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Group Asks Marsalis to Boycott Slay

By Antonio D. French

Filed Monday, January 28, 2008 at 9:43 AM

Citing this video from last week's tumultuous events at the Old Courthouse, the group opposing Mayor Francis Slay is asking jazz artist Wynton Marsalis to forgo his plans to perform in St. Louis next week in honor of the call for an economic boycott of the city resulting from Slay's rift with the black community.



To: Mr. Wynton Marsalis

Dear Mr. Marsalis:

We are forwarding to you a video which captures the recent incident of the Mayor of St. Louis, Francis Slay, being literally shouted down at the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration at the Old Courthouse last week. This video demonstrates how the racial tension in this city is escalating to a fever pitch, receiving front-page coverage last week in both the white and black press and being widely broadcast on every TV and radio station.

We bring this to your attention because I have not heard back from Ms. Stewart, who I understand is your agent, since my January 7, 2008 e-mail to her, which was in follow-up to previous correspondence and e-mails concerning a Boycott Alert that we have issued because of this racial strife.

It is now critical that you communicate with us immediately - prior to your scheduled concert - so that we can make you aware of our position with respect to your appearing here in St. Louis.

We would ask that you show the black community here during this crisis the same kind of courtesy and respect being demonstrated by the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), which is threatening to cancel its 2011 convention that is expected to generate $30 million in business for the city. (This information was sent to Ms. Stewart as well).

We hope and trust that you will follow NSBE's example of hearing first hand the concerns of our community, and then let that weigh on your consciousness and conscience. This video amply illustrates how disruptive this situation potentially is because of the deeply felt racial injustice, and we think that you, like NSBE, can and should play an important role in curing this.

Thank you, and because of the urgency, we will expect to hear from you within the next 24 hours.

Eric E. Vickers
Chairman Boycott Committee
Citizens to Support Fire Chief George
Marsalis is scheduled to perform February 1 and 9 at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

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Vital VOICE Interview with Slay

By Antonio D. French

Filed Thursday, January 24, 2008 at 2:41 PM

Reporter Lucas Hudson interviews Mayor Francis Slay in this week's issue of the Vital VOICE.

From Hudson's intro:
The city’s sweltering racial thermometer portends an all-out political meltdown as Mayor Francis Slay was booed right out of the Old Courthouse by supporters of the city’s ousted first black fire chief, Sherman George, as he gave a speech Jan. 21 honoring Martin Luther King Jr. This humiliating show of resentment demonstrates that Slay’s legacy is in danger of being permanently branded with the scarlet R of racial unrest.

African-American displeasure with his administration did not start with the political game of chicken that resulted in the public demotion of George, but that event lit the match in an environment already filled with the fumes of African-American distrust, suspicion and anger at what some have described as Slay’s "racial politics."

In a Jan. 11 interview with the Vital VOICE, Mayor Slay speaks to these issues, and also outlines African-American progress that has taken place under his administration, declaring that "There isn’t enough coverage of positive news."
From the interview:
The Vital Voice: We both know that some of the city’s African-American leaders are up in arms over what many have described as your “racial politics.” With racial tension inflamed in the wake of Fire Chief Sherman George’s removal, The National Society of Black Engineers has threatened to move its 2011 conference scheduled to take place in St. Louis unless the situation changes. In addition, a citizen’s group primarily made up of African-Americans called the Citizens to Recall Mayor Slay has started an effort to recall you from office.

Consultant and blogger Antonio French’s site (www.PubDef.net) lists major gripes the black community has with your administration, which I have paraphrased. They include:
  • Disassembling the city’s largest black voting ward (the former 20th).
  • Removal of the city’s only ever black fire chief and the subsequent 4-to-1 promotion of whites over blacks.
  • The closing of more than a dozen schools (neighborhood anchors) in North St. Louis.
  • The disproportionate investing of hundreds of millions of tax dollars in downtown and white neighborhoods, while northern black neighborhoods continue to suffer.
Mayor Slay, if you don’t agree with African-American disillusionment regarding your administration, can you at least understand it?

Mayor Slay: I am very aware of some racial unrest in the City of St. Louis. I am very aware of some of the reaction to what happened in the Fire Department. I will also tell you that if Chief George had made the promotions, he would still be the chief. I talked to civic, political and clergy leaders throughout the community during the process before any decisions were made. I want you and the community to know that I did everything I could to try and get the promotions done without confrontation or controversy. I respect Sherman George as a man of principle, but ultimately, we disagreed how to handle that situation.

There isn’t anybody in St. Louis that agrees with every decision I have made, but there are some people that want to divide the city. However… I don’t think anybody can argue with the fact that St. Louis is much better today than it was seven years ago. We were losing jobs and people faster than virtually any other city in America. Now, our job base has stabilized, our population is on the increase, and we’re getting national and international recognition for our successes. Chief Mokwa and I just announced that crime in the city has dropped 16 percent from last year. Crime is now at a 35-year low. That is something that impacts everybody positively.

Have we solved all the issues? We have not. And some of those allegations like disassembling the largest black ward in the city…Well, the people are still there. If that was the largest black voting ward the city, it is still the largest black voting ward in the city, but it just has a different number on it.

