July 20th, 2017 Edition

by Wiley Price

EPA inspectors meet with officials from the city’s health department and mayor’s office at the Clemens Mansion fire site in North St.

from testing because they said the house was unsafe.

EPA says developer must clean up asbestos

By Rebecca Rivas Of the St. Louis American

n “We need someone to test inside these houses. For human lives, we should be more concerned.”

– Leon Bell

neighbors’ yards and homes.

“All of my doors were open,” Bell said. “All of my windows were open because the

McSpadden plants new seeds in Jennings

Lezley McSpadden and her son Andre, 12, work in a garden in the Jennings School District that was planted and is being maintained by McSpadden’s Michael O.D. Brown We Love Our Sons and Daughters Foundation and the St. Louis County Police Athletic League, in partnership with the district. The produce will go into the district’s food pantry.

Michael Brown Foundation, Police Athletic League partner with Jennings School District

By Sophie Hurwitz For The St. Louis American

n “We’re hoping we’re planting new seeds and watching things grow, because of the uprising and the outcome of the Ferguson situation pertaining to my son.”

– Lezley McSpadden

On Tuesday, July 18, Lezley McSpadden and her family and friends from the Michael O.D. Brown Foundation were out gardening in the middle of the day, despite the 100-degree heat. McSpadden’s Michael O.D. Brown We Love Our Sons and Daughters Foundation – named for her son, who was killed in 2014, and dedicated to reforming police practices and improving community health – created this farm, on the campus of the Jennings School District’s Gore Community center. The garden was already thriving, though it had only been planted in early June. The corn sprouted a few feet tall already. McSpadden listed the vegetables growing there, occasionally looking over to her mother Desuira Harris and aunt Barbara Berry, who helped her out if she forgot something: corn, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, greens, carrots, herbs, green beans – the list went on and on.

“This is a family effort,” said McSpadden. “I’m glad to have the help of my mother, and my aunt, and everyone else.” Her daughter Deja Brown, who graduated from Jennings High School this year and is headed to Tennessee State University in

Students find solutions to community problems

Hawthorn Leadership School for Girls partners with World Wide Technology

By Melinda Oliver For the St. Louis American

to its eighth grade students. This year, the eighth-grade class broke off into small groups

n For bullying, the students created a mentorship program that they believed would help create a culture of non-violence and friendship.

and tackled issues ranging from homelessness to bullying.

“It’s really incredible to see our students working together to find solutions to community issues,” said Julia Hercules, dean of student life and community affairs.

“One of my students, upon seeing the impact of her environmental project, said to me, ‘When we first started this

Photo

Photo by Wiley Price

Louis city on July 17 to test for asbestos in the debris. The mansion’s owner, Paul McKee Jr.’s NorthSide Regeneration LLC, prevented the EPA

Carlia Idleburg and Jayla GordonSpraggins of the Hawthorn Leadership School for Girls planted trees as part of their eight grade capstone project.

Drama surrounding R. Kelly’s alleged ‘hostage’ controversy continues

(CNN) – A couple who claim their daughter is having a sexual relationship with R. Kelly, and that she is being manipulated by him into cutting off contact with the outside world, have responded to a video of her denying she’s being held by the Grammy-award winning singer.

On Monday night, TMZ published a video of Joycelyn Savage, 21, speaking out on allegations that she is part of a “cult” of women currently being “controlled” by Kelly.

“I’m not being brainwashed or anything like that,” Savage said in the video. “It’s just came to a point where it definitely has got out of hand, so, you know, I just want everybody to know – my parents and everybody in the world – that I’m totally fine. I’m happy where I’m at and everything is OK with me.”

Savage made her comments in the wake of an explosive BuzzFeed article published Monday.

Her parents were among a group of people cited in the article claiming that their daughters are a part of an entourage of at least six women attached to Kelly, whose real name is Robert Kelly. The other women in the BuzzFeed article who are said to be part of his entourage have not been identified, but their ages are given in the article as 31, 26, 25, 19 and 18.

The women, the article says, “live with Kelly,” and he calls them his “babies.” The article also says that the women “are required to call him ‘Daddy’ and must ask his permission to leave the Chicago recording studio or their assigned rooms in the ‘guest house’ Kelly rents near his own rented mansion in suburban Atlanta.”

The story quotes a woman it says is a former personal assistant of Kelly’s who says that Kelly, 50,

“is a puppet master” and that he has been involved romantically with the women.

On Monday, Kelly’s attorney, Linda Mensch, provided a statement denying the allegations to CNN.

“Mr. Robert Kelly is both alarmed and disturbed at the recent revelations attributed to him,” the statement said.

“Mr. Kelly unequivocally denies such allegations and will work diligently and forcibly to pursue his accusers and clear his Speaking to CNN Timothy and Jonjelyn said they believe their daughter was “coached” into denying there is anything wrong.

Joycelyn Savage

“You can see it,” Mr. Savage said. “It looks like one of those hostage videos.”

The BuzzFeed article also contains accusations of possible abusive behavior by Kelly towards the women.

In December, at the behest of Joycelyn’s parents, the Johns Creek Police

Department conducted a welfare check at an Atlanta home that Joycelyn’s parents believed to be the place their daughter was living, which they understood to be rented by Kelly.

The police report noted that the door was open, the house was clear and no one was there.

During the TMZ video, Joycelyn was asked where she presently resides.

“I can’t speak on that right now,” Joycelyn responded.

Kelly has not been charged with any crimes. All of the women discussed in the BuzzFeed article are above the age of consent.

One of the women quoted in the article, Asante McGee, joined the Savages Monday at a press conference in Atlanta.

She said she was part of Kelly’s inner circle for three years, and that during that time she saw and participated in acts she did not agree with, though she did not specify what the acts were.

“He really manipulates your mind because of who he is and his fame,” said McGee, who claimed to have at one point lived with Kelly at a house not far from where Savage was supposedly staying. “These girls... have been in so long – that they will need help. Because of the things he puts in your head.”

Sources: CNN

R. Kelly

WEDO program puts moms first

WEDO is Women Empowered to End Disparities in Obesity

By Sophie Hurwitz

For The St. Louis American

“Our moms and female caregivers are the foundations of our households, and our community, really” says Kelly McGowan, creator of the new Women Empowered to End Disparities in Obesity (WEDO) program. “If that foundation is cracked because mom doesn’t sleep, mom doesn’t eat right, mom doesn’t take that time for herself, what is that going to do to the rest of things?”

WEDO was designed to make sure mothers and female caregivers in North County get the care and support they need, since they provide so much support to everyone else. Working out of the Emerson YMCA in Ferguson, the WEDO program provides fitness classes, cooking classes, and self-care sessions – all geared towards moms. The program is funded through Missouri Foundation for Health as part of the Healthy Schools Healthy Communities initiative, the end goal of which is to decrease childhood obesity rates by 5 percent within the next five years.

“We’re making some traction,” McGowan said. WEDO began in December, and since then she’s “done

about two to three focus groups with moms, and that helped shape some of the events and things that I have going on.”

The amount of time the moms spent talking about their frustration with the school system, McGowan said, surprised her. They told her about their experiences with “coming up to the school, popping in to say hey or checking in on what’s going on with your child, and not being greeted with positivity.” The moms in the focus groups also “want to increase the variety of businesses that exist. Because there are a lot of corner stores, a lot of liquor stores, a lot of fast-food places, but someone said, you know, can we get a Trader Joe’s in our community or something?”

Food access in areas classified as “food deserts” is one of the key points of McGowan’s program. They have been able to partner with St. Louis MetroMarket – a Metro bus retrofitted as a produce stand – to create the first MetroMarket stop in North County. The MetroMarket will now be at the Dellwood Recreation Center every Friday until mid-October from 3-6 p.m., giving Dellwood area residents access to fresh fruits and vegetables. MetroMarket

Working out of the Emerson YMCA in Ferguson, the Women Empowered to End Disparities in Obesity (WEDO) program provides fitness classes, cooking classes, and self-care sessions – all geared towards moms. Left to right: Rachelle Owens, Linda Paunicka, Kelly McGowan and Kimberly McGowan.

also participates in the Double Up Food Bucks program, which means EBT dollars spent on fresh fruits and vegetables at MetroMarket count for double their value.

WEDO also tackles other

stressed out all the time, so listening to them say that, and knowing my information, I wanted to make sure that stress was dealt with.” So, she works on stress management and time management for moms, as well

n “Moms are stressed out all the time, so listening to them say that, and knowing my information, I wanted to make sure that stress was dealt with.”

– Kelly McGowan

as self-care workshops.

aspects of health aside from providing access to healthy food.

“Studies have shown that stress is a huge, huge factor in people’s health,” said McGowan. “And moms are

At a WEDO self-care workshop at the Emerson YMCA on June 24, yoga instructor Jamie Austin led six moms from the North County area in yoga, then through an

obstacle course. Afterwards, when they went inside to talk through self-care, the moms expressed exhaustion with the lack of time they have for themselves.

“Self-care is knowing when to slow down,” said Austin.

“How?” asked Shaun, a mother of five who attended the workshop. “Out of the past few months, this [the self-care workshop] is the only time I’ve had to myself!”

The exercise tips and breath work done in the self-care workshop were important, but just as important was the re-affirmation that even for mothers, who spend so much time taking care of others, it is important to take care of yourself.

“Like, I’m done rescuing people,” said Tanya, another workshop participant. “Time to rescue me!”

The strain the mothers feel is emblematic of problems that McGowan sees in the North County area as a whole.

“These communities, they are hurting. The socio-political climate out here is rough,” McGowan said.

“And the more and more I talk to folks, there’s a sense of hopelessness. People may think ‘this is just, like, a health thing, she’s just doing cooking classes, how is that really going to help anything in the grand scheme of things?’ But I think that if people are able to be healthier, or have access to things that make them healthier, they’re going to be better, holistically.”

McGowan is bringing skills back to St. Louis that she learned from her work at Harlem Children’s Zone, a nonprofit in Harlem, New York dedicated to improving youth health. She realized that health programs that only targeted kids weren’t enough.

“It’s great to have these programs in after-school, but the greater community, the broader community has to facilitate those healthy behaviors,” she said.

“You have to deal with the parents, because the kids, they’re not independent. They don’t have jobs to buy the food. You gotta work with what’s going on at home.”

Therefore, most classes offered through WEDO are parent-child collaborative classes – cooking classes, or exercise groups, that both mothers and their children can attend.

McGowan hopes to get more moms involved in the WEDO program in the coming months. “I think making sure that our moms are good, period, means their families are going to grow and thrive,” she said.

“Giving them access to those fresh foods, giving them access to be able to safely take a walk somewhere, or do something with their families, and not having to worry about some craziness. Giving them that safe space. And that is what is lacking.”

Editorial /CommEntary

Urban League conference invites reflections on Ferguson

We are excited to welcome the 2017 National Urban League Conference to St. Louis July 26-29. This will bring an estimated $10 million economic impact to our city, and a major infusion of thought leadership and national attention. We commend Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League, and Michael McMillan, president of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, for bringing this important conference to a city in need of both revenue and thought leadership. We also want to acknowledge the crucial support of title sponsors World Wide Technology, led by founder and chairman David Steward, and Centene Corporation, led by CEO Michael Neidorff, who chairs the National Urban League’s Board of Directors, and others in the corporate community. As part of its response to the unrest in Ferguson and Baltimore following policeinvolved killings in 2014 and 2015, the National Urban League scheduled its next two national conferences in Baltimore (2016) and St. Louis. Ferguson was much on Morial’s mind when we talked to him about the upcoming conference last week. “There is going to be a lot of interest by people to find out what has happened since Ferguson,” Morial told us. “How has the community responded? What political reforms, what community reforms, what police reforms have taken place?”

It hurts to address those questions candidly. In St. Louis, in many ways, the backlash against Ferguson has overwhelmed most of the progress made in the aftermath of the police killing of Michael Brown Jr. The St. Louis County Police, which handled the investigation of Michael Brown Jr.’s killing and oversaw the first week of protests (with snipers training

rifles on peaceful protestors in the middle of the day), benefitted from a popular ballot initiative winning them significant salary increases, rather than the increased training in implicit bias, de-escalation and constitutional policing that Ferguson should have compelled. As a result, the St. Louis Police Officers Association has been fighting for salary increases for city police so brazenly that its executive committee is threatening to oppose and rally against a sales tax hike that would fund their salary increases simply because part of the funds would go to crime prevention. The prosecutor who mishandled the grand jury process in the Brown killing, St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch, stands to retire with a pension greater than his $160K salary, thanks to changes pushed through by the county executive who benefitted from McCulloch’s substantial financial support and attacks on his opponent in his successful election bid.

“How has the community responded?” Morial wondered. The wider community has responded by voting to pay the police who handled the Ferguson unrest more money, and the county executive they elected responded by finagling pension rules to pay the prosecutor who handled the (non)prosecution in the Ferguson case more money. Any honest assessment would have to conclude that the wider community has responded by rewarding and further empowering the law enforcement agencies and officials who came under the Ferguson movement’s most fierce scrutiny.

At the state level, as much as Gov. Jay Nixon was derided for fumbling Ferguson, he was MLK compared to his successor, the mysteriously funded Eric Greitens. Nixon may have been slow to get to Ferguson and ineffective once

he arrived, but Greitens is far worse. He recently rode into St. Louis during a crime wave with a bunch of state troopers and out-state black clergy to talk tough (and dumb) on crime and outright lie about the number of felony arrests that state troopers made on their first night patrolling highways in the city. Nixon was tonedeaf on race and policing, but Greitens is a dangerous fraud capable of doing anything to further his national ambitions.

On the national scene, the situation is even worse. We believe the backlash against black-led police-accountability protests was one of many ingredients essential to Donald Trump’s electoral college victory and election as president. Trump’s attorney general, Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III of Alabama, threatens to undo any good the Obama administration achieved in police accountability.

Sessions ordered a review of all consent decrees that Obama’s Department of Justice negotiated with police departments, including the Ferguson Police Department, putting at risk nearly a decade of (slow, grudging) progress in at least the piecemeal reform of police behavior. Further, Sessions’ tough (and dumb) policy stands on sentencing for non-violent crimes will mean many more people – a disproportionate number of them black men – spend more time in prison for non-violent offenses.

We hope the Urban League conference brings some thought leadership on the best strategy to counteract this harsh, highly political backlash and get us back on the track of greater police accountability. Thanks to the backlash and these early reversals by the Trump administration, we have further to go – and more obstacles in our way – than ever.

Kushner’s security clearance should be revoked

Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump have tried their best to soar gracefully above the raging dumpster fire that is the Trump administration. Unhappily for the handsome couple, gravity makes no allowances for charm.

Kushner, already reported to be a “person of interest” in the Justice Department probe of the Trump campaign, is arguably the individual with the most to lose from the revelation that the campaign did, after all, at least attempt to collude with the Russian government to boost Donald Trump’s chances of winning the election.

The president’s hapless eldest son, Donald Trump Jr. – who convened the June 2016 meeting with a Russian lawyer for the purpose of obtaining dirt on Hillary Clinton – had no operational role in the campaign. Paul Manafort, who also attended, was the campaign’s chairman; but his many shady business dealings with several Ukrainian and Russian characters were already under scrutiny, so the encounter with attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya could be seen as just another item on the list. Kushner was at the meeting too, however, and he had oversight of the campaign’s digital operations. That could be a problem, given the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusion that Russia interfered with the election and that the meddling took place largely in cyberspace.

And unlike the other participants, Kushner has an official position in the Trump administration. He serves in

the White House as a senior adviser to the president with responsibility for numerous high-profile initiatives – and with a top-secret security clearance, which should immediately be revoked.

Trump Jr. says that Kushner didn’t stay long at the session with Veselnitskaya and that no damaging information about Clinton was imparted.

But since he kept the meeting secret for more than a year, scoffing indignantly at the very notion of collusion with the Russians, and then twice lied about the nature of the meeting before finally coming clean, no one should believe another word Trump Jr. says on the subject. At one point in his changing story, Trump Jr. claimed that Kushner and Manafort didn’t even know what the meeting was about. Yet he copied both of them on an email chain that begins with an intermediary’s offer of campaign help from the “Russian government.”

The Veselnitskaya encounter was one of more than 100 meetings or phone calls with foreigners that somehow slipped Kushner’s mind when he applied for his security clearance. He revealed this one in one of his subsequent efforts to amend the form.

It is hard to imagine what connection Kushner might have had to the Russian hacking of Democratic National

Greitens is no leader on crime

State Rep. Michael Butler Guest columnist

Last week, a full-time politician saw fit to come to St. Louis to announce he was going to do something about crime. On July 10, without consulting any local community leaders, without having any experience living in a high-crime area, and with a couple Southeast Missouri black clergymen at his side, Governor Eric Greitens announced a St. Louis Crime Plan that promised more of the same: police officers locking people up who are suspected of crimes, while being short on any expected results. Violent crime is one of the most serious issues in St. Louis, and the solution is to support neighborhood programs that are proven to work. Crime is different in each area of the city, and neighbors know how to defeat it in their area. I have been working hard to get money in the budget for neighborhood organizations to fight crime in their communities since I was elected in 2012 and succeeded this year. Recently, Greitens withheld almost half of a million dollars in St. Louis crime prevention funds from the state budget. The governor axed $475,000 in Neighborhood Watch funds, which I had worked so hard for to help citizens in high-crime areas reduce crime in their

community. This is a bipartisan and arguably non-controversial proposal that the governor has indicated is not important to him.

To add insult to injury, Greitens saw fit to announce that he would allow HB 1194 to become law without his signature, effectively slashing the annual incomes of hourly full-time minimum-wage workers in St. Louis City by over $4,700 a year. HB 1194 repeals the $10 per hour minimum wage passed by St. Louis City elected officials in 2015 in a graduated scheme to scale up to a $15 minimum wage. HB 1194 only affected one city: St. Louis.

Republican politicians like Greitens are always championing local control, but apparently that doesn’t apply to a Democratic stronghold like St. Louis. Further, the state trooper pilot program that Greitens announced will only be for Highway 70 and 55. State troopers will not be manning Highway 40 or 44 in the city – highways we know to be used my mostly white urban and suburbanites. This is racial profiling in its most thinly veiled terms. Also, our mayor

Letters to the editor

Fight repeal of LowIncome Tax Credit law

I am a Missouri senior citizen who lives in lowincome senior and disability housing. When I moved into my apartment (my home) I made the statement, “I will not move again until I am carried out.” Now I am concerned I will not be “carried out” but “forced out” because of the attempt by the current Missouri Legislature to repeal the LowIncome Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) law, which assists tens of thousands of lowincome Missouri citizens, like me, in obtaining permanent shelter at a lower rate of rent.

Committee computers and Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta’s emails. But there was another component of the clandestine effort to help Trump get elected: Investigators believe that as Election Day approached, Russian trolls and “bots” flooded the social media accounts of key voters in swing states with “fake news” disinformation about Clinton, according to a report by McClatchy newspapers.

How would the Russians know which voters to target, down to the precinct level, in states such as Wisconsin and Michigan? This is a question that surely will be posed to Kushner.

Ivanka Trump’s name has not surfaced in the Russia affair. But she, like her husband, is serving as a presidential adviser, and she received unwanted attention when she briefly took her father’s place at the head table during the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany. We expect officials representing our country to have been elected by the voters or appointed because of merit, not installed by the caprices of heredity.

She also received unwanted scrutiny when three labor activists were arrested in May for investigating alleged sweatshop practices at a factory in China where Ivanka Trump shoes have been manufactured.

Writing in Time magazine, Henry Kissinger wished Kushner well “in his daunting role flying close to the sun.”

Jared and Ivanka have firstclass educations. They know how the Icarus story ends.

