Nipsey Hussle remembered as ‘extraordinary’ man
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St. LouiS AmericAn The
91 years of serving the St. Louis community
CAC Audited APRIL 11 – 17, 2019
Vol. 91 No. 3 COMPLIMENTARY
stlamerican.com
Comptroller Green says: Close the Workhouse It can be done in a matter of months, not years n Closing the Workhouse is the right thing to do. It is within reach and can be completed in a matter of months, not years, with focus from the administration.
By Comptroller Darlene Green For The St. Louis American The Medium Security Institution (known as “the Workhouse”) is an obsolescent facility and closing it is both fiscally and morally responsible. Although the city’s two correctional facilities currently hold more persons than could be held at the City Justice Center alone, a roadmap to closing the Workhouse is achievable. This effort will take leadership and collaboration – across multiple departments and jurisdictions. First, eliminating pretrial detention for those facing nonviolent charges would significantly reduce the number of beds needed. Second, coordinating with other
Comptroller Darlene Green
departments of correction in the region could potentially provide any beds needed beyond what’s available at the Justice Center. Spending more city resources on stop-gap measures to keep the Workhouse open is not the right answer;
See GREEN, A6
‘I want to send a message of hope’ Fran Griffin, who beat Lezley McSpadden for City Council, wants Ferguson to change By Chris King Of The St. Louis American Both of these things are true: Lezley McSpadden lost an election to represent the part of Ferguson where her son Michael Brown was killed, sparking an uprising that had national impact. And the winner to represent Ward 3 on the Ferguson City Council was a young, black mother and activist – Fran Griffin – who was guided into the political process through the uprising. Griffin’s winning message is directed to McSpadden as well – to anyone whose faith in the political system has been shattered. “My main message I want to send to my people is to have some hope,” Griffin said. “I know you don’t trust the system. If I can show you that you
See GRIFFIN, A7
Photo by Rebecca Rivas
Dr. Cynthia Rogers, a child psychiatrist and associate professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at Washington University, will receive the St. Louis County Children’s Service Fund/Dr. John M. Anderson Excellence in Mental Health Award.
Photo by Wiley Price
A Celebration in Movement KYPE, the Better Family Life Kuumba Youth Performance Ensemble opened the 34th Annual Black Dance-USA on Saturday, April 6, 2019 at the Sun Theatre in St. Louis. KYPE is comprised of youth people ages 5-25 who travel throughout the region as ambassadors for the artistic cultural heritage of Africans and the African Diaspora.
Dr. Cynthia Rogers to be honored at April 26 Salute
‘The Move brings a lot of love’
By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American
BFL leads march to honor those who lost loved ones to violence By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American Carl Fredrick Tabb Jr. never missed an opportunity to joke. Sometimes his mother would call him up, and he would be out with his little nephew, David, at the zoo or circus on a whim. “If you caught him and he was smiling, it would just warm your heart because
that’s the type of person he was,” said Sharon Crossland, his mother. “If there was something he didn’t like or didn’t agree with, he just wouldn’t deal with you.” On March 24, 2015, Crossland came home from work and found her son murdered on her dining room floor. He had just turned 30, and his case remains unsolved. “It’s detrimental to lose a loved one, specifically for your child to be killed in
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such a heinous manner,” Crossland said. “It’s crippling.” Ever since this happened, Crossland has participated in Better Family Life’s The Move, a march and rally dedicated to supporting those who have lost their loved ones to violence. This year The Move will take place on Saturday, April 13 at 10 a.m. At
Eleven years ago, Kasia McMullen-Koontz, then 29, was working a regular day as a catering sales manager at the Saint Louis Art Museum. She was 26 weeks pregnant. At one point in the day, she started to feel a sharp pain and was admitted at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. After five days of being on bed rest, her daughter was born weighing only 1 pound and 10 ounces.
See MARCH, A6
See ROGERS, A6