a lot of fear.”
Jones said the union tells its members to stay home if they are sick, but statewide guarantees for paid time off for sick workers is needed beyond appeals to personal responsibility. He said this is a public health issue that demands a public response – and the governor is the state’s top public official.
“This is a challenge that needs to be posed to the governor, not just our members or their employers,” Jones said. “There are tens of thousands
that his transition from BFL to the Urban League “will take place over time.”
“Really, he will be working with us both for a couple of months until some of his contractual obligations conclude,” McMillan said, “then he will become a full-time Urban League employee only.”
Clark said the Urban League’s new Division of Public Safety and Community Response will organize the community and bring resources to “the neighborhoods that need it the most.”
Residents will first receive health evaluations, more access to food, school supplies, clothing and employment services. Then they will intensify the Urban League’s efforts in at-risk communities to increase neighborhood safety through a Gun Violence De-Escalation Program, the Neighborhood Alliance Model, the Federation of Block Units and Operation Clean Sweep.
“James Clark and Michael McMillan have worked together for over 30 years,” Kathy Osborn, president and CEO of the Regional Business Council and longtime Urban League community partner, said in a statement. “I applaud them for coming together to improve public safety and help to make sure our neighborhoods are safe and the residents get the services they need.”
McMillan and Clark said the Urban League will also
home care workers working at thousands of agencies. That’s a lot of contact, and they can be a vector. That’s why workers need clear protections to keep themselves, their clients and the community safe. That’s why we need leadership and action.”
Jones said the governor does not have any time to waste in issuing a statewide Stay at Home order and mandating better protections for the front-line workers who can’t stay at home.
“The governor needs to show leadership,” Jones said. “He needs to make demands of employers. We are demanding leadership to take this very seriously so we don’t see the catastrophe we are seeing in New York City. We have a moment – or we will have a catastrophe here.”
collaborate with a variety of other nonprofits, churches, community leaders and civic organizations to provide comprehensive care and services to the most vulnerable populations in the region.
Clark said, “We need a surge, an intense, aggressive, boots on the ground effort, to change the course of St. Louis, then America.”
Schnucks
Continued from B1
Schnucks also will donate hundreds of sack lunches prepared by its corporate cafeteria staff to St. Vincent DePaul Parish, which serves the St. Louis area’s homeless population. Schnucks continues to offer employment opportunities to those who may be out of work due to COVID-19 related business closures. To date, the company has hired more than 500 temporary workers. The company also announced a $105,000 donation to support COVID-19 relief and response in other areas outside of the St. Louis region where the grocer serves customers. Those funds will be split among several United Way agencies in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Iowa. For the St. Louis COVID-19 Regional Response Fund, visit https://stlgives.org/covid19/ regional-response-fund/.
Area girls hoops players shine at collegiate level
By Earl Austin Jr
Of the St Louis American
The St. Louis area continues to produce top quality girls basketball talent that has gone on to excel at the NCAA Division I level. Here is a look at several of those St Louis area players at the collegiate level.
Alecia Sutton (Texas): The former Parkway North star was a two-time All Big XII Conference selection for the Longhorns. She was a first team selection as a junior and second team pick as a senior. This season, she averaged 10 points, four rebounds, four assists and nearly two steals. She scored 1,091 points in her career.
Rachel Thompson (Colgate): The former MICDS standout concluded a stellar career at Colgate by earning All-Patriot League First Team honors and All-Defensive Team honors. As a senior, she averaged 16.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.9 steals.
and was ranked among the top teams in the nation all season. The 6’2” Miller averaged 6.8 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 47 percent from the field.
Savannah Kluesner (Miami of Ohio): The former Lutheran-St. Charles standout was an All-Mid American Conference Third Team selection. The 6’2” forward averaged 16.1 points and 8.9 rebounds while blocking 49 shots. She finished her career with 1,349 points.
Earl Austin Jr.
Sonya Morris (DePaul): The sophomore guard from Incarnate Word Academy helped lead the Blue Demons to the championship of the Big East Conference and a 28-5 record. The 5’10” Morris averaged 15.6 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals a game.
Aijha Blackwell (Missouri): The former Whitfield standout was selected to the All Southeastern Conference Freshman Team. She averaged 15 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists. She averaged nearly 18 points in SEC games.
Lauryn Miller (UCLA): The former Kirkwood High standout was a starting forward on the Bruins team that won 26 games
Jadyn Pimentel (Lamar): The former Parkway North standout was the Southland Conference Freshman of the Year in 2018. As a junior, the 5’4” point guard averaged 8.7 points and four rebounds a game.
Saint Louis University finished with a 19-13 record with three area players getting quality minutes. Senior forward Kendra Wilken (Breese Central) averaged 11.2 points and 7.3 rebounds while shooting 47 percent from the field. Sophomore forward Brooke Flowers averaged six rebounds and blocked a team high 68 shots. Sophomore guard Jaidah Stewart (Kirkwood) averaged five points a game.
Jordan Roundtree (Missouri): The former Kirkwood High standout was a contributor to three NCAA Tournament teams. As a senior, she earned All SEC Academic honors while averaging six points a game.
K.K. Rodriguez (Tulsa): The former Webster Groves standout averaged nearly 20 minutes a game during her sophomore season at Tulsa, averaging four points, three rebounds and two steals a game.
Gurley’s
One year ago, the Los Angeles Rams were a threat to return to the Super Bowl after a 13-3 setback to the New England Patriots. In fact, the score was 3-3 late in the game and the Rams had multiple possessions to take the lead. Alas, they lost. Let’s fast forward to today.
Todd Gurley, who signed a $60-million deal two seasons ago, was released by the Rams and quickly signed by the Atlanta Falcons.
have to offer him a truck load of cash too.
Coach Sean McVay, who did not draft Gurley and inherited him when Jeff Fisher was fired, said “Todd Gurley will always be remembered as one of the all-time great Rams.”
“Damn I got fired on my day off,” he tweeted with an accompanying laughing-so-hard-I’m crying emoji.
The Rams also sent linebacker Clay Matthews packing, as the franchise deals with salary cap hell and long-term expensive commitments to All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald, receiver Brandin Cooks and overpaid, unworthy quarterback Jared Goff.
If the Rams want to keep cornerback Jalen Ramsey after this season, the franchise will
GM Les Snead, who was instrumental in Gurley’s selection as a St. Louis Ram, said, “We knew he was going to be a one-of-a-kind talent that would create special moments.” Gurley brought a suspect knee with him to St. Louis when he was drafted out of Georgia, but it didn’t slow him down until three seasons later. His production plummeted last year and that, and his contract, led to his release. My guess is that the Falcons will run him into the ground next year. Then, Atlanta won’t re-sign him after the season because his chronic knee won’t stand up to the heavy use.
A really bad look
The Rams released three
The Evansville Purple Aces have three players from the area, led by guard Lola Bracy (Kirkwood) who averaged 10.9 points and 3.4 rebounds a game. Sophomore point guard Makayla Wallace (Kirkwood) had 53 assists and 49 steals while forward Jada Poland (Fort Zumwalt West)
SportS EyE
With Alvin A. Reid
new logos on Monday.
One is simply “Los Angeles Rams” in block letters in the team’s new colors of blue and yellow. The Rams call the colors, “Rams Royal” and “Sol.” OK, that’s cool. But there also is a multi-colored Rams head that looks like an artist on LSD drew it up.
Yet another has a Rams horn involved in the “L.A.” and it seems out of place and, well, ugly.
“We always looked at
blue and yellow and white; we looked at a wide range of things around that as accent colors,” Rams COO Kevin Demoff told ESPN.
“But at the end of the day, that was one place we knew our fans weren’t going to compromise.”
The logos were leaked to ProFootballTalk and other media outlets last week and, rightfully, were blistered with criticism on social media.
With the color and logo
Big East championship teams.