If LIHTC is repealed it will mean senior and disabled citizens as well as low-income families in Missouri will see an increase in their rent. Many will lose their homes because they will not be able to afford the increased rent. And there will not be any more quality low-income housing built under the LIHTC law in Missouri if it is repealed.

A friend, who lives in the same senior housing I do, created an on-line petition to fight the repeal of the LIHTC law in Missouri. We are hoping many more Missourians will help us fight this repeal by signing the on-line petition at https://petitions.moveon.org/ sign/prevent-repeal-of-low.

Marilyn Miller, Sedalia

Trump and the military

Will President Donald Trump succeed in turning America’s military against its people? Like every other despot in history, Trump will eventually need military force – or the threat of it – to maintain his position of power. Will the U.S. military standdown and allow citizens to rid themselves of a kleptocrat and the band of genuflecting minions and jingoes that he and the “party before country” Congress have installed in office?

America has not had a military draft for nearly a halfcentury. The draft maintained the military cauldron in which America’s drafted masses were heretofore compacted and homogenized. That homogeneity assured a balance of socio-political ideology

cosigned on this plan knowing it would never affect her mostly white base in the 28th Ward. But what is most appalling in Greitens absolute disrespect of the black community. He strolls into a plurality-black city for a press conference with two black clergymen from Southeast Missouri and dozens of mostly white law enforcement officers to make an announcement that was directed to the black community. The message was as subtle and sickening as possible: We are going to lock you up! Greitens was heard saying to law enforcement officers the night before and again after the press conference, “We are going to get ‘em.” No, Mr. Greitens, we are going to get you! Our community will not be used as pawns in your campaign for higher office. Our leaders will continue to fight back and speak out against your assault on our policy agenda. If crime is going to reduce in our areas, it will be because our community leaders have already stood up and invested themselves in their neighborhoods. You should join our efforts and abandon your charade of old solutions. State Rep. Michael Butler (D-St. Louis) represents District 79 in the Missouri House of

All letters are edited for length and style.

throughout the military ranks, but particularly at the enlisted level. That balance has been eliminated in our all-volunteer military. Has our military been able to instill in the rank-and-file a social-political ideology that will enable Donald Trump to become America’s dictator? Time will tell.

Michael K. Broughton Green Park

Bad veto

With the Veto of HCR 19, Eric Greitens has proved yet again that he is just a politician without the career. HCR 19 would have partially financed the construction of an Arts Conservatory in downtown Kansas City on the campus of the University of Missouri – Kansas City. This project has been a top priority for the Kansas City academic and business communities, who have secured over $48 million in private funding for its construction.

The governor announced his veto via a video first released on Facebook. In this video he accused the legislature of attempting to hide the $75 million bonding authority by inserting $1 into the line item where the UMKC Arts Conservatory is listed in the budget. But what us non “outsiders” know, which the governor clearly does not, is that a $1 line item in the budget is merely a placeholder. As the bonds are sold to finance the construction and debt service to this project, those proceeds will be placed in that line item in the budget giving our government the legal authority to spend the money raised from the sale of those bonds. Without this placeholder, each fiscal year the budget committee would have to revisit this same project, which the General Assembly has already passed an HCR to finance, as a new decision item when in actuality it’s not. Furthermore, as the bonds are sold to finance this project, the proceeds would have nowhere to go without that line item.

So what the governor calls hiding expenditures, most government professionals call standard budgetary practice. He also says he believes that most good people in Jefferson City

agree with him. Well on that note, I’ll just leave this nugget of information here. HCR 19 passed the House by a vote of 117-39 and passed the Senate by a vote of 28-4.

Frederick Doss, St. Louis

Cooling off at Kiener Plaza

County Library offers online high school diploma program

St. Louis County Library will offer a new online high school diploma program to area residents starting in October 2017. The Career Online High School (COHS) offers adult learners age 25 and older a second chance to earn a high school diploma, along with a career certificate, opening the door to new job opportunities. The two library systems are coming together to address a growing need in the St. Louis region–currently over 90,000 adults in the St. Louis area don’t have a high school degree.

St. Louis County Library will offer a limited number of COHS scholarships to County residents. Enrollment in COHS will begin in October 2017. Details about how to apply for the program are available at www.slcl.org/cohs.

To learn more about the Career Online High School program please visit www.slcl.org/cohs or contact Jennifer McBride, Communications Manager at 314-994-3300 ext. 2250 or jmcbride@ slcl.org.

Understanding black homeownership disparities

By Charlene Crowell Columnist

For the 12th consecutive year, America’s national homeownership rate has declined, according Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS)’ annual report, State of the Nation’s Housing 2017. This year’s report also found these declines vary by race and ethnicity.

The steepest homeownership decline occurred in black communities, where the percentage of homeowners dropped to 42.2 percent. Among the nation’s largest metro areas, black homeownership declined the greatest in Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas and Detroit. By contrast, Latino-American homeownership is higher at 46 percent; but both communities of color severely lag behind the nearly 72 percent rate of white homeownership.

“The ability of most US households to become homeowners,” states the report, “depends on the availability and affordability of financing.” And therein lies the crux of the problem: access and affordability.

The lack of access to mortgage financing in Black America has a long history rooted in outright discrimination by private actors such as banks, and supported by inequitable federal housing policies that favored white communities, while intentionally disadvantaging black communities. This discrimination hindered generations of black families from entering and remaining among America’s middle class. These practices also resulted in lower levels of both black wealth and homeownership.

homeownership 8 years longer than whites, resulting in a comparable delay in building home equity.

A June 29 public hearing before the U.S. Senate Banking Committee focused on how mortgage finance reform and government-sponsored enterprises, also known as GSEs, must live up to its “duty to serve” all communities.

In the throes of the 1930s Great Depression, Congress created the GSEs to provide stability to capital markets and to increase the availability of mortgage credit throughout the nation. They were also given a mandate: Serve all credit markets all times, ensuring access and availability across the country.

Today, applying for a mortgage means a visit to a bank where high incomes, low debt and high credit scores are among the most favored measures for loan application success. Since the foreclosure crisis, according to the JCHS report, the median credit score for an owner-occupied home purchase origination increased from about 700 in 2005 to 732 in 2016.

Just as communities of color were wrongly targeted for predatory and high-cost mortgages that pushed them into foreclosure, these same communities are the most likely to have suffered credit score declines from foreclosures, unemployment or delinquent debt – or a combination of all three.

According to a 2017 CFED report, A Downpayment on the Divide, the mortgage denial rate for blacks is more than 25 percent, near 20 percent for Latinos but just over 10 percent for white applicants.

CFED also found that whites are three times more likely than blacks to receive financial assistance from families to pay for down payments and other upfront costs that accompany a mortgage. The racial disparity is due to America’s history of whites being able to accumulate wealth through homeownership opportunity while blacks were denied. As a result, black households typically delay

From 2003 to 2006, the years leading up to the housing crisis, the GSEs followed an unfortunate private mortgage market trend. By loosening underwriting guidelines, particularly for Alt-A no documentation loans, millions of foreclosures occurred and GSE credit losses led to conservatorship under the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, also known as HERA. HERA also enacted a number of reforms that have made today’s market stronger. Now, with far fewer foreclosures nationwide, Congress is deliberating over the future of the GSEs and $6.17 trillion in mortgages they now hold along with Federal Housing Administrationissued mortgages.

“Home equity accounts for only 30 percent of the net worth for wealthier households,” testified Mike Calhoun, president of the Center for Responsible Lending, “but constitutes 67 percent for middle-to-low income households. Home equity accounts for 53 percent of African-American wealth as compared to 39 percent for whites.”

Homebuyers of the future will be more racially and ethnically diverse than those of the past. The JCHS reported that non-whites accounted for 60 percent of household growth from 1995-2015. By 2035, it predicts that half of millennial households will be non-white.

While much of our nation has financially recovered from the foreclosure crisis that brought the loss of homes, jobs, businesses, and wealth, recovery has been uneven and left many communities behind. Those entrusted with leadership roles in the public and private sectors must agree that it is in our national interest to ensure that the recovery is inclusive and sustainable long-term. Broad access to mortgage credit still helps families and the national economy.

“The goal must be to ensure that the full universe of creditworthy borrowers – regardless of where they live, including in rural areas, or who they are – have access to the credit they need to be able to secure a mortgage so that they can build their American dreams,” concluded Calhoun.

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

Charlene Crowell

Marie Buress-Gray, 4, plays in the water spray at Kiener Plaza on a recent sweltering Tuesday.

Photo by Wiley Price

SEEDS

Continued from A1

the fall, pointed out all the members of her family who were part of the gardening group: “This is my aunt, and my grandma, and my little cousin, my brother Andre, and Marquise and Jazmine... MJ is over there, and my mama husband, Louis.”

The farm is one of many new projects in McSpadden’s life. She will start college classes at Harris-Stowe State University in the fall, too, after graduating from Jennings High School alongside her daughter Deja this spring. She plans to major in Business Administration.

“I’m on my way,” McSpadden said. “But, you know, my daughter’s going to TSU, and she’s my first priority. I have to get everything situated for her, to make sure that I have time to give some of my brain span to Harris-Stowe.”

previously helped kids with “boxing, basketball, and homework help,” according to Jennings Superintendent Art McCoy Jr., “but now it’s including gardening too.”

PAL’s goal in introducing a gardening program with Jennings was to teach kids about nutrition. Establishing programs to promote better nutrition and healthier living also is a core goal of the Michael Brown Foundation.

“This all came about because of my son suffering from hypertension at a young age and having to change his eating habits and eat more fresh vegetables, uncanned vegetables, and white meats instead of red meats and dark meats,” she said. McSpadden, PAL, and Jennings officials started the garden in early June.

n “You literally have the Michael Brown Foundation and the St. Louis County Police Athletic League doing something together, with the Jennings School District as a conduit.”

Aside from sending Deja off to college, and raising her other two children, Andre (12) and Jazmine (8), and working with her foundation, McSpadden plans to continue working to plant new seeds in Jennings.

The farm effort is spearheaded by three organizations: The Michael O.D. Brown Foundation, the Jennings School District and the St. Louis County Police Athletic League (PAL). PAL is a program through which police officers volunteer as mentors for kids.

Mondays are the assigned day for all three organizations to work in the garden, though since the PAL kids are out of school for the summer, they will rejoin the others in the fall. The PAL program

PAL provided grant funding for tools and supplies, and is recruiting students to help with the farm.

Jennings and the Michael Brown Foundation also recruited kids for the project.

The garden is decorated by tires painted in rainbow colors and filled with flowers by the Michael O.D. Brown Foundation children, and rocks painted rainbow colors by the PAL program kids.

The first day of work on the farm, the children from both organizations planted the seeds for the garden together.

“I think that one of the most important things about this partnership,” McCoy said, “is that you literally have the Michael Brown Foundation, and then PAL, which is the St. Louis County Police Athletic League, doing something together, with the Jennings School District as a conduit. You know, after seeing Ferguson, some would think that you could never do anything together. This is proof

Lacy Clay Center for Children’s Health dedicated

that that’s not true.”

Jennings School Board member Yolanda FountainHenderson also works with the district’s other farm at Jennings High School and at a Jennings community garden. So, given that she puts in work at three different farms, she said, “I let the rest of them do the weeding!”

“Not ‘she let us do it’!”

McSpadden laughed. “Not ‘let’! That has to be done! That’s the process of taking care of a garden.”

There are already plans to include more compost in the soil next year, which McCoy was originally nervous about

– “I was like, I don’t want to touch any manure!” he said. All food grown will be donated to the food pantry which is also on the Gore Community Center site. The Gore building, which was originally an elementary school, now serves as food pantry, farm and the site of various exercise classes and sports groups, with more community partnerships coming.

“My whole goal as a board member is to make sure all our schools have a garden,” said Fountain-Henderson. But the group’s ambitions stretch beyond that: the Brown

Foundation has created a gardening curriculum guide that can be distributed to any school in the St. Louis area or anywhere else, to make nutritious food more accessible to kids and communities everywhere.

McSpadden’s passion for gardening is clear when she talks about how the kids watch the garden grow.

“Kids, you know, they like to see things,” McSpadden said. “How amazing, you can put something down in the dirt and then it starts to sprout, and then it gets tall, and it gets bigger, and it grows colors, and it actually grows something

they can pick off and eat and enjoy.”

To her, gardening provides a learning experience, but it’s also a “survival skill, when you can’t afford grocery-store foods.”

“This is a joint effort of us working in harmony to grow something and to help the community be nourished, taken care of and supported,” McCoy said.

“We’re hoping we’re planting new seeds,” McSpadden said, “and watching things grow, because of the uprising and the outcome of the Ferguson situation pertaining to my son.”

– Art McCoy Jr.

U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay (D-St. Louis) visited with children during the dedication of the Lacy Clay Center for Children’s Health on July 15. This new Betty Jean Kerr People’s Health Centers facility was named for Clay, who worked with then-Mayor Francis G. Slay to provide $3 million in federal funds to make the building a reality.

Photo by Steve Engelhardt

houses. For human lives, we should be more concerned.”

Asbestos is a dangerous material that can get trapped inside your body and cause serious health problems.

Asbestos-containing materials are most harmful when the dust and fibers are released into the air where they can be ingested or inhaled.

Since July 12, residents have been calling on the city and the mansion’s owner, Paul McKee Jr.’s NorthSide Regeneration LLC, to remediate the asbestos from the area. When they got no response, residents also reached out to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for help. The federal agency finally came to test the site on Monday evening, accompanied by officials from the city’s health department. However, the EPA inspectors couldn’t get very far because McKee would not let the EPA test on his property – much to the outrage of residents.

In a July 17 statement to The St. Louis American, McKee said that he didn’t let the EPA test because the “house is not stable, is unsafe and our insurance company has advised us not to let anyone enter the home until it is deemed safe for entry.”

The EPA inspectors collected samples around the

STUDENTS

Continued from A1 it just seemed like a big idea, but now it’s here.’ That was inspiring.”

With the help of their teachers and a number of World Wide Technology interns, the young ladies were tasked with addressing a problem of their choice in their neighborhoods. This allowed the students to get creative and learn about social responsibility. For homelessness, they

property, and on Tuesday evening they announced that they had discovered asbestos, according to Mayor Lyda Krewson’s office. The EPA finally obtained access to the property and were able to test on site on Wednesday. They have also set up air-monitoring equipment in a three-block radius around the mansion to test for airborne contamination and will have results back on Thursday evening, according to the mayor.

“Those results will dictate what happens next,” Krewson said at a press conference on July 19 at her office.

The EPA recommended that residents not disturb any debris from the fire until health officials conduct further tests and determine the best way to clean up the remains. City officials are working with the EPA on an action plan and will keep the public informed about all test results.

Krewson said that the EPA looks to the responsibly party to remediate the debris.

“In this case, the EPA believes that NorthSide Regeneration is the accountable party,” she said.

An EPA spokesman said they have “been in talks” with NorthSide about remediation but could not confirm that the company had agreed to clean up the site or surrounding neighborhood. A NorthSide spokesman told The American that the company is currently receiving bids to “stabilize and clean up this historic site.”

decided to start within their own school. After polling students, they found that 80 percent of their student population required lunch assistance. They also discovered that some of their fellow classmates even worried about where they’d get their next meal after school.

To address this issue, the students raised money and collected non-perishable food items for the non-profit Operation Food Search. Their goal is to collaborate with Operation Backpack and create a long-lasting partnership. Next year they want to send students

Jr.’s NorthSide Regeneration LLC, prevented the EPA from testing on the actual site because they said the house was unsafe.

“And then NSR will provide the winning bidder the approval to move forward once the bid, plans and process has been approved and meets the insurance company and city’s requirements,” a NorthSide spokesman stated.

NorthSide did not response to the American’s question about cleaning up debris and contamination in the surrounding neighborhood.

Megan Betts, a community organizer who lives nearby, said she is worried about the health of her three children. This weekend, Betts was planning on holding a joint birthday party for her two youngest children, who are 6

who are food-insecure home with a backpack full of food supplies every weekend.

For bullying, the students created a mentorship program that they believed would help create a culture of non-violence and friendship. They were inspired by a presentation by Tina Meier from the Megan Meier Foundation. Their program will pair older students with younger students to combat bullying. The students believe that having a caring, older friend around could help younger students make positive decisions and be kinder to one another. It will be

and 7.

“We were going to open up the backyard and have all the neighbors come over,” Betts said. “I’m very conflicted. My kids have not been out in our yard because there is asbestos all over the grass.”

Residents are frustrated at the response they have received from the city health department and McKee. Betts said when they first spoke with a health department representative, he said, ‘We don’t have a lab to test. You need to call the EPA spill line and the Department of Natural Resources spill line. We can’t do anything. We don’t have the resources to do it.”

implemented in the 2017-2018 school year.

The project was designed to teach leadership skills and to create a generation of positive, influential young scholars. Hawthorn hopes to continue on with this project every year for eighth grades students who are about to transition into high school.

Hawthorn, located at 1901 N. Kingshighway Blvd., opened its doors only two short years ago, but it has already begun to create traditions that

When they called the state and federal agencies, both were shocked that the city’s health department wasn’t taking responsibility or action.

“The man at the EPA even said, ‘Looks like you better hire a lawyer,’” Betts said. Betts said that there has been “zero communication” between the health department and the residents. Three days after the fire, resident Larry Chapman had the fire remains that landed in the neighborhood tested for asbestos at the St. Louis Testing Laboratories, located at 1210 Clark Ave. The American reviewed those results, which came back positive.

unify their student body and make learning an empowering experience. The administration believes that its students know that anything is possible because they see it every day in their hallways.

“Every leadership position at school is held by a girl,” said Mary Stillman, executive director of the school. “The opportunity and self-confidence we are able to give the girls here is really something special.”

Hawthorn has less than

On July 17, the health department released a statement that said they took “immediate action” and contacted the EPA to conduct a sampling at the mansion for “toxic contamination from windblown buildings materials from the fire.”

“The health hazards and health concerns from the burned materials prompted us to make the request right away,” said Chantez Williams, program manager for the health department.

The American asked Krewson whether or not the health department will be working within the neighborhood to answer questions that residents have about how to handle dust in their homes and other debris – as many residents say they haven’t had any contact with city health workers. She said, “I know some residents have had contact with the health department, but we haven’t had a lot of answers until now. We just learned this 24 hours ago, and we’ve met with the EPA. Right now, we are still waiting for some more test results. In terms of dust on coffee tables, the EPA specifically said that you can wipe it off with a damp paper towel.”

The EPA will answer residents’ questions at a neighborhood association meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 20 at the Grio Museum of Black History, 2505 St. Louis Avenue.

200 students enrolled ranging from grades sixth to eighth. A ninth-grade class is in the works for fall 2017. The school is now enrolling for the 2017-2018 school year and accepting student in grades sixth, seventh and ninth. For more information, visit hawthornschool.org or call (314) 361-5253. Melinda Oliver is a St. Louis American editorial intern who is studying at the University of Missouri –Columbia.

EPA inspectors take samples of debris outside of the Clemens Mansion fire site in North St. Louis city on July 17 to test for asbestos. The mansion’s owner, Paul McKee

Photo by Wiley Price

Increasing accountability in Ferguson Police Department

Donated software is intended to streamline reporting on traffic stops and use of force

By Sophie Hurwitz

For The St. Louis American

The Ferguson Police Department began using new record-keeping software by LEFTA (Law Enforcement Field Training Applications) Systems starting the week of July 17. The software, which was donated to the department by LEFTA’s CEO Bryan Selzer, will accomplish a number of things.

On a basic, organizational level, the software will provide one place for all Ferguson Police records to be kept. Before the implementation of this software, according to Ferguson Police Chief Delrish Moss, “a number of softwares were being used” to keep different types of records. LEFTA’s training records-management, trafficstop-reporting and use-offorce reporting software will be “more user-friendly” and will streamline the collection of data on both the officers themselves and on their interactions with the community, Moss said.