Most people only hear the negatives, and there is no balanced view. For example, the affordable housing initiative that I helped pass is spending $5 million a year, with much of that money impacting people of color. When I took office in the year 2000, 31 percent of the kids tested were positive for lead, and now it is only six percent. The neighborhoods with high incidences of lead poisoning are in predominately African-American areas. I am not suggesting there are no more challenges and everything is fine, but there isn’t enough coverage of positive news.

VV: What specifically have you done, and what more can you do to defuse the current racial tension in the city?

MS: I have been working hard to call upon fair-minded people who are very interested, regardless of what they think of my decision or how it was done—to pull together, begin the healing process and move the city forward. I believe that is going to take some time, but I have been very encouraged by conversations with a number of black leaders. I believe I realize how deep this issue goes, and I am not taking this tension for granted. It is going to take a lot of work and leadership from me and my office.
Click here to read the entire Vital VOICE interview.

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Group Wants Slay Disinvited from Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration

By Antonio D. French

Filed Wednesday, January 16, 2008 at 4:44 PM

Dr. Henry Givens, Jr.
Chairman
Martin Luther King, Jr. State Celebration Commission
3026 Laclede Avenue
St. Louis, Mo. 63103

Re: St. Louis Racial Climate - Economic Boycott Alert

Dear Dr. Givens:

We write concerning the current intense racial climate in the city of St. Louis, which was sparked by Mayor Francis Slay recently ousting the city’s first and only black fire chief, Sherman George, replacing him with a less qualified white, and then promoting white firefighters to 80% of thirty-four high-ranking captain and battalion chief positions that were open.

As you may be aware, we have initiated a Recall campaign against the mayor, and have also issued a Boycott Alert to organizations, entertainers and celebrities planning to come to St. Louis, advising them of the atrocious racial circumstances and conditions now pending in the city, and of our intention to launch a boycott of the city if this situation is not corrected.

As you may also be aware, the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), in responding to the Boycott Alert, has put the city on notice that it may cancel its national convention that is scheduled to be held in St. Louis in 2011, and that is expected to draw over fifteen thousand and have a $30 million economic impact on the city.

We are aware, of course, of the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. activities being planned by your Commission for January 21, 2008, including the program at the Old Courthouse and the march to Powell Symphony Hall.

Because of the manner in which the mayor has totally disrespected the black community with his handling of this issue, we respectfully request that your Commission not invite Mayor Slay to either speak at the Old Courthouse or participate at the head of the march. Frankly, given what the mayor has done, it would be slap in the face to the memory of Dr. King for him to participate in any sort of prominent way at this hallow event.

We commend you and the Commission for the fine work you have done over the many years in honoring and preserving the important message of Dr. King, and we thank you for your earnest consideration of this request.


Sincerely yours,


Eric E. Vickers
Chairman Economic Boycott Committee

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Boston Herald, AP Report on Slay's Fire Dept Race Relations Debacle

By Antonio D. French

Filed Saturday, January 12, 2008 at 5:09 PM

First the New York Times, now the Associated Press via the Boston Herald.

From yesterday's Herald:
Few brotherhoods are as strong as the one among firefighters, who depend on one another just to stay alive. But powerful racial tensions have divided the St. Louis Fire Department and spilled over recently to City Hall.

In October, the city’s white mayor, Francis Slay, demoted black Fire Chief Sherman George after a three-year dispute over the firefighter promotion exam.

Since then, the FBI has investigated two incidents inside engine houses that were reported as possible hate crimes — one involving a stuffed monkey hung by the neck, the other a noose tied around a cracker box.
More...
George — the city’s first black chief — himself won his first promotion only because of a federal court order in 1978 that found the department’s tests for promotions discriminated against blacks. George, 63, and other black veterans of the department say racism hindered their rise at every step.

"The fire department was a country club for white folks," said retired Capt. Baby Webber, who is black. "Then the black folks started coming in and breaking up their country club."
Click here to read the full story.

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New Jersey Apologizes for Slavery

By Antonio D. French

Filed Tuesday, January 08, 2008 at 5:59 AM

Will Missouri soon follow the State of New Jersey, which officially apologized for slavery Monday?

State Rep. T.D. El-Amin has sponsored a resolution calling for the State of Missouri to apologize for its role in enslaving blacks.

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NY Times on STLFD Racial Divide

By Antonio D. French

Filed Saturday, January 05, 2008 at 4:04 PM

In today's New York Times (hat tip to the Arch City Chronicle for first noting it), former Riverfront Times reporter Malcolm Gay pens an article on the City of St. Louis' ongoing racial problems following Mayor Francis Slay's handling of the promotions controversy in the fire department.
In demoting Mr. George, some of those leaders said, Mr. Slay brought St. Louis race relations to a new low. Some started a petition drive in support of a mayoral recall.

"Sherman George was an African-American in one of the highest positions in the mayor’s administration — he was an icon," said Alderman Terry Kennedy, chairman of the Aldermanic Black Caucus. "To push him out like that? You’re not doing anything but causing trouble."
Click here to read the full article.

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New Veiled Prophet Queen Named

By Antonio D. French

Filed Sunday, December 23, 2007 at 8:24 AM

According to the Post-Dispatch, Katherine Remington Martin of Ladue was crowned the queen at Saturday's 123rd annual Veiled Prophet Ball. PubDef was not invited to this year's ball and we're really broken up about it (Gabe mostly).