Todd Gurley, who signed a $60-million deal two seasons ago, was released by the Rams and quickly signed by the Atlanta Falcons.
changes, which were four years in the making, the Rams officially have nothing left from St. Louis – with the exception of Aaron Donald and a few other players. I don’t carry the hate that many area fans still hold for the Rams, but I think we all agree that the new logos are flat-out awful
The Reid Roundup
What if the NBA decided
to take the top 16 teams based on records when the season was suspended, seeded them 1-16 regardless of conference and played an NCAA styled tournament? You lose and you’re out. Now THAT would be fun to watch… It took too long to come to its decision, but the International Olympic Committee is right to postpone the Summer Olympics for one year and try again in 2021… Pierre Desir, a star at Francis Howell Central who later caught NFL scouts’ eyes at Lindenwood University, was cut by the Indianapolis Colts and immediately signed by the New York Jets to fill a starting cornerback role. Alvin A. Reid was honored as the 2017 “Best Sports Columnist – Weeklies” in the Missouri Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest and is a New York Times contributor. He is a panelist on the Nine Network program, Donnybrook, a weekly contributor to “The Charlie Tuna Show” on KFNS and appears monthly on “The Dave Glover Show” on 97.1 Talk.” Reach him on Twitter at @aareid1.
Kirkwood High standout Lauryn Miller was a starting forward on the UCLA Bruins team that won 26 games and was ranked among the top teams in the nation all season.
averaged 8.4 points and 4.6 rebounds. Amaya Stovall (DePaul): The sophomore guard from Parkway North has been a valuable reserve for the Blue Demons back to back
Alvin A. Reid
Ferguson hit with $1.7M settlement for municipal court abuses
Fees for warrants and failing to appear were charged unlawfully
American staff
A St. Louis County Circuit judge has given preliminary approval to a nearly $1.7 million settlement on a class-action lawsuit filed against the City of Ferguson. It affects about 10,000 people who were charged fees for the issuance of warrants or for failing to appear for a municipal court date in Ferguson, said Michael-John Voss, co-founder and special projects director with ArchCity Defenders.
These municipal court abuses were at the heart of the Ferguson uprising, which began after the killing of Michael Brown in August of 2014 and continued for about two years. Roelif Carter, a 62-year-old disabled military veteran, who depends on disability payment and food stamps, filed the case represented by ArchCity Defenders, the Saint Louis University School of Law Legal Clinics, and the Campbell Law Firm.
“The lead plaintiff is Roelif Carter, and we thank Mr. Carter for courageously fighting these fees in litigation for many years and we thank him for standing up for all local residents fighting municipal court problems,” said Voss.
Carter said that the lawsuit represents major problems in Ferguson.
“I feel that the settlement is good because people are going through a lot nowadays,” said Carter. “Throughout my life, I’ve stood up to injustice, from my time in the Air Force to living in Ferguson. I’ll continue to stand
Photo by Lawrence Bryant
collect from 2014 through 2022 if it had not stopped charging the improper fees, attorneys said. The class of people who paid the fees will get 80 percent of what they paid back in a refund if they file a claim.
“The killing of Michael Brown brought into sharp focus abuses in municipal courts throughout St. Louis County and across the state,” said Brendan Roediger, professor and director of the litigation clinic at the SLU LAW Legal Clinics and one of the lawyers for the plaintiffs.
“This is just one of many lawsuits which continue to move through the courts to correct these abuses. These fees are not authorized by the Missouri Legislature or the Missouri Supreme Court, and Ferguson has stopped charging such fees.”
An initial fund of $600,000 is being set aside by Ferguson to begin paying claims, attorneys said, and more will be added as claims above that amount are received, up to the $1.7 million amount.
The case is the fifth and final lawsuit of its kind to be settled. Campbell Law, ArchCity Defenders, and SLU LAW Legal Clinics reached similar settlements against St. Louis, St. John, Florissant, and Jennings, ending the extortionary practices of the respective municipal courts.
This settlement does not affect the second major class action against Ferguson, brought by ArchCity Defenders, the SLU LAW Legal Clinics, and other law offices in the case of Fant v. Ferguson, which is pending in federal court in St. Louis and claims that Ferguson operated a debtors’ prison by jailing people simply because they could not post bond or pay their fines.
up so things are better for my children and grandchildren.”
The city did not admit wrongdoing in the settlement. The American reached out to the city’s attorney for comment and is awaiting a response.
Circuit Judge Joseph Dueker approved a settlement of $1,699,405 to be distributed among Roelif and a 10,000-person class, as a partial return for the exploitative warrant and failure to appear fees they were charged by
Ferguson’s municipal court between 2009 through the present. The parties have valued the total settlement being worth more than $5 million — a value that reflects the additional amount Ferguson would have continued to
Citizens who think they may have paid one of these fees in Ferguson between December 8, 2009 and today should receive a notice in the mail about the lawsuit. A website with information about the case and forms to use to file claims will be set up shortly at www.fergusonfeeclassaction.com.
The St. Louis American is here for you…
The St. Louis American is a mission-driven community news organization.
A recent review on our Facebook clearly expresses the importance of our role: “The stories about us…you give a lot of stories about the community that would never be told by other media.”
Last week we celebrated our 92nd anniversary of uninterrupted service to our community. More than ever, we are reminded of how critical our community journalism is and how essential our readers, advertisers, program sponsors and supporters are to serving our mission.
In order to continue to serve you during these tough times and into the future, we are forced to make some changes for a limited time.
During this unprecedented health emergency caused by COVID-19, here are some of the temporary changes you will see:
* Eliminated calendar of events section (as no public events are allowed).
* Consolidating our sports section (as sports events have been cancelled).
* Re-engineered distribution system, shifting the majority of our delivery to local grocery stores, where our readers continue to visit regularly (including 62 area Schnucks stores, 64 area Walgreens stores and 11 Dierbergs)
* Dramatically expanding our content on stlamerican.com and our other social media platforms, with daily updates throughout the day, 7 days per week
In the meantime, please take care of yourself and your loved ones. We are here and we will get through these difficult times together. Let’s keep each other in our thoughts and prayers.
The St. Louis American Team
The protests staged at the Ferguson Police Department in August 2014 also were staged at the Ferguson Municipal Court, since they are located in the same facility. The 2015 DOJ report on Ferguson and a number of lawsuits uncovered how Ferguson used its police to raise revenues for the city through its court.
Murphy Lee’s Twitter moment
STL rap star flooded with online love around the world amidst social distancing
By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American
It took a global pandemic for the world to be reminded what St. Louis has consistently shouted for nearly two decades – that Murphy Lee is a hip-hop treasure.
Music lovers have coped with stay at home orders due to COVID-19 that put an abrupt stop to the human-to-human element of the entertainment and music scene. They’ve drawn to social media as an outlet. And while minding his own business on Sunday, March 29, Murphy Lee became a benefactor of an
St. Louis rap star Murphy Lee was a trending topic on Twitter for Sunday, March 29. Hip-hop fans from across the globe, and right in St. Louis, chimed in to show
butions to the ‘Tics, and shout outs from fans,
“The year is 2020 and Murphy Lee is trending because the world is finally giving him his flowers,” XXL Magazine tweeted along with a video clip of Lee’s verse on the remix of Jermaine
“Welcome to Atlanta.” His verse giving high praise to the 314 was a standout alongside verses from Snoop Dogg and Diddy.
Rap star Meek Mill co-signed with a retweet
From the live performance vault
BET’s ‘Sunday Best’ winner, national recording artist and STL native Amber Bullock sang the stage down as a featured performer for the October 2019 installment of A Night of Soul Searching at The Ready Room.
Photo by Lawrence Bryant
‘I’m gonna make you forget about your problems for 45 minutes’
By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American
“Home is where the heart is,” Lavell Crawford said. He thought he would be coming to Chaifetz Arena as part of the latest installment of the Festival of Laughs, which was scheduled to take place on March 20.