“Last year when I first got here as city manager, we had a two and a half million dollar deficit, and a lot of programs that we needed to purchase,” said Ferguson City Manager De’Carlon Seewood. “So having someone step up and say, ‘Hey Ferguson, we understand where you’re going, we understand what you need and we’re here to help you’ is extremely important.”

The policing reforms Ferguson is trying to make are outlined in the U.S. Department of Justice consent decree with the Ferguson Police Department, negotiated after the police shooting of Michael Brown Jr. in 2014 and subsequent unrest. It requires the department to “develop and implement a plan for broader collection of stop, search, ticketing, and arrest data that requires collection of data on all stop and post-stop activity, as well as location and demographic information.”

One of the components of LEFTA’s software, the PASS Profiling Accountability Software, allows Ferguson Police to do that by providing an easy format to keep track of statistical data about the race, gender and age of people involved in traffic stops. All of those data points, through the new software, can be recorded by officers along with the standard time, location and reason for traffic stops. Moss said that this profiling accountability software will allow the department to look at traffic stops more comprehensively than they’ve done before. Given that, according to a Missouri Attorney General report issued this year, black drivers in Missouri are 75 percent more likely to be pulled over than their white counterparts, the possibility of using LEFTA’s software to lessen the impact of racial discrimination in traffic stops and arrests is particularly

relevant here.

accountability, another aspect of the software is the FACTS

Ferguson Police Commander

Frank McCall Jr. and Chief Delrish Moss listened as Bryan Selzer, the CEO of LEFTA Systems, explained the advantages of software the company donated to the department during a press conference on July 12.

specific time period, much like the current software.

In Ferguson specifically, that disparity is even worse: according to a report released by Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley, black drivers were over 70 times more likely than white drivers to be pulled over within Ferguson city limits.

decide what actions to take to improve those officers’ behavior.

Use of Force Reporting function, which allows for “more than 160” data points to be collected about the arrests made by specific officers.

n The system will flag officers who have been involved in an unusually high number of use of excessive force incidents.

By using LEFTA’s donated software, Moss hopes to make his department “more accountable.” To aid in that

The system will flag officers who have been involved in an unusually high number of use of excessive force incidents.

Then, police department leadership can monitor those officers more closely and

Donating software to the Ferguson Police Department is not new for LEFTA. Only three weeks after the shooting of Michael Brown Jr. and the subsequent protests, the company – which is run by former police officers –donated another program of theirs to all Missouri local police departments free of charge, according to a 2014 LEFTA press release. The SHIELD program did many of the same things that the current software donation does – the 2014 software keeps track of the use of force by police officers, and flags police officers who use force a certain number of times within a

The new LEFTA software will not immediately create any policy changes within the Ferguson Police Department upon being implemented. However, the better recordskeeping, improved ease of report-filing, and early alert system to identify racially biased officers could lead to recognition of systemic patterns of discrimination.

“The collective data provides a very comprehensive picture of what the agency is doing and how they’re enforcing the law,” said Selzer of LEFTA Systems, “and therefore allows leadership, based on seeing that data, to act accordingly.”

Photo by Wiley Price

Beginning Swimming

Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI

Greitens offers photo ops, not solutions

By Joshua Peters Guest columnist

Once more Governor Greitens is using photo ops in place of real solutions to the problems we face in Missouri. This time he is using the dedicated men and women of the Missouri Highway Patrol in what amounts to a political commercial to bolster his national image. Assigning a few more highway patrolmen to the interstates in and around St. Louis does nothing, repeat nothing, to address the real issues of crime prevention, prosecution, or getting at the root causes of crime. It does not free up St. Louis officers because no one I know can remember the last time they saw a St. Louis police officer pulling speeders over on our highways. These officers would be welcome if they were interdicting the many addicts from St. Louis County, St. Charles and Jefferson County which come to St. Louis and fuel the drug sales and gang violence. But as long as they drive the speed limit I don’t know how Greitens’ folly accomplishes anything.

It is also a 90-day pilot program. Nothing like “going all in” to combat crime. Instead, his grandstanding, calling St. Louis “the most dangerous city in the United States” does more to hurt our image and the image of the entire State of Missouri. If Governor Greitens cared about combating crime in St. Louis, after moving his own home and family to Warren County from St. Louis, maybe he could start by giving Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner the additional funds she needs to prosecute career criminals. Maybe he could support more funds for our schools to combat truancy. More funds for drug rehab and social services.

If this were a serious effort to combat crime maybe the governor would sit down with those of us closest to the problem, the state representatives, senators and aldermen and women of North St. Louis to put together an in-depth, well-funded real fix and not a band-aid set to fall off in 90 days.

Joshua Peters (D-St. Louis) represents District 76 in the Missouri House of Representatives.

Aldermen pass bill to allow city residents up to 8 chickens

The Board of Alderman voted on Friday to allow residents in the City of St. Louis to possess up to eight chickens or other fowl depending on the size of the of their property. Board Bill 52 passed by a vote of 22-3 and awaits the signature of Mayor Lyda Krewson before it becomes law.

The previous ordinance only allowed up to four animals per city parcel, including dogs, cats, chickens and rabbits. Krewson, through the Department of Public Safety, updated existing urban farming policies to

allow for the direct, onsite sale of produce and other goods from a home garden, community garden, or urban farm.

“Access to healthy food and food security for every neighborhood in the City of St. Louis is more possible today than ever before,” said Melissa Vatterott, Food and Farm coordinator at the Missouri Coalition for the Environment. “Mayor Krewson and the Board of Alderman were both key to changing policies that will grow our local food economy and create new economic opportunities for people throughout the city.”

More than a year’s worth of engaging residents and compiling data by the St. Louis Food Policy Coalition contributed to the complementary policy changes in the city, Vatterott said. The coalition’s urban agriculture survey reached about 850 people from 75 of the city’s 79 neighborhoods. It found that residents wanted a minimum spatial requirement for various reasons, including animal welfare, public health and cleanliness, which was incorporated into Board Bill 52.

“We are excited to finally have a law that reflects what many residents

are already doing,” said Alderwoman Cara Spencer, who introduced Board Bill 52. “Many of my constituents already have a couple of pets and a few chickens in their backyard.”

Nearly 100 people surveyed want to be able to sell their produce, honey and eggs from a stand at their home or community garden, which was addressed in the policy change by the St. Louis Department of Public Safety.

“Increasing healthy food access while putting more money in the pockets of city residents are part of the tools we need to build stronger

and safer communities,” said Alderwoman Christine Ingrassia, one of the four co-sponsors of Board Bill 52. “St. Louisans now have clear guidelines about how, where, when, and what can be sold from their property, community garden, or urban farm.”

Frank Oswald, building commissioner for the city said, “The Building Division’s policy regarding urban agriculture is our way to help see our residents have access to fresh healthy food grown locally.”

American staff

Children practiced their kicking skills as they learned to swim during beginning swimming lessons at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis’ Herbert Hoover campus on Monday, July 17.

Unreasonable fear of black bodies

People who don’t know me might think I’m a cop-hatin’, law-breakin’ sistah. I been working on police-community issues for more years than I care to say. I observe how police interact with citizens based upon their age, race and perceived economic status. I pay serious attention to what they say and do as individuals and as a department. I listen to their own words. I read their own words.

I heard Gary Wiegert, then prez of the St. Louis Police Officers Association, call me a “terrorist” on his WGNU radio program some years ago. I couldn’t judge his true state of mind since Wiegert was a lobbyist for legalizing marijuana at the time.

I listened when Heather Taylor, current prez of the Ethical Society of Police (advocating for black police officers) made a passionate case for why the police need raises. She cited her special-needs child as an example of the kind of expenses families incur outside of the realm of regular living expenses that can bring financial stress. This was particularly moving coming from a mother

and because I’m on record opposing raises for police to keep brutalizing and terrorizing my community. It was the words of former St. Louis cop Redditt Hudson that have set with me for several weeks. They have rattled inside my head with the latest acquittals of police who have killed unarmed, black citizens. Redditt says as he crisscrosses this country speaking to law enforcement, he puts out a challenge to find one black cop who has killed an unarmed, white citizen. The point he makes more eloquently than I ever could is that black and brown cops get the same training as white cops. The cops of color are confronted with dangerous

Cops of color are confronted with dangerous situations daily – same as white cops. Yet. Yet, the black and brown cops manage to draw upon their training and to exercise restraint when dealing with citizens who don’t look like them.

situations daily – same as white cops. Yet. Yet, the black and brown cops manage to draw upon their training and to exercise restraint when dealing with citizens who don’t look like them.

It appears that the mostly white juries find it easy to understand the mythology that blacks are criminals and deserving of deadly force. But they have a hard time getting past the patent defense by police that works every time: I feared for my life. The acquittals of police in the face of clear evidence that unnecessary force was used only adds to the heap of injustices suffered by communities of color, particularly by the Black community.

Fearing for one’s life as a police officer can come within two seconds of seeing a little blackness. That’s how long it took police to mow down 12-year-old Tamir Rice in Cleveland. Syville Smith’s death came in 12 seconds. St. Louis native Philando Castile’s horrifying death took an entire 40 seconds by a suburban St.

Paul cop. Two reasons why police get away with using this excuse is that the black community has been criminalized and labeled violent so force is always appropriate and justifiable. The other reason is because the court has given them the legal cover to hide behind fear. The law states that it doesn’t matter whether there is an actual threat, just that the officer feels threatened. In Graham v. Connor, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the unreasonable fear theory. Any blackness is a threat.

Ask the family of pregnant Charleena Lyles in Seattle. Any Black male is a double threat. Ask the families of Mike Brown, Eric Garner, John Crawford, Dontre Hamilton, Ezell Ford, Tanisha Anderson, Tony Robinson, Freddie Gray and on and on.

Reason and logic, along with training and police protocols, get thrown out of the police car window when a black body is involved. How is it reasonable that one thinks a black man is literally getting bigger before their eyes? That’s what studies are documenting included one from the American Psychological Association. And will a black man be able to use the reasonable fear defense when he shoots a cop? Juries who are sitting on cases involving police shooting black people should remember the challenge of Redditt Hudson. The reasonable fear defense cannot be used unconditionally. Let’s exercise some reason in those deliberations. When killing a black person is a racist fix, you must not acquit! I have some tough advice to police who fear blackness so intensely that when they come upon a black person, they’re unable to take the time to process the situation. If the sight of a black body makes you wet your pants, makes you sweat profusely so that your hand accidentally pulls the trigger, gives you heart palpitations, I strongly urge you to consider a different career. Maybe like a web developer – it’s deemed one of the safest jobs in the country.

Columnist Jamala Rogers

Missouri needs a nondiscrimination policy

By state Rep. Peter Merideth Guest columnist

We’ve had a lot of conversations this year about discrimination laws and making it harder to sue bosses or landlords for discriminating.

In recent years our state became an epicenter of an important conversation about race relations and inequities, especially following the events in Ferguson.

The real tragedy, though, is that our state has responded not by passing policies that aim to address racial inequities, disparities and discrimination – but instead by making it even easier for private actors to discriminate without consequence, with bills like SB43.

Now here we are in special session talking about discrimination again – this time focused specifically on the women in our community.

The local folks in my district, through their elected officials, decided to pass an ordinance to protect women from being discriminated against via intrusive inquiries into their private medical histories.

We can debate the severity of the problem this ordinance was addressing, or whether it was drafted appropriately –whether it included sufficient exemptions for religious groups and so on. That debate is already happening in the courts, where it belongs. But the fact is that local elected leaders decided that their community deserved this policy of protecting women from invasive questioning by their bosses or landlords about their most private and sometimes traumatic decisions and experiences.

So how do we respond as a state? Yet again, it’s by

telling local communities they can’t enact their own policies, and that the freedom to discriminate is something we should protect in Missouri. This time, it’s the freedom for a boss or landlord to use their leverage to pry into the complex and private medical histories of women that seek jobs or housing.

The freedom to deny them a job or even a home because their private decisions haven’t lined up perfectly with the boss or landlord’s own moral worldview.

Understand this: we are talking about the “freedom” to cast stones and judgment on women for choices they deem immoral.

We’ve also heard a lot of talk about medical privacy this year – preserving privacy in our prescription use and medical records. And yet we consider it perfectly reasonable for those with property or businesses to use their positions of power to pry into the most personal and private of medical information. I can’t

n Understand this: we are talking about the “freedom” to cast stones and judgment on women for choices they deem immoral.

help but note the incredible hypocrisy of a group of people who talk regularly about the importance of medical privacy, and now they no longer express that concern when it’s about medical records and choices that only apply to women. And speaking of hypocrisy, how often have we heard folks in the capitol talk about government overreach, government intrusion into our privacy and big government stepping on the sovereignty of local government. And yet whenever a local government makes a decision the majority

party here doesn’t like, they have no problem overriding local control and telling local communities they know what’s best for them. Not to mention with policies that intrude into the most private aspects of people’s lives.

As a rep from St. Louis, I refuse to accept that this legislature knows better than my local community and elected officials about policies that are appropriate for us. And I’d urge them to take a moment to step back and consider how they would feel if we were constantly voting to pass bills telling their local communities that they can’t govern themselves.

I also refuse to accept that the policy of this state should be to repeatedly condone discrimination, and in this case to condone discrimination based on the private medical decisions of anyone – male or female.

For that reason I filed my own bill (HB17) relating to these local ordinances and discrimination policies. If we’re going to insist on preempting local policy, this time we should do so by establishing a nondiscrimination policy for our entire state. This time let’s expand it to prohibit discrimination based on any private medical decisions, not just reproductive choices, and make sure we make appropriate exemptions for job-related medical concerns, and for religious organizations as required by our Constitution and the operative Supreme Court decisions. No boss or landlord should be able to inquire into the private medical histories and circumstances of prospective employees or tenants as a condition of employment or housing. Let’s follow St. Louis’ lead and protect everyone in our state from discrimination over their private medical decisions.

State Rep. Peter Merideth (D-St. Louis) represents District 80 in the Missouri House of Representatives.

Guest Columnist

Peter Merideth

County Council moves to undo extra pension benefit for McCulloch

A bill up for perfection in the St. Louis County Council next Tuesday, July 25 seeks to undo language unanimously passed in November 2016 by the council that will give St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch better pension benefits.

A Post-Dispatch reporter recently discovered that the legislation revision allowed McCulloch to retire with more than his estimated $160K salary if he decides to retire at the end of his term in 2018. The legislation changed the benefit calculation for employees who have gaps in their County employment of two years or more to count all of their years of service toward their retirement pension.

McCulloch was an assistant prosecuting attorney in the county from 1978 to 1985, then worked in private practice until 1991, when he was first elected.

The revision was introduced by then-council chair Mike O’Mara, who was since voted out of office, and approved by County Executive Steve Stenger The Post noted that McCulloch’s campaign gave $100K in mostly in-kind contributions to Stenger’s campaign to unseat thenCounty Executive Charlie Dooley. McCulloch’s public attacks on Dooley –alleging corruption for which McCulloch, as prosecutor, never charged Dooley – helped

make Stenger’s win possible.

Some council members said they did not know this would be the effect of the bill and looked for bipartisan support to correct it. If passed, the bill would change the language back to where it was prior to 2009.

“When I think about making changes to the retirement plan for employees, Bob McCulloch does not come to mind,” said council vice chair Hazel Erby, who introduced the bill for council chair Sam Page to get the retirement language changed.

“I don’t think about Bob McCulloch as an employee. He is an elected official. I can’t imagine any of the council members (other than Mike O’Mara, who pushed it) thinking of Bob McCulloch as an employee.”

The changes were pushed through late last year before O’Mara’s term ended with his election loss to Rochelle Walton Gray

“We knew they were trying to get a lot of bills forward before Rochelle came, because he (Stenger) knew then he wouldn’t have support,” Erby said. “He wasn’t sure the makeup of the council in January or that he would have the votes.”

Part of the problem, Erby and other council members have said, is that county attorney Peter Krane, who works at the pleasure of

Stenger, works solely on behalf of Stenger’s interests, rather than as legal counsel for the entire council.

“That administration right now is going around the council as much as they possibly can to do whatever they do,” Erby said.

Earlier this year, the council passed a bill that would allow them to hire their own attorney to represent their interests, but Stenger vetoed it.

STL lawyer appointed U.S. attorney

President Donald Trump (it’s really hard to print that title with that name) nominated St. Louis lawyer Jeffrey B. Jensen to be the next U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri. The post, most recently held by Obama-appointee Richard Callahan, has been vacant since the Trump administration fired most of the nation’s U.S. attorneys in March. All nominations must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

Jensen is a partner at the St. Louis firm of Husch Blackwell LLP and a former FBI agent and a prosecutor in the U.S. attorney’s office for about 10 years, where he worked with Hal Goldsmith, now a partner at Bryan Cave.

“Having worked with Jeff

in the U.S. Attorney’s Office previously, I can say that he is the perfect person to lead that office going forward,” Goldsmith told The American. “He combines the skills and talents of a prosecutor who cares deeply about the victims of crime, with the highest degree of ethics and integrity which always guides him to do the right thing in every case.”

Greitens and public corruption

Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway does not approve of Gov. Eric Greitens’ veto of Senate Bill 128, which provided additional authority to allow prosecuting attorneys and law enforcement agencies to request forensic audit assistance from the State Auditor’s Office in cases of suspected misuse of public money or other official misconduct.

“I am disappointed the governor vetoed Senate Bill 128,” Galloway said in a statement. “The bill contained language that was designed to assist Missouri’s prosecutors and law enforcement by allowing my office to conduct audits when public corruption is suspected. It was the strongest piece of ethics legislation that made it to his desk this session. When public

officials violate the public trust and steal from those they are sworn to serve, they must be held accountable.”

House speaker to challenge Galloway

Galloway has at least one Republican challenger in 2018: Speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives Todd Richardson announced he is in. Missouri Democratic Party Chair Stephen Webber has some thoughts about that.

“Nicole Galloway is a fierce and independent watchdog for working Missourians,” Webber said in a statement. “In contrast, Todd Richardson is the ultimate insider in the Republican-controlled Jefferson City establishment. Missourians work too hard to let the fox guard the henhouse with their tax dollars.”

As the leader in the Missouri House, Webber noted, Richardson failed seven years in a row to pass meaningful ethics reform. The speaker has personally accepted more than 200 gifts from lobbyists – including everything from free meals to baseball tickets, according to the Missouri Ethics Commission.

Galloway is the only statewide Democratic officeholder in Jefferson City, having been appointed by then-Gov.

St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch addressed the St. Louis County Council on October 6, 2015, when Mike O’Mara was still council chair.

Jason Rosenbaum / St. Louis Public Radio

Jay Nixon following the suicide

Another special master for Clemons

On July 17, Circuit Judge Rex Burlison appointed a special master to review Reginald Clemons’ claim that the office of Attorney General Josh Hawley obtained via subpoena jailhouse visitor logs and recordings of hundreds of Clemons’ phone calls made from the St. Louis city jail since March 2016 without notifying them.

Hawley is prosecuting Clemons for the 1991 murders and rapes of Robin Kerry and Julie Kerry, after Burlison granted the St. Louis prosecutor’s request to transfer the case because the office was understaffed. Clemons was convicted in 1993, but the Missouri Supreme Court overturned the conviction in 2015 and sent the case back to circuit court following a new evidence phase opened by a previous special master appointed to Clemons’ writ of habeas corpus, Judge Michael Manners

The Post-Dispatch reported that Assistant Attorney General Christine Krug said in a response filed with the court that the state didn’t listen to any calls to public defenders or “purposefully obtain attorneyclient privileged materials.” She also said Clemons waived attorney-client privilege when he called his lawyers knowing that the jail records phone calls.

of Thomas Schweich

Business

‘Historic amount of minority inclusion’

The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis is now putting the final touches on the Community Empowerment Center of Ferguson, which employed minorities for about 75 percent of both the workforce and business contracts on the nearly $4 million project.