The event is put on by the same organization that founded the V.P. Fair (now called Fair St. Louis). Watch this video we did earlier this year, an interview with activist Percy Green on the controversial history of the Veiled Prophet.



Heavy should be the head that wears the crown, Ms. Martin.

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"Mr. Mayor, You've Got Some Issues."

By Antonio D. French

Filed Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 9:01 PM

Citing the City of St. Louis' current racial problems, the chairman and the executive director of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) said today they will give Mayor Francis Slay six months to make peace with the city's black community or they will relocate their 2011 national convention and take its millions of dollars of economic impact elsewhere.







PubDef, along with crews from Channel 4 and 5, waited for Mayor Slay or a spokesman to discuss his meeting with NSBE, but no one came out by 5:00 and we all left.

THIS STORY WAS NOT REPORTED LAST NIGHT ON KMOV CHANNEL 4 or KSDK CHANNEL 5 10:00 NEWS SHOWS EVEN THOUGH BOTH HAD REPORTERS AND CAMERAS AT THE SCENE.

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Funniest Headline of the Week

By Antonio D. French

Filed Friday, December 14, 2007 at 8:39 AM

From KSDK.com: "Slay Says More Needs To Be Done To Address Racial Divide"

St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay told Channel 5 reporter Cordell Whitlock yesterday that he thinks Firefighters Union Local 73, which is white-dominated, and F.I.R.E., the African-American firefighters organization, need to come together.

But as Slay was quick to publicly remind ex-fire chief Sherman George, the mayor's office controls the fire department. He can, as he did with George, order both sides to the table.

Instead, he has clearly sided with Local 73.

To now say "something" needs to be done by "someone" "someday" is just skirting his responsibilities once again.



Click here to watch KSDK's softball interview with Slay.

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Who's Representing Who?

By Antonio D. French

Filed Thursday, December 13, 2007 at 10:00 AM

This whole ugly mess with the stuffed monkey hanging in Firehouse 13 has brought to light a serious problem in how the Slay Administration is running both the St. Louis Fire Department and the City.

When the media learned about this incident from a mass email sent out by a member of F.I.R.E. (the organization representing black firefighters), Mayor Francis Slay and his public safety director Charles Bryson responded a few days later by forwarding the situation F.B.I. At no time did the mayor's office or the public safety director meet with or even call leaders of the black firefighters organization to try to dampen the flames which such an incident could ignite.

The Slay Administration's policy with regard to the fire department is to deal only with the firefighters union, Local 73, and not the black firefighters association. The new fire chief also operates under this policy.

It is interesting that the old chief, Sherman George, was instructed by the mayor's office to meet monthly with both organizations. But now, as F.I.R.E. vice-chair Wayne Luster noted at yesterday's press conference, the black firefighters are no longer involved in the direction of the department, even though their membership accounts for nearly 45% of the department.


So what is the real effect of this policy? Well, when the head of the mostly-white Local 73 was asked about the hanging monkey incident, he downplayed it and suggested there was no need for an investigation.

"[The monkey] was put on the coat rack because it was wet and it was drying," Chris Molitor told the Post-Dispatch. As for the rope, he said it "has been attached to that coat rack for several years."

This calls for some clarification.

First, the black firefighters organization, F.I.R.E., while not a recognized bargaining entity with the City of St. Louis, is still nonetheless clear on their mission: representing the interests of black firefighters. And like any good union, recognized or not, they push hard for the advancement of their members.

Local 73 on the other hand has long rejected its characterization as the "white firefighters union." Its leaders say their mission is to represent all firefighters, regardless of color. However, history has not shown that to be the case. And this incident indicates that the professional needs and desires of African-American firemen and women are still not being represented by Local 73.

While Molitor and the people he represents believe that a hanging monkey means little, his African-American co-workers and his bosses (at least publicly) think it deserves serious investigation.

The fire chief and the public safety director told the media Tuesday that the department was taking the situation "very seriously." Though, again, neither have talked to the black firefighters' organization about it.

If Jenkerson, Bryson and Molitor think the fire department can be its best without communicating with the black firefighters organization, they are wrong. But they are not alone. This "blackout" started at the top.

St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay's office — specifically his chief of staff, Jeff Rainford, and his communications director, Ed Rhode — continue to ignore St. Louis' African-American press. No responses to inquires (the St. Louis American has not received a response in over a month). No press releases or notices of press conferences.

How long will the Slay Administration continue this "blackout"? And how long with the white press sit without comment and watch the disrespect of its African-American colleagues?

As a citywide elected official from a majority-black city, Mayor Slay actually has more black constituents than white. But that's not how his administration sees it.

A white elected official recently told me how Slay's chief of staff, Jeff Rainford, once suggested to him that he was wasting his time by attending meetings in north St. Louis.

"They'll never vote for you anyway," Rainford told this official.

Is that how we're going to operate in this city? Elected officials only recognizing the importance of half their constituents?

Where's the outrage among more of our white citizens — our white journalists, our white firefighters, our white elected officials?

I can only hope it is because they sincerely don't know what's going on.

