Urban League Expo/Career Fair got the job done
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St. Louis American See page B1
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ESOP joins lawsuit
Mayor Tishaura Jones signed a bill into law on Aug. 3, 2022, that will create an independent civilian-led agency that will investigate police misconduct and useof-force cases.
By Rebecca Rivas The Missouri Independent The Ethical Society of Police [ESOP], which was founded in 1972 by Black police officers “to address race-based discrimination within the community and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department,” has joined the St. Louis Police Officer’s Association and St. Louis Police Leadership Organization in a lawsuit against St. Louis to block a law expanding civilian oversight of the police. The three organizations saw the lawsuit filed on Tuesday, August 9, 2022, the eighth anniversary of unarmed Michael Brown’s shooting death at the hands of a former Ferguson
See LAWSUIT, A7
COMPLIMENTARY
First in a series
Will challenge city Civilian Oversight Board expansion ‘The bill will withstand a legal challenge’
Vol. 94 No. 20
Photo courtesy of Mayor Tishaura Jones’ office
Ferguson frontline forever
Millions of dollars set to pour into St. Louis’ North Side Will negligent property owners cash in?
By Karen Robinson-Jacobs For The St. Louis American This story was reported in partnership with Type Investigations, where Karen Robinson-Jacobs is a Knobler fellow. Set on St. Louis’ neglect-scarred north side, 3211 Blair Avenue barely stands out. With shards of rotting wood serving as the only reminder of a front porch and windows shrouded in graying plywood, it’s one of more than 10,000 vacant buildings in the city. Some of the city’s skeletal structures have burned-out, caved-in roofs. Others are wall-less. One rained red bricks onto the adjacent sidewalk, rerouting pedestrians into the street. Neighbors have complained to the city that 3211 Blair Ave. is collapsing, posing a hazard to residents. Its owner owes hundreds of thousands in unpaid property taxes and has faced court judgments over this and other dilapidated properties. Nearby, a three-bed, two-bath fixer-upper in the 3500 block of Blair Ave. sat similarly unloved until neighbors took the owners to court. The neighbors won and were able to acquire the deed. The renovated property sold in mid-March for more than $90,000, according to the rehabber.
See NORTH SIDE, A6
Groundbreaking partnership Affinia, Gateway ‘Y’ celebrate construction start on new facility
Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American
Mike Brown Sr. (left) stands with his family during a memorial tribute to his son, Michael Brown Jr., by activist Anthony Shaheed Tuesday, Aug. 9, in the Canfield Gardens apartment complex. Brown was fatally shot by Ferguson Police officer Darren Wilson on this site Aug. 9, 2014.
St. Louis Airport – collectively recognized members of the group commonly referred to as the Ferguson Frontline as part of the ceremonies. These committed activists galvanized on that fateful day and relentlessly protested for justice and police reform. Their response to the August 9, 2014 tragedy sparked a global conversation regarding the relationship between law enforcement and the Black community, particularly about the people of color
It has been two years in the making and on Wednesday Affinia Healthcare and Gateway Region YMCA celebrated serving Ferguson and surrounding municipalities during a groundbreaking ceremony for a new Affinia Healthcare center near the Emerson YMCA. Mayor Ella Jones of Ferguson said, “I’m only the voice of Ferguson, but these people work hard and diligently to make a Ferguson a place to live, work and play. And now we have affordable healthcare.” “With rising healthcare costs many families are forced to find sometimes unhealthy alternatives to take care of their loved one,” Jones said. The 15,000-square-foot facility is expected to open in 2023, and will have 23 medical exam rooms, four dental operatories, two behavioral health exam rooms, and two Medication Assisted Treatment exam rooms. “It is our mission at Affinia Healthcare to meet
See FERGUSON, A6
See AFFINIA, A7
Inaugural Michael Brown Foundation Awards Gala honors fomenters of the movement By Dawn Suggs and Kenya Vaughn The St. Louis American Standing before the crowd of supporters at the inaugural Michael Brown Foundation Awards Gala on Saturday, August 6, Calvina “Cal” Brown confessed that the weekend before the anniversary of her stepson’s death is always the most difficult. But as the community prepared to commemorate eight years since he was fatally shot by a Ferguson police officer, Cal Brown
BUSINESS
St. Louis Surge cap a decade of success
Congratulations to the St. Louis Surge on celebrating its 10th anniversary as a women’s professional basketball franchise.
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and her husband Mike Brown Sr. found the strength to honor those who took to the streets in the name of justice for Mike Brown. The purpose of the gala was to raise funds for The Michael Brown Chosen For Change Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by Cal and Michael Brown, Sr. which provides community support, outreach programs, and “a place for healing for fathers, youth and families that have experienced the traumatic effects of police brutality and [violence].” The inaugural gala – held at the Marriott
By Ashley Winters The St. Louis American
HEALTH
LIVING IT
Blacks face increased cognitive decline
Brian McKnight performs this Saturday at Stifel
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Experiences of structural, interpersonal, and institutional racism are associated with lower memory scores and worse cognition especially among Black individuals.
McKnight will perform in St. Louis with SWV and Lyfe Jennings for the “R&B Kickback” at 8 p.m. Saturday, August 13 at The Stifel Theatre.