75

percent

of workforce, contracts on $4M Urban League project goes to minorities

By Rebecca Rivas

Of The St. Louis American

The burnt-out QuikTrip convenience store that became a symbol of racial unrest after a Ferguson police officer killed an unarmed black teenager in August 2014 will soon reopen as a community center focused on job training for African Americans.

The store was looted, burned and spraypainted “R.I.P. Mike Brown” during the unrest following Michael Brown Jr.’s shooting death by then-Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson on August 9, 2014. The QuikTrip Corporation remediated the site and then donated the property, at 9420 W. Florissant Avenue, to the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis.

The Urban League is now putting the final touches on the Community Empowerment Center of Ferguson, which employed minorities for about 75 percent of both the workforce and business contracts on the nearly $4 million project.

“It’s a historic amount of minority inclusion,” said Michael McMillan, president and CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis. “It shows the fact that when people say they cannot find enough qualified minority companies, you can find them. They do exist, and you can deliver a quality product on time and on budget.”

The Urban League co-owns the building with the Salvation Army, and both will be offering services out of the center. The building is a twostory, 13,500-square-foot facility. “It was a place where it was almost a black

n “It shows the fact that when people say they cannot find enough qualified minority companies, you can find them.” – Mike McMillan, president and CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis

Michael McMillan was appointed to the WGU Missouri Advisory Board, which provides counsel on the most effective ways the university can meet the core mission of economic development in the state. McMillan is president and chief executive officer of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis.

Christina Laney joined KAI Design & Build as Intern Architect. She has a Masters of Architecture from Hampton University in Hampton, VA and is a member of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

Keith Antone Willis Sr. joined Flotron & McIntosh, L.L.C. as the Not for Profit and Corporate Relations Specialist. Flotron & McIntosh is a lobbying firm based in Jefferson City. He is and vice president of sales & marketing for Who’s Who Diversity in Color Directory and previously worked as a sales consultant and sales coach.

Emily Lohse-Busch joined Arch Grants as its new executive director. Most recently, she worked as the senior director of Partner Solutions with Global Impact, a nonprofit organization based in Washington D.C. Arch Grants provides $50,000 equity-free grants and pro bono support services to entrepreneurs who locate their early-stage businesses in St. Louis.

eye to the community, and now it’s a place where people in the community can get help,” said Zachary Hamilton, of Kwame Building

See INCLUSION, B6

‘I am a son of East St. Louis’

By James E. Williams Jr. For The St. Louis American

What is the secret to your success? That’s the question I am frequently asked as an entrepreneur.

First, I work seven days a week! Hard work does pay off. I also study the latest trends in my industry. I’m a McDonald’s owneroperator in the St. Louis metropolitan region. I network constantly with everyone from CEOs to everyday people. I put customers first, always. But as a native of East St. Louis, Illinois, the recent commemorative events marking the city’s 1917 race riot remind me of yet another factor contributing to my success.

James E. Williams Jr.

That factor rings in my ear much like the sound of the bell at Truelight Baptist Church in East St. Louis, which warned residents of imminent harm during that bloody riot. The East St. Louis riot was one of the worst of the 20th century, with estimates ranging up to 250 African-American deaths, though the official death count was 39 blacks and nine whites. Without a doubt, hundreds of homes owned by blacks were burned to the ground. A U.S. Congressional investigation found that police ignored victims’

pleas for help. Black families fled by the thousands across the Eads Bridge to safety. Truelight pastor the Rev. Timothy J. Chambers wisely reflected, “That bell wasn’t rung just for the members of Truelight, that bell was rung for an entire city,” adding, “Because of this religious institution, lives were saved.” And that’s the connection to my success. I’m standing on the shoulders of resilient East St. Louis citizens. Their story is my story. I am who I am, because of who they are. I am a son of East St. Louis. They represent succeeding generations of riot survivors, and others who came later. They refuse to give up. And so do I,

See McDONALD’S, B2

James Morgan was promoted to lieutenant in the St. Louis County Police Department. He is currently assigned to the West County Precinct. He has also served in the North County Precinct, the Central County Precinct, and the St. Louis County and Municipal Police Academy. Has two Bachelors of Science degrees in Criminal Justice.

Dr. Jameca Falconer

Dr. Jameca Falconer joined the Community Advisory Board of Myrtle Hilliard Davis Comprehensive Health Centers. A Federally Qualified Health Center serving more than 30,000 patients annually across four site locations in the St. Louis Region. She is assistant professor at Argosy University and owner/clinical director of Emergence Psychological Services.

Michael McMillan

Christina Laney

Keith Antone Willis Sr.

Emily LohseBusch

James Morgan

Photo by Wiley Price

By Nathaniel Sillin

Are you packing up your car and hitting the road this summer? You’re not alone. According to a survey conducted by AAA, road trips are the most popular type of vacation for families in the U.S. in 2017. In fact, 10 percent more families are expected to take road trips this year than last.

From driving to the tip of Cape Cod, to seeing the Great Lakes all the way to a drive through the Yosemite Valley in California, there are limitless ways to explore on the road. Whether you’re going to visit family or taking off on an epic adventure, a road trip can be a great way to make travel about the journey rather than the destination.

Before you hit the road, make sure your car can handle the trip. Before you pack up your car, it’s a good idea to take your car to a mechanic and ensure that it’s ready for the drive. Having your car inspected and serviced by a mechanic before a road trip can be a worthwhile investment that could both save you money and prevent an untimely breakdown. Looking into a rental car is an alternative you may want to consider if you’re hoping to avoid wear and tear that might depreciate your car’s value. Consider your options carefully and choose what makes most financial sense for you.

Pack for bumps along the way. A flat tire or dead battery can put a serious damper on

Save on your summer road trip adventure

your road trip, especially if you’re not prepared. Keeping a spare tire in your car and checking your tire pressure and tread should be on your pre-trip checklist. Along with your bags, bring a few items for preventive maintenance measures on the road. Having jumper cables, coolant and engine oil handy can save you time and money.

Map out your trip ahead of time. While just jumping in the car and driving without a set destination can be an

enticing idea, the spontaneity will likely result in more expenses. Knowing when and where you’ll stop ahead of time, especially for hotels and outings, will help you stick to a budget. If you still crave the more adventurous aspects of a road trip, you can make a general plan for your major excursions and routes, while stopping for unexpected attractions and views as you go.

Comparison shop to keep hotel prices under control.

Booking ahead of time and using comparison shopping websites will save you from driving around to find the best hotel deal when you’re already tired from a long drive. If you do have to book last-minute, consider using hotel coupon books, hotel-booking apps, group coupon sites or reward points to save a little more. Camping could be another alternative to booking a hotel, which can be particularly cheap if you already have gear like tents and sleeping bags.

Managing your mileage could add up to major

McDONALD’S

continued from page B1 whether in business or in any other arena.

Today, East St. Louis residents continue to ring the bell, in response to economic, political, and social challenges. That was clear through the recent 100th anniversary commemorative events. In a wide array of activities, residents sought to bring attention to the city’s needs.

We salute SIUE history professor Rev. Joseph Brown, and historian Anne Walker, for their excellent organization of these anniversary events. Brown served as chairman of a commission which planned anniversary events; and Walker, also a commission member, organized the stunning signature event, a processional from downtown East St. Louis to the Eads Bridge state line on July 2, 2017.

The bell rang symbolically through the artistry of Edna Patterson Petty. Her striking quilt, featuring newspaper articles and images, showed the pain and suffering of riot victims. It’s displayed at the St. Clair County Courthouse.

East St. Louis Poet Laureate Eugene B. Redmond, and the Eugene B. Redmond Writers Club, rang the bell with an ensemble performance about the 1917 riot, employing the renowned Kwansaba poetic form created by Redmond.

Washington University professor Michael Allen, and SIUE professor Andrew Theising, rang the bell when they led a public discussion of factors leading to the riot and its connections to current events.

The bell continues to ring through speeches by East St. Louis Mayor Emeka JacksonHicks and St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson, who work to heal racial divides and bridge socio-economic chasms.

In the business arena, Ralph Korte, founder and chairman of the Korte Company, contributes to numerous

Before you hit the road, make sure your car can handle the trip.

savings. Though fuel prices may generally be down, the cost of filling up your tank can still add up. To make this cost more manageable, you can take advantage of apps that help you find the best gas prices in your area. In certain cases, you may also want to consider renting a more fuel-efficient car. You can save even more by mapping your trip ahead of time to avoid road tollways and construction that might slow you down.

Protect your home while you are away. One other way to save on your road trip is to ensure that your home is protected while you’re gone. If you can, ask a trusted neighbor, friend or family member to keep an eye on your house. If you can’t find someone to help, you can call US Postal Service to hold your mail while you’re away. Double check that you’ve locked all doors and windows, including the garage door, and that you’ve set your alarms and put your lights on a timer. Bottom line: Road trips can be an adventurous and inexpensive way to see the country, but costs can add up if you’re underprepared. Planning your stops and packing to anticipate your needs could help you enjoy the ride rather than worry about the expenses.

Nathaniel Sillin directs Visa’s financial education programs. To follow Practical Money Skills on Twitter: www. twitter.com/PracticalMoney.

Keep kids entertained to avoid unnecessary stops. Kids tend to get antsy in the back seat, which can lead to more frequent stops and a few impulse buys if you’re not prepared. Packing snacks and meals ahead of time can help you avoid making extra purchases at the gas station, and will often be cheaper. Also have a plan for keeping your kids entertained. Let them choose a few activates ahead of time, like preparing a road trip playlist or making a game like road trip bingo with sights you’ll be seeing along the way. If you have a tablet or phone, downloading free games, podcasts or movies can be another great option.

foundations and boards, and serves as a mentor to many.

The bell also rings with mentorship I’ve received from McDonald owner/operators such as Judson Pickard, Dick Bold, and numerous others across the country.

The late Clyde Jordan, publisher of the Monitor newspaper; the late Marian E. Officer of Officer Funeral Home, and the late Frances Nash Terrell of Nash Funeral Home, rang the bell, as do succeeding generations of those families. In 1917, Nash Funeral Home owners were credited with saving lives of East St. Louis riot victims by transporting them across the Eads Bridge.

We hear the bell from afar too. East St. Louis is the launching pad for so many. Its sons and daughters are scattered widely.

The Hudlin brothers, Reginald and Warrington Hudlin of Hollywood film fame, grew up in East St. Louis. They are great-greatgrandsons of Peter and Nancy Hudlin, who helped slaves escape in the Underground Railroad. Reginald was a producer of the 2012 film, Django Unchained.

Jackie Joyner-Kersee was the first American to win the Olympic gold for the long jump, and ultimately earned three gold medals during her athletic career.

Today, the assistant general manager of the Minnesota Timberwolves basketball team is Noah Croom, the son of the late James W. Croom Sr. who was principal of Jackson Elementary School in East St. Louis. Legions of others also rang the bell for succeeding generations.

One of my earliest mentors was Dr. Ben Davis, the first African-American McDonald’s owner/operator in East St. Louis. He hired me to work on the front counter of his store selling hamburgers as a teenager. The lessons I learned there still serve me well today.

The bell rang powerfully in my parents’ home growing up.

My dad, the late attorney James E. Williams Sr.,

responded to a citizens’ call for a grassroots mayoral campaign, and in 1971 he became the city’s first African-American mayor. Earlier, he launched the St. Clair County Legal Aid Society to offer free legal advice and services to citizens.

My mother, Mrs. Lillian Williams, rang the bell as a teacher at Dunbar Elementary in East St. Louis where she inspired students to win science competitions. She won the Golden Apple Award for excellence in teaching. At Truelight Baptist Church, the late pastor Henry Nicholson rang the bell each Sunday with sermons that encouraged congregants to step out of their comfort zones. The current pastor, Rev. Chambers, continues that tradition. In the neighborhood of East St. Louis where I grew up, Mrs. Marie Tarvin rang the bell each morning as she scurried to work at the Obear Nester Glass Company. When she returned in the evening, she would admonish neighborhood children to study hard and to set our sights on college. Countless other adults did the same. This spirit lives on. It’s visionary. It’s buoyant. It’s resilient. That’s why East St. Louis residents led that processional in honor of the 1917 race riot victims. We recognize that the deeper socio-economic wounds have not healed. But we learn from history. As my father would often say: “There is that intangible quality called INSPIRATION which comes from a pride developed by HERITAGE.”

I am grateful to be a son of East St. Louis, Illinois. The message is that the story isn’t over. Our narrative is still being written. We will not give up! We will work together to create better lives for future generations.

James E. Williams Jr. is the president of Estel Foods Inc., and the owner-operator of McDonald’s franchises in the metropolitan St. Louis region. He and his wife, Janet, have two children, Casi and Tre.

n “I know where I want to retire ultimately and where I want to win a championship. Everything is going to happen here in Houston.”

– James Harden

‘Pass’ need not be 4-letter word

I have to admit it. I always love watching the NBA Summer League action, especially when the action moves to Las Vegas.

Adding more spice to this year’s Summer League action was the presence of St. Louisans Jayson Tatum and Patrick McCaw, who both showed out in front of the packed crowds in Vegas. Tatum was named to the All Summer League Second Team for Boston while McCaw averaged close to 20 points a game for Golden State.

I also had a ball watching the Lonzo Ball Experience. Judging by the crowds and constant buzz around the Thomas & Mack Center around Vegas, so did the legions of Los Angeles Lakers fans that flocked to Vegas to watch his sensational passing wizardry.

As an old-school geezer who loves the art of the pass, it was a pleasure to watch young Lonzo work his magic with the Lakers Summer League entry. I could not get enough of it. I could not wait until the late night when his game came on TV. I stayed up late quite a few times last season to watch UCLA games because I wanted to see what he was going to do next with the basketball.

The Lakers won the Summer League championship, and Ball was named the Most Valuable Player for the league. He led the league in assists, registered two triple doubles and had four doubledigit assists games. To me, all of that was kind of immaterial as opposed to the true impact that he had on his teammates and the game itself. Lonzo is a true pass-first point guard who lives to serve his teammates and make them better. He has the rare gift of knowing his teammates are open before they know they are open. Lonzo delivers the ball to his team with great accuracy and when his teammates are in a position to score. Everybody was

“O.J. like, ‘I’m not black, I’m O.J.’……OK.” – JAY-Z, The Story of O.J.

Two weeks after JAY-Z shook up the hip-hop world with another classic album, Michael Vick proved why Hov’s album of black empowerment is so timely and necessary. In fact, if JAY-Z had waited a few more weeks to drop the album, The Story of O.J. might have been renamed, The Story of Mike Vick On FS1’s Speak For Yourself, featuring All Lives Matter spokesman Jason Whitlock, Vick was asked how former San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick could enhance his chances of getting landing a roster spot in the NFL. Vick had his own difficulties getting back to the NFL, after he served 18 months in federal prison for running a dogfighting operation. Vick’s advice?

“First thing we gotta get

Colin to do is cut his hair,” he said. It got worse, as Vick later added, “The most important thing that he needs to do is just try to be presentable.”

Cue the Sunken Place memes. Black Twitter had a field day with Vick’s tomfoolery. It doesn’t take a rocket science to figure out the difference between the situations of Vick and Kaepernick. Vick returned to the NFL as a convicted felon. Rehabbing his image was critical. By all accounts, Kaepernick is an upstanding citizen, has not broken any laws, has been a fairly productive player on the football field and regularly donates his time and money to charity. Kaepernick’s “crime” was kneeling during the national anthem and daring to ask police officers in America to stop killing unarmed men and women

Earl Austin Jr.

Ishmael H. Sistrunk

Legions of Los Angeles Lakers fans

new point guard Lonzo Ball.

SportS EyE

With Alvin A. Reid

OK, Ezekiel, enough is enough; McGregor monkeys around

Ezekiel Elliott entered his rookie NFL season with a cloud of suspicion over his head concerning allegations of physical abuse by a former girlfriend. Elliott was never charged with a crime, but the NFL investigation has somehow lingered into a new season. There are reports that Elliott could face a one- or two-game suspension.

So, with training camp beginning in two weeks for the Dallas Cowboys, why would the star running back be involved in some type of fracas in a bar late last Sunday?

As a St. Louisan and Cowboys fan, my patience for Elliott’s off-field behavior has worn thin – in fact, it’s exhausted.

Enough is enough, Ezekiel. The son of successful parents who starred at John Burroughs School and then Ohio State is becoming an embarrassment.

I don’t think he deserves a suspension for the alleged domestic violence accusation – which he vehemently denies.

But a year later, his behavior leads me to believe it might take some action from the NFL to finally get his attention.

The latest incident involves a 30-year-old man alleging he was physically assaulted at a Dallas bar but could not identify who assaulted him. He was taken to the hospital for treatment. Translation: There was a fight and Elliott was involved in some way.

Speaking of bars, in February, Elliott was at one when he and police reportedly had a chat while one of his friends was being arrested, according to TMZ. He was not accused of any wrongdoing.

About a month later, Elliott was caught on video pulling down a woman’s top during a St. Patrick’s Day parade.

Elliott was the passenger in a car crash in May that caused him to miss some organized team activities OTAs because of general soreness. That was bad luck, but it makes you wonder if he’s living too fast.

“I think it’s just life,” Elliott told reporters in June when asked about the various incidents.

“You learn from your mistakes, and if you don’t, it can be brutal. So, it’s just part of life.”

Whether you’re the 2016 NFL-leading rusher entering just your second season or an average guy or gal pursuing a

career, there comes a time to put your craft above the good times.

Hopefully, Elliott has learned his lesson. The NFL is probably going to give him a week without pay as a study guide.

Racist rampage

I warned you the Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor boxing match

would deteriorate into a race war.

Last week’s four-city promotional tour was a pathetic display that should have offended anyone who is a fan of boxing, mixed martial arts or civilized mankind.

Yes, it’s all about ticket sales and marketing. But it’s still rotten to the core.

McGregor got the racist ball rolling by proclaiming, “Dance for me, boy,” as Mayweather

shadow-boxed during a press conference at L.A.’s Staples Center. He might as well have dropped an N-word on Mayweather – he’s probably saving that until a week before the fight.

Following this sick road show’s third press conference in New York, McGregor was on The Jimmy Kimmell Show and made a reference to Rocky III, saying, “That’s the one where he had that celebrity gym isn’t it? With the dancing monkeys in the gym and all.”

Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) trained under Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) and prepared for his rematch with Clubber

Lang (Mr. T) in a gym with many black boxers McGregor even used the cliché of black men having larger penises to further insult African Americans when he said, “I’m half black; I’m black from the belly button down.”

Mayweather and his camp know what’s up – and they could care less. Mayweather has thrown the B-word at McGregor and tossed an insulting word for gay men his way too. He’s not an innocent bystander. He’s a co-conspirator. Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather Promotions CEO, said McGregor is not a bigot.

“He’s pushing the envelope a bit. He knows what he’s doing. … He’s a cold pimp,” said Ellerbe. If McGregor is a pimp, what does that make the rest of the world?

Mike Wise, a columnist for ESPN’s The Undefeated, wrote, “Mayweather and McGregor gave us a special ode to crude and vile the past week. Like two comedians unable to come up with original material, racial and homophobic epithets and personal slights became their go-to crutch in this theater of the slurred.”

This fight can’t get here and be gone fast enough for me –and anyone else with an ounce of class.

Kroenke cashes in The Los Angeles Rams are a 150-1 shot to win the Super Bowl. Owner Stan Kroenke’s new stadium opening has been pushed back a year because steady rain last winter slowed construction.