I'd hate to think that you are OK with our city being divided as it is today by the people in Room 200.

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Mayor's F.I.R.E. Mess Getting Ugly

By Antonio D. French

Filed Wednesday, December 12, 2007 at 8:36 PM

Leaders of the city's black firefighters association said today that Mayor Francis Slay's removal of Fire Chief Sherman George has created an "energized atmosphere of defiance and intolerance" among some white firefighters, and it is in that atmosphere that a toy monkey was left hanging from a makeshift noose at a northside fire house over the weekend.

The F.B.I. has been notified of this possible hate crime, but Abram Pruitt and Wayne Luster, co-chairs of F.I.R.E., said no one from the Mayor's office nor Public Safety Director Charles Bryson had bothered contacting F.I.R.E. regarding this incident, despite the organization representing 98% of African-American members of the department.

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F.I.R.E. Demands Action

By Antonio D. French

The following statement comes from F.I.R.E., the African-American firefighters association:
Almost 50 years ago Black firefighters for the City of St Louis were told by white firefighters that they could not attend the firefighters' barbecue.

Those African American firefighters were given $5.00 by the white firefighters and instructed to go have their own function----because of the color of their skin they were not welcome at any firefighters' event in the City of St Louis. It was out of that incident that F.I.R.E. was founded.

African American firefighters understood then that the racism that infected the fire department could not be cured from the inside out.

Unfortunately little has changed with regard to acts of hate directed at black firefighters.

A few days ago a stuffed monkey was hung by a noose in a northside firehouse. This act of hate comes shortly after the first African American fire chief was forced out and replaced with a lesser qualified white firefighter.

F.I.R.E. (Firefighters Institute for Racial Equality) is demanding that the City of St Louis respond to this act of hate properly and F.I.R.E. is also requesting a Federal Investigation.
F.I.R.E. is holding a press conference today at 5:00 PM at their headquarters, 1020 North Taylor Ave.

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VIDEO: Slavery Apology Testimony

By Antonio D. French

Jamala Rogers from the Organization for Black Struggle was the first person to testify at yesterday's hearing of the House Committee on Slavery Impact.

The committee, which is considering State Rep. T.D. El-Amin's resolution calling for the State of Missouri to apologize for its role in enslaving blacks, met in the historic Old Courthouse where the historic Dred Scott decision was first heard.

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Burning Crosses, Hanging Monkies

By Antonio D. French

Filed Tuesday, December 11, 2007 at 5:20 PM

Burning Crosses, Hanging Monkies. No, not quite the title of a new Wire Fu movie starring Chow Yung Fat. Just the latest chapter in St. Louis' never-ending story of racists behaving badly.

On the same day that a special House committee heard testimony on why the State of Missouri should finally apologize for years of recognizing Africans as the legal property of others, two reports highlight the struggle for racial harmony that still exists today.

The FBI was notified this week of a cross-burning in the nearby town of Belleville, IL.

From the Post-Dispatch:
Police here are investigating a burning cross that was found Saturday in a black man’s yard on the 3600 block of Sheridan.

Police said a neighbor had seen the 5 foot cross about 11 a.m. Saturday. The resident had not seen a cross when he got home at 1 a.m. the night before. The bottom of the cross burned, and racial slurs were written on it with a black permanent marker.
And in the recently beleaguered St. Louis fire department, where tensions have been high for weeks following Mayor Francis Slay's removal of the city's first black fire chief, a stuffed toy monkey was found hanging in an engine house.

Chris Molitor, head of the predominantly-white firefighters union, Local 73, played down the incident, telling the Post that the stuffed animal was found at a fire several weeks ago by firefighters at the station.
"It was put on the coat rack because it was wet and it was drying," Molitor said. As for the rope, he said, it "has been attached to that coat rack for several years."
Despite Molitor's explanation, the black firefighters union and the new fire chief, Dennis Jenkerson, are said to be taking the incident "very seriously."

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Committee to Discuss Apology for Slavery in Old Courthouse

By Gabe Bullard

Filed Monday, December 10, 2007 at 1:07 PM

150 years after the Dred Scott decision, the House Committee on Slavery Impact will discuss an apology for slavery in the same building where Scott made his case.

At 2:00 PM tomorrow in the Old Courthouse downtown, the group will hold a committee hearing to discuss House Resolution 26, which calls for Missouri to apologize for its role in slavery.

"I think what's bigger than an apology is the opportunity to open a dialogue about the disparities that exist," says Committee Co-Chairman T.D. El-Amin. "There's a direct connection between those disparities and slavery."

El-Amin co-chairs the committee with Rodney Hubbard*. Other local representatives on the committee include Jeanette Mott Oxford and Scott Muschany.

El-Amin says the resolution has bipartisan support in many offices across the state. He lists House Speaker Rod Jetton, Attorney General Jay Nixon, Senator Claire McCaskill, Congressman Wm. Lacy Clay, State Auditor Susan Montee and Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder among those who have shown support for HR 26.

Click here to read HR 26.

*Hubbard is a client of A D French & Associates

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FIRE: Slay Ignoring Our Issues, Demand Independent Investigation of Cheating

By Antonio D. French

Filed Wednesday, November 28, 2007 at 9:57 PM

The group representing African-Americans in the St. Louis Fire Department today called on Mayor Francis Slay to address the issues of their members — which account for 44% of the department — and no longer deal exclusively with the so-called "white firefighters union," Local 73.

