St. Louis American March 2nd mayoral, comptroller endorsements
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St. Louis American See page A4
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Vol. 92 No. 48 COMPLIMENTARY
Mayoral candidates respond: ‘The most pressing issue for the people of St. Louis’
plan, body cameras on our officers, or a campaign talking point.
We cannot accept this level of violence. I will provide the resources necessary to solve murders and send a clear message that violence won’t be tolerated. Immediately, I will reinstate the gang task force units; pay outside investigators to work to solve some of our cold cases; expand the Cure Violence Program; maintain necessary funding for the Justice for St. Louis Families Reward Fund; focus direct attention on the individuals who are known violent perpetrators; and review the structure of the police department to make sure we have the right mix of management and street officers. I will be tough on violent crime, but we must also raise the amount of options for positive growth available to our youth. This will help raise their self-expectations. To truly reduce crime long term, we must provide jobs, more mental health services and drug rehab.
Lewis Reed
Cara Spencer
Public Safety is number one. I will work to immediately get gun violence under control. I will meet daily with the police department and all agencies involved until we get positive results.
My life changed forever when a gun was put to my head, but
Ahead of the St. Louis Primary Election on Tuesday, March 2, The St. Louis American asked a series of questions to St. Louis mayoral candidates. Following are their responses to the last question: What do you consider the most pressing issue for the people of St. Louis, and what would you, as mayor, do to address that issue: COVID-19 relief; education challenges, including possible school closures; job creation; public safety; or other? Tishaura Jones The issue of gun violence, public safety, and crime will be the top priority of my administration. On day one, I will begin work to make the necessary improvements to the City Justice Center so that we can then close the workhouse. Addressing public safety in our city will require a holistic and regional perspective on the issue. I’m running because we need a Mayor who understands that crime doesn’t start or end at Skinker Boulevard or the Mississippi River, and the solutions to the challenges that lay ahead of us are going to need to be much more broad in scope than a ten point
Tishaura O. Jones
Cara Spencer
Andrew Jones Jr.
Lewis Reed
See CANDIDATES, A7
Alex Garcia is going home
Returns to family after three-and-a-half years of Maplewood church sanctuary By Sophie Hurwitz Of The St. Louis American
Photo by Jennifer Sarti
Alex Garcia spent every day and every night at Christ Church UCC in Maplewood. Garcia, who took sanctuary in the church under threat of deportation September 21, 2017, was able to go home for the first time on Wednesday.
For three and a half years – 1,252 days to be exact – Alex Garcia spent every day and every night at Christ Church UCC in Maplewood. Garcia, who took sanctuary in the church under threat of deportation September 21, 2017, was able to go home for the first time on Wednesday, thanks to the Biden administran On Monday, tion’s new immigration priorities Cong. Cori Bush and following advocacy on announced a private list his behalf by U.S. Rep. Cori Bush bill – that is, a piece (D-Missouri). Garcia first entered the southern of legislation that if border of the United States in 2000 passed would only in order to escape violence in his apply to Garcia – home country, Honduras, however, which would give he was detained at the border and him a path to legal given an order of deportation. Then, in 2006, Garcia returned permanent resident to the United States again, this status. time crossing the border undetected. He went to Poplar Bluff, Missouri, where he was deeply engaged in his community and he and his new wife, Carly Garcia, had five children. After spending 11 years in Missouri, though, he received a notice that he was to be deported under the new ‘zero-tolerance’ policies of Donald Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE). So he waited in the church, visited occasionally by his wife and five children. They commuted two-and-a-half hours one way each weekend to see him. His family eventually moved to Maplewood to be near him when they realized Garcia’s stay at Christ Church would be less temporary than any of them initially
Roland Martin visits STL in support of of Tishaura Jones’s mayoral campaign
By Danielle Brown Of the St. Louis American
The St. Louis primary mayoral election is less than two weeks away on March 2, and it will determine the two top candidates who will advance to the general election on April 6. The four potential nominees in the running are Andrew Jones, utility executive; Cara Spencer, 20th Ward alderman; Lewis Reed, St. Louis Board of Aldermen president; and Tishaura Jones, St. Louis Treasurer. In an effort to promote voter registration and participation, Treasurer Jones invited Roland Martin, veteran journalist, political analyst, and host of the #RolandMartinUnfiltered Daily Digital Show to moderate a virtual town hall for a live broadcast last Friday, Feb. 19. The following day, Feb. 20, the pair engaged in a Stroll to the Polls canvassing at Ivory Perry Park. Ahead of the live taping, Martin joined The American for an exclusive in-person interview to discuss why local elections matter; the aftermath of the election; and how to choose the most desirable candidate. Martin’s show is no stranger to advocacy for voter participation in high profile races. He and his team spent the month of December in Georgia, covering the runoff U.S. senatorial elections involving Jon
See MARTIN, A6
See GARCIA, A7
Reed leads in total campaign fundraising Tishaura overtakes both rivals in latest cycle
By Dana Rieck Of The St. Louis American
Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American
Political analyst and talk show host Roland Martin interviews with The American on Feb. 19, ahead of a virtual town hall and a Stroll to the Polls canvassing event the following day in St. Louis on behalf of Mayoral Candidate Tishaura Jones.
Aldermanic President Lewis Reed’s campaign has taken the lead in fundraising by almost $75,000, according to a new round of campaign finance reports filed Monday. Between his campaign committee and two political PACS, Reed has raised over $531,000 for his bid to take on the city’s top leadership role. Behind him by $75,000 is St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura Jones, who has raised $456,000 in total this election cycle. Spencer is close behind Jones with $432,600 raised altogether. Those three candidates have all launched television ads.
See CAMPAIGN, A6