Last year’s season ticket sales euphoria that greeted the team’s arrival has slowed. Things are bleak for Kroenke and the Rams, right? Think again. FORBES has the Rams valued at $2.9 billion, making the franchise 12th on its 2017 World’s 50 Most Valuable Sports Teams list. The St. Louis Cardinals are ranked No. 47 with a value of $1.8 billion.

Alvin A. Reid is a panelist on the Nine Network program, Donnybrook and appears on ABC’s The Allman Report and several sports radio shows, including Frank Cusumano’s “The Press Box” on KFNS. His

Alvin A. Reid

Jericole Hellems leads Brad Beal Elite to Final Four

By Earl Austin Jr.

Of The St. Louis American

The Brad Beal Elite 17U basketball team enjoyed an excellent grassroots season while playing in the prestigious Nike Elite Youth Basketball League, which is the top high school summer league in the nation.

Formerly named the St. Louis Eagles, the team changed its name in honor of Beal, a former Chaminade College Prep AllAmerican who led the Eagles to the EYBL championship game in 2010. He is now a star shooting guard for the Washington Wizards.

Brad Beal Elite concluded its EYBL season last weekend by advancing to the Final Four

CLUTCH

Continued from B3

appears when an abused victim, develops a kind of respect and empathy towards their abuser…”

As I mentioned last month, the performance claims don’t hold weight when it comes to Kaepernick. Last season, his QB rating was better than Eli Manning, Philip Rivers, Joe Flacco, Carson Palmer and others. He also boasts the fourth-best TD-to-INT ratio in NFL history.

What Kaepernick is missing has nothing to do with Wahl’s clippers or an ability to read defenses. He’s missing a Tony Dungy After Vick was released from prison in 2009, Dungy, the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts coach, took Vick under his wing. Though Kaepernick doesn’t necessarily need a mentor, he does need someone with Dungy’s weight and influence to go to bat for him in NFL circles.

The NFL will have at least eight minority coaches during the 2017 season: Todd Bowles (Jets), Jim Caldwell (Lions), Hue Jackson (Browns), Vance Joseph (Broncos), Marvin Lewis (Bengals), Anthony Lynn (Chargers), Ron Rivera (Panthers) and Mike Tomlin (Steelers).

As newbies, Lynn and Joseph may not have the juice to stand up for Kaepernick, but the silence from the rest of the minority coaches is deafening. Think of the impact it would have if Tomlin or Lewis stood up for Kaepernick. What would it mean of former coaches like Dungy or Lovie Smith publically advocated for a team bring Kaepernick on board.

INSIDE

Continued from B3 running the floor and cutting to the basket with great vigor because they knew they were going to get the ball. In turn, his teammates are looking to make the extra pass because it has become contagious. It was a beautiful thing to watch.

In the next few seasons, the Lakers are prepared to become relevant in the NBA again. Players will want to play with a kid like Lonzo. Veteran Lakers players were blowing up head coach Luke Walton’s cell phone in Vegas saying they can’t wait for the season to play with Lonzo.

The Lakers are in a position to bring in two prominent free agents in 2018. What star is not going to want to come to LA and put up big numbers knowing that they will be fed the ball by this kid on a regular basis. Showtime 2.0 is on the way to the Staples Center. As a bonus, the L.A. Clippers picked up Serbian passing legend Milos Teodosic from Europe, so the Staples Center promises to be a passing frenzy in the future.

Also, St. Louis Surge completes undefeated regular season

of the Nike Peach Jam in North Augusta, S.C. The top 24 teams in the EYBL regular season qualify for the Peach Jam. BBE finished the regular season with a 13-3 record and compiled a 6-1 record in the Peach Jam for an impressive 19-4 overall record.

The leader for Brad Beal Elite over the weekend was 6’7” forward Jericole Hellems of Chaminade, who averaged 22 points and eight rebounds a game while becoming the breakout performer at the Peach Jam.

Hellems enjoyed some dominant games throughout the week and saw his recruiting stock go through the roof in just a matter of days. After the first two days of the tournament, Hellems received a dozen scholarship

The QB-turned-activist has already stated that he no longer intends to kneel during the National Anthem. That wasn’t a concession to try to get into the owners’ good graces, but rather an activist audible. Kaepernick is smart enough to know that protests and actions have to evolve and change or else they will become stale and ineffective.

The discussion on Kaepernick’s kneeling was quickly changed by upset fans and the mainstream media from a “protest against injustice” to “disrespecting the flag.” The last thing Kaepernick needs is for a Vick to be on television, feeding into the false narrative that Kaepernick’s NFL unemployment has to do with his hair or his perceived lack of talent.

While it’s true that Kaepernick may not possess the once-in-a-generation talent that Vick had, but Kaepernick still posted 16 TDs versus just 4 interceptions in 11 starts last season for one of the worst teams in the least-talented teams in the league.

Meanwhile most NFL coaches, have either spoken out against Kaepernick’s protest or simply stayed silent on the matter. Until someone with power and influence stands up for Kaepernick the way Dungy did for Vick, it appears that the elusive QB’s place will be at the center of the fight for civil rights instead of under center on the gridiron.

Maybe he can draft cleancut Vick into the movement.

Tatum, Lonzo and Smith Jr. ball out during Summer League

One of the most-exciting NBA Summer League’s is recent history is finally over. St. Louis-native Jayson Tatum

The basketball gods dropped Lonzo Ball into the NBA at the most opportune time because the point guards are today are geared towards shooting the ball and getting buckets instead of setting up their teammates. Balldominant, high-scoring point guards are the rule in today’s game, and it has trickled down into every level of play from

offers from schools such as Missouri, Illinois, Georgia Tech, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Wake Forest, Boston College, VCU, UMass, George Washington, Wichita State and Kansas State.

Brad Beal is made up mostly of players from the St. Louis metro area, but they also have two standout players from outside the state of Missouri. The other top standouts from in-state include guard Shaun Williams of Hazelwood Central, forward Kale Catchings of Liberty, guard Fred Thatch of Sikeston, forward E.J. Liddell of Belleville West and forward Karrington Davis of Chaminade, who was injured and did not play last weekend. The out of state players were five-star point guard Darius Garland (Nashville, TN), who is ranked as one of the

Top 20 players nationally in the Class of 2018; and 6’9” power forward Francis Okoro (Bloomington, IL), who is one of the top forwards in the Class of 2019.

Two summer events come to St. Louis

There will be two big grassroots basketball tournaments coming to St. Louis this weekend. The aforementioned Brad Beal Elite club will be hosting the Battle for the Arch this weekend at the Center of St. Louis Sports (6727 Langley, Ave.) in Affton. Several top programs from around the Midwest region will be in attendance, led by all of the Brad Beal Elite teams from 14U to 17U. The tournament will be held from Thursday to Sunday. The Gateway Basketball

Club and Premier Sports will be hosting the Adidas Three Stripes Alliance Tournament, which will be held from Thursday to Sunday at Lindenwood University in St. Charles. There will be teams from Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois and Wisconsin participating in the tournament.

Jets-Ramey Select wins NY2LA championship

Congratulations to the Jets-Ramey United 17U team on winning the Platinum Division championship at the NY2LA Next Level Invitational in Mequon, WI. They defeated Team Blaze in the championship game.

Members of the team include Malachi Smith (Belleville West), Jalen Hodge (O’Fallon), Kevin Caldwell (Alton), Caleb Strohmeier (Edwardsville),

Jhaylen Covington-Berry (Hazelwood Central), Blake Weiss (Mascoutah).

St. Louis Surge completes undefeated regular season

The St. Louis Surge completed a perfect regular season by defeating the Music City Ions 116-47 in their home finale at Washington University last Sunday. The Surge finished the season with a 10-0 record. They will be competing in the Women’s Blue Chip Basketball League National Tournament on Aug. 5-6 at Fontbonne University. The Surge are the defending WBCBL National champions. For more information on the Surge and for ticket info for the playoffs, visit the website, STLSurgebasketball.com.

Jets-Ramey United wins championship

Congratulations to the Jets-Ramey United 17U boys team on winning Platinum Division championship at the NY2LA Next Level Invitational in Mequon, WI last weekend. Jets-Ramey United defeated Team Blaze 42-41 in the championship game. The team members (left to right) Caleb Strohmeier (Edwardsville), Jhaylen CovingtonBerry (Hazelwood Central), Zachary Briggs (Decatur MacArthur), Kevin Caldwell, Jr. (Alton), Malachi Smith (Belleville West), Jalen Hodge (O’Fallon), Blake Weiss (Mascoutah).

showed off his skills in Utah by putting up 18.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.3 steals per game for the Boston Celtics.

Lonzo Ball was named Summer League 2017 MVP after averaging 16.3 points, 9.3 assists (which led the Summer

the collegiate, high school and youth ranks. The word “pass” has literally become a fourletter word.

League) and 7.7 rebounds per game. He helped lead the Los Angeles Lakers squad to a championship and posted two triple-doubles along the way. Another player that opened eyes was Dennis Smith Jr for the Dallas Mavericks. Smith averaged 17.3 points,

4.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.2 steals per game. The former North Carolina State PG proved to be the most-explosive player in the draft with several highlight reel dunks, including some that missed.

Smith’s jump shot, handles and ability to get to the basket put

him in the conversation with Tatum and Ball as prime contenders to earn Rookie of the Year. Follow Ishmael and In the Clutch on Twitter @ IshmaelSistrunk

I cringe when I go to a youth game and I see a small kid chucking up bad shot after bad shot while his teammates are literally starving for a touch. I also cringe when I see pass-first point guards get devalued because they are not insane bucket-getters. Sometimes, I feel the game has passed me by.

I have the same excitement about Lonzo Ball entering the NBA as I did when Magic Johnson and Larry Bird came into the league in 1980. Magic and Bird were superstars who loved to pass the ball, and they made it cool to pass the basketball. I believe that

Lonzo will have the same effect, in that he will make it cool for point guards to pass the basketball. At least I hope so. I really don’t pay a lot of attention to all of the outside stuff going on in Lonzo’s world. I just love to tune in and watch him pass the ball.

Hopefully, the Lonzo Ball Experience will have a trickledown effect to the lower levels as we can begin to see young point guards find joy in passing the basketball and setting up their teammates. Kids, continue to work on your cross-over moves and step-back jumpers and 3-point shooting; but also realize that they can be great joy achieved from making the pass.

Jericole Hellems

continued from page B1

Group, who managed the project’s construction. “You have two pretty significant national nonprofits both in the same building.”

Simms Building Group was the main contractor on the project, and most of the subcontractors were small businesses. Kwame, an employee-owned local company, was the construction management group.

“We didn’t have any super big boys on the job,” Hamilton said.

Among the workers and business owners, Hamilton said that he commonly heard that this was the type of project that they would bring their children by to see.

“It’s one of the projects that you’re very proud of, even though it’s not the most complicated or the most expensive project you’ve worked on,” Hamilton said.

“It’s because of what it stands for.”

He’s also proud that the project reached the

highest amount of minority participation among any project in St. Louis, to his knowledge.

Once completed at the end of the month, the new facility will house the Urban League’s “Save Our Sons” workforce program, which will provide job training and placement services for African Americans and other young men in Ferguson and North St. Louis County.

The Salvation Army will provide help with after school tutoring, financial assistance for rent and utilities, and emotional and spiritual care for individuals reentering society after incarceration, said Lt. Colonel Lonneal Richardson, who was the Salvation Army Midland Divisional commander when the center was conceived. Its Pathway to Hope program, which helps families break free of poverty, will also be part of the center, he said.

“These are just some of the services desperately needed in North St. Louis County,” said Richardson (now commander of women’s ministries for the Salvation Army Northern Division, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota).

In addition to The Salvation

Army, the center also will have offices for Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and University of MissouriExtension. Provident and Better Family Life plan to hold community events and offer resources there occasionally.

McMillan has said that Michael Johnson, a QuikTrip board director, called him days after the QuikTrip burned asking what they could do. In the Urban League’s conversations with community members, particularly young men, they expressed that they want jobs, McMillan said.

In the Save Our Sons fourweek job-training program, participants learn everything from public speaking and team-building to emergency financial preparation and health care.

“This is the first time in 99 years that we had ever built a building,” McMillan said. “We’ve always bought or leased a building. We were purposeful about seeking that property, where the tragic burning is something we hope will turn into a triumphant event and where it will serve the community.”

Financial Focus

By Roger Macon, AAMS

with the right investments

a home or for an expensive European vacation, you want to make sure that a certain amount of money will be available to you at a certain time. Consequently, you may want to avoid stocks or stock-based vehicles, which will constantly fluctuate in price, because you don’t want

Workers look over final plans for the Community Empowerment Center of Ferguson which plans to be completed at the end of the month.

Photo by Wiley Price

Love letter for Pruitt-Igoe

New book shows human face of failed housing project

By Sophie Hurwitz

For The St. Louis American

The former site of the Pruitt-Igoe housing project , along Cass Avenue, looks nothing like the complex of 33 11-story buildings it once was in the 1950s and ‘60s. The buildings, which were originally designed to be the public housing of the future, were instead demolished and razed to the ground barely 20 years after they were constructed.

Bob Hansman’s new book about the rise and fall of Pruitt-Igoe, simply titled “Pruitt-Igoe,” which came out on July 17, tells the stories of the people who lived in those buildings. In his book, he quotes a young mother who, in the 1970s, expressed his misgivings.

n “Some people approached me and said, ‘Don’t write anything good about Pruitt-Igoe.’ Some said, ‘Don’t write anything bad.’ And all of these people lived there.”

– Bob Hansman

“All you people do is come down here and meddle in our lives so you can get stories and master’s degrees and write some damn book,” she said. “It may do you some good, but what good does it do us? We still get busted pipes and flooded apartments. We still get raped, robbed, murdered. You write to live, and I struggle to live. Hell.”

In writing it, however, Hansman (a professor in the art school at Washington University) didn’t want it to exploit the people who lived there – he wanted to make a tribute to their stories.

In trying to tell the story of Pruitt-Igoe, Hansman was confronted with multiple narratives.

“There were some people that approached me and said, ‘Don’t write anything good about Pruitt-Igoe.’ And then there were some that said, ‘Don’t write anything bad.’ And all of these people lived there. This was not going to be a single person’s memoir.”

The book focuses on that array of voices within Pruitt-Igoe.

“It’s not about the buildings, it’s not about statistics,” Hansman said. “Statistics are misleading. I believe in opinions. Opinions just are what they are.”

See PRUITT-IGOE, C4

The bald and the beautiful

Model Pierre creates ‘Hats Off’ fashion show for alopecia

awareness

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

Model Lawanda McCleary, known professionally as Pierre, is bold, bald and beautiful. But she hasn’t always felt that way. She has been ripping runways around the world for more than twenty years, but carrying a huge secret at the same time. Her hair had been falling out off and on for her entire life. A decade ago she was diagnosed with alopecia. Last year her condition morphed into alo-

pecia universalis – which means that she has no hair on her body. Before it progressed, she went to extreme lengths to hide her condition – from herself and everyone else. She slept in her wigs so that her children couldn’t see. She taught herself how to style her wigs and put on her makeup without using the mirror. But then she challenged herself to take a long hard look at herself – every single day. She would force herself to the mirror and face her baldness. “In doing so it helped me, first to accept what was taking place in my life – and secondly to build up my confidence,” Pierre said. “One day I just looked at myself as a whole person without hair –and identified that my hair is not my glory. My crown is my glory, which is who I am as a woman.”

Jon B.’s blueeyed rhythm coming to Ballpark Village

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

“At this point, I ain’t trying to prove nothing to nobody,” singer Jon B. said. “If you know Jon B., you know I was the first one to do it before all these other white boys. Real talk.” Before Justin Timberlake, Robin Thicke or Justin Bieber, there was Jon B. Discovered by Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds’ then-wife Tracey Edmonds, he came on to the R&B scene co-signed by Babyface almost 25 years ago with their duet “Someone to Love.”

Orlando

Watson’s cancer awareness gala this Sunday at Randall Gallery

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

“It’s a very emotional event for me because almost every year since I’ve done it, we’ve lost somebody,” said Orlando Watson, a cancer survivor. “Whether it’s family, friends or some of the survivors that we’ve honored in the

past.” On Sunday, July 23, Watson will present his 7th annual I’m A Survivor All White Cancer Gala at Randall Gallery. As the name of the event explicitly states, Watson himself is among them. At the tender age of 33 he was diagnosed with cancer.

“Ours is more of an awareness event,” Watson said. “As well as paying tribute to people who are fighting this disease – as well as giving them their roses while they are still with us.”

Yes, he is a survivor who has been cancerfree for the past several years. But he has also lost his mother, grandmother, four aunts and three uncles to various forms of cancer.

“We could honor somebody this weekend,

C6

Model Lawanda “Pierre” McCleary will present Hats Off Alopecia Fashion Show Sunday, July 23 at The Polish Heritage Center Jon B. to co-headline

Lou FM District Rhythms concert Friday, July 21 at Ballpark Village.

Orlando Watson’s 7th Annual I’m A Survivor All White Cancer will take place Sunday, July 23 at Randall Gallery.

How to place a calendar listing

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

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

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

concerts

Thur., July 20, The Pageant presents Waka Flocka Flame 6161 Delmar Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www. thepageant.com.

Fri., July 21, 8 p.m., 95.5 The Lou District Rhythms Concert Series feat. Jon B and Silk. Ballpark Village, 601 Clark Ave., 63102. For more information, visit www. stlballparkvillage.com.

Fri., July 21, 8 p.m., Platinum Power Moves After Hours presents Lyfe Jennings & David Holister. The Ambassador, 9800 Halls Ferry Rd., 63136. For more information, call (314) 8699090.

July 21 – 22, Jazz St. Louis presents the Montez Coleman Group. Jazz at the Bistro, 3536 Washington Ave., 63103. For more information, call (314) 571-6000 or visit www.jazzstl. org.

Sat., July 22, 8 p.m., Suite Soul Concert Series feat. Timothy Bloom & Chante Cann. Grandel, 3610 Grandel Sq., 63108. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.

Sun., July 23, 6 p.m. (5 p.m. doors), Community Women Against Hardship Summer Jazz Benefit Concert featuring Montez Coleman, Anita Jackson, Tony Suggs, Jeffrey Anderson with special guest Yancyy, Harold and Dorothy Center for Jazz, 3536 Washington.

Wed., July 26, 7 p.m., The Ready Room presents The Wailers. 4195 Manchester Ave., 63110. For more information, call (314) 8333929.

Sat., July 29, 1 p.m., Gateway Jazz Festival featuring Najee, Maysa, Nick Colionne, Julian Vaughn

and more, Chesterfield Amphitheater, 631 Veterans Pl Dr., 63017. For more information, visit www. gatewayjazzfest.com.

Sat., July 29, 7 p.m., The Ambassador presents Monica With special guest Dirty Muggs. 9800 Halls Ferry Rd., 63136. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

Sun., July 30, 7 p.m., United Negro College Fund of St. Louis presents An Evening of Stars Benefit Concert with Chante Moore. Additional performances by Denise Thimes, Cedric the Entertainer, and more. Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Sq., 63108. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.

Fri., Aug. 4, 5 p.m., Peda Peda presents NBA Youngboy. The Ambassador, 9800 Halls Ferry Rd., 63136. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

Sun., Aug. 6, 7 p.m., The Ready Room presents Jidenna – Long Live the Chief Tour. 4195 Manchester Ave., 63110. For more information, visit www. thereadyroom.com.

Thur., Aug. 10, 7 p.m., Herbie Hancock Live. Powell Hall, 718 N. Grand., Blvd., 63103. For more information, call (314) 534-1700.

local gigs

Sat., July 22, 6 p.m., Soulard Summer Concert Series feat. Patti & The Hitmen. Soulard Market Plaza, 730 Carroll St., 63104. For more information, call (314) 622-4180.