Addington Stewart, the chairman of the Firefighters Institute on Racial Equality (F.I.R.E.), also said that only this week was he informed by St. Louis police that they were about to begin an investigation into allegations of cheating by white firefighters on the 2004 promotions exam — three years after the alleged cheating occurred and after promotions have been made off a possibly tainted list.

Stewart said F.I.R.E. wants to see an independent investigation performed by a federal agency, not local police.

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F.I.R.E. Rejects Creation of Asst. Chief Position, Demands 50/50 Hiring

By Antonio D. French

The association of black city firefighters is holding a press conference today to once again demand Mayor Francis Slay address the group's concerns.

The Firefighters Institute for Racial Equality (F.I.R.E.), which almost all of the city's African-American fire fighters belong to — representing 44% of the fire department — is upset with Slay for removing Fire Chief Sherman George from his position and for dealing exclusively with the so-called white firefighters union, Local 73.

UPDATE: The group is also calling on a return the 50/50 hiring (one white for every black) policy which the fire department operated under for many years under a federal consent decree.

From F.I.R.E.:
Members of F.I.R.E. will uphold our oath to the citizens of the city of St. Louis to protect property and save lives. We will fight fires aggressively; respond to emergency medical and special calls with integrity and professionalism. Yet we will not stand for our issues to be ignored by the mayor; members of F.I.R.E. is comprised of 98% of the Black firefighters in the department and represent 44% of the members in the St. Louis Fire Department. Our issues with testing are still pending in the federal court of appeals. Racial tensions are present in firehouses and must be addressed.

We have witnessed the mayor addressing all of the issues (transfers, civil service hearings, non-establishment of an Advanced Life Support Pumper Program, etc.) of local 73 during Chief George’s tenure. He has affirmed actions for the local in reference to promotions and the demotion of Fire Chief George. His most recent affirmed action was to promote Battalion Chief Dennis Jenkerson to Fire chief over the most qualified officer in the department Deputy Chief Charles Coyle. Yet he has not addressed our chief complaint cheating during the 2004 exam administered by EBJacobs. To add insult to injury they want to create a position and give it to a Black officer to appease Black firefighters we reject that offer. REINSTATE THE FIRE CHIEF SHERMAN GEORGE!

The Firefighters Institute for Racial Equality (F.I.R.E.) will not be able to move forward if our issues are not addressed.
  • Conduct an INDEPENDENT investigation into the allegations of cheating on the 2004 test.
  • No testing processes should be administered until an agreement on what the system should be and how it should be administered.
  • An affirmed action in the form of an executive order from the mayor to institute a 50/50 hiring and promotions diversity plan.
  • F.I.R.E. is against the creation of an Assistant Chief’s position.
  • Expedite the Civil Service Hearing of Fire Chief Sherman George.
  • Fire Chief Sherman George earned his pension as fire chief because of his demotion to deputy chief they deliberately cost him 10’s of thousands of dollars in retirement benefits. Reinstate Sherman George back to Fire Chief.
Today's press conference is at 3:30 PM at F.I.R.E.'s headquarters, 1020N. Taylor Ave.

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VIDEO: The Trouble with Francis

By Antonio D. French

Filed Tuesday, November 20, 2007 at 6:01 AM

On the "Collateral Damage" radio show Monday night, the hot topic was Mayor Francis Slay's handling of the fire department controversy.

Hosts DJ Wilson and Fred Hessel and guest Antonio French of PubDef.net discussed the appointment of the new fire chief, Dennis Jenkerson; the qualifications of public safety director Charles Bryson; and what "disrespect" has to do with this whole thing.

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Deseg, Magnets and Charters

By Antonio D. French

Filed Thursday, November 15, 2007 at 6:00 AM

PUB DEF EXCLUSIVE VIDEO

Of the more than 32,000 students that attend St. Louis Public Schools, only slightly more than 4,000 of them are white. Despite whites making up only 14% of the district population, two out of every five seats in some of the city's best schools — top-performing magnet schools — are reserved for white children. And because so few of their parents are choosing to send their kids to SLPS, many of those seats go unfilled, despite the fact that waiting lists of black students wanting to attend these good schools grow longer every year.

Yesterday, at a public meeting of parties in the Liddell v. The Board of Education case (the historic desegregation case which led to 15 years of court-ordered busing between city and suburban districts), teachers union president Mary Armstrong asked the parties if they would consider releasing those empty seats to black students whose families are desperate for better educational opportunities.

Armstrong said many of those families choose charter schools because they are turned away from SLPS magnets, costing the district millions of dollars every year.

In this exclusive video Armstrong mentions Mayor Francis Slay's plan to aggressively expand the number of charter schools in the city, which will put further economic strain on the district. And attorney William L. Taylor, the lead lawyer in the desegregation case, asks Armstrong her position on pay-for-performance plans for teachers.


