A candidate for the Clayton Public Schools District school board is gaining attention on social media after coming forward about being stopped by the local police while canvassing for his campaign — twice.
Jason Wilson is an African-American parent in the Clayton district who owns an artisan coffee roasting company, the popular Northwest Coffee. Wilson was inspired to run for the school board by his mother, who was an educator in St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS) for 41 years.
“She has a commitment to making sure the kids in SLPS, and kids in general, had a voice,” Wilson said.
Another reason for his run was his oldest son, who first encountered racism from a Clayton classmate in the early years of elementary school. Wilson said making sure students were educated about diversity and cultural sensitivity was one of the important issues to his campaign.
However, when Wilson started going door-to-door canvassing for his campaign, he discovered quickly that children may not be the only Clayton residents who need more education.
Approximately three weeks ago, Wilson said he stopped in the street while canvassing to talk to a pedestrian, a woman he had met previously. He then stopped by a previous board member’s house, where he went inside to talk for about 25 minutes.
When Wilson left the house, he found that police had been called and were waiting for him. They assumed he was a door-to-door solicitor and told him that was not allowed.
“I was like, I’m allowed to do this, I’m out here canvassing for the board of education in Clayton,” Wilson said. “It’s those types of assumptions that frustrate me, right?”
When Wilson had another encounter with the Clayton police on March 31, he decided to film it and post it to Facebook.
The video shows two Clayton police officers approaching Wilson while he speaks to a Clayton resident, who he said is a fellow parent at his children’s school, at his door.
The first office to arrive says he has received reports of someone soliciting in the neighborhood, and Wilson explains that he is running for school board and another man is in the neighborhood collecting signatures on a petition. Another officer then approaches the door, jokingly referencing the rainy weather by saying, “I hope someone’s selling umbrellas.”
After Wilson tells the officers he is canvassing for his campaign, they explain that they were called because “the other guy” in the neighborhood seemed to be asking residents if he could come into their houses by doing things like offering to help with groceries. After asking Wilson if he knows what direction the signature collector went, the officers leave.
Wilson said he interpreted the assumption that he and the petition signature collector were selling something as racial stereotyping.
“I’m selling votes, I’m selling you on this information,” Wilson said.
After posting the video to Facebook, Wilson received hundreds of shares and positive comments, as well as people offering to volunteer on his campaign. Several referenced the apparent racial stereotyping using the hashtag #CanvassingWhileBlack.
Wilson said the Clayton police