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CAC Audited JANUARY 20 – 26, 2022
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MLK remembered
Vol. 93 No. 43 COMPLIMENTARY
Staff sees ‘guns every day... in the community’ City leaders discuss Cure Violence prevention efforts
By Dana Rieck The St. Louis American
Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American
Rudolph Lovelace (right) directs traffic during the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis’ food giveaway at its headquarters in the city’s Fountain Park neighborhood Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. Several groups helped give away PPEs, toiletries and food at the event dedicated to Dr. King’s Day of service.
Celebrations occur with voting rights under siege By Alvin A. Reid and Dawn Suggs The St. Louis American Dr. Martin Luther King Day 2022 was held as Congress failed to secure voting rights through the John R. Lewis and Freedom to Vote Acts. Yet, St. Louisans hailed the slain civil rights leader during the celebration of the 93rd anniversary of his birthday and vowed to continue working to create an America King hoped to see. The annual event at the Old Courthouse downtown drew dozens on a frigid afternoon, and Merdean Gales of the Dr. Martin Luther King Holiday Committee said she and her organization will never lose their fire to make King’s dream a reality. “Here we are, as Dr. King said so many times, still fighting ‘the three evils.’ “Poverty, racism and violence.” We are here to deter it in whatever way we can, the best way that we can,” she said. “We believe that not only voter education, but voter registration, and then voter participation [are needed.] We’ve got to exchange things with each other. We’ve got to talk about things. And after that we must set a plan of action.” Over 100 vehicles also took part in a ‘votercade’ parade through the streets of St. Louis near the Courthouse after the program. St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones said King’s non-violent crusade to protect voting rights and secure economic fairness for all Americans, which cost him his life, continues today. “Our fight to protect voting rights, often from some of the same politicians who dare quote Dr. King on this day, does not end when
See MLK, A6
Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American
Asia Johnson, the neice of Mother’s Advocating Safe Streets founder Jeannette Culpepper who passed away last year, stands on the steps of the Old Courthouse Monday, Jan. 17, participating in national King Day ceremonies.
Shortly after the city made headlines for a dramatic reduction in homicide numbers, city and community leaders discussed Cure Violence’s preventative work over the last two years. St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones was joined Jan. 13 by her public safety director, Dan Isom, in virtually meeting with representatives from the three neighborhoods where the Cure Violence prevention program was put in place. Cure Violence is a national program that seeks to prevent gun violence using the methods and strategies associated with disease control: detecting and interrupting conflicts; changing behavior; and changing social norms by connecting residents to services and embedding staff directly in neighborhoods. The St. Louis Department of Health n “It’s a hard job to do, but if leads the local Cure Violence program, which you place the was set to receive $8 right people in million in city funds over the right posithree years. The programs’ first tions, I feel like location, in the Wells it would be a Goodfellow/Hamilton big step for the Heights neighborhood, whole city.” opened in June 2020 and was implemented by — Juan Williams Employment Connection, which annually assists about 2,000 people with finding employment and focuses on reducing recidivism. Later on, in August 2020, Employment Connection was tapped to open another Cure Violence location in Dutchtown. Sal Martinez, CEO of Employment Connection, told Jones and Isom the Wells Goodfellow/Hamilton Heights neighborhood’s program has conducted 376 “de-escalation sessions,” where employees disrupt conflict situations before escalating. The neighborhood is located in District 5, an area that saw a 27% decrease in homicide and firearms’ violence rates between 2020 and 2021, according to the mayor’s office. “These staff persons see guns every day while they are in the community,” Martinez said. “… They’re not in the office 80 or 90% of the time, working on their computers. They are in the community, they are in the hotspots, they are in the areas where people are committing illegal activities risking their lives to make the community a
See VIOLENCE, A7
City’s new chief equity officer to focus on data
Vernon Mitchell has been on the job since Jan. 3 By Dana Rieck The St. Louis American St. Louis hasn’t had someone at the helm of its diversity and equity efforts since 2018, but that changed earlier this month with the addition of Vernon Mitchell, Ph.D. Mitchell began his role as chief equity and inclusion officer Jan. 3 after his appointment was announced Dec. 29. His predecessor, Nicole Hudson, served under Mayor Lyda Krewson’s administration and left in August 2018 for a position at Washington University. The position sat vacant until now. Mitchell, has a lengthy professional background in the academic field and said he will focus on how both qualitative and quantitative data can help inform the city’s decisions when it comes to closing the income gap and increasing equity among St.
Vernon Mitchell began his role as the city’s chief equity and inclusion officer Jan. 3 after his appointment was announced Dec. 29 by St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones.
n “I think this is an amazing opportunity to really shine a light on what St. Louis can be and what it’s going to be and not just solely be focused on St. Louis’ past.” — Vernon Mitchell, St. Louis’ equity and inclusion officer Louis residents. “I think this is an amazing opportunity to really shine a light on what St. Louis can be and what it’s going to be and not just solely be focused on St. Louis’ past, but we cannot create a sustainable future
See MITCHELL, A7
Photo by Wiley Price