Applications for acceptance to the following magnet schools must be received by Friday, November 16:
  • Central Visual and Performing Arts
  • Cleveland NJROTC
  • Gateway Institute of Technology
  • Kennard Classical Junior Academy
  • McKinley Classical Junior Academy
  • McKinley Classical Leadership Academy
  • Metro Academic and Classical High School
  • Soldan International Studies
Applications to all other St. Louis magnet schools must be received by Monday, December 31.

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VIDEO: Dogan Slams Clay on CBC Stance

By Antonio D. French

Filed Monday, November 05, 2007 at 4:38 PM

PUB DEF EXCLUSIVE

At a panel discussion yesterday on race and politics, Shamed Dogan, a Republican candidate for state representative in west St. Louis County, slammed Congressman Lacy Clay for his stance against a white member of Congress attempting to join the Congressional Black Caucus.

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VIDEO: Smith on Race and Education

By Gabe Bullard


VIDEO: Dogan and Nadal Spar Over Race and a "Color-Blind" Society

By Antonio D. French

PUB DEF EXCLUSIVE

At a panel discussion on race and politics yesterday, Democratic State Rep. Maria Chappelle-Nadal and Republican State Rep. candidate Shamed Dogan sparred over Dogan's assertion that intermarriage is one of the best ways to reach a "color-blind" society.

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Ward Connerly Interview - Part 2

By Antonio D. French

Filed Thursday, October 25, 2007 at 7:47 PM

And now the exciting conclusion of our interview with affirmative action opponent Ward Connerly.

Connerly has come to Missouri to support a proposed amendment to our state constitution to "ban affirmative action programs designed to eliminate discrimination against, and improve opportunities for, women and minorities in public contracting, employment and education."


Click here to watch Part 1 of this interview.

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Ward Connerly Interview - Part 1

By Antonio D. French

Filed Tuesday, October 23, 2007 at 4:39 PM

Last week, I sat down with Ward Connerly, the controversial founder and chairman of the American Civil Rights Institute, a national non-profit organization created to oppose racial and gender preference, commonly known as affirmative action.

In 1996, Connerly was instrumental in getting Proposition 209 passed in California. The controversial initiative amended the state's constitution to prohibit public institutions, such as universities, from taking race or gender into consideration in hiring or admissions.

Connerly has now come to Missouri. He has been brought in to be the spokesman for a group based out of Grain Valley, Missouri which is organizing to get an initiative passed next year which is very similar to the one passed in California.

The California initiative passed by 54%. In this much more conservative Midwestern state, supporters of affirmative action are up for a fight — one that will likely be settled on the very same ballot that decides who will be the next President of the United States.

And now, part 1 of my interview with Ward Connerly...



Check back tomorrow for Part 2 of my interview.

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WU BSA To Meet on Racial Incident

By Gabe Bullard

Filed Friday, October 12, 2007 at 1:39 PM

The Association of Black Students at Washington University is holding a closed meeting today to discuss the recent racial incident on campus. When reached for comment, ABS President Sarah Johnson said, "I will not make statements until after our general body meeting."

According to the official report from Washington University's police force, filed on October 1 at 7:30 PM:
Student reported that an unknown individual had written the word "nigger" in approximately 4 inch letters in dust on the complainants rear window. The student had wiped the wording away prior to making this report.
The case is still under investigation.

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VIDEO: George Calls Slay's Actions Discriminatory, Plans Legal Action

By Antonio D. French

Filed Thursday, October 11, 2007 at 10:54 AM

Former fire chief Sherman George made it clear today that the circumstances surrounding his refusal to make promotions and his subsequent demotion by Mayor Francis Slay and his public safety director Charles Bryson was, for him, always about ensuring the best and most qualified people were elevated in the department.

It was the mayor's office, said George, which constantly tried to link his position to the racial bias lawsuit filed by a group of Black firefighters.

That — and Slay's repeated undermining and micromanaging — was what led to the showdown that ended with George's removal, said the former chief. George and his attorney say all this has created an environment designed to force George to quit. "Constructive termination," George called it, and he's filing complaints with the Civil Service Commission, the City Diversity Director, the Missouri Human Rights Commission, and the U.S. Equal Opportunities Commission because of it.

Watch the full press conference...



"I consider myself retired from the fire department as a result of the constructive termination while I seek reinstatement. I am informing the City of that today. But I am not retiring from the fire service to run for public office. I am not interested in running for mayor of the City of St. Louis, but neither should Francis Slay," said George.


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Board's Racial Tension Mirrors City's

By Antonio D. French

Filed Saturday, October 06, 2007 at 10:20 AM

Friday's unseasonal upper-80-degree temperatures weren't the only reason things were hot in the Board of Aldermen meeting yesterday. Racial tensions are high in the City of St. Louis following Mayor Francis Slay's removal of the city's first black fire chief and the subsequent promoting of 25 fire fighters to the rank of captain, 88% of whom are white.

Third Ward Alderman Freeman Bosley, Sr. (3rd Ward), whose son was the city's first black mayor, took the opportunity during the announcements period at the end of the meeting to ask for a moment of quiet reflection and prayer to help heal the racial divide. Ironically, it was at that moment that the divide showed itself clearly to the citizens in the chamber and watching on television.

Alderman Steve Conway, who along with fellow southside aldermen Jennifer Florida and Steve Gregali have been at the center of much of the racial division at the Board, interrupted Bosley. Upset at Conway's interruption at a call for prayer, Bosley snapped back: "Oh, shut your mouth!"