“People know that every time I come home, I don’t half-step on that stage,” Crawford said. “I ain’t Hollywood by no means. And I can really let my hair down at the crib.” The universe had other plans for his latest return. Thanks to the coronavirus global pandemic, Festival of Laughs March visit with Crawford, Sommore, Michael Blackson and others won’t happen until September 26. With nearly 30 years of a nationally renowned career, Crawford has never been far from his St. Louis roots. He filmed two specials, “Can A Brother Get Some Love” and “Home For The Holidays” here and has made frequent visits – most recently to help fellow St. Louis comic Jessie Taylor celebrate the anniversary of his Laugh Lounge last year. The delay of his latest visit was disap-
St. Louis’ own Lavell Crawford was scheduled to be among the featured funnymen for the Festival of Laughs on March 20. Because of the novel coronavirus, the show is now rescheduled for September 26.
for coronavirus
Mother, brother and cousin of ‘The Voice’ finalist quarantined from rest of family
By American staff
The Holmes family is using transparency as a line of defense in their battle with COVID-19. They are hoping that sharing their story will give perspective to others on just how close to home the global pandemic hits.
“Welp, we tested positive for the coronavirus,” Karen Allen-Holmes, mother of singer Kennedy Holmes, revealed with a Facebook post on Friday, March 27. “Please do not worry about us as we really do feel so much better than others,” AllenHolmes said. “Our symptoms are extremely mild at this point. We will continue to remain quarantined and away from all others.”
n After nearly 700 comments regarding the post, Allen-Holmes, her son, Jordon Bow and nephew, Ronald Smith decided to chime in with a video detailing their experience.
Those others include AllenHolmes’ daughter Kennedy, a high school student at John Burroughs School who is famously known as the youngest-ever finalist on NBC’s “The Voice,” and her husband, Shawn Holmes.
After nearly 700 comments regarding the post, AllenHolmes, her son, Jordon Bow and nephew, Ronald Smith decided to chime in with a video detailing their experience.
“We received an overwhelming response of questions and concerns (we appreciate it),” AllenHolmes wrote as a preview to the video. “We hope that our transparency can help others in these scary times.”
Their family coronavirus story started on March 11.Bow was studying abroad in Germany when the family was notified to make travel arrangements for him to return home immediately due to the pandemic.
“At that time, he was asleep. We couldn’t get in touch with him, but we were trying to get in touch with him all night long,” Allen-Holmes said. They worked to get him on the next flight available back to St. Louis the next morning. While simultaneously planning for their son to come home, they had to make tough decisions that would temporarily affect their family dynamic.
See Kennedy, C2
See Murphy Lee, C3
Karen Allen-Holmes, mother of ‘The Voice’ finalist Kennedy Holmes, and her nephew Ronald Smith after getting tested for COVID-19 on Wednesday, March 25. They both tested positive for the virus.
The once popular spot on the Riverview Circle in Baden is now a part of St. Louis nightlife history. But it can be credited as jumpstarting the careers of some of the biggest names in comedy, locally and nationally. It’s an history he shares with Cedric The Entertainer and Rickey Smiley, successor to the Tom Joyner Morning Show. Smiley would often drive from his native Birmingham, Alabama to St. Louis to perform his slot at Sanford’s – turn right around and make the nearly eight-hour drive back to Birmingham.
“So many people – too many to name – played that club,” Crawford said. “It wasn’t no easy room. If you could make it there, you could make it anywhere.”
It’s a popular sentiment that can also be said of St. Louis comedy audiences in general. He counts it as one of his many blessings that he was baptized by the fire of a crowd that will make you work for their laughter.
“Rudy Ray Moore, the great Dolemite, said something way back when I was a young comic that stuck with me,” Crawford said. “He said, ‘use everything you got to tell your story.” So, he did. One of his most famous bits is the story about his mother telling him to not let anyone in the house – that includes his grandmother, father or the fire department if the home burns down. Nothing would be worth the consequences of being disobedient to his mother.
“When I’m on that stage I’m gonna make you forget about your problems for 45 minutes,” Crawford said. “You ain’t gonna think about whoopin’ your kids, arguing with your boyfriend or husband. He considers his ability to make people laugh a gift from God.
Because Bow was traveling and could possibly come in contact with the virus, they knew they would have to get him tested – and in the meantime, quarantine him. Since Allen-Holmes could work from home, her husband Shawn was still working in his office and Kennedy had obligations during spring break – she would quarantine with Bow.
“We wanted to be proactive,” Allen-Holmes said. “Jordan was going through three different airports; we risk the chance of everybody getting the coronavirus.”
Allen-Holmes knew she was putting herself at risk.
“That’s what parents do,” she said. “That was the decision my husband and I had to make.”
symptoms.”
Allen-Holmes’ symptoms began a few days after her son’s. A sore throat, sinus issues and a headache.
On the 17th, Allen-Holmes’ nephew came back to St. Louis. He was dismissed from school in New York because of COVID-19 and decided to spend some time in Miami before coming home. At the end of his trip, he noticed a slight cough – but it wasn’t something that he hadn’t experienced, so he didn’t take it to be a symptom of coronavirus.
As a precautionary measure, the family made the decision that Smith should quarantine with Allen-Holmes and Bow.
His next day back home, Smith’s condition worsened.
lightbulb went off for me. I was like, ‘Wait a minute. I couldn’t smell that body wash. Maybe that’s what was going on.’” She tried to smell it again and couldn’t. She tried to taste something and couldn’t.
“It kind of freaks you out when those senses aren’t there in that moment,” Allen-Holmes said. “That’s a dead giveaway. It was more so a red flag for me, but we were waiting for Jordan’s results to come.” In the meantime, they learned that a person traveling with Smith had tested positive.
“I immediately – with all of the symptoms that I had – we basically knew we were going to have it,” Allen-Holmes said. By the time their tests came back, all three were essentially symptom free. They know that their coronavirus infection was a best-case scenario situation.
He’s been on film, television and toured the world because of that gift – and the fearlessness to let his talent lead the way.
“I’m just a little black boy from Pagedale who went to Pattonville [schools],” Crawford said. “And when I got on stage to do comedy, it took me all the way to the Middle East.”
In addition to being an actor and comedian, Crawford will add author to his list of accomplishments this summer when he publishes “A Comedy Guide to Standup.”
“It’s giving you a layout,” Crawford said. “You can’t read a book to be a comedian – it’s all about getting your butt on stage. You have to go out there and get in it – and you learn from your mistakes, but it gives you ideas.” Crawford said the book will be an outline and a layout for how to structure a standup performance.
“When God gives you a gift, sometimes you have to step out on faith,” Crawford said. “When I stepped out, faith smiled dead in my face. It ain’t always been easy, but it’s always been wonderful.”
“It ain’t no thick book like
the Bible,” Crawford said. “It helps you out from my perspective. Eddie Murphy would write something different. Steve Harvey would write something different.”
He plans to make a few volumes of the book and do comedy seminars across the country.
Fans will have to wait until September to see him at the Chaifetz, but he most certainly will be worth the wait.
“You deserve to laugh. Why not give yourself something that you deserve?” Crawford said. “It’s one of the best things in the world to laugh until boogers come out of your nose and you are about to pee on yourself.
“One thing I know for sure is that laughter is a gift from God. Come out and get your gift – and have a shrimp ‘St. Paul’ waiting on me when I get there.”
The Festival of Laughs will take place at 8 p.m. on September 26 at The Chaifetz Arena. For more information visit www.thechaifetzarena.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
She wanted to make sure that her son had someone with him, since he is not the type to complain.
“You really wouldn’t know if his symptoms were bad until they were really bad, so I wanted to make sure I was here with him,” Allen-Holmes said. “I did that knowing that there’s a chance of getting it with him if he does test positive.”
Around Friday the 13th , Bow’s symptoms started. There was slight back pain.
“Not so much pain, but sensitivity,” Bow said. “I also had chills frequently. There was some sore throat, headache and fatigue – pretty typical flu-like
“By the early afternoon and evening time I developed all of my symptoms,” Smith said. “A fever, body aches, body chills a real nasty cough. Fatigue – I think I slept for 12 or 13 hours that night. There were also slight sinus issues.”