Sun., July 23, 5:30 p.m., Ivory Perry Park Summer Concert Series feat. Marquise Knox. We will also have arts and crafts, face painting, food, and more. 800 North Belt, 63112. For more information, visit www.ippconcerts.com.

The St. Louis American recommends

Fri., July 28, 7 p.m., All-N1 Entertainment presents You Know I Got Soul Live Tribute Concert. Mandarin Banquet Hall, 8008 Olive Blvd., 63130. For more information, call (314) 6903660.

Sat., July 29, 7 p.m., The Ambassador presents Monica With special guest Dirty Muggs. 9800 Halls Ferry Rd., 63136. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

Sun., July 30, 3 & 6 p.m., JPEK Creative Works Theatre presents Teena Marie and Chaka Khan Music Revue. Performed by Willena “Mz. NV” Vaughn and Paige Oatis. Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com.

special events

Sat., July 22, 11 a.m., Girls Empowerment Brunch. Cardinal Ritter College Prep, 701 N. Spring Ave., 63108. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Sat., July 22, 5 p.m., African Diaspora Council Annual Dinner: Honoring Nelson Mandela’s Life & Legacy African Cultural Center, 1425 Ferguson Ave., 63133. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Sun., July 23, 2 p.m., Northside Seventh-Day Adventist 1st annual Community Fest. 9001 Lucas & Hunt Rd., 63138. For more information, call (314) 8680707.

Sun., July 23, 7:30 p.m., Big Girl’s Entrepreneurs presents Big Girl Magic featuring special guest BOLO The Entertainer, Blackmon’s Plaza, 127 Collinsville, East St. Louis IL.

July 26 – July 29, National Urban League Annual Conference, America’s Center. For more information, visit http://conference. iamempowered.com/

July 27 – 28, National Urban League Hackathon For Social Justice. An opportunity to use technology to create a viable solution to a social issue. America’s Center, 701 Convention Plaza, 63101. For more information, visit www. nulhackathon.eventbrite.com.

Sat., July 29, 10 a.m., Hazelwood School District hosts Back to School and Community Fair. Hazelwood East High School, 11300 Dunn Rd., 63138. For more information, visit www. hazelwoodschools.org.

Sat., July 29, 10 a.m., Citizens United for Social Change presents Unity in the Community Resource Fair. We will have career training, vision screening, children’s services, free

Gateway Jazz Festival featuring Najee, Maysa, Nick Colionne, Julian Vaughn and more. For more information, see CONCERTS.

backpacks and school supplies. Fairground Park, 63107. For more information, visit www. citizens4sc.org.

Sat., July 29, 12 p.m., Midwestern HBCU and Greek Summer Picnic. Tilles Park, 9551 Litzsinger Rd., 63124. For more information, visit www.facebook.com.

Sat., July 29, 7 p.m., Mind Over Magic. A modern, edgy, family friendly, interactive magic show. The Monocle, 4510 Manchester Ave., 63110. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Sun., July 30, 7 p.m., Peabody Opera House presents Bring It! Live. They’re back with hotter than ever, never before seen performances. 1400 Market St., 63103.

July 31 – Aug. 4, Ozzie Smith’s Sports Academy Basketball Camp. Brentwood High School 2221 High School Dr., 63144. For more information, call (314) 9638689.

Thur., Aug. 3, 6 p.m., YWCA Metro St. Louis invites you to the 5th Annual Walk A Mile in Her Shoes A walk to show support of the importance of sexual assault awareness. Ballpark Village, 601 Clark Ave., 63102. For more information, visit www. ywcastlouis.org.

Aug. 3 – 4, Little Chef Dj’s Eat Colorful Garden. Little Chef DJ continues to strive to start his garden to serve the north county community. St.

Louis Bread Company, 4561 Forest Park Ave., 63108. For more information, visit www. facebook.com.

Sat., Aug. 5, Miss Divine Destiny Pageant. An to promote positive self-image, wellness, and unity among girls in the community. RLCC Banquet Hall, 1651 Redman Rd., 63138. For more information, call (314) 246-9498 or visit www. thequeensguidetolife.com.

Sun., Aug. 6, 11 a.m., St. Louis Bride & Groom Magazine presents The Wedding Show. America’s Center, 701 Convention Plaza, 63101. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Thur., Aug. 10, 6 p.m., Pins and Needles Designer Competition. Six designers from across the country will showcase their designs. Majorette, 7150 Manchester Ave., 63143. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

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

comedy

Sat., July 22, 6:30 p.m., Humor for Hire presents The Clean Comedy Series:

Family Funny. Hosted by DeAndre Whitner. The Laugh Lounge, 11208 W. Florissant Ave., 63033. For more information, call (314) 9212810.

Sat., July 22, 7:30 p.m., Burlesque Bad & Bougie Comedy. Sugar Brown, discloses her diaries through standup comedy and sexy burlesque dance. Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

July 25 – 26, Secure Entertainment – STL presents Everybody Hates Chris Comedy Open Mic. Legacy Books and Café, 5249 Delmar Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Fri., July 28, 7 p.m., The Laugh Lounge Comedy Club presents Paul Mooney Live. 11208 W. Florissant Ave., 63033. For more information, call (314) 921-2810.

July 28 – 29, Funny Bone St. Louis presents Tim Meadows 614 West Port Plaza, 63146. For more information, visit www.stlouisfunnybone.com.

Sat., Aug. 12, 6 p.m., The Pageant presents Lavell Crawford: Home for the Holiday Comedy Special. 6161 Delmar Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www. thepageant.com.

Fri., July 28, 7 p.m., The Laugh Lounge Comedy Club presents Paul Mooney Live. 11208 W. Florissant Ave., 63033. For more information, call (314) 921-2810.

Thur., July 13, 7 p.m., Left Bank Books hosts author Edward Moore, author of The Supremes Sing the Happy Heartache Blues A paradoxical marriage brings together the people of Plainview with Blues guitarist Eli Walker, who once vowed

to never set foot in the town again. 399 N. Euclid Ave., 63108.

Wed., July 19, 7 p.m., Missouri History Museum presents The Making of an All-American City: East St. Louis at 150. 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www. mohistory.org.

Wed., July 19, 7 p.m., Left Bank Books hosts author Bruce Olson, author of That St. Louis Thing: An American Story of Roots, Rhythm and Race, Volumes 1 & 2. Over 100 years of the city’s famed musical development placed in the context of its civil rights movement. 399 N. Euclid Ave., 63108.

art

Fri., July 21, 11 a.m., St. Louis ArtWorks Summer Sale. View and purchase the work the apprentices have created in the summer program. 5959 Delmar Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www.stlartworks.org.

Thur., Aug. 3, 6:30 p.m., Ferguson Voices Exhibit Opening Panel and Reception. The exhibit will be on display all of August. The panel includes people featured in the exhibit. St. Louis Public Library – Schlafly Branch, 225 N. Euclid Ave., 63108. For more information, visit www. slpl.org.

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

lectures and workshops

Thur., July 20, 7 p.m., St. Louis Rogues’ Gallery. Join Shayne Davidson as

The St. Louis American recommends

she shares how she scoured various sources to track down information about the accused people depicted in the St. Louis Police Department’s rogues’ gallery. Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112.

Sat., July 22, 1 p.m., St. Louis Public Library presents Confederate Currency: The Color of Money – Depictions of Slavery in Confederate and Southern States Currency. Julia Davis Branch, 4415 Natural Bridge Ave., 63115. For more information, visit www.slpl.org.

Sat., Aug. 5, 1 & 3 p.m., Aiming for the Truth. To help good people be able to protect themselves but also reduce the amount of overall violence we all encounter. Good Samaritan Church,

Productions presents Play. This play will remind you that when the seed of love is planted early and you put God first He can save a family. Sun Theater, 3625 Grandel Sq., 63108. For more information, call (314) 3249175.

July 21 – Aug. 17, Stages St. Louis presents 9 to 5 The Musical. Robert G. Reim Theatre, 111 S. Geyer Rd., 63122. For more information, visit www.stagesstlouis.org.

July 28 – 30, The Fox presents Mamma Mia! 527 N. Grand Blvd., 63103. For more information, visit www. fabulousfox.com.

July 28 – Aug. 6, Hawthorne Players present Once Upon A Mattress This beloved musical version of “The Princess & the Pea”. Florissant Civic Center Theatre, 1 James J. Eagan Dr., 63033. For more information, visit www. hawthorneplayers.info.

Aug. 3 – 5, Ragtime the Musical. Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee Ave., 63104. For more information visit www.brownpapertickets. com.

1488 Belt Ave., 63112. For more information, visit www. facebook.com.

theatre

Through July 16, First Run Theatre presents Dreaming in Black and White. In 1963 Virginia, dreams and fears collide when Pearlene, a black caretaker, is hired to help care for Sonny, a white man with heart disease. 726 Leland Ave., 63130. For more information, visit www.firstruntheatre.com.

July 21 – 23, COCA presents Disney’s Beauty & the Beast 524 Trinity Ave., 63130. For more information, visit www. cocastl.org.

July 21 – 23, Metropolitan Community Theatrical

Aug. 7 – Aug. 13, Musical Theatre Workshop for ages 8-15 (flexible), STLCC –Forest Park Student Center. For more information, visit www.HowToDance.us or Eventbrite.com.

health

Sat., July 29, 10 a.m., St. James Ville Community Health Fair in Recognition of Homer G. Phillips Hospital. 18 vendors will provide health testing asthma, lead poisoning, mammograms, and more. 4301 St. Ferdinand Ave., 63113. For more information, visit www.stjamesstl.org.

Sat., Aug. 12, 9 a.m., Grace Hill invites you to Strong Women and

Families Health and Resource Fair. We will have back to school immunizations, credit counseling, school supplies, and more. 2600 Hadley St., 63106. For more information, call (314) 822-2344.

spiritual

Through July 22, Higher Ground International Ministries Conference 2017 Faith Miracle Temple, 870 Pershall Rd., 63137. For more information, visit www. regonline.com.

Sun., July 23, 2 p.m., Northside Seventh-Day Adventist 1st annual Community Fest. 9001 Lucas & Hunt Rd., 63138. For more information, call (314) 8680707

July 24-July 28, Missouri Midwest Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction, under the leadership of Bishop Elijah Hankerson III, presents its COGIC Second Annual Holy Convocation, Kennerly Temple Chruch of God In Christ, 4307 Kennerly Ave. St. Louis, Missouri 63113. For more information Call Pastor Travis J. Cox 314-7615148.

Sat., July 29, 1 pm. And Sun., July 30, 2 p.m., St. Matthew C.M.E. Church will celebrate the 10th anniversary of spiritual leadership of its pastor, Rev. Renee T. Johnson. Pastoral Appreciation will begin on Saturday, July 29th at 1 pm at Greentree Community Church and continue on Sunday, July 30th at 2 pm at St. Matthew C.M.E. Church located at 312 Attucks St., Kirkwood, MO.

Thurs., Aug. 3 – Sun., Aug. 6, 2017 Joint Holy Convocation “Living the Christian Life with Consistency,” (Thurs., Aug. 3, 7 p.m.), Dr. Michael Eric Dyson (Fri., Aug. 4, 7 p.m.) and host pastor Bishop Luther J. Blackwell, Jr. (Sun., Aug. 6, 10:30 a.m.), 10191 Halls Ferry Rd., St. Louis, MO 63136.

The Ready Room presents Jidenna – Long Live the Chief Tour. See CONCERTS for details.

On Sunday, July 23, Pierre will help others with alopecia embrace their beauty and raise awareness about the condition with her Hats Off Alopecia Fashion show at The Polish Heritage Center. The show will feature 22 designers dressing nearly twenty models afflicted with alopecia.

“I wanted to do a fashion show with purpose,” Pierre said. “I’ve been in a lot of shows and I’m not taking anything away from the creative idea of a show, but I asked God to give me a vision. And he told me to use what I thought was my imperfection – which is alopecia – to create this show.”

She’ll be joined by models from all over the world and of all ages – including two sixyear-old girls.

“They are brave soldiers,” Pierre said of her youngest models. “Kids are so brutally honest.”

Some of the models will be going public with their alopecia for the first time on Pierre’s runway.

“I want them to take off their wigs, scarfs and hats and embrace alopecia on the runway,” Pierre said. “It’s something that needs to be brought to the forefront, and I want to inspire other women, men and children to be open about it. It’s not something that anyone should be ashamed of. I have a condition where my immune system and blood affects my hair follicles, which makes my hair fall out.”

Accepting her alopecia didn’t happen overnight.

“That confidence had to come from inside, and I had to build it up to get there,” Pierre said. “I didn’t plan to take my wig off. It just happened.”

It gradually began at home. Her daughter suggested that she do so publicly, but Pierre wasn’t quite ready. She went bald while modeling as part of

n “That confidence had to come from inside, and I had to build it up to get there,” Pierre said. “I didn’t plan to take my wig off. It just happened.”

swimsuit fashion week in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. She didn’t put her wig on the whole trip, but came back to St. Louis and went back to her safety net.

But after a trip to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands she didn’t feel compelled to put it on – and she never did again.

“This is me. This is who I am. This is my truth,” said Pierre. “My hope is to inspire others – and not just people with alopecia – to accept and embrace who they are as a per-

son. You have to love yourself from within so that your beauty can be shown outwardly for everyone else to see.”

The Hats Off Alopecia Fashion Show will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 23 at the Polish Heritage Center, 1413 N. 20th Street in St. Louis. A VIP package is available for purchase that includes a 5:30 pm. Dinner. Tickets are available at eventbrite.com.

JON

B

Continued from C1

Thanks to a string of hits in the late 1990s and early 2000s, he’s remained a favorite on the urban side of things. But he never achieved the level of mainstream success as Timberlake, Thicke or Bieber – who many, including Jon himself, say followed Jon B.’s format.

“People say, ‘You don’t get your props,’” Jon B. said. “I say, ‘I don’t need your Grammys. I don’t need your MTV awards. All I need is to watch the culture engage with what I do. I need to watch people dancing. I have couples coming up to me saying, ‘Man, we made our baby to your song, man.” We got married to your song, man.”

On Friday, July 21, Jon B. will get a chance to watch St. Louis audience dance as he co-headlines 95.5 The Lou FM’s presentation of The District Rhythms concert with 90s R&B group Silk.

PRUITT-IGOE

Continued from C1

The book takes the form of a narrative. “I wound up telling it as a story, not as a collection of artifacts and facts, because I wanted people to feel something when they read the book,” he said. “It’s like a sacred trust. I wanted to give it as a gift to the people that lived there.”

Kim Gaines and Kathy McClellan were two young girls who were found murdered in the Pruitt-Igoe complex. Hansman tells their stories in the book, alongside photographs of the girls, which he said were extremely difficult to find.

“I got in touch with the extended family of Kim Gaines, and they’re very happy that those two little girls will not be forgotten,” said Hansman. “They’ve pretty much been left out of every other account, somehow. So to be able to – right at the last minute, as the whole neighborhood’s being wiped out – to be able say, ‘They were here.’ To have the memory of these two little girls back meant a great deal to me.”

The book comes out as the neighborhood surrounding the Pruitt-Igoe site is cleared to build National GeospatialIntelligence Agency (NGA) West headquarters, which is especially poignant for Hansman.

“People can expect the hits – and the hits,” Jon B. said. “Every time I jump on stage, you are going to get 100 percent. It doesn’t matter what’s going on in my life. It doesn’t matter how hard it was to get to the gig. People can expect to see somebody who is very grateful to be performing for you and giving his all every time. I want people to say, ‘He literally just wore himself out for us.’ On my worst night, that’s what I want them to say.”

It’s been more than a decade since Jon B. has had new music in rotation on the radio or on the charts. While he’s not bitter, he makes a point to let it be known that he was a trailblazer – at least when it comes to the generation of R&B inspired by hip-hop.

“When everybody else was hanging from strings and being puppets for their label, I was pissing the labels off because I was working with Tupac and Nas, Guru and JAY-Z and everybody,” Jon B. said as a thinly veiled shot at Timberlake.

The 1997 hit “Are You Still Down” was the final rap collaboration Tupac recorded before his death in 1996.

“I was working with hiphop’s finest because I was … I am … a fan of hip-hop,” Jon B. said. “I was trying to blend the two elements of hip-hop and R&B together in an authentic way.”

He says that he has no regrets on how things panned out as far as his legacy.

“I hope that the way that I do my shows, the way that I produce my music, the way that I collaborate with people – I hope that it sets an example for this next generation,” Jon B. said. “I’m the king of this blue-eyed R&B [expletive]. I have the ability to communicate the message of love, and that’s what God put me here to do.”

95.5 The Lou District Rhythms Concert Series feat. Jon B and Silk will take place at 8 p.m. on Friday, July 21 at Ballpark Village, 601 Clark Ave., 63102. For more information or tickets, visit www.stlballparkvillage.com.

Systemic poverty tours

The book of stories and photos from Pruitt-Igoe that Bob Hansman eventually created is deeply connected to his other work. He runs tours of the former PruittIgoe site, along with other parts of St. Louis, for groups ranging from students at Washington University, where he is a professor, to tourists from Denmark and the Netherlands, to a high school group from Clarkdale, Mississippi. Next week, he’ll give a tour to Lyda Krewson, mayor of the city he knows and loves so well.

“We hit everything from Mill Creek Valley, to PruittIgoe, to Kinloch,” Hansman said. “I’m trying to paint a picture of St. Louis in space and time so people understand the connections between things. They don’t see the patterns. So that’s

“The neighborhood’s gone,” he said. Even the church he attended for many years, Grace Baptist, which was “literally across the street from the entrance to Pruitt-Igoe,” was demolished. Though Hansman doesn’t

what the tours do.”

“I’ve been teaching in the Clinton-Peabody housing project for the same amount of time I’ve been teaching at Wash U,” he said. “So I have one foot in each place.” The students he brings on most of his tours, however, don’t always see the city the same way he does.

“There’s kids here that I have to convince these things are real,” he said.

Students begin his tours believing that poverty is fundamentally the fault of individuals, instead of a systemic issue. “They think these things are just personal responsibility, they don’t understand structures,” he said. “I tell them, ‘I didn’t make up this city!’”

– Sophie Hurwitz

want to paint himself as antiprogress, he wishes the people in the neighborhood were allowed more of a chance to control what happened to the place they lived.

“There’s always certain people making decisions, and other people living with them,” he said. “I would like to see, at least in the future, more respect shown for people.” His book tells the stories of some of the people who lived there long before the NGA West project, and before the implosion of the Pruitt-Igoe buildings became a symbol for the failure of urban highrise housing projects. It tells both the good and bad sides of Pruitt-Igoe. Most importantly, it focuses not on the buildings, but on the people who lived their lives inside them.

“This is like a love letter to the people,” he said. “It’s saying, ‘You did this. You survived this. You lived, you know? You lived.’”

Kill Trump’s sham election commission

By Marc H. Morial President and CEO

National Urban League

“We write to you to express our most urgent concern that letters just issued by the Trump Administration will pave the way for nationwide voter suppression and purging, and violate the privacy of hundreds of millions of American citizens ... We have little doubt that these letters - issued unilaterally without any vote or public discussion - would lead to an unprecedented, nationwide voter suppression effort.” - Congressional Black Caucus letter to National Association of Secretaries of State, June 30, 2017.

It was clear from the moment it was announced that the federal “Election Integrity Commission” was nothing more than a vehicle for voter suppression.

With an intrusive request for personal voter information, the commission has ventured into the territory of intimidation. Fortunately, state officials

SURVIVOR

Continued from C1

and they might not be here next year to celebrate the next person,” Watson said. “Each year, it gets harder and harder, but I keep pushing.”