Board President Lewis Reed asked Conway to back down from his point-of-order objection in the interest of keeping things civil. Conway eventually agreed and moved on.

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F.I.R.E.: GEORGE DEMOTION "LAWLESS"

By Gabe Bullard

Filed Monday, October 01, 2007 at 2:14 PM

Today F.I.R.E. issued a statement calling Mayor Slay's demotion of Fire Chief Sherman George to Deputy Chief "A lawless act." They added, "Mayor Francis Slay has made it clear that the safety of our city is not a priority."

So far, there is no word on who will replace George as Chief.

From the press release:
F.I.R.E.'s Statement Regarding Mayor's Action Against Fire Chief Sherman George

Today we are told that Fire Chief Sherman George has been demoted. This is a lawless act and once again Mayor Francis Slay has made it clear that the safety of our city is not a priority.

“These are dangerous times in the City of St Louis when a sitting Mayor puts politics, ego and personal gain ahead of the law and the safety our citizens,” Vice Chairman of F.I.R.E., Wayne Luster.

The issue of the authority of Chief Sherman George to promote is well settled law. The Missouri Court of Appeals and the Missouri Supreme Court addressed the issue of the authority of Chief George in 2004 and both courts concluded that Rule 7 Section 4 of the City Charter gives the absolute authority of whether and when to promote to Fire Chief George.

Despite the fact that the Court of Appeals and the Missouri Supreme Court concur on the authority of Chief Sherman George, Mayor Slay continues to ignore the law. These relentless and unlawful demands on Chief George by Mayor Slay are not simply some sort of political obsession. These actions on the part of the Mayor’s office have put the safety of our city at risk.

As F.I.R.E. has previously stated, the selection of Charles Bryson to head the largest department in this city, was a cynical and racially calculated appointment. Indeed if Mayor Slay had confidence in the ability of his appointment, why are Charles Bryson’s phone messages forwarded to the Mayor’s office?

The attempted demotion of Fire Chief Sherman George will not stand.

F.I.R.E., Fire Chief Sherman George and thousands of other concerned citizens have made our position clear: the law must be followed and safety must be first. And we will not rest until the office of the Mayor sets and follows those same priorities.

The Arch City Chronicle points out that according to the properties function of the document, it was authored by former radio host Lizz Brown.

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Political F.I.R.E. Rages

By Antonio D. French

Filed Friday, September 14, 2007 at 9:36 PM

"Hey Hey, Ho Ho, Francis Slay must go!" That was the chant outside city hall today as the 5:00 deadline the mayor imposed on Fire Chief Sherman George came and went without George making any promotions.

Slay and his public safety director, Charles Bryson, said they will announce George's punishment on Monday.

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VIDEO: F.I.R.E. at Bryson's House

By Antonio D. French

Only four days on the job and Charles Bryson, the new public safety director, has already received his first mob of angry citizens to descend on his northside home. Lucky for Bryson they were carrying picket signs and not burning torches.


Bryson and his boss, Mayor Francis Slay, have given Fire Chief Sherman George until 5:00 PM Friday to make the promotions. If he does not, he will be "disciplined" on Monday.

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Fighting F.I.R.E. [Updated x2]

By Antonio D. French

Filed Thursday, September 13, 2007 at 3:54 PM

It's never good when you come home to see firefighters at your home. The good news for Charles Bryson is that it's just a political fire that will be ablaze on his street today.

The Fire Institute for Racial Equality, AKA F.I.R.E., AKA the black firefighters' union, will be protesting today outside the home of the City's new public safety just one day before he is expected to take action against Fire Chief Sherman George.

Mayor Francis Slay appointed Bryson as director just this week, replacing Sam Simon, who after being criticized for months about his supervision of the fire department, abruptly took a job with St. Louis University just days before his scheduled showdown with George. That task has now fallen on Bryson, who has found himself in the middle of a racially-charged storm of controversy.

George supporters have charged that Bryson (who is black) lacks the necessary experience to lead the Department of Public Safety and was hired only to provide political cover for Slay when he fires the city's first black fire chief.

F.I.R.E. will also conduct another protest tomorrow (Friday) at 5:00 PM at City Hall.

UPDATE: PubDef has heard a rumor — rather, a possible scenario — in which Mayor Slay and Director Bryson place Chief George on 30 days unpaid suspension for failing to make the promotions as directed. During that time the fire department is placed under the control of an interim chief — maybe an African-American — who makes "compromise" promotions reflecting the racial balance of the department.

We won't have to wait long to find out if this rumor — or scenario — has any legs.

UPDATE 2: Appearing on Channel 2 yesterday morning, Bryson appeared to offer a tiny bit of face-saving wiggle room for the chief. He said he and Slay would accept if George, by 5:00 Friday, offered a date in the future when he would be willing to make the promotions.

Bryson also said Slay has told the chief that he did not have to promote anyone that he did not feel comfortable with.



Related Story:

Hire a Black to Fire a Black?

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Race and the Slay/George Dispute

By Antonio D. French

Filed Tuesday, September 11, 2007 at 6:58 AM

Post-Dispatch columnist Bill McClellan writes:
If the confrontation plays all the way out, George will lose his job. That will not be good, and I say that not just because I like George. Firing him would be racially divisive. A lot of people in the black community see the dispute as a matter of respect. George is the chief. Where's the respect?

