Staging a movement ‘Purlie’ at the Black Rep offers Ossie Davis’ prescient perspective on Ferguson
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St. LouiS AmericAn The
CAC Audited SEPTEMBER 11 – 17, 2014
Vol. 85 No. 23 COMPLIMENTARY
stlamerican.com
City Council hears from protestors Concessions don’t appease public angry at police and court policies By Chris King Of The St. Louis American Photo by Jason Rosenbaum/St. Louis Public Radio
A diverse, majority-black crowd thronged the Sept. 9 meeting of the Ferguson City Council, held at Greater Grace Church to accommodate greater citizen involvement sparked by the Ferguson protest movement.
When Michael Brown was walking down Canfield Drive on the sunny Saturday of August 9 with his friend Dorian Johnson, surely he never dreamed his memory would one month later fill a Ferguson City Council with
young, engaged black men. But that is just what happened. The protest movement sparked by Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson’s fatal shooting of the unarmed black teen on August 9 is still going strong a month later. This was evident Tuesday night, Sept. 9, when a passionate crowd filled Greater Grace Church in Ferguson to
“We will continue to protest until justice is met. We are not going to end this.”
attend the first meeting of the Ferguson City Council convened since Brown’s death. The public was greeted by a police line searching for weapons – and surprised to be told that people would be allowed to speak for three minutes See COUNCIL, A6
Salute to Education 2014
Suggs Scholar is pursuing law degree
– Rhea Willis, a school teacher from Normandy
Maikieta Brantley keeps moving beyond masters in accounting By Bridjes O’Neil Of The St. Louis American
Photo by Wiley Price
Organizers Eric E. Vickers and Brother Anthony Shahid led a chant as protesters assembled in an effort to peacefully shut down Interstate 70 on Wednesday afternoon. Organizers say they are starting a series of direct actions to protest St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch being allowed to handle the prosecution of the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teen shot at least six times and killed by a Ferguson police officer in broad daylight.
Protests move to direct action Attempt at I-70 shutdown intended to pressure McCulloch off case By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American More than a dozen people were arrested Wednesday during a protest that attempted to shut down Interstate 70 in what organizers called an act of civil disobedience demanding justice for Michael Brown. Michael McMillan,
n “They are stopping the people from peacefully protesting.”
– Amir Brandy
president and CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, was among the first handful of arrests – along with
See story video at
www.stlamerican.com Rev. Larry Rice. About 100 police officers lined the on and off ramps to Interstate 70 at Hanley Road,
several dressed in riot gear. When the protest began at 3 See PROTESTS, A6
When Maikieta Brantley, 23, enrolled at the University of Missouri-Columbia’s prestigious School of Journalism, she had dreams of becoming a broadcast journalist. “Mizzou is number one for journalism,” Brantley said in a phone interview. “I knew that this was where I wanted to go.” She turned down two full-ride scholarships to attend Hampton University and Howard University, two HBCUs or Historically Black Colleges and Universities. To finance her education, she applied for the University of Missouri Columbia Donald M. Suggs Scholarship. In 2009, the then-senior at Rosati Kain High School was named a scholarship recipient. “I believe that everyone should have the opportunity to receive higher education,” she wrote in 2009 for The St. Louis American. “I am blessed to Maikieta have been awarded with such a lucrative Brantley, a scholarship.” 2009 recipient The University of Missouri Columbia of a Donald Donald M. Suggs Scholarship is a M. Suggs Scholarship at four-year, $57,000 scholarship—the university provides $46,000 of the the University scholarship funds and the St. Louis of Missouri American Foundation provides $11,000. Columbia, is It was the first of what has grown to now pursuing a law degree at become eight scholarships at Missouri the UM School schools named after the St. Louis American publisher and president of the of Law in St. Louis American Foundation. Columbia. Each year, the proceeds from the St. Louis American Foundation’s four Salute to Excellence events fund scholarships for minority students. This year, the foundation, together with its educational partners, will foster over $370,000 in scholarships for local minority students and community grants, as well as laptop computers See BRANTLEY, A7