The event is celebratory, but it is a party with a purpose.

Over the years speakers have given talks and presentations related to cancer. There have

aren’t having it. At least 44 states are refusing to comply with the request, wholly or in part.

“I find this request for the personal information of millions of Marylanders repugnant; it appears designed only to intimidate voters and to indulge President Trump’s fantasy that he won the popular vote,” Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh wrote in response to the request. In my home state of Louisiana, Secretary of State

also been screenings and information sessions along with the fun.

A situation that took place at the 2015 gala drives home the importance of the event. That year, the gala was held at Union Station, and on-site PSA testing was available for the men.

Orlando rounded up the men to do the test, but one man waiting at the bar to get his drink decided to hang back. He was there for the party – and

Tom Schedler said, “My response to the Commission is, you’re not going to play politics with Louisiana’s voter data.”

Even in the deep-red state of Mississippi, Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann told the Commission, “Go jump in the Gulf.”

I’m proud of the nation’s state officials for standing firm in defending the rights of their constituents and resisting an obvious ploy to invade citizens’ privacy and restrict

that was that.

“A lot of the guys followed me when I said that, but this brother didn’t budge,” Watson said. “He just kind of stood there waiting for his drink. His buddy was like ‘come on man, let’s take this test. It won’t cost us anything. Let’s just knock it out.’”

After repeatedly telling his friend that he didn’t “come here for all of that,” he finally relented and went with the group to get the test.

their right to vote.

The commission’s vice chair, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, has repeatedly lost in lawsuits filed by the ACLU over his efforts to make it harder for people to register and vote. Last month, a federal magistrate judge fined him $1,000 for misleading the court by attempting to shield a document regarding his advice to Trump on how to make voter registration harder. And just this week, the Lawyers’ Committee for

The following week, the man reluctant to take the test sent Watson a message on Facebook.

“He said, ‘Hey man, I’ve got prostate cancer.’”

It was detected early, and the man is now cancer free. But what would have happened if he had insisted on chilling at the bar with his drink instead of falling in line with those getting tested?

Luckily for him, he’ll never know.

Civil Rights Under Law filed a formal Hatch Act Complaint against Kobach, accusing him of repeatedly exploiting his commission role to promote his candidacy for Kansas Governor and to solicit campaign contributions.

“We deem the President’s Election Integrity Commission to be a baseless tool to promote voter suppression and Mr. Kobach’s unlawful abuse of his role as head of the commission for partisan ends only underscores the illegitimacy of the commission itself,” Lawyer’s Committee President and Executive Director Kristen Clarke said.

The 2014 report of the Presidential Commission on Election Administration –headed by Mitt Romney’s lawyer Ben Ginsberg and President Obama’s lawyer Bob Bauer – made several key recommendations:

• Modernization of the registration process through continued expansion of online voter registration and expanded state collaboration in improving the accuracy of voter lists;

• Measures to improve access to the polls through multiple opportunities to vote before the traditional

“He said, ‘I had no reason to even think about that. I wouldn’t have gone to the doctor and gotten checked out,’” the man said, according to Watson. “He said, ‘I’m really appreciative of you having this event because I could have died.’”

The man was 40 at the time.

The PSA testing, made available by Saint Louis University and Quest, will return this year. Ten survivors will be honored as part of the festivities. State Sen. Maria Chapelle-Nadal will be speaking on toxic waste issues and how it has been tied to cancer. Dr. Christine Salter, who is on staff at BJC HealthCare, will also be a presenter.

Election Day and the selection of suitable, well-equipped polling place facilities, such as schools;

• State-of-the-art techniques to assure efficient management of polling places, including tools the commission is publicizing and recommending for the efficient allocation of polling place resources; and

• Reforms of the standardsetting and certification process for new voting technology to address soon-to-be antiquated voting machines and to encourage innovation and the adoption of widely available off-theshelf technologies. It’s unlikely the current administration is looking to implement those bipartisan recommendations; the report has been removed from the federal government’s website. With the vast majority of states opposed to cooperating with the commission, it’s time to kill this insidious, antidemocratic sham. Kill the commission, and work together on expanding democracy.

Marc H. Morial is president and CEO of the National Urban League.

This year’s festivities will also include a fashion show – and among those models on the catwalk will be cancer survivors.

“Take a look at somebody like me,” Watson said. “I thought I was invincible – and I was stricken at a young age. Cancer doesn’t have an age requirement. And if we can help one person like we did that young man, then all of this is worth it.”

Orlando Watson’s I’m A Survivor All White Cancer Gala will take place at 7 p.m. (with a 6 p.m. reception for VIPs) on Sunday, July 23 at Randall Gallery, 999 N. 13th Street. For more information and or tickets www. survivorgala2017.eventbrite. com or email survivorstl@ gmail.com.

Guest Columnist Marc H. Morial

Celebrations

Anniversaries

Birthdays

Born on July 15, 1911, Mamie Boyd celebrated her 106th birthday with her family and friends— including Regina, Eleanor and James of the Boyd family and Mattie, Kathy, Al, Laverne, MinniPearl, Willamena, Elaine and Carstine of the Hopson family. Happy 106th Birthday, Mamie Boyd!

Happy 21st Birthday, Brie Bugatti on July 21! Ninety-seven and half hours in labor with you was so well worth it! Mama loves you so much!

Reunions

Beaumont High Class of 1967

will meet at the Normandy County Library, 7606 Natural Bridge Rd., 63121 on Saturday, July 22, 2017 at 1 p.m.

Beaumont High Class of 1968 Reunion Committee will begin planning for our 50th Class Reunion to be held in

St. Louis, Missouri in 2018. For more information contact Vanetta Cobbs, 314-869-5665, or email vanetta.cobbs@ sbcglobal.net.

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

Cleveland High School is hosting a reunion for all attending 1980-1984 on August 19, 2017 at Catering To You Banquet Center (12775 New Halls Ferry Rd., Florissant, MO 63033) For information, please contact Babette Perkins-Anderson at 314-345-0939.

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

Northwest High Class of 1978 is planning its 40 year reunion for next year. PLEASE reach out to our classmates, tell them get ready for this. If you have any questions please contact Sly at ( 314) 397-0311 or email us at northwestbluedevils@78gmail. com. Check us out on Facebook Northwest High School-Class of 1978.

Soldan High Class of 1965 will be holding first Luncheon on August 8, 2017 at 2 pm at Bristol Seafood Grill’s Creve Coeur Room, 11801 Olive Street, 63141, 314-567-0272. No need to send any money. Each person will pay for their meals at the restaurant. Your family members and Friends are welcome to join us.

Sumner High Class of 1972 reunion will be held September 15-17, 2017 at the Airport Hilton, 10330 Natural Bridge Rd., 63134. Please contact Earlene Brown 314-2267019/314-534-0467 or Jazelle Brown 314-954-1470 or Kathi Washington Scott 314-4454715.

University City High Class of

1982 has planned a awesome weekend for our 35th reunion July 29-31, 2017. For tickets and information please call Kimberly Milton-Nelson at (314)541-9568 or Patricia Yates-Mcintosh (314)2291675.

Vashon High School will celebrate its 90th anniversary October 5-7, 2017 for alumni, students and community activities to celebrate educational commitment and tradition. For additional information, go to Vashonhigh. org or contact Elvis Hopson, elvishopson@att.net, (314) 535-0243, Pearl Lake, lakep6@aol.com, (314) 3880743 or Cozy W. Marks, Jr., jr3810@sbcglobal.net, (314) 383-5682.

FREE OF

Do you have a celebration you’re proud of? If so we would like to share your good news with our readers. Whether it’s a birth, wedding, engagement announcement, anniversary, retirement or birthday, send your photos and a brief announcement (50 words or less) to us and we may include it in our paper and website – AT NO COST – as space is available Photos will not be returned. Send your announcements to: kdaniel@stlamerican. com or mail to: St. Louis American Celebrations c/o Kate Daniel 2315 Pine St.

Reunion notices are free of charge and based on space availability. We prefer that notices be emailed to us! However, notices may also be sent by mail to: Kate Daniel, 2315 Pine St., St. Louis, MO 63103

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

Michael and Shirlyn Myles of Florissant, MO celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary on July 17, 2017. “We are truly each other’s soulmate and best friends. We let God direct our path every day.” – Michael Myles

Congratulations to Daryle and Janette Brantley, who celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary on July 13. The Brantleys are the owners of C&K Barbecue.

Swag Snap of the Week

Jolease

RIP Rollyn Moore. I’m mourning right along with the local music scene at the loss of singer/pianist Rollyn Moore (also known as Rahlo), who passed away suddenly last Friday (July 14). He recently became a Café Soul fixture, but had been on faith based side of the music scene for years thanks to his magnificent voice and skills on the keys. On Monday night, some of his fellow musicians came through BB’s for a special impromptu benefit concert. Some of the folks in the building lending their time and talent to the special night were Tasha B, Adrienne Felton-King, Rochelle “Coco Soul” Walker, Tish Haynes-Keys, Charisse “Swan,” Katrina Reese, Rhoda G., Justin Hoskins, Joakim Music, Gregg “Happy Guitar” Haynes, Jesse Prather, Melvin Moore, Phil Graves and a bunch of others that I’m sure I left off. Charge it to my head, not my heart. Anyway, it was an emotional time as we were blessed with songs in honor of Rahlo’s memory.

Jammin’ in the park patch. I had the time of my life at Strauss Park (a.k.a. that little patch of land in front of Jazz at The Bistro) for the 3rd Annual Soulition Park Jam. But before I get too deep into it, can somebody tell me who was the man in Captain Jack Sparrow’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” blouse and the male church usher black slacks with the hips that refused to quit? His mind was telling him no, but his body kept saying yes to that groove. That white blouse looked tan it was so drenched with sweat after his nonstop groove. If he went over to another part of Strauss Park, those hips and shoulders stayed shimmying to the beat. It was life. The whole event was life. I haven’t been, but based on what I’ve seen on the internet The Soulition Park Jam was giving me a mini-Afro Punk. Vanita “Applebum” Thompson, DJ Will Power, DJ JMO, DJ Reminisce, Kevin C. Johnson and Monica Tyson were just a few of the who’s who that stopped through. I’m telling you it was life more abundantly. I don’t know how I missed the first two, but I can tell you that I will be front and center from this year on!

Silent Party at Patois. I was not expecting to get life by way of a Silent Party at Patois, but that is exactly what happened Friday night. I decided to opt out of having headphones just to peep the scene and I got the cackle of all cackles watching folks get down and sing along to the three curated stations. I always forget how low-key hilarious it is to see people vibing out to the music in headphones, and to see an entire venue of folks in the midst of it was pure bliss. The folks seemed to have gotten the most life from the station curated by DJ Cuddy – but the other two DJs seemed to be jamming too.

Reggae Rewine. Speaking of Patois, I also made my way to 2720 Cherokee for the Rewine Reggae dance party Friday night with the sole mission of seeing some hardcore borderline violent Jamaican twerking in the flesh. So I’m the only one who laughs until I cry every time I stumble upon one of the outlandish YouTube videos where a tag-team twerk goes wrong by way of DDT-style landing which usually results in lost wigs and/or minor scrapes and bruising? They were groovin’ without a doubt, but the folks were way too chill to make my wish come true. But I got a wonderful consolation prize in the form of a cool island vibe with some good quality skankin’ (that’s Jamaican for “getting down”). 2720 was temporarily transformed into a dancehall and I was checking for every second of it. Bun B rolling solo. Friday was the longest night I’ve had in a minute, but nothing could have kept me from catching a Dirty South rap king and a veteran at The Marquee. It was billed as a two-for-one concert series, but it was actually a one for one – unless Pastor Troy showed up after I left at 2:40 a.m. (which I highly doubt). It was no loss for me, because I only came for Bun B in the first place. I was expecting it to be more crowded, but the folks in the building were committed to rocking with the Dirty South rap legend. The show was essentially a collection of snippets – and Bun performed like being on stage was the only thing separating him from his check. He was rushed, but committed … so I still enjoyed the show. I forgot how many features he slayed on until Friday night. And I know the whole world will disagree with me, but his verse on “International Players Anthem” was my favorite – yes, I liked it better than Andre 3000’s.

Happy Kappaversary. The brothers of the Beta Nu Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi celebrated their 75th anniversary with a weekend of events. And speaking of shimmy, I was expecting to see at least one shoulder shimmy as part of one of their signature strolls, but I missed every doggone one. By the time I got to the block party Saturday afternoon at Harris-Stowe, they were in full barbeque mode. Some were perched at Troy’s Saturday night for Somethin’ Blue’s, but the vibe was too chill – even for one of their seductive slow strolls. And on Sunday when the Nupes were generously sprinkled in at Eat.Drink.Chill, they seemed a bit incognito. In hindsight, I should have requested Digital Underground’s “Freaks of the Industry” or Cameo’s “Candy” when I was at The Gallery By Troy and I most certainly would’ve got all the stroll I was looking for and more. Oh well, happy big 7-5 Beta Nu!

Eat.Drink.Chill. Another month, another successful Eat.Drink.Chill. This time the folks were perched in the Crown Room of Ballpark Village as opposed to the patio – but that didn’t make things any less fun. The folks were stylish – which is as per usual with the Eat.Drink.Chill crowd – the sounds were on-point and the vibe was quite splendid on that Sunday afternoon. I was a little let down that there wasn’t more of a Nupe infiltration, but I got over it relatively quickly.

Denise flew in from NY to enjoy a weekend with her sister Angelica and landed in time to turn up at the 3rd Annual Soulition Park Jam Saturday @ Strauss Park

St. Louis Alumni Kandyman and Ty represented for the Kappas as the Beta Nu chapter celebrated their 75 anniversary @ Harris Stowe Saturday

John and Alexandra were all smiles as they stood waiting for the “Ferris 17” fashion showcase to begun @ F-Stop on Saturday

Melissa and Andrea showed their Delta Sigma Theta pride as the kicked back with the Kappas Saturday at Harris Stowe

Aza’Njeri, Gabby, Amber and gallery owner

engaged in a “Conscious Conversation” about JAY-Z’s ‘4:44’ Sunday @ Magnify Gallery

Alisa and Oni enjoyed laughter and lunch as they chilled in the shade with the Soulition DJs on Saturday @ Strauss Park

Joshua came out to “King of All I Survey” to support his cousin Kas during his art exhibition @ Magnify Gallery on Saturday

Anthony and Breanna wanted to start the next week off right, so they decided to Eat.Drink.Chill @ Ballpark Village on Sunday

Lauren and John two stepped during the “Silent Party” @ Patois on Friday

Aleah Ayanna and Nicole rested their dancing shoes for a minute during “Rewine” on Friday @ 2720

The Trill OG Bun B hit the Marquee stage on Friday performing UGK classics as well as his featured verses on some well-known “Dirty South” rap favorites.

Photos by V. Lang

ATTORNEY

The Missouri Department of Transportation seeks to fill a vacancy for a staff attorney in its St. Louis office, located in Chesterfield Missouri. This is a litigation position, with trial practice in the areas of eminent domain, and general and fleet vehicle liability defense. Some workers’ compensation and general office practice should also be expected. Moderate overnight and out-of-state travel is required. This position requires a juris doctorate degree, admission to the Missouri Bar, and 3-5 years of litigation experience preferred. Excellent research and writing skills are preferred. The anticipated starting annual salary is $48,972 to $61,524, depending on qualifications and experience. The Department also offers an excellent benefits package. The deadline to apply for this position is August 12, 2017 at 11:55 p.m. An on-line application and description of benefits may be found at www.modot.org, under “Career Opportunities.

Equal Employment Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer, M/F/D/V

SPECIALIST

Large Casualty Services

Responsible for rating and quoting of various type of Primary Workers’ Compensation, Commercial Auto and General Liability prospects / policies, consisting of Large Deductible, Self Insured, Retro and Captive Program Business as applicable. This includes verification of state algorithms, rates, surcharges, and forms, etc. are properly applied, as well as the review and consolidation of loss run data, exposure to trending, and securing of licensing information when needed.

Responsible for additional related duties on bound accounts, to include: application of the deductible/SIR factor, binder billings, various system updates, distribution of Sold Account sheets, follow-up on legal agreement documents, forwarding necessary internal documents to: PSA, Claims, Finance and Loss Control, etc.

To apply, please visit: www.safetynational. com and click on the Careers tab.

M/WBE COMPLIANCE SPECIALIST

St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC) has opening for a M/WBE Compliance Specialist. SLDC is looking for candidates with progressive experience in contract compliance monitoring, procurement, or construction project management. To apply online and see a full job description go to: http://www.stlouis-mo. gov/sldc/ and click on “Careers at SLDC.” SLDC offers a full range of benefits including deferred comp, 401(a), and medical insurance. SLDC is an equal opportunity employer. Successful candidate must be a St. Louis city resident or establish residency within 180 days of completing a probationary period.

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

NORTHWOODS PUBLIC WORKS LABORER

City of Northwoods has a position in public works to perform skilled and semiskilled tasks related to maintenance of park grounds, municipal facilities, special event implementation, code enforcement for vacant/delinquent properties, etc.

Individual must have proven supervisory experience, a current drivers license, ability to read/interpret equipment operations manuals.

Applications due by 5 p.m., Friday, August 4, 2017 to 4600 Oakridge Blvd., Northwoods, Mo. 63121. Call City Hall 314-385-8000 for details/directions.

CITY OF ST PETERS CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Are you a team player? Work for an employer who values and supports teamwork for their employees. For current job openings please check our website at www.stpetersmo.net. City Hall also has job openings posted in the lobby. Apply in person, fax application to 636477-1044, or mail to:

Human Resources City of St. Peters One St. Peters Centre Blvd. P.O. Box 9 St. Peters, MO 63376 AA/EOE

PARAMEDICS

Mehlville Fire Protection District is accepting applications for the position of CRITICAL CARE PARAMEDIC

Starting $55,352; $59,352 w/CCP-C $83,001 after 4 years Benefits include health insurance, pension, tuition reimbursement, sick leave, attendance bonus, vacation, life & disability, holiday pay, uniform allowance, wellness benefits

REQUIRED: EMT-P certification through the State of Missouri PREFERRED: CCP-C certification Applications accepted July 17 – August 25, 2017, weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Headquarters, 11020 Mueller Rd. 63123. Download application packet at www.mehlvillefire.com Equal Opportunity Employer.

FIELD EDUCATION COORDINATOR

The Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis invites applications for Field Education Coordinator in the Office of Field Education.

A primary purpose of this position among others is to develop, affiliate, support, maintain and monitor local, national, and international graduate-level practicum placements for the Office of Field Education.

For a full job description and to apply, please visit https://jobs.wustl.edu and search for job posting 37082.

To find out more about our excellent employment benefits, please visit http://hr.wustl.edu.

Washington University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status.

JEWISH

COMMUNITY

MENTAL HEALTH CARE MANAGER

Provide on-going care management services that identify needs and provide linkages to community resources for adults, adolescents and children living with a serious mental illness. Apply online: WWW.JFCSAPPLY. COM with cover letter and resume. Jewish Family & Children’s Service –St. Louis EOE M/F/D/V

HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR

Responsible for leading the daily organizational HR function including development and implementation of HR policies, programs and services. Bachelor’s degree in HR Management or related field and 6-8 years HR experience. See job description at www.stl.unitedway.org. Please send cover letter and resume to: careers@stl.unitedway.org

EMPLOYMENT MANAGER

The Missouri Department of Transportation is seeking applications for an Employment Manager in its Central Office Human Resources Division. This position coordinates, supervises, leads statewide projects, and provides guidance and counsel to district human resources managers and supervisors on the department’s employment activities related to civil engineer recruiting, criminal background checks, fitness for duty and return to work, FMLA, ADA, EAP, employment policies and procedures, and the employment application system, and works with external entities on work force development issues.