There has not been much in the tone of the mayor's rhetoric. It's almost as if the mayor thinks history started yesterday. I mean, come on, this is about race. George came through the ranks when the association was pretty much a white guys' club. Nothing unusual about that. My dad was a union electrician in Chicago and I remember when his union was that way. Those fellows felt that they were protecting what was theirs.

I remember the business agent talking to my father. "If your son wants to get into the union, he's not going to have to wait in line behind any blacks," he said, although he used another word for blacks. It's a word we don't use any more. Times have changed, and thank goodness for that.

But it's easier for white guys like me or the mayor to say that times have changed.
Click here to read his insightful column.

Kristen Hinman writes on the Riverfront Times blog:
Bryson, who has worked in Mayor Francis Slay’s office for just shy of seven years and has a background in social work, brings an additional new perspective to the director’s office –- that of an African-American. “One of the reasons the mayor chose me is so that we can work on race relations,” says Bryson.

Race has long been said to be a factor in the tenuous relationship between George and city hall. “If you talk to clergymen on the north side,” points out Bryson, “they will suggest that part of the problem in the past between the public-safety director and the fire chief may have been race.”

Bryson says he and George already have “a good working relationship” from having made the rounds at various public boards and commissions over the past few years.

As the new public-safety director puts it: “My race will not be an ace in my pocket. It will be a different way of looking at things.”
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You Should Know "The Jena 6"

By Antonio D. French

Filed Saturday, September 08, 2007 at 5:47 PM

From Collateral News:



From NBC News:




From Democracy Now!:

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VIDEO: Northsider Details Police Abuse

By Antonio D. French

Filed Saturday, June 23, 2007 at 9:45 AM

While on leave from serving in Iraq, Army Specialist Anthony Collins says he was harassed and maced by a St. Louis police officer near his home in north St. Louis.



This video was produced and distributed by the ACLU of Eastern Missouri this week at its press conference on its new "Project Vigilant" initiative, which is arming residents of the Fairground Park neighborhood with video cameras to protect themselves from abusive cops.

EDITOR'S NOTE: WATCH THE LAST 40 SECONDS OF THIS VIDEO. IT APPEARS THAT THE TWO OFFICERS COME BACK TO INTIMIDATE (OR WORSE) THE VICTIM.

Click here to watch our earlier report on "Project Vigilant".

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Fighting Police Brutality with Cameras

By Antonio D. French

Filed Friday, June 22, 2007 at 7:08 AM


"The Real Deal" on Ward Connerly

By Antonio D. French

Filed Wednesday, June 20, 2007 at 10:46 AM

Ward Connerly, the black man from California behind the initiative to dismantle Missouri's affirmative action laws, is going to be on the hot seat today when he appears on "The Real Deal" radio show with hosts Tim Person and Syl Wilson.

The show aires from 4:00-5:00 p.m. on WGNU 920 AM.

From Wikipedia:

Wardell Anthony Connerly was born June 15, 1939, in Leesville, Louisiana. Connerly has stated he is one-fourth black, with the rest a mix of Irish, French, and Choctaw. His father, Roy Connerly, left the household when Ward was 2, and his mother died when Ward was 4. The young Connerly went to live first with an aunt and uncle and then a grandmother.

He attended Sacramento State College, eventually receiving a bachelor of arts with honors in political science in 1962 . While in college, Connerly was student body president and actively involved with Delta Phi Omega, later becoming an honorary member of Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity. During his college years, Connerly was active in campaigning against housing discrimination and helped to get a bill passed by the state legislature banning the practice.

After college, he worked for a number of state agencies and Assembly committees, including the Sacramento re-development agency, the state department of housing and urban development, and State Assembly committee on urban affairs. It was during the late 1960s that he became friends with then-legislator Pete Wilson, who would later become governor in 1991 . At the suggestion of Wilson, in 1973 he stepped away from his government job and started his own consultation and land-use planning company. In 1993 he was appointed to the University of California board of regents.

Connerly is married to Ilene Connerly who is his equal partner in the firm of Connerly & Associates and they have two children.

On May 8, 1995, two years after he went public with his anti-affirmative action views, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that Connerly had taken advantage of a minority preference program on multiple occasions in the 1990s. The article was based on the paper's review of the records of California's State Energy Commission which showed that Connerly had listed his firm, Connerly & Associates, as a minority-owned firm, and that Connerly's firm received more than $1 million in state government contracts.

The article included excerpts of an interview with Connerly in which he admitted that he only participated in the minority preference program to comply with state law [4]. However, the Chronicle published a correction on May 18, 1995, stating that their original source had erred and that Connerly's firm had not been registered as minority-owned at the time the State Energy Commission contract was awarded [5].

As Connerly pointed out in a story published by the Associated Press on May 9, 1995, due to the state's requirement that 15 percent of state contracts be given to minority-owned firms, he would have been placed in the position of having "to find a minority to turn over 15 percent of a contract which has an 8 percent profit at best." [6]


[Wikipedia Note: This article has been nominated to be checked for its neutrality.]

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