Guys With The Fries serves comfort food
@stlouisamerican
@stlouisamerican
St. Louis American See page B1
The
Serving, empowering and advocating for equity in St. Louis since 1928
CAC Audited JUNE 30 – JULY 6, 2022
stlamerican.com
‘We expect to be sued’ Mayor, county exec push ARPA funds for reproductive healthcare
By Sophie Hurwitz For the St. Louis American
Protesters marched from Planned Parenthood to The Grove on Friday, June 24, 2022 to protest the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Local activist Alisha Sonnier was encouraging protesters to get involved in the process of getting Missouri laws changed to allow abortion access.
Hours after Roe v. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt certified in a legal opinion that the state’s “trigger law” is now in effect, meaning that abortion procedures are illegal in the state of Missouri. In St. Louis, hundreds gathered outside of what was until last week the only facility providing abortions in the state: the Planned Parenthood clinic in the Central West End. But beyond the protests come the questions of what the majority of Missourians, who support abortion access, can do. On the local level, in St. Louis and St. Louis County leaders are attempting to pass two parallel bills redirecting some national American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding towards financing travel to states that provide abortions–primarily to the Hope Clinic across the river in Illinois. It was already inundated with Missouri patients before
See MAYOR, A7
Photo by Jennifer Sarti / St. Louis American
Raise the praise Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin performed a melody of gospel hits during their St. Louis show last Thursday, June 23 for The Kingdom Tour at Chaifetz Arena.
Vol. 94 No. 14 COMPLIMENTARY
NNPA joins national Get Out The Vote effort ‘There can be no fear in this’
By Alvin A. Reid The St. Louis American Barbara Arnwine, Transformative Justice Coalition [TJC] founder and president, issued a challenge to Black voters as the November midterm elections approach. “Our goal is to not play defense. We must find a way to play offense, Arnwine said last week in New Orleans during the 2022 National Newspaper Publishers Association 195th Convention. “We must register the unregistered. Then, we must turn out those that are registered. We need massive voter participation.” According to TJC, there are about10 million African Americans who n “It is a totalare eligible to vote but who are unregistered. ly concentrated Arnwine’s organiassault on our zation and the NNPA voting.” announced a get-out-tovote campaign targeting those 10 million Black – Barbara Arnwine, voters and getting as Transformative many as possible to Justice Coalition vote in the 2022 mid[TJC] founder and terms. president “The NNPA has talked about the vote, and there is no better time for us to show our power,” NNPA Chair Karen Carter Richards said. Arnwine, an attorney, said the outreach effort cannot be a one-time deal. “About 30% of new registered voters actually vote. The more contacts they have after registering, the more likely they are to vote. If they receive six contacts reminding them their vote is critical, the chance they vote goes up to 65%. “If they receive eight of these contacts, that number goes up to 85%.” Daryl Jones, TJC board chair, said the organization had recorded 72 voter suppression tactics to prevent a large population from casting ballots. Among them are strict voter laws in many Republican-led states, including Missouri, deceptive robocalls; early voting cuts; and voter intimi-
See VOTE, A6
More bad news Photo by Taylor McIntosh / St. Louis American
Differing opinions
NNPA Newswire
Couples weigh in on vaccines for children five and younger By Sylvester Brown Jr. The St. Louis American
Antwon & Adrianne Blakemore with their kids Andrea 2, and Amir 4, chose to vaccinate their children.
Alex & DJ Johnson don’t fit in the categories of anti-vaxxers or COVID conspiracy theorists. The couple, who are not vaccinated, boast of a lifestyle of exercise and healthy eating. They consider themselves self-educated, well-researched and up to date on current affairs, including the coronavirus pandemic. Mostly, they get their information about the virus and vaccines from traditional medical and news platforms, not fringe, controversial or suspect websites. Exercising (“five days a week”) and being careful
See VACCINES, A6 SPORTS
‘American’ salutes local prep track stars Congratulations to the girls’ teams at Cardinal Ritter, Parkway Central and Westminster Christian and the boys’ team at Principia for winning state.
Page B3
Supreme Court sides with cops in Miranda ruling
In an America, where Black citizens especially have legitimate concerns when interacting with law enforcement, the U.S. Supreme Court has added to those fears after its latest ruling. The high court has struck a blow against an individual’s protection against self-incrimination by prohibiting sanctions against police officers who fail to read a suspect their Miranda rights. The Justices voted on Thursday, June 23, to limit the ability to enforce those rights, noting that suspects who aren’t warned about their right to remain silent can no longer sue an officer under federal civil rights laws. Further, the opinion noted that even if the evidence is obtained by cops when they fail to read Miranda rights, an individual can’t use that in a potential criminal trial. The court declared that the Miranda warning still protects a constitutional right, but the notice itself is not a right that would trigger the ability to
See COPS, A7
Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American
HEALTH
LIVING IT
Uterine cancer taking toll on Black women
Homegrown sound for St. Louis City SC
Page A12
Page C1
Black women had more than twice the rate of deaths from uterine cancer when compared to other racial and ethnic groups according to a recent study.
St. Louis City SC has picked local rapper Mvstermind to select music by local musicians that the club will play at matches and events.