Allen-Holmes’ sinus issues and headache had worsened, but that was about it for her symptoms. On Thursday, March 19, she found it odd that she went to sniff the scent of a body wash and smelled nothing.
Saturday morning, she was watching “Red Table Talk,” a Facebook TV show hosted by Jada Pinkett-Smith. She was interviewing people who had contracted coronavirus.
“They were mentioning how the symptoms – the common symptom that they had was loss of taste and smell,” AllenHolmes said. “Immediately a
“We wanted to do a video so that you guys could see for yourself that we are doing fine,” Allen-Holmes said. “There are people who are having serious symptoms. We are not those people.” They said that they have an additional 14 days of quarantine ahead of them – but will probably extend beyond that as an added precaution.
“The best thing you can do is stay in the house, so that is the advice we are giving people is to stay at home,” she said. “If you don’t have to go out –don’t go out. It’s important to keep your distance from people, because you never know.”
“It’s a scary time,” AllenHolmes said. “We are trying to be responsible.”
Lavell Crawford
and a personalized note, “Yeah, he was super nice!” Mill tweeted. Twitter users from around the world – and right at home –followed suit.
“Me seeing Murphy Lee trending on Twitter and seeing he doesn’t have coronavirus,” Gus Wasalu tweeted. Beneath the text was a meme of Denzel Washington grabbing his chest and smiling with relief. Next to Wasalu’s name is a Jordanian flag.
“You was definitely one of my favorite rappers growing up,” said Atlanta-based rapper Clay James. “Ate every feature you were on!! Glad you getting your flowers while u can still smell them OG.”
It was a particularly touching moment for those of us who have been riding for Lee since he was the youngest member of the St. Lunatics – and a rap star in his own right.
“Since Murphy Lee is trending, we can’t forget about this St. Louis classic,” Tony
Stephenson tweeted with a link to “St. Louis [n-word] expletive,” Lee’s local club banger that featured Hitman Holla.
“Idk why the Murphy Lee appreciation posts from the last few days are making me tear up,” Jasmine Osby said via Twitter. “I have just watched people from my city work so hard my whole life. I just love it when anybody takes a brief second to honor us. I’m from the Lou & I’m proud.”
A Twitter user named Kels declared that March 29 should be declared “Murphy Lee Day” for 2020 and beyond.
“U. City, USA Forever,” Kels tweeted.
“No cap. Murphy Lee is a STL legend,” NBA star Jayson Tatum said.
Lee spent March 29, March 30 and March 31responding to as much of the love as he could individually.
“Lil bro, u da truth,” Lee said in response to fellow St. Louis rap star Smino – who pays tribute to Lee, Nelly and the rest of the St. Lunatics at his own sold-out shows.
Lee also took the time within the whirlwind to share a little industry scoop – including that Nelly was offered the verse
on the “Welcome to Atlanta” remix and passed it to him. And that he extended a similar favor to a then-unknown Mill.
“Before he got his break, I reached out and asked him to be on the remix of ‘St. Louis [n-word expletive].’ I wanted to do a Philly version. He ripped it. I’m looking for it to this day. Meek cold mane (sic).”
He expressed that the sentiment was a special moment for him.
“Y’all dope,” Lee said in a general message to all those who chimed in to reveal his impact on hip-hop. “At a time when all humans could use a lil love. And y’all threw it my way. Well, right back to ya. Sheesh, y’all don’t know what this human been going thru – but I’m actually in a great space at dis quarantined moment. Appreciate ya.”
Lee’s shine in the twitterverse isn’t the first wave of digital love he has received recently for his contributions to the rap game.
His episode on the second season of “Finding,” a show presented on BET Network’s digital platforms, received nearly 1.5 million views when it aired last August.
MHS Offers Teaching Resources and More
By Ellen Kunkelmann, Associate Editor, Missouri Historical Society
The Missouri Historical Society’s three physical locations—the Missouri History Museum, the Library & Research Center, and the Soldiers Memorial Military Museum—may be closed for now, but MHS is still active! MHS has found new ways to help St. Louisans connect to our region’s past and present—and to one another— at this critical time, all at a safe distance.
Teaching Tools
A wide variety of educational resources have been added to mohistory.org/online-resources, giving teachers and families more options for learning about St. Louis history at home. Students, educators, and parents can browse digital timelines, visit past exhibit websites, and watch oral history interview videos directed by MHS’s Teens Make History group. There’s also our blog, History Happens Here, offering years of engaging stories and images from MHS’s rich collections. All resources are designed to make the past relevant and engaging to the students of today.
#UpliftingSTL
Another important part of MHS’s community involvement is our social media series, #UpliftingSTL.
“We share a new positive story from St. Louis’s past every day. Sometimes the stories are inspirational, sometimes they are heartwarming, and sometimes they are just fun. What connects all of them is that they bring a little positivity to people’s days when they most need it,” says Jody Sowell, director of Strategic Initiatives.
Follow @mohistorymuseum, @mohistlibrary, and @soldiersstlouis for daily posts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Stories of the Pandemic
How are you and your loved ones coping with the pandemic? MHS is collecting personal stories for a new initiative, Stories of the Pandemic: A St. Louis COVID-19 Digital Archive. A digital archive is an informal collection of community contributions (digital stories, photos, videos, audio, or scans of documents) that help tell a story of an unfolding event or a moment in history. It also serves as a way for a community to share a collective experience.
St. Louisans can submit written stories or upload photos or videos that illustrate how they are responding to the pandemic at mohistory. org. The MHS team will curate these stories and share some on social media and on the website. Submissions may also be considered for addition to MHS’s permanent collections.
“Natural and human-made disasters are part of history, and history is made every day,” says Angela Dietz, director of Digital Initiatives for the Missouri Historical Society. “The stories and
images collected as part of this digital archive may be valuable to future researchers, scientists, and historians seeking to understand the full community impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Collecting stories and images helps to deepen our perspective of how the pandemic is affecting individuals, resulting in a more inclusive understanding of this historical event.”
Any and all observations relating to how the St. Louis area is responding to the pandemic are welcome. Suggestions include photos of signs announcing a business closure, stories of economic impact, experiences working from home or not being allowed to work from home, the impact of social distancing or sheltering in place on everyday life and special events, multigenerational stories, photos and stories of community engagement and resilience, and experiences with the healthcare system.
Although MHS is not currently collecting physical items related to COVID-19, St. Louisans are encouraged to consider what 3-D objects related to the pandemic they might keep and donate at a later date. For example, diaries are extremely important for understanding the past, so MHS encourages adults and children to keep physical, written diaries of their experiences during this time.
“How the St. Louis story is told is dependent upon what is collected and preserved right now,” says Dr. Frances Levine, MHS president. “We consider it our mission to actively collect oral histories and physical objects relating to current events in order to preserve history for future generations.”
Looking Ahead
The Missouri History Museum was just a few weeks away from opening a new exhibit, Beyond the Ballot: Women and Suffrage, which looks at how women have shaped St. Louis since its founding to the present day. We look forward to opening Beyond the Ballot later this year. In the meantime, we’ll be sharing stories of women activists on social media, on our blog, and in future columns.
1815 Locust Street, St. Louis, MO 63103
Due date: 4/28/20 at 2:00pm
Pre-bid walkthroughs: 4/13 and 4/20 from 1pm-3:15pm
*Please visit the Building Connected Project page to access the sign up sheet for the walkthrough Description: Pinnacle Contracting is accepting bids for: 3-story, 70-unit historic rehab with sitework. The following trades have been awarded: Plumbing, Fire Protection, HVAC, and Electrical. Project to start 6/15/20 with an overall 10.5 month duration. Solar panels, membrane roofing, historic aluminum windows, and landscaping are by owner. Project is Sales Tax Exempt. HUD/Davis Bacon Prevailing Wage is required. NHBS Green Practices are required. MBE/WBE participation is required per Mayor’s Executive Order.
*You may view the plans/specs and submit bids on Building Connected. For any questions please contact Keana at bids@pinnaclecontracting.com, or 314-783-8000 ext. 0.
