In 2006, George Alvarez was charged with assaulting a prison guard while awaiting trial on public intoxication. He knew he didn’t do it — the guards actually jumped him — but the 10-year mandatory minimum sentence at trial scared him so much that he pled guilty. Little did he know that the g…
“The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy,” said Martin Luther King Jr. “Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. T…
The 2020 census is this year’s most empowering and democratic event for the United States.
I recently moved to St. Louis (in June 2019) after graduating from Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta. I was shocked at how prevalent the disparities in the region were. Many of my peers had a hard time believing what I was being exposed to. So I created a video as a way to display the …
On August 19, 1979, I woke up at my home across the street from Homer G. Phillips Hospital to helicopters flying overhead. To my surprise, the St. Louis Police Department had surrounded the hospital. The streets of The Ville neighborhood were barricaded for four blocks in every direction. Ph…
“When the United States uses military force, the American people and members of the United States Armed Forces deserve a credible explanation regarding such use of military force. The War Powers Resolution requires the President to consult with Congress ‘’in every possible instance’’ before …
Spoken on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives in support of H.Con.Res 83, a War Powers Resolution he co-cosponsored, limiting the president’s military actions regarding Iran.
Retired Congressman William L. “Bill” Clay submitted this piece in response to news reports that developer Paul McKee Jr. plans to use the name “Homer G. Phillips Hospital” for a new, small urgent-care clinic. “It is apparent that many in the St. Louis community are unfamiliar with the histo…
Thirty-seven-year-old former South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg is an openly gay military veteran, Harvard graduate and Rhodes Scholar who speaks eight languages. He has gained attention as the youngest amidst the current slate of Democratic candidates. But it’s his ongoing struggle to…
Like many years, 2019 was one of challenges and hope for St. Louis and our nation.
Akeelah “Kee Kee” Jackson, a smart, beautiful, 12-year-old child, lost her life after being struck by a St. Louis County Police officer on October 14. The officer failed to turn on his lights and siren for 32 seconds as he pursued a car for a traffic violation. It takes one second to turn on…
A needle exchange program offers sterile needles to people who inject drugs. This harm reduction intervention has been effective at decreasing risk and improving the quality of life for those affected. Needle exchange is a low-cost intervention which saves $100-$1000 per case of HIV avoided,…
The following claims and demands are made by the undersigned community advocates.
Akeelah “Kee Kee” Jackson, a smart, beautiful, 12-year-old child, lost her life after being struck by a St. Louis County Police officer on October 14. The officer failed to turn on his lights and siren for 32 seconds as he pursued a car for a traffic violation. It takes one second to turn on…
“The fact that there’s a conversation that occurs on an annual basis on World AIDS Day is significant. The fact that the President of the United States, on an annual basis, now, comments and discusses AIDS, keeps it on the agenda,” said Jim Block, co-founder of World AIDS Day.
I rise today to hold Donald John Trump accountable for his repeated abuse of power, his deliberate obstruction of the House’s constitutionally-mandated oversight responsibilities, and his unprecedented misuse of the presidency to undermine the rule of law, weaken the separation of powers and…
The Ethical Society of Police is asking for an inclusive process during the implementation of the newly formed Diversity and Inclusion Unit within the St. Louis County Police Department. The head of the Diversity and Inclusion Unit should have a strong history of being a champion for racial …
There are several phrases commonly used by various ethnic groups to describe payback. One is “in your face.” This adequately applies to a situation that took place on December 10 in Richmond, Virginia. It was the unveiling of a 27-feet-high, 60,000-pound bronze and stone monument, “Rumors of…
A year ago this week my mother was asleep in her apartment in the Meacham Park neighborhood of Kirkwood when someone broke into her unit and executed her in a brutal gun slaying.
As a federal prosecutor, I was always taught that my job was not merely to obtain convictions, but to seek justice. It was just as much my duty to ensure that the innocent go free as that the guilty were brought to justice.
This week, we gathered on the steps of Attorney General Schmitt’s Office for Lamar Johnson, who has been held in prison for 25 years for a crime he did not commit. We joined lawyers who demand the state allow Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner address this injustice or risk the integrity of t…
St. Louis is known for being a great sports town and one of the most charitable cities in the nation. Now a new charitable endeavor launching in 2020 will provide a platform to highlight the best of our region with the Ascension Charity Classic.
Updated at 9:48 p.m. to include response from Mercy Health beneath original story.
