Beyonce slays Super Bowl 50 The right voice for the right time to showcase race in America
2015 Newspaper of the Year!
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St. LouiS AmericAn The
CAC Audited FEBRUARY 11 – 17, 2016
Vol. 86 No. 45 COMPLIMENTARY
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DOJ sues Ferguson Says legal action needed after City Council amends consent decree By Chris King Of The St. Louis American
Photo by Wiley Price
Ferguson Councilman Wesley Bell and Mayor James Knowles III discussed the City Council’s vote to amend its consent decree with the DOJ at the council meeting on Tuesday, February 9. The DOJ responded by filing suit.
Vanita Gupta, head of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, had a terse response to the Ferguson City Council’s vote on February 9 to amend the consent decree it had negotiated with the DOJ. “The Ferguson City Council has attempted to unilaterally amend the negotiated agreement. Their vote to do so creates an unnecessary delay in the essential work to bring constitutional policing to the city, and marks an unfortunate
Under the VAN
Middleton wants to ‘get away from the blame game’ and find solutions By Dale Singer Of St. Louis Public Radio The interim president of the University of Missouri said on February 5 that the school has to stop looking backward at the recent turmoil and concentrate on moving forward on issues of race and diversity. But before he spoke, a student panel told members of the Board of Curators that such progress won’t happen until university leaders pay more attention to what students want and need. The sharp contrast came into focus at the board’s meeting on the Columbia campus, one day after the curators’ meeting was interrupted by students reiterating their demands for more diversity. Those demands led to the resignation of system President Tim Wolfe and the demotion of Mizzou Chancellor R.
By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American
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Diversity at Mizzou
Black challengers of Democrat incumbents fight with party over access The Missouri Democratic Party is trying to block several Democratic candidates – who are also Ferguson movement leaders – from using a campaign tool called the Voter Activation Network (VAN). VAN is software that allows candidates to use Maria voter information Chappellefor things like Nadal robo-calling, doorknocking and email blasts. Congressional candidate Maria Chappelle-Nadal, state representative candidate Bruce Franks and U.S. Senate hopeful Cori Bush said the Missouri Democratic Bruce Party has told them Franks “no” when they requested access to the VAN. All are challenging incumbents or establishment contenders in the August 2 primary. “The sign almost says, ‘Newcomers Cori Bush need not apply,’” said Rev. Darryl Gray, campaign manager for Bush. “But this is the year of the newcomer and the year of change. In New Hampshire, Democrats clearly said
outcome for concerned community members and Ferguson police officers,” Gupta said in a statement. She then threatened litigation: “The Department of Justice will take the necessary legal actions to ensure that Ferguson’s policing and court practices comply with the Constitution and relevant federal laws.” Almost immediately, the DOJ made good on the threat, filing suit against Ferguson in federal court. The DOJ said it brought the suit to remedy Ferguson’s “unlawful conduct”
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Jennings sets impeachment hearing for mayor Henderson claims charges are just ‘politics and personal vengeance’ By Chris King Of The St. Louis American
Photo by Wiley Price
Happy Chinese New Year Taliya Conrad, 5, a kindergartener at the Chinese School, 3740 Marine Ave., does a Chinese folk dance in celebration of the Chinese New Year on Monday afternoon.
The Jennings City Council has set 5 p.m. Monday, February 29 for an impeachment hearing for Mayor Yolonda Fountain Henderson. The location is yet to be determined. The council voted 8-0 to proceed with the hearing after being presented with a five-page Bill of Impeachment by special prosecutor Paul Martin, which the council passed on February 8. “This is more about politics and personal vengeance by a few board members than it is about misconduct in office,” Henderson told The American. The charges begin with the suit that Henderson filed against the council and many other city officials soon after she was See JENNINGS, A6