PUBLIC MEETING/ OPEN HOUSE
East-West Gateway Council of Governments (EWG) seeks comment on the update to the St. Louis Region’s Coordinated Human Services Transportation Plan (CHSTP). The public is invited to view the CHSTP at a series of virtual open-house meetings that can be accessed at www.ewgateway.org/chstp: Thu., 4/16/20: 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM; Wed., 4/22/20: 4:00 to 5:00 PM. The public comment period begins Mon., 3/30/20 and ends Thu., 4/30/20. The CHSTP will be available on the website at www.ewgateway.org. Comment forms will be available on the website and at the meetings. Comments must be received or postmarked by midnight Thu., 4/30/20. Send comments to CHSTP@ewgateway.org or East-West Gateway Council of Governments, Attn: CHSTP, 1 S. Memorial Drive, Ste. 1600, St. Louis, MO 63102.
EWG is committed to ensuring that all meetings are both ADA and LEP accessible. To request a reasonable accommodation for a meeting, please contact EWG’s Title VI Coordinator at least 48 business hours prior to the meeting at (314) 421-4220 or (618) 274-2750 or titlevi@ewgateway.org.
EWG fully complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and related statutes and regulations in all programs & activities. For more information, or to obtain a Title VI Nondiscrimination Complaint Form, see www.ewgateway.org/titlevi or call (314) 421-4220 or (618) 274-2750.
BUILDING
Health Care for All is hiring a Communications Manager based in St. Louis. Apply at https:// missourihealthcareforall.org/ mhcfa-is-hiring/
be mailed, emailed to jobs@cityofjennings.org or faxed to 314-388-3999. Applications accepted until the position is filled. Please include copies of any certifications.
BID PROPOSALS
L. Keeley Construction Co. is seeking qualified, disadvantaged businesses (DBEs) proposals for the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District Baden Cityshed Mitigation Basins (Calvary, Frederick, Partridge and Tillie) Project under Letting No. 13232-015.1. Work to be completed: construction of four storm water detention basins in the Baden area of the City of St. Louis. The work also includes the construction of five areas of rain garden and/or bioswale, approximately 4,000 lineal feet of 12” to 60” storm and sanitary/combined pipe, the construction of flared end sections, basin outlet structures, overflow structures and related appurtenances. Proposals are due via email by Close of Business on Tuesday, April 14th, 2020 to Nick Timmermann vie email at ntimmermann@lkeeley.com. All negotiations must be completed prior to April 14th.
Bids Wanted Bid documents may be obtained at St. Louis Lambert International Airport, Airport Properties Division, Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., or by calling (314) 890-1802. This SFB may also be obtained by visiting our website at www.flystl.com/business/ contract-opportunites. Robert Salarano Airport Properties Division Manager
The 22nd Judicial Circuit is currently soliciting proposals for Electronic Monitoring Services for pretrial defendants.
The request for proposals is available on the Court’s website http://www.stlcitycircuitcourt.com click on General Information, then Request for Proposals.
must be received no later than 10:00 a.m. on Friday, May 1, 2020.
NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS
Paric Corporation is seeking proposals for the following project: Lottes Health Science Library – 1st Floor Phase One Renovation for the University of Missouri.
This is an approximately 7,000 sf renovation of the existing School of Medicine and Anesthesiology offices.
The scope of work includes but is not limited to demo, carpentry, casework, doors/frames/hardware, drywall, ceramic tile, ACT, carpet, painting, fire protection, plumbing, HVAC and electrical..
This project has a diversity participation goal of 10% MBE and 10% combined WBE, DBE, Veteran Owned Business and 3% SDVE.
Bids for this project are due on April 15th, at 10:30 p.m. For any questions or would like to find out more detailed information on this opportunity, please contact Evan Chiles at 816-878-6003 or emchiles@paric.com.
All bids should be delivered to Paric via e-mail (bids@paric.com) or fax (816-878-6249).
PARIC CORPORATION IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS
Notice is hereby given that The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (District) will receive sealed bids for RE-BID Kayser Ave. - Waller Ave. Storm Sewer under Letting No. 11545015.1, at this office, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103, until 02:00 PM on Wednesday,
METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS SEWER DISTRICT
Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is accepting proposals in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103-2555 until 10:00 a.m. on April 22, 2020 to contract with a company for: REBUILD/ REPAIR THICKENER 1
Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from www.msdprojectclear.org, click on the “DOING BUSINESS WITH US” link, (View Non-Capital Bids (Goods & Services). The bid document will be identified as 10337 RFQ. 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.
MBE/WBE/DBE/ VETERAN/SDVE
Soliciting Bids on:
Lottes 1st Floor Renovation Phase One MU School of Medicine Columbia, MO
Bid Date: April 15, 2020, 10:30 a.m.
Contact: Reinhardt Construction Phone: 573-682-5505; Fax: 573-682-3322
ST. LOUIS LIVING WAGE ORDINANCE
LIVING WAGE ADJUSTMENT BULLETIN
NOTICE OF ST. LOUIS LIVING WAGE RATES EFFECTIVE APRIL 1, 2020
In accordance with Ordinance No. 65597, the St. Louis Living Wage Ordinance (“Ordinance”) and the Regulations associated therewith, the City Compliance Official for the City of St. Louis has determined that the following living wage rates are now in effect for employees of covered contracts:
1) Where health benefits as defined in the Ordinance are provided to the employee, the living wage rate is $13.57 per hour (130% of the federal poverty level income guideline for a family of three); and
2) Where health benefits as defined in the Ordinance are not provided to the employee, the living wage rate is $18.05 per hour (130% of the federal poverty level income guide line for a family of three, plus fringe benefit rates as defined in the Ordinance).
3) Wages required under Chapter 6.20 of the Revised Code of the City of St. Louis: $4.48 per hour.
These rates are based upon federal poverty level income guidelines as defined in the Ordinance and these rates are effective as of APRIL 1, 2020. These rates will be further adjusted periodically when the federal poverty level income guideline is adjusted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or pursuant to Chapter 6.20 of the Revised Code of the City of St. Louis.
The Ordinance applies to employers who are covered by the Ordinance as defined in the Ordinance, where the contract or grant is entered into or renewed after the effective date of the Ordinance, which is November 3, 2002. A copy of the Ordinance may be viewed online at http://www.flystl.com/bdd or obtained from:
City Compliance Official c/o St. Louis Airport Authority St. Louis, Missouri (314) 426-8111
SPECIAL SCHOOL DISTRICT OF ST. LOUIS COUNTY
ACCEPTING SEALED BIDS - #SSD 116-20
Notice to contractors: Special School District is accepting sealed bids for the purchase and installation of a new paging system at North Technical High School. For details, please visit the website at www.ssdmo.org/rfps.html
Public Notice of Single Source Procurement
Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is proposing to procure Firstech for our Walk-in Payment Processing Services for our pay-stations. The District is proposing a single source procurement for this service. Any inquiries should be sent to strenz@stlmsd.com.
Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
140-acre property located at the former Jamestown Mall site in St. Louis County, Missouri 63034. A five percent bid preference may be available to certified MBE firms. A copy of the complete RFP is available at https:// stlpartnership.com/rfp-rfq/. Proposals must be received no later than 3:00 PM on Friday, April 24, 2020. St. Louis Economic Development Partnership Equal Opportunity Employer
PUBLISHER’S NOTICE:
Advertised herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, imitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial\status, or national origin, or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination.“We will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis.” Call Angelita Houston at 314-289-5430 or email ahouston@stlamerican.com to place your rental/real estate ad today!