Successful candidates will possess a bachelor’s degree in Human Resources/ Personnel Management, Business or related field. Certification as PHR/SPHR or SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP is a plus. Six years of experience in human resources is required.

The entire job description can be viewed at www.modot.org/jobs. To apply, respond in strict confidence by submitting resume and cover letter to: EmploymentManager@modot.mo.gov. The application deadline is July 20, 2017. MoDOT offers an excellent benefits package and our Central Office was recognized as a 2016 Gold Level Recipient of the American Heart Association’s Fit-Friendly Worksites Recognition program.

EEO/AA

VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION COUNSELOR

Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor with the State of Missouri wanted in St. Louis. Salary $38,808-$40,776 (depending on qualifications). Master’s degree preferred. Will consider bachelor’s degree in counseling with social service background. Please apply online at dese.applicantpro.com/jobs/

RECREATION MANAGER

The City of Richmond Heights is accepting applications for Recreation Manager--Aquatics. Apply at www.richmondheights.applicantpro.com/ jobs/. Applications accepted until position filled. EOE

INSTALLERS IN ST. LOUIS

Pacific Studio is looking for several Installers to install in an exhibit/custom production/custom manufacturing environment. Familiarity with hand tools, production work experience, basic shop skills, and previous installation experience required. Apply at www.pacificstudio. com.

EEO Employer/Vets/Disabled

PASTOR

Oak Grove MB Church is seeking a Pastor Ordained ministers with at least 5 yrs experience may submit resumes to Oak Grove Church 5700 Woodland Ave St Louis , MO 63120 or at oakgrovemb@gmail.com

Full description can be found on-line at www. stlouis-mo.gov/sldc select “Careers at SLDC” and follow the online application process.

SLDC offers a full range of benefits including deferred comp, 401(a), and medical insurance. SLDC is an equal opportunity employer. Successful candidate must be a St. Louis city resident or establish residency within 180 days of completing a probationary period.

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

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

The Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority of the County of St. Louis (the “LCRA”) is soliciting proposals from qualified contractors to provide lawn care services for multiple, scattered parcels located throughout St. Louis County, Missouri. More than one contractor may be selected to perform the services, which generally consist of performing seasonal lawn maintenance, including grass cutting and debris removal. The parcels to be serviced are set forth in the Request for Proposals.

To be considered, proposals must be received no later than 3:00 PM on Monday, July 24, 2017. Proposals should be sent by e-mail to dallison@stlpartnership.com, or to Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority of the County of St. Louis, c/o St. Louis Economic Development Partnership, ATTN: Dustin Allison, General Counsel, 7733 Forsyth Blvd., Suite 2300, St. Louis, Missouri 63105. DBE, MBE, and WBE firms are encouraged to bid.

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

St. Louis Economic Development Partnership Equal Opportunity Employer

Public Notice of Single Source Procurement

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is proposing to procure: Insight Enterprise Software License. The District is proposing single source procurement to Neogov (Governmentjobs.com). Any inquiries should be sent to dlegrand@stlmsd.com

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

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS SEWER DISTRICT

Notice is hereby given that The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (District), the Owner, will receive sealed bids for Lemay Public I/I Reduction (2018) Contract A under Letting No. 12051-015.1, at its office, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103, until 2:00 PM, local time, on Tuesday, August 22, 2017. All bids are to be deposited in the bid box located on the first floor of the District’s Headquarters prior to the 2:00 p.m. deadline. Bids may, however, be withdrawn prior to the opening of the first bid. BIDS WILL BE PUBLICLY OPENED AND READ IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE BID DUE DATE/TIME AT 2350 MARKET STREET, AT A PLACE DESIGNATED.

The Work to be performed under these Contract Documents consists of:

The work to be done under this contract consists of the rehabilitation of approximately 8,899 lineal feet of sanitary sewers, varying in size from 8-inch to 21-inches in diameter using cured-inplace pipe (CIPP) methods, 86 manholes, and 201 service connections. The project is within the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District Boundaries, inside the city(ies) of Varies in the State of Missouri. The work will be performed in various quantities at various sites.

All prospective bidders must prequalify in the Cured-In-Place Pipe (CIPP) category, and be certified prior to the Bid Opening. Prequalification forms for obtaining said certification may be obtained from the Owner at the above mentioned address. All bidders must obtain drawings and specifications in the name of the entity submitting the bid.

This project will be financed through the Missouri State Revolving Fund established by the sale of Missouri Water Pollution Control bonds and Federal Capitalization Grants to Missouri. Neither the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, its divisions, nor its employees will be party to the contract at any tier. Any Bidder whose firm or affiliate is listed on the GSA publication titled “List of Parties Excluded from Federal Procurement or Non-Procurement Programs” is prohibited from the bidding process; bids received from a listed party will be deemed non-responsive. Refer to Instructions to Bidders B-27 for more information regarding debarment and suspension.

Nondiscrimination in Employment: Bidders on this work will be required to comply with the President’s Executive Order 11246. Requirements for bidders and contractors under this order are explained in the specifications.

Plans and Specifications are available from free electronic download. Please go to MSD’s website and look for a link to “ELECTRONIC PLANROOM.” Plans and Specifications are also available for viewing or purchase at Cross Rhodes Reprographics located at 1710 Macklind Avenue, St. Louis MO 63110. All bidders must obtain a set of plans and specifications in order to submit a bid in the name of the entity submitting the bid. The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District 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 Coldwater Upstream Pump Station (P-180) Force Main Replacement under Letting No. 12882-015.1, at this office, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103, until 02:00 PM on Wednesday, August 23, 2017, at a place designated.

SEALED BIDS

f o r L i g h t i n g Upgrades, Capitol Building, Jefferson City, MO, Project No. O1619-01 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 8/3/2017. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http://oa.mo. gov/facilities

SEALED BIDS

for HVAC Replacement, Main Building & GroupHomes, Hawthorn Childrens Psychiatric Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri, Project No. M151801 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 8/10/2017. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http:// oa.mo.gov/ facilities

SEALED BIDS

for InstallWater Boilers/Steam Line Replacement/ Power Plant Improvements, Missouri School for the Deaf, Sitewide, Fulton, Missouri, Project No. E1619-01 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 8/10/2017. For specific project information and ordering plans, go to: http:// oa.mo.gov/ facilities

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS

SEWER DISTRICT

Notice is hereby given that the Metropol-

itan St. Louis Sewer District will receive RFQ’s in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 631032555 until 10:00 a.m. on August 22, 2017 to contract with a company for: SEWER DEGREASER. Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from www.stlmsd.com, click on the “MSD AT WORK” link, (bid opportunities). The bid document will be identified as 9068 RFQ. If you do not have access to the internet, call 314-768-6254 to request a copy of this bid. Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

BIDS

Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis is accepting bids to perform asphalt overlay approaches to 2 grade crossings in East St. Louis, IL. Illinois Route 15 (Missouri Avenue) at DOT Crossing 803108D, and Bond Avenue at DOT Crossing 803112T. Bids will be accepted through July 26, 2:00 p.m. CST. Bid documents can be obtained by emailing kwiedwilt@ TerminalRailroad.com .

NOTICE TO MINORITY BUSINESS ENTERPRISE

Korte & Luitjohan Contractors, Inc. 12052 Highland Road, Highland, IL 62249 (618) 654-9877 (Phone) 618654-9778 (FAX), is seeking qualified MINORITY BUSINESS ENTERPRISES for METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS SEWER DISTRICT, SULPHUR YARD – VACTOR TRUCK DISPOSAL BUILDING CONTRACT LETTING NO. 12835-015.1 ST. LOUIS, MO,: Subcontracting opportunities in the following areas: Site Work, Concrete, Thermal, Openings, Painting, Electrical, Mechanical, Fences, Asphalt, Hauling, and Seeding/Fertilizing. All interested Minority Business Enterprise Businesses should contact, IN WRITING, (certified letter, return receipt requested), Hal Klaus, to discuss the subcontracting opportunities. All negotiations must be completed prior to the bid opening bid date of August 15, 2017. Proposals will be evaluated in order on the basis of low responsive bid received.

Notice to MBE Businesses

Plocher Construction Company, Inc. 2808 Thole-Plocher Road

Highland, IL 62249

PH: (618) 654-9408

Fax: (618) 654-6454

bids@plocherco.com

is seeking MBE (African American and Hispanic American) businesses for the MSD Branch Floodwall ORS Pump Station Rehabilitation for Union Subcontracting & Supply opportunities in the following areas:

Demolition, Concrete, Metals, Electrical

All interested and qualified business should contact Chuck Wagner or Andrew Wirz in writing or via email to discuss the subcontracting and supply opportunities. All quotes are requested to be received one day prior to the bid opening date of August 9th, 2017.

All proposals will be reviewed for the lowest, responsive, and responsible quote.

MSD will have a Pre-Bid Conference at the District Headquarters with a Site Visit following the meeting, Thursday, July 13th, 2017 at 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, MO in Room 109. Immediately following the Pre-Bid conference, there will be a site visit at the Branch Floodwall ORS Pump Station, located at 1 Branch

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS SEWER DISTRICT

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is accepting proposals in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103-2555 until 10:00 a.m. on August 25th, 2017 to contract with a company for: Records Management Storage & Related Services. Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from www.stlmsd.com, click on the “MSD AT WORK” link, (bid opportunities). The bid document will be identified as 9063 RFP. If you do not have access to the internet, call 314.768.2735 to

SEALED BIDS for New ElectricalService, MSHPTroopI Headquarters, Rolla, MO,ProjectNo. R1605-01willbe receivedby FMDC, StateofMO, UNTIL 1:30PM, 8/10/2017. Forspecificproject informationand orderingplans,go to:http://oa.mo. gov/ facilities

SEALED BIDS

for ISTSCSMS forVehicle ExhaustCorrective Work,Jefferson City CSMSJefferson City,Missouri, ProjectNo.T173701willbereceived byFMDC,Stateof MO,UNTIL1:30 PM,8/17/2017. Forspecificproject informationand orderingplans,go to:http://oa.mo.gov/ facilities

Bids will be received only from companies that are pre-qualified by the District’s Engineering Department for: DEEP SEWER CONSTRUCTION – St. Louis County drainlayer’s license required Plans and Specifications are available for free electronic download. Please go to MSD’s website and look for a link to “ELECTRONIC PLANROOM.” Plans and Specifications are also available for viewing or purchase at Cross Rhodes Reprographics located at 1712 Macklind Avenue, St. Louis MO 63110. All bidders must obtain a set of plans and specifications in order to submit a bid in the name of the entity submitting the bid. The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

The SITE Improvement Association is hosting a Pre-bid meeting for Qualified and Certified MWBE contractors to discuss working on MSD’s Kirkwood Middle School, Simmons, Wilson W. Sarah I & I Reduction [Manchester Rd. & Kirkwood Rd.] Project Contract Letting No. 11995-015.1

A pre-bid meeting is being held on behalf of the following SITE contractor members:

Fred M. Luth & Sons 4516 McRee Ave. St. Louis, MO 314/771-3892

Bates Utilities Company 841 Westwood Industrial Dr. Weldon Spring, MO 636/939-5628

The meeting will take place at 10:00 a.m. Thursday, July 27, 2017 SITE Improvement Association 2071 Exchange Drive, St. Charles, MO 63303

For questions regarding this pre-bid meeting, contact the SITE Improvement Association office at 314/966-2950

INVITATION TO BID

E.M. Harris Construction Company (EMH), 2600 Delmar Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63103 seeks subcontractor bids for construction of Blair Homes, to be located at scattered sites near Destrehan Ave., N. 14th St., Angelrodt St., Blair Ave. and Agnes St. Scopes of work include, but are not limited to: new construction of 29 units, including concrete, masonry, metal fabrications, carpentry, thermal/moisture protection, finishes, specialties and MEP work, plus associated site work. This is NOT tax exempt. PREVAILING WAGES (set by USDOL and MHDC immediately prior to start of construction) MUST BE PAID TO ALL WORKERS; CERTIFIED PAYROLL REPORTS REQUIRED. All workers must be OSHA 10 certified. Section 3, Minority, Women and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises are strongly encouraged to bid. EMH is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Project plans & specifications are available for viewing online through an Invitation to Bid and at:

• MOKAN Plan Room, 4666 Natural Bridge, St. Louis, MO 63115

• EMH Plan Room, 2600 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63103 PLEASE fill out Bid General Information sheet. All bids due to EMH office by 5 pm, Mon., August 7, 2017, fax: 314-436–6691. Project contact: Vic Hoffmeister: vhoffmeister@emharris.com.

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 at 314-289-5430 to place your rental/real estate ad today!

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS SEWER DISTRICT

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District will receive sealed bids in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103-2555 until 10:00am August 22, 2017 for: BREAKERS

Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from www.stlmsd.com - click on “MSD At Work”, then “Bidding on Projects”. The bid document will be identified as 9069 RFQ. If you do not have access to the internet, call (314) 768-6314 to request a copy of this bid.

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

RFP BIDDING

La Salle Middle School is now running a request for proposal to operate its food service program for the 2017 – 2018 school year. La Salle Middle School serves breakfast, lunch and snacks to approximately 120 students, Monday through Friday, and follows the USDA Federal School Lunch guidelines set by DESE. Interested companies may visit the school on July 19th, form 9am to 3pm in order to view the cafeteria and ask any questions. There will also be a public opening July 21st from 9am to 1pm. Proposals will not be accepted after July 28th, 9am. All RFP are to be submitted in a sealed envelope labeled Food Service Management and addressed to 1106 North Jefferson, St. Louis, MO 631036. You may contact Sherida Williams at 314-531-9820.

METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS SEWER DISTRICT

Notice is hereby given that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District will receive RFQ’s in the Purchasing Division, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 631032555 until 10:00 a.m. on August 22, 2017 to contract with a company for: SEWER DEGREASER. Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from www.stlmsd.com, click on the “MSD AT WORK” link, (bid opportunities). The bid document will be identified as 9068 RFQ. If you do not have access to the internet, call 314-768-6254 to request a copy of this bid.

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

CITY OF ST. LOUIS BOARD OF PUBLIC SERVICE

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS for

DESIGN SERVICES FOR REPLACEMENT OF MISCELLANEOUS HVAC EQUIPMENT FOR TERMINALS AND CONCOURSES AT ST. LOUIS LAMBERT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.

Statements of Qualifications due by 5:00 PM CT, August 8, 2017 at Board of Public Service, 1200 Market, Room 301 City Hall, St. Louis, MO 63103. RFQ may be obtained from BPS website www. stl-bps.org, under On Line Plan RoomPlan Room, or call Board of Public Service at 314-622-3535. 25% MBE and 5% WBE participation goals.

Notice to MBE Businesses

Plocher Construction Company, Inc.

2808 Thole-Plocher Road

Highland, IL 62249

PH: (618) 654-9408

Fax: (618) 654-6454

bids@plocherco.com

is seeking MBE (African American and Hispanic American) businesses for the MSD Sulphur Yard – Vactor Truck Disposal Building for Union Subcontracting & Supply opportunities in the following areas: Concrete, Rebar, Doors, Painting, Specialties, Metal Building, Mechanical and Electrical

All interested and qualified business should contact Chuck Wagner or Russ Zurliene in writing or via email to discuss the subcontract-

tained from website www.stl-bps.org, On

Plan Room – Plan Room, or call Board of Public Service at 314-622-3535.

Religion

Traci Blackmon elected to lead UCC’s justice ministry

Plus, Jehovah’s Witnesses to hold annual conventions

By Anthony Moujaes United Church of Christ

The Rev. Traci Blackmon was elected the executive minister of United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries by delegates to General Synod 2017 on Sunday, July 2, after serving in that capacity as acting executive minister for 19 months.

Blackmon electrified the General Synod crowd a day earlier when she delivered her nomination remarks on Saturday morning. The momentum carried over for the next 36 hours. Needing two-thirds of the votes to confirm her election, Blackmon received 97 percent from the 737 voting delegates. After the votes were counted, those on the floor who were able stood and applauded her, as a section of the crowd began chanting “Traci! Traci! Traci!”

Needing a moment to gather herself on stage, the Rev. John Dorhauer and the Rev. James Moos, her fellow national officers, stood beside her for an election selfie.

“I spent this morning in prayer, and I did something I rarely do. I asked God to grant me favor in this election, and I heard the Spirit say, ‘I am with you all. And that is enough,’” Blackmon said. “People must choose their own leader from among them.”

“My promise is I will do everything I can,” she added, “to never make you sorry

that you chose me.” Blackmon took on the acting role beginning in January 2016, having been called by the UCC Board of Directors after the retirement of her predecessor, the Rev. Linda Jaramillo, who greeted Blackmon with a hug after she stepped down from the plenary stage.

“I am proud of the work we do — work that does not happen in isolation, but in concert with all of the national staff, conference ministers, congregations, and ministry partners,” she said on Saturday morning. “Our love for God and people shape our collective witness in this world.”

Jehovah’s Witnesses to hold annual conventions

Jehovah’s Witnesses will hold

Christian control freaks

The Rev. Traci Blackmon was elected the executive minister of United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries by delegates to General Synod 2017 on Sunday, July 2.

two weekend annual conventions at the St. Charles Family Arena, 2002 Arena Pkwy, St Charles, MO 63303. The first three-day event begins on Friday, July 21, 2017; the second three-day event begins on Friday, July 28, 2017. The 2017 convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses is entitled “Don’t Give Up!” Featured will be talks, interviews and multimedia so that all in attendance can discover how the Bible and even nature teach lessons about how to endure in today’s world. A highlight of the program, the public Bible discourse on Sunday at 11:20 am, will provide encouragement to: “Never Give Up Hope.”

All sessions are free and no collection plates are passed. For detailed information and a program, visit https:// www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/ conventions/.

Today is truly a day that God has made and the more complicated the world gets, the simpler the Word of God is to understand.

Often, I get reminded of the power of ego, pride and the need to control. Letting go and letting God is easy enough to say. It’s easy to say, to understand and yet so difficult to do.

We all know people who can quote scripture backwards and forwards, but don’t have any faith as we see it.

We know Christian control freaks who must have the last say and demand that you give them credit for being right all the time. I sometimes get caught up in rationalizing circumstances in order to explain the events of the day, as if by some miracle of intelligence, I am the authority. More often than not, if I am blessed and open to receiving the Holy Spirit, I get a chance to see the real miracles, the nuances of life and the hand of God. It’s then that I realize I am not in control, never have been, never will be and it’s okay. Giving your life to Christ requires a constant vigil against take credit or issuing blame. When you focus on service, you really do see things from a different perspective. The service I’m referring to is the selfless kind that neither seeks nor expects reward. The mere act speaks for itself. How simple can that be? Christ even suggests that God sees into your heart and knows your

intentions. Love God and love neighbor as you love yourself. This is so simple and so incredible that if you’re not careful, you’ll miss it altogether. Let’s take this simple concept and apply it in a seemingly very complex world. Behavior has its parameters. Actions should have its purpose. Selfless service should always be uppermost in our mind. Travel with me as I look back over yesterday. Can you see how easy it was to succumb to jealousy, cruelty, envy, worry, pettiness and selfishness? It’s simple but it takes work to be humble, loving, giving and a source of truth all day every day. It takes habitual effort and will power.

The calling of every Christian is to try. It’s the effort God expects. If you fail, try again tomorrow. I know I have been fortunate to have known people who were angels walking with me. From them I’ve learned to pursue God instead of this world. They’ve shown me the battle is not over until you win. Born again is ultimately living forever. It’s kind of nice to know Jesus took care of that eternity thing and all I have to do is get through this life thing. Like I said, it is relatively easy when you understand the Word. See me. See God. I can do this and so can you. Let go one day at a time, one hour at a time. God will do the rest.

Columnist James Washington