Lindbergh High grad takes to the air
@stlouisamerican
@stlouisamerican
See page B1
St. LouiS AmericAn The
91 years serving, empowering and advocating equity in St. Louis
CAC Audited SEPTEMBER 12 – 18, 2019
Vol. 91 No. 25 COMPLIMENTARY
stlamerican.com
‘I miss her because she kept our class going’
Why exclude prosecutors from the crime summit? Violent crime is a public health crisis that needs long-term solutions By Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner For The St. Louis American
Photo by Ryan Delaney / St. Louis Public Radio
Shardea Thompson, 11, wept as her younger sister’s name was read aloud during a vigil for Jurnee Thompson, who was shot and killed a few days earlier.
Gun violence leaves broken hearts, empty desks at schools By Ryan Delaney Of St. Louis Public Radio Eddie Hill IV never showed up for the fifth grade. The 10-year-old was shot and killed enjoying his summer vacation from his front porch in the Lewis Place neighborhood, which borders the Central West End. His death has upended the school year for his former classmates at Pamoja Preparatory Academy at Cole. Eddie is one of a dozen children who have died in violence so far this year, part of a dizzying streak of young children being killed
n “The chaos of kids dying happens and you can’t control it, you can’t impact it, and so you feel really helpless.” – Superintendent Kelvin R. Adams
by bullets not meant for them, while doing things a kid is supposed to be doing in the summer: playing in the yard, eating pizza and
going to football games. Learning is “slowly but surely” getting back on track at Pamoja, said Eddie’s math and science teacher, Rashida Chatman. “The first week was extremely rough for us. We had to do a lot of just healing things — talking and singing and crying and hugging together,” Chatman said. “We’re just now getting to a space where it’s easier for us to reference him without breaking down as a whole family inside our classroom.” Chatman’s students have pinned notes See VIOLENCE, A6
Cure Violence assessment report set for Sept. 12 A community report-back on the Cure Violence assessment of St. Louis will be held 6 p.m. Thursday, September 12 at the Deaconess Center for Child WellBeing, 1000 N. Vandeventer Ave., sponsored by the Coalition Against Police Crimes and Repression. I have been doing a slow Jamala burn watching so-called leaders Rogers address the epidemic of violence. The burn turned to a flame since June 18, when Cure Violence came to St. Louis to conduct an assessment. We wanted to assess how the health-based violence prevention program could work in See REPORT, A7
Photo by Wiley Price
See SUMMIT, A7
Eight excellent educators Salute to Excellence in Education is Sept. 21 By Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis American
Sumner High School held a Peace March as a plea to stop killing children and students in our community on Wednesday, September 11.
By Jamala Rogers Of The St. Louis American
Officials hosting the St. Louis Crime Summit for the St. Louis region on Tuesday, September 10 did not include any elected prosecutors. Despite the overwhelming message sent by St. Louis city and county voters through the election of Wesley Bell and me as top prosecutors, neither of us was invited to offer our input and resources. Despite the fact the organizers said, “Everyone joined together to find solutions,” they didn’t include the two leaders elected by the people to address violent crime. Violent crime has plagued Kimberly M. this region for decades. There Gardner are no magic bullets or onesized-fits-all solutions. Yet, Wesley Bell and I are implementing solutions that address long-term violent crime, and we were not included in this most important conversation. We are doing things differently, and n I will not the caretakers of waiver from the the status quo commitments I are unmistakably made to you, and I frustrated with that. will address violent There is a clear and concerted crime as the public to isolate the health crisis that it is. effort two reform-minded elected prosecutors in our region. Why is that? Is it because we think differently about the way we should address long-term crime reduction? Is it because we hear the cries of people who want us to both cooperate with police while holding them accountable for actions that erode trust from the public?
The St. Louis American Foundation will honor eight outstanding educators from area schools as awardees at the 2019 Salute to Excellence in Education on Saturday, September 21 at the America’s Center Ballroom. Petra Baker is the principal at Gateway Michael in Saint Louis Public Schools, which 32nd serves students with medical challenges, from preschool to eighth grade. Described as a professional and an advocate with compassion for students and their families, Baker always wanted to be a teacher, and said God gifted her with an ear that hears the hearts of children. “Children matter, regardless of their circumstances,” Baker said. “I have the same expectations of my stuSee SALUTE, A7