REAL ESTATE & RENTALS
$400-$450/mo Disinfected Daily NO VISITORS Ms. Shonda 314-761-7991
Swag Snap of the Week
Last night St. Louis DJs saved my socially distant life. I’ve given shine to D-Nice -who is still doing his thing on IG Live – we saw you low-key thirsting for him, Halle Berry. But let me take a moment to share some with the locals who have made my Facebook feed, a for-real bop. DJ AJ, can I ask you how you managed to make the visuals of wherever you are spinning from an exact replica of the lighting, scenery and overall vibe of AJ’s inside the late, great Adam’s Mark? I need answers. Once I got over the awe of the uncanny resemblance that was so real that it had me ready to talk with somebody about how hard it was for me to find a parking space, I got into the music. Listen, he served up the blue-eyed funk and soul for the ages! “Another One Bites The Dust,” “I Keep Forgetting” “I Can’t Go For That,” “Sweet Dreams” and the late great Lady T’s “Square Biz” were mixed in with ease and reminded me how integrated those grooves were in the 70s and 80s. I got my life! A special shout out to Dre Whitt for inviting me to his watch party. And since I’m talking about ambiences, shout out to DJ Cuddy for having a quiet storm session that featured him and his wife taking a slow dance break. And that doggone Charlie Chan soprano went hard in the paint in his special spin session Saturday night. Oh, and James Biko was jamming on the one (remember that old tattered piece of slang) yet again as he raised money for small black businesses over the past two Wednesday evenings. If you feel like I’ve left somebody off the list of locals, we have a whole ‘nother month (at least) of breaking it down from our love seats, so I’m certain I will get to them before our Rona stay at home stint is over. I must say that this moment has made me realize how we’ve underappreciated the DJ’s role in our kicking it and listening experience for quite a while. I’m hoping that it will translate from social media spaces into live social settings once we are able to get back in these streets.
Much love for Murphy Lee. After instinctively becoming a nervous wreck, I was over the moon to see my boy Murphy Lee getting love from all across the world on Twitter for his ability to slay a track and steal a whole song when he’s featured on a track. What? Y’all know when a celebrity’s name pops up in the trending news during this pandemic that it has been all bad. I’m so happy Murph was the exception to the rule. He deserves it. I must say that his verse on Big Tuck’s “Not A Stain On Me” to glory with me. I don’t care where I am, when they play it, I lose my mind and start rapping along like I’m giving a mini performance…” Lunatic, certified rap star. St. Louis the crib and Dallas is my back yard. We get money, it ain’t a thang home. Hybrid Navigator with exclusive J’s on it…” see what I mean. But anyway, shout out to Murph and all the St. Louis hip-hop stars that get plenty of love at home, but have gone unsung on the national and international rap scene.
More social media shows coming. Last Friday I stopped by Stokley from Mint Condition’s little quarantine concert. I must say that while I got life from how he coordinated his COVID-19 mask with his poncho, he didn’t give me what I was expecting as far as energy. I’m going to charge it to the game as the limited space of that tiny studio didn’t let him spread out and do the most. He sounded good though. Tomorrow night (Thursday, April 2) Teddy Riley will be following suit with his own show that will have Blackstreet and some other special guests. I’m wondering if he will have enough room in his den for his usual segue scooter grand entrance.
All the way live with Mario The Great and Jami Dolby. On Tuesday night I hopped up in the Instagram Live shenanigans of Mario “The Great” and Jami Dolby as they sipped drinks and answered questions that came into the session. I promise you it was like Mario was a ten times more fabulous Andy Cohen, and Jami was the standout star of “The Real Housewives of North St. Louis.” I got my whole entire life as they got tipsy and spilled tea about everything from one-night stands to the amount of money they’ve spent on significant others.
“I spent $500 on a hair dryer, but it was his money,” Mario said. I hollered. I really felt like I was in their studio audience. And while they talked about everything under the sun and it was all in good fun – but they did hit a serious note when they gave extremely helpful tips on personal and professional networking. “Be sure you have something to offer when you connect with people,” Jami said. “And are willing to offer the same support that you are looking to receive. It has to be an authentic mutual exchange.”
What to watch. I know the folks that have been complaining that there is simply too much TV to stay caught up on are good and quiet now that they have all the time in the world. I know my Roku box is as hot as a space heater thanks to me hitting up all these shows. Between all the NPR tiny desk shows I’ve managed to rediscover on YouTube (get into Burna Boy Anderson. Paak & The Free Nationals, Christian Scott and The Roots featuring Bilal to start with), I have been on that Netflix honey. I know I’m a couple of weeks behind with my recommendations, but I have two words if you are looking for something to make you forget you are involuntarily glued to the TV: “Tiger King!” It’s so nuts that I don’t even know where to start with on how to describe it, except to say that these people risking their lives handling these dangerous exotic animals are the most normal part of the show.
Stokely of Mint Condition fame was the latest music star to serve up a live
DJ Kut killing it on the
Angel Shields Patterson shows off her fresh hair and makeup through social media since social distancing won’t allow her to do so in real life
Film star Samuel L. Jackson told audiences to stay home as only he can during a special story time during ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’
With social distancing in full effect, poet and rapper Corey Black has performed live from his Quarantine Lounge
Vanessa Townsend’s face was camera ready after she walked her Facebook friends through a makeup tutorial Tuesday evening
Mimi modeling her fashionable protective face mask on Facebook
James Biko raising bucks for small black business owners last Wednesday in his living room via Facebook Live
Mario “The Great” Clay and Jami Ballentine Dolby gave those who tuned into their special IG Live Monday night
DJ AJ on the tables for his Friday evening Facebook Live party that took listeners back to the days of AJ’s Lounge inside the Adam’s Mark Hotel
St. Louis’ own DJ Charlie Chan Soprano with D-Nice, two nationally renowned legends on the tables, have been in the mix on Facebook and IG Live respectively and helping groove us through this period of social distancing.
Photos by V. Lang
Banking in uncertain times
As many of you know, I joined Midwest BankCentre as CEO a little over a year ago after nearly 20 years of leading institutions that provide services to sustain and maintain life and change life trajectories. I joined the bank because I believed that everyone should have access to financial capital – to fund educations, start businesses or buy homes. I joined a private institution that is more than 100 years old, FDIC insured and not subject to the broad market swings we are seeing today that impact publically traded banks. With the recent crisis, and its longranging and yet unknown impacts, I’m now not talking about having access to capital to start a small business, but rather having access to capital to save your small business. Your deposits are safe and FDIC insured with Midwest BankCentre. I’m not talking about having access to capital to buy a home, but to save your home. We are working with our customers to ensure that what they have fought for they are in a position to keep. And, with countless workers laid off or furloughed, having access to cash to go to the grocery store and feed your family, without hav-
ing to go to a predatory pay day loan establishment that will charge you almost 400%. In the midst of a crisis, some will increase their attempts to take advantage of the most vulnerable. Let us be wise about these institutions.
A few months ago, I published a white paper, David vs. Goliath: The Fight to Keep ‘Community’ in Banking. In it, I argued that there is a reason why community banks are important. There is a reason why, especially in uncertain times like these, relationships matter. Our customers are our neighbors. Our customers are our friends. Our customers are our business partners. We know your name and we speak your language, literally. We understand what you are up against, and we will
find ways to help now and in the future.
We understand the uncertainty you are living through. We feel your worry and concerns. When we see near-empty coffee shops, we know that everyone from the owner to the bus boy is hurting. When we see schools close, we know parents are struggling to provide safe, affordable care so they can work—and for some families, food so their kids can eat.
These are the very times that community banks matter most.
Midwest BankCentre recently augmented our Life Happens product suite, which includes emergency unsecured, low-interest loans for small businesses, as well as emergency personal loans. We also offer Pay Day Alternative
Loans to help you get quick access to cash at rates well below what payday lenders charge. And, for individuals who might have compromised credit scores, our CD Credit Booster Loan and Life Happens Checking accounts are specifically designed to help you build your credit back up when we come through the other side.
The St. Louis region has been our home for over 100 years, and Midwest BankCentre would like to help our neighbors during this time. Remember, our bank is private and FDIC insured, and it is not subject to the broad market swings we are seeing today that affect publicly traded banks. In times like these, we can act together as a community so that nobody is left out. When you bank your values, you are saying, “I can help.” You are saying, “I will be there for my neighbors,” You are saying, “I will invest in my community by banking where my heart is.”
