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St. LouiS AmericAn The
CAC Audited SEPT. 27 – OCT. 3, 2018
COMPLIMENTARY
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At this dance every boy and girl was king and queen Riverview Gardens School District introduces new Junior Homecoming Dance By Chris King Of The St. Louis American It was a homecoming dance like no other. The boys, in bow ties, danced alone — or in the arms of their mothers. The girls, in glittering gold shoes and silver tiaras, danced alone, or together, or were dragged across the
dance floor, laughing, by a boy. There was no slow dancing. There was only fast dancing — and very fast dancing. The boys danced with boys. The girls danced in threes. The boys and girls danced in fives. They were, in all cases, brief episodes of dancing, interrupted by sprinting, or jumping in the air, or falling face-first onto the dance
Vol. 90 No. 27
The Riverview Gardens School District’s inaugural Junior Homecoming Queen and King, MeKayla Evans and Darius Holmes Jr., were crowned at this district’s first-ever Junior Homecoming Dance on Friday, September 21.
floor, which was usually a basketball court. It was the first-ever Junior Homecoming Dance in the gymnasium of the Michelle Obama Early Childhood Academic Center in the Riverview Gardens School District, held Friday, September 21, at the end of Spirit Week. “It’s a nice idea,” said Tracy Conley, who brought her son, Aiyden Conley, one of the center’s 241 students; about 120 families signed in and entered names in the drawing for king and queen. “Something different.” See DANCE, A6
Homegrown Black Males
Saving our sons – and all our students By Michael P. McMillan For The St. Louis American
Photo by Wiley Price
Registering voters at Harris-Stowe Harris-Stowe State University senior Prentis Boyles helped freshman Briana Smith register to vote during Voter Registration Day at the university on Tuesday, September 25. Organizers said they registered more than 100 people to vote. The League of Women Voters of Metro St. Louis will register people to vote at 61 area libraries from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, September 29. You can also register to vote by clicking the top tab at www.sos.mo.gov. October 10 is the deadline to register to vote in the November 6 election.
Christian Care Home allowed rape of elderly resident, lawsuit claims State rep calling for state investigation of Ferguson-based nursing home American staff A Ferguson-based nursing home allowed an 84-year-old resident to be raped, the family of the alleged victim claim in a lawsuit filed in St. Louis County Circuit Court. The lawsuit, filed by attorneys Richard Banks and Willie Gray, alleges that Delores Green’s daughter found unusual bruising and swelling on her mother’s body while giving her a bath at Christian Care Home in August 2018. Upon returning the following day, Green’s daughter noticed additional bruises and more swelling, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges that doctors at SSM Health DePaul Hospital examined Green and
determined that she had been repeatedly raped. Christian Care Home told The American it has no comment at the moment. Green was admitted into the Christian Care Home after she began experiencing Alzheimer’s in October 2011. For that Delores reason, family members Green claim, Green “could not cry out for help, as she suffers from dementia, Alzheimer’s, and she cannot talk.” The suit asks the court for compensation for “injuries and damages, in excess of $25,000,”
n “This lawsuit was filed to help shine a light on the under-reported evil of elder abuse in nursing homes throughout the country.” – Willie Gray, attorney
as well as attorneys’ fees and costs and “punitive damages.” Christian Care Home is a 150-bed assisted See LAWSUIT, A7
Part of a year-long series, presented by The American and the Brown School at Washington University, on changing the narratives and outcomes of young black males in St. Louis. As the new school year begins we need to see what has changed in our educational system, especially for African Americans. For the first time in many years, the responsibility of educating students is returning to the states. The Michael P. U.S. Department of Education McMillan has approved Missouri’s state plan for public education under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Missouri’s plan is a commitment to ensure that all students have equitable access to high-quality See MALES, A6
Alderwoman sues city for police retaliation By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American Late night on September 15, 2017, Alderwoman Megan Ellyia Green said she and about 10 others were walking to their cars after protesting police brutality in the Central West End. Earlier that day, a Missouri Circuit Court judge acquitted former St. Louis Police Officer Jason Stockley of the first-degree murder of Anthony Lamar Smith in 2011, and protestors took to the streets soon after. See POLICE, A7