City moves sluggishly to fund one Cure Violence site
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St. LouiS AmericAn The
91 years serving, empowering and advocating equity in St. Louis
CAC Audited AUG. 29 – SEPT. 4, 2019
Vol. 91 No. 23 COMPLIMENTARY
stlamerican.com
Madame Mayor: Support our children before we lose them
The Rex/ Krewson approach to public safety doesn’t work
Krewson should close the Workhouse, fund Cure Violence, appoint youth commissioner
Our children are worth more than $25,000
Rev. Dr. Starsky D. Wilson co-chairing the Ferguson Commission in December 2015
By Rev. Dr. Starsky D. Wilson For The St. Louis American On Sunday, October 4, 1992, when I was 16 years old, my brother Charles was murdered around the corner from my grandparents’ house. He was visiting one of his elementary school classmates. Two young men, motivated by a beef with his classmate’s elder brother, entered the home and shot everyone present: my brother, his friend, his friend’s brother and the grandmother they lived with. At the time, I was leader of a community service group for young black teens from across the city. They filled my See MAYOR, A6
Put the guns down Marvin Burks, a freshman at Cardinal Ritter College Prep, shared a message of non-violence on the first day of school, Monday, August 19. Student leadership told school leadership that they wanted to focus on the continuous violence that has impacted children in our region.
By Treasurer Tishaura O. Jones For the St. Louis American As a mother, an elected official, and a St. Louisan, I am deeply saddened by the recent deaths of several children in our community. Failing to protect our children is a tragedy. Child safety isn’t just about solving individual crimes, but is a byproduct of living in a community with thriving neighborhoods that invest in people. Recently, Mayor Lyda Krewson opened a press conference by admitting that “conventional policing tactics are not enough.” Then she called for more of the same. The mayor announced a $25,000 reward, courtesy of billionaire conservative political donors Rex and St. Louis Treasurer Jeanne Sinquefield, Tishaura O. Jones for information related to the recent shootings that claimed the lives of young children. The reward has a oneweek deadline. Like so many others in our region, I want these murders solved, but we cannot divorce Sinquefield’s small acts of charity from his assault on government, which funds the types of neighborhood investment and services that reduce violence. In Anand Giridharadas’s book “Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World,” he argues that philanthropy can’t outweigh the misdeeds of wealthy benefactors. Sinquefield has spent millions of dollars trying to eliminate St. Louis’ earnings tax, sell our airport to a private entity, and eviscerate black leadership through a failed city/county merger scheme ironically named “Better Together.” See SAFETY, A6
Photo by Nicholas Coulter
Saint Louis Public Schools to host special session on community safety District seeks partner organizations to help keep children safe Saint Louis Public Schools Superintendent Kelvin Adams connected with Zyair Hamilton, 9, while visiting his fourth grade class at Pierre Laclede Junior Career Academy in the city’s Walnut Park neighborhood on the first day of school. Schools continued to open for the fall semester this week.
By Kelvin R. Adams For The St. Louis American This week, a student told one of our social workers, “I just lost my brother, and now I lost my best friend. I can’t take this … anymore.” Starting late last spring, we began to notice an increase in gun violence in St. Louis, more than the seasonal uptick when the weather warms. The trend continued. Four of our children died over the summer from gun violence, ages 7, 10, 11 and 16. Two more Saint Louis Public Schools (SLPS) students died last weekend from gun violence, ages 8 and 15. The death of 8-year-old Jurnee Thompson See SLPS, A6
Salute to ‘servant leaders’ Charles and Shirley Brown honored as Lifetime Achievers in Education By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American The Lifetime Achiever in Education Award will look a little different at the St. Louis American Foundation’s 2019 Salute to Excellence in Education Gala on Saturday, September 21. For the first time, the award will go to a couple — Charles and Shirley Brown. Among many educators and their numerous former students, the pair of educators need no introduction. “They come as a package,” said Kelvin R. Adams, superintendent for Saint Louis Public Schools. “They are servant leaders because they continue to give back and continue to show every effort around supporting kids and See SALUTE, A7
Photo by Wiley Price