Yesterday’s announcement by the Trump Administration is step one of a three-part attack on the poorest and most vulnerable that ultimately aims to deprive 3 million of our fellow Americans of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP), including half a million low-income children who would no …
“Across the nation, families are struggling with homelessness and housing insecurity. We need to treat the affordable housing shortage like the crisis that it is,” said U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, introducing the Homes for All Act, which expands public housing stock and guarantees housing as a hum…
St. Louis County’s latest legal maneuvers in the case of Keith Wildhaber, a police sergeant who was discriminated against based on his sex and sexual orientation, is a hypocritical effort to dodge responsibility for a discriminatory workplace that county officials allowed to fester. The coun…
As we enter this season of gratitude and thanks, I want to amplify a message of giving and the importance of caring for our neighbors.
Earlier this month, ArchCity Defenders commemorated its tenth birthday with a celebration including many of our dearest friends, partners, and supporters who continue to make our work possible. We were especially honored to be joined by clients that have entrusted us to stand alongside them …
On behalf of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 220 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States, and the undersigned entities, we write to demand the removal of Steph…
A common magic trick is to make something disappear right in front of the audience. We know it’s just an illusion, but a good magician makes the act entertaining.
I am today demanding that the St. Louis Board of Aldermen and the Board of Estimate & Apportionment authorize a binding public vote on any future recommendation to privatize St. Louis-Lambert International Airport.
Structural and institutionalized racism occurs everywhere — even in nice places like a great, high-achieving, culturally relevant high school like Cardinal Ritter Prep, which decided to suspend its football season.
I recently posted on social media a response to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch article regarding my expense account as St. Louis County prosecutor. But, upon further reflection, my post was inadequate given how I’ve come to understand the importance of what was really at stake in this issue.
This school year marks the 50th Anniversary of New City School. New City was founded by a group of visionary leaders who wanted to build a strong and unique school that provided opportunities for a diverse group of children (and adults) to learn together, to be creative, and to develop a sen…
“I’m sorry, I can’t explain that.”
I have been obsessing over a road—a road on which I have never travelled in a state to which I have never been.
In 1994, the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office committed gross prosecutorial misconduct in order to convict Lamar Johnson of murder. They knowingly presented perjured testimony, fabricated facts to negate Johnson’s strongly corroborated alibi, and buried the fact that a prime witness again…
I have been obsessing over a road—a road on which I have never travelled in a state to which I have never been.
I rise today to honor the magnificent legacy of a courageous public servant, a great American, a great champion for the voiceless, a son of Detroit, my mentor, my colleague and my dear friend, the late Congressman John James Conyers Jr.
It is dead near impossible for me to understand what has recently transpired in Syria. I've been fixated on my television screen as I watch horrors unfold before my very eyes. As a Kurd, born in Northern Iraq, fleeing for my life as Saddam Hussein tried to eliminate my family and village, I …
The Interdisciplinary Environmental Clinic at Washington University School of Law recently published a report titled “Environmental Racism in St. Louis”. This report detailed that in St. Louis, blacks suffer from poor environmental regulations at a greater rate than their white peers. In su…
This week marks the launch of a partnership between Governor Parson’s office and Mayor Lyda Krewson’s administration. Recently a meeting was conducted at City Hall that included Parson, Krewson, St. Louis County officials, and state agencies, yet excluded the region’s two African-American he…
My mother recently passed away, and as I reflected on her life and thought about my work in women’s health, I couldn’t help but consider the impact “isms” had on her health and well-being across her 85 years.
It is dead near impossible for me to understand what has recently transpired in Syria. I've been fixated on my television screen as I watch horrors unfold before my very eyes. As a Kurd, born in Northern Iraq, fleeing for my life as Saddam Hussein tried to eliminate my family and village, I …
For many young people looking to improve their lives, college may seem just out of reach. It’s not that they don’t want to go to college, but many can’t afford the high costs associated with higher education.
“The extent to which the 1960 undercount has shortchanged inner-city residents of the political representation and economic assistance to which they are entitled is incalculable. Two million blacks missed in 1960 could symbolize the loss of five congressmen and scores of state legislators to…
A recent poll, conducted by the Missouri Scout for its subscribers, asked Missourians a number of questions about gun control. The results were unexpected, given the perception around gun issues in our state, in that 77 percent of those surveyed support required background checks for all gun…
The days are officially shorter, 90-degree temperature highs are behind us (hopefully) and we can already taste holiday feasts and sweet potato pies. The last quarter of 2019 is here. Fall has arrived, but I can’t stop thinking about the summer pool party that shifted the way I see myself.
When it’s time to vote, will you be able to cast your ballot?
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