Coolest man in sports made it to the other side Stuart Scott was the undisputed king of the catchphrase.
See B3
St. LouiS AmericAn The
CAC Audited JANUARY 8 – 14, 2015
Vol. 85 No. 40 COMPLIMENTARY
stlamerican.com
Ferguson movement drafts its own blueprint St. Louis police removed protestors who briefly occupied police headquarters in downtown St. Louis on December 31 when a marching group of protestors tried to join them inside.
Grand juror sues to speak out on McCulloch ACLU argues that claims of ‘transparency’ should waive gag order By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American
It’s a playbook that has puzzled many in the St. Louis area who aren’t sure what the protesters are asking for, how long demonstrations will continue, or even who is leading the charge. That’s because while the protesters are drawing on civil rights movements of the past, they are also drafting their own blueprints. They’ve engaged in conventional civil disobedience, such as rallies and highway
A grand juror who wants to speak out about the way the evidence was presented to the jury in the Darren Wilson case – as well as the public’s perceptions of the deliberations – sued St. Louis County n “The First Prosecutor Robert Amendment McCulloch on Monday, prevents the January 5 in attempt to lift the lifetime gag state from order. imposing a Without permission life-time gag from a court, the grand order in cases juror could be charged with a misdemeanor where the for discussing the prosecuting jury’s investigation into attorney has the shooting death of purported unarmed teen Michael Brown Jr. on August 9. to be On November 24, transparent.” the jury declined to indict Wilson, who was – Tony Rothert then a Ferguson police officer, in Brown’s death. The lawsuit, filed on Monday in federal court in St. Louis, states that the plaintiff (only referred to as “Grand Juror Doe”) believes the evidence in Wilson’s case was presented much differently than in the hundreds of other cases the jury members heard during their term, “with the insinuation that Brown, not Wilson, was the wrongdoer.” “From plaintiff’s perspective, the
See FERGUSON, A7
See JUROR, A6
Photo by Lawrence Bryant
Protestors promise, ‘We aren’t going anywhere’ By Koran Addo and Elisa Crouch Of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch A group of protesters stormed St. Louis police headquarters on New Year’s Eve, shouting and pushing their way inside, only to be met by a line of aggressive police and pepper spray. Their plan for a sit-in inside the lobby was one of the boldest actions they’ve taken in five months of protesting, and the act suggested that in 2015 the movement won’t be going away.
n “Everyone is replaceable.” – Johnetta Elzie
The marches, the sit-ins and other demonstrations in the 150 days following the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown Jr., an unarmed black teenager, are the same kinds of actions protesters are planning for the new year.
Clergy rally behind jailed protestor Joshua Williams, right, was one of the protestors who disrupted the second Ferguson Commission hearing in the Shaw neighborhood when St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson, left, spoke.
Attorney claims high bond is unconstitutional for poor defendant By Bridjes O’Neil Of The St. Louis American The case of a Ferguson protestor charged with arson became the legal stage for a skirmish over the constitutionality of setting high bonds to protect public safety and guarantee the presence of the accused at trial. Judge John Borbonus III refused counsel’s request to reduce the cash-only bond for Ferguson protestor Joshua Williams, 19, which was set at $30,000 after the state argued that the teen was a “threat to society.” Williams’ attorney Thomas Harvey argued that the bond was excessive and that the only Constitutional purpose of a high bond is to guarantee the presence of the defendant at
n “For the indigent, high bonds act as punishment – which is not allowable under the Constitution.” – Thomas Harvey
court and to protect against public safety. High bonds do neither, he said. “If a wealthy person’s bond is set this high, they simply pay it and are free until trial,” said Harvey, who is executive director of Arch City See CLERGY, A6 Photo by Lawrence Bryant