Please give me a call at 314-446-3175 or email me at HeyOrvSTL@midwestbankcentre.com if I or one of my colleagues can be of any help. I pray you and your families all stay well. Socially dis
Orvin KimbroughChief Executive Officer Midwest Bankcentre
Socially distancing yourself from viral robocall scams
By Karen Hobbs Of the FTC
Scammers – and scammy companies –are using illegal robocalls to profit from Coronavirus-related fears. Listen to some of the latest scammy robocall pitches, so you can be on the lookout and know how to respond. (Here’s a hint: hang up!)
Illegal robocalls are universally hated, so why do scammers still use them? Because they need only a few people to take the bait for them to make money. They might do that by getting your bank account number, tricking you into handing over gift card PIN codes, or stealing valuable personal information like your Social Security number.
Times of crisis bring out the best in people, and the worst in scammers – as you can hear in these sample calls from Coronavirus scammers pretending to be from the Social Security Administration, offering fake Coronavirus tests to Medicare recipients, and scaring small businesses into buying bogus online listing services.
Social Security Administration scam
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/sites/ www.consumer.ftc.gov/files/socialsecurity.mp3
Fake tests for Medicare recipients
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/sites/ www.consumer.ftc.gov/files/faketestsformedicarerecipients.mp3
Small business listing scam
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/sites/ www.consumer.ftc.gov/files/smallbusinesslisting.mp3
To hear more examples of illegal robocalls exploiting concerns about the Coronavirus, and to stay up to date on the latest FTC information, visit ftc.gov/ coronavirus.
The FTC is taking the fight against illegal Coronavirus robocalls to companies that help scammy telemarketers. That includes companies that transmit or carry these kinds of calls for telemarketers, or that give the phone numbers that scammers use for people to call them back. On March 30, Today, the FTC sent letters to nine VoIP providers and companies that
license phone numbers, warning them about the penalties for helping telemarketers that use these kinds of illegal robocalls.
Now that you know what Coronavirus robocall scams sound like, make sure others do too – share, link, or like this post, and encourage them to subscribe to the FTC’s consumer alerts. And, if you get scam calls like these, don’t believe them. Instead:
Hang up. Don’t press any numbers. The recording might say that pressing a number will let you speak to a live operator or remove you from their call list, but it might lead to more robocalls, instead. Consider using a call blocking app or device. You also can ask your phone provider if it has call-blocking tools. To learn more, go to ftc.gov/calls. Report the call. Report robocalls at ftc. gov/complaint. The more we hear from you, the more we can help fight scams.
Karen HobbsIs Assistant Director, Division of Consumer and Business Education, FTC.
WELCOME HOME ST. LOUIS
In partnership with six local housing counseling agencies, Enterprise Bank & Trust has built the foundation for a future of increasing home ownership across St. Louis.
Enterprise Bank & Trust may be able to assist with:
• Down Payment
• Closing Costs
• Mortgage Insurance
To Discover More, Contact:
Jill Callow, Mortgage Loan Officer
Phone: 314-995-5665
Email: jcallow@enterprisebank.com NMLS #: 553176
To See If An Address Qualifies:
• Go to www.ffiec.gov
• Middle bottom of page choose “Geocoding/Mapping
• System”
• Enter property address in the “Address” field and click “Search”
• Choose “Census Demographic Data”
• Choose “Population”
• Look at the Tract Population number and if the Black Population number is more than 50% of the Tract Population number then it qualifies
Offer valid only on first lien, owner-occupied purchases. Subsidy subject to completion of approved homebuyer counseling course. Certain income and location requirements apply. Enterprise Bank & Trust is an Equal Housing Lender and Member FDIC, NMLS # 593661.
5 Financial Tips for the Coronavirus Pandemic
Pier Yvette Alsup Chief Community Engagement Officer – Together Credit Union
Never in a million years would you have made a specific financial plan for a new virus to disrupt the global and local economy or your paycheck. Unfortunately, most of us are feeling the uncertainties and the effects of coronavirus pandemic along with the consequences impacting countries around the globe and our neighbor businesses around the corner. Life has thrown us a curve ball, so today I want to share some financial tips to reduce your money worries and better prepare you for the uncertainties and disruptions that lie ahead.
Emergency savings: we have discussed them and the plans for how to achieve these savings many times. And, whether you’ve successfully heeded the tips and built an emergency savings, or you have just started or yet to start, today we are facing uncertainties (and stress) we never imagined. In the past, we have talked about emergency savings in terms of car repairs
and medical bills, not in terms of quarantines and business, schools and childcare centers closing in order to protect the community. However, the fact is, this is the environment we are faced with today. So what can you do to take control? Here are five tips you can follow now:
#1 – Assess Your Income
It is time to take a fresh look at your monthly income. Really, take a good look at it. Are you taking out “extra” taxes just so you can receive a refund next year? Is there room to shift some of your long-term savings into short-term savings for the time being? Maybe lowering the amount of pre-tax dollars you are putting into retirement savings, at least down to what your company matches, or reducing the dollars you are devoting to a college savings account. If you are feeling the pinch, you can switch these temporarily to benefit your current situation and then switch them back to your usual contributions once the environment stabilizes.
YourFlorissantLendingTeam
#2 – Manage Expenses (yes, this most likely means cutting expenses). Now is the time to take a very hard look at your expenses and determine what you can live without to free up money in your monthly budget. Temporarily canceling or downgrading subscriptions or eliminating non-essential purchases until you reach a comfortable expense level. You can get started with this by categorizing your expenses into essential bills you need to pay, such housing, food, utilities, medicine and debt. Then list your non-essentials expenses such as entertainment, gifts, subscriptions, etc. These non-essential expenses are the first to be eliminated, but you can also audit your essential spending such as groceries, energy costs and transportation to find places to shave dollars and save even more. Granted, your spending will most likely look a bit different now. You might be buying a few extra items at the grocery store but you likely will not be going to the movies. And, if you are working from home, your transportation expenses such as gasoline are likely to be less.
#3 – If You Have Loans, Talk to Your Creditors
If you are worried about paying your bills during this time, talk to your creditors to determine what, if any options, they have to help you. Many financial institutions –including Together Credit Union – have designed assistance options to meet the needs of their customers and members. Options available may include extending due dates, offering “skip payments”, waiving various fees, refinancing and restructuring debt. Take a few moments to prepare before you contact your financial institution so you can clearly communicate your needs:
• Ideally, call BEFORE your payment is due if you will struggle to make the payment.
• Be ready to share why you are unable to pay, and how long you expect this to be the case.
• Determine what you can reasonably pay during this time of difficulty; offering to pay some portion of your payment will go a long way with many financial institutions.
Also, don’t hesitate to reach out to your landlord or utility providers. Many companies are making provisions for this pandemic.
#4 – Utilize your Employer and Your Benefits plus Other Supporting Services
In most cases, your employer has been
communicating options available to you, such as working from home and staggered schedules, as well as the income compensation they may or may not be able to provide at this time. If solutions are still being designed, propose a work-fromhome solution or ask about using vacation time, paid time off, or paid sick leave, to sustain your income if you are experiencing an interruption in your ability to work. If you do not have any time left or your company does not offer those benefits:
• Find out if short-term disability insurance will cover your situation.
• Ask about emergency leave policies.
• Ask about Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) or other benefits to find out if your employer can connect you with resources for mental and physical health, financial wellness and other surrounding supportive services
#5 – Avoid High Costs & Seek the Assistance of a Financial Counselor
If things do get rough, avoid high-cost alternatives to get cash such as running up high-interest credit card debt, using payday loans with even higher interest rates, and or withdrawing retirement funds (you’ll lose out again when it’s time to retire!) These types of actions can often leave you in a worse position than you were in during the crisis thanks to fees, penalties, taxes, interest and more. If you are experiencing a temporary disruption to your paycheck, or a longer-term income loss from layoff or job loss, a financial counselor can help you figure out your plan. You will benefit with an objective (and knowledgeable) set of eyes walking you through your entire financial picture and help you identify options that can relieve stress and make it easier to bounce back.
BONUS: Support Others.
In these times where you may not feel you have control – the stock market, the spread of the virus, your ability to come and go as you please – if you are able, help friends, family and your broader community, support them. Tip generously. Donate money (or food) to food banks. Touch base with someone you know without a large circle of family and friends. FaceTime with the people you will not see as regularly. Supporting others not only makes them feel good, it will make you feel good too!
For more information on the services available at Together Credit Union, including GreenPath, the financial wellness program available to members with free financial counseling, visit www. togthercu.org.
Now is the Time to Stay Calm, Wash Your Hands, and Follow These Financial Tips.
Pier Yvette Alsup
Top ways to lighten up your home workspace
Many people have found themselves working from home. Whether setting up shop at the kitchen table or creating a complete home office, here are simple hacks to make your new work environment comfortable and productive.
“No matter which room becomes your workspace, proper lighting plays a key role in avoiding fatigue, eye strain and other discomforts,” said Jennifer Kis, director of marketing communications, Progress Lighting.
Begin by defining your workspace. Setting up on the kitchen or dining table can work -- temporarily. The upside is that it’s quick and easy. But these rooms are typically high-traffic areas, leading to distractions. Plus, you might have to pack up work at mealtimes. Instead, re-purpose a small table and chair and place it in an out-of-the-way spot, such as a stairwell or bedroom corner.
Next, think about lighting. Layering light is a basic technique that should be used in every room, but especially home offices.
“Balance the lighting for different times of day. Natural light for day, layered light for afternoon and task lighting at night,” recommends Piper Stromatt, lead
designer and partner for Curate Custom Homes. “There are three layers of light to consider: ambient or general light, task lighting and decorative or accent lighting.” Select a location with a good source of ambient light. Natural light is ideal: it diffuses throughout the space, bouncing
off walls and ceilings to cut down on glare that can reflect on the computer monitor and the shiny desk surface.
“When selecting ambient light sources, the goal is to illuminate the entire space without creating undue glare and contrast, which can lead to headaches and eye strain,” says Kis. “If possible, avoid using overhead ceiling fixtures as the primary source of lighting. If that’s the only option, use a dimmer switch to vary light levels as needed.”
Positioning your workspace correctly also helps. For rooms with natural light, place your desk perpendicular to the window, ideally facing north or south so that sunlight doesn’t cast shadows at certain times of the day. If an overhead fixture is the only light source, situate your workstation so that the light shines from behind it.
“Make sure your home office suits your performance under particular lighting conditions,” says Stromatt, who recommends the following tips:
• Don’t set your monitor in front of the window; the bright background light shining behind the screen causes eye strain.
• Place your chair at least arm’s length from the screen so that it can be seen without reading glasses or squinting.
• Add LED tape lighting behind your monitor or under a desk for diffused light.
• Use solar shades to soften lighting and lessen heat.
After setting up a glare-free workstation, add task lighting. Use dedicated light sources such as desk lamps for tasks like paperwork and filing. Place direct task lights on the opposite side of the hand you write with to avoid casting shadows onto your work.
Finally, add accent lighting for visual appeal. Frame your workspace with desk lamps or install a permanent fixture on a dimmer switch, such as a pendant hung directly over the desk. Wall sconces can throw light on decorative objects in the room.
For more home tips and lighting inspiration, visit Progress Lighting at www.progressltg.com/shop.
Lighting can make or break a home office. Be sure to set yourself up for maximum productivity and comfort.
6 ways to build an emergency fund
Tamara Lackland, Branch Manager, Commerce Bank
Unexpected car repairs, a damaged laptop or a large medical bill can leave you scrambling for a way to pay for unplanned expenses. Without money set aside, you may have to rely on loans or credit cards, making it hard to save for your future. An emergency savings fund — a dedicated amount of money set aside to help you cover surprise bills — can make a stressful situation easier to manage. These steps can help you get started.
1. Start with what you can
Building an emergency fund can feel like an impossible task, especially if it seems like you don’t have much money left over after you’ve paid your monthly bills. The key is to begin saving a set amount each week or month, no matter how small. Be sure to include that amount in your monthly budget.
2. Set a goal
Experts recommend having enough in your fund to cover three to six months of
expenses. While that can sound out of reach, keep in mind that it’s a sug gested end goal. Decide how much you want to have in your emergency fund and how much you can contribute toward that goal each month. Then, you can determine how long it will take you to reach your target amount.
For example, you can start with a goal to save $1000. Once you achieve that, work your way up to a few months of basic living expenses. This can help make building your fund more manageable and keep your other spending and saving goals on track.
3. Trim unnecessary expenses
Examine your monthly expenses and look for opportunities to cut back, even if it’s temporary. Are
you paying for a gym membership you never use? Can you trade weekly takeout for home-cooked meals, cut back on ride shares or curb impulse shopping by creating and sticking to a shopping list?
4. Put any extra money into your emergency fund
Occasionally, we find ourselves with money in addition to our paycheck, like a bonus, tax refund or birthday cash. You may have earnings from a side gig or selling things you no longer use. Put at least some of this money into your emergency fund to help reach your goal faster.
5. Automate it
Simplify saving by setting up recurring transfers from your checking
account into a designated savings account each month. If you receive your paycheck by direct deposit, ask if you can have a portion of each paycheck deposited into your savings account.
6. Keep your emergency savings in a separate account.
Resist the temptation to use the money in your emergency fund for non-emergencies like new clothes or a vacation by keeping it in its own account. It should also be separate from other savings for longerterm goals, like a house down payment or a new car (or that vacation). To help you hit your goal, consider an account that pays you to save, like the Commerce Bank myRewards Savings Account [https:// www.commercebank.com/personal/bank/ savings/myrewards-savings].
Having an emergency fund can mean the difference between being prepared for unexpected financial setbacks and digging yourself into debt. Protect your finances and save yourself some stress by starting an emergency fund today.
How to talk to your children about tough money matters
Has your family discussed money concerns?
Clinical psychologists note that when kids don’t have enough information about something, they may become anxious, make up their own explanations -- which can include blaming themselves for a perceived problem -- or seek information from other, potentially unreliable sources. They recommend talking to your children about financial concerns, keeping in mind that the level of detail shared should be based on your child’s age.
Preschool and Elementary Age
Experts suggest limiting financial discussion with very young children to the basics. If the economy is struggling, you might tell them that this can happen when businesses spend more money than they have and have to pay back what they borrowed, which means those businesses don’t have money to spend on other things, like employees. You might also explain that when money is tighter, they may need to wait a little longer to get certain items such as new toys. Psychologists emphasize the need to be honest, but reassuring, letting children know that tough financial times are only temporary
and that you will always provide them with everything they need.
“Tweens” and Teens
Children in this age group are old enough for you to explain what financial terms mean and why the economy doesn’t always perform well. You might also provide an overview of how credit works, introducing terms such as interest, risk and liability.
You could also engage your kids in family budget decisions, particularly should you feel a financial pinch. If they want to go on a vacation or buy that new video game system, ask for their ideas on how to save up the money. If you can’t afford to eat out as often, let them pick a favorite restaurant for a special monthly or quarterly meal. You might also consider encouraging older children to get jobs so they can earn their own spending money.
College Kids
Experts say that at this age, families should be open and straightforward when discussing finances. In addition to helping college-age kids understand a change in the economy or other financial develop-
ment, explain what it could mean for your family’s financial situation and whether it could impact them. Tell them how you’ve been spending and saving, describe struggles you’ve faced, and outline the steps you’ll take to shore up finances. You can also help them build their own budgets and saving plans. Being honest about financial mistakes you’ve made can help
your children avoid them in the future. For more tips on teaching kids about money, visit letsmakeaplan.org.
Explaining your family’s financial situation will not only help your children make sense of what’s happening, it will provide them with confidence and a foundation of financial knowledge that will carry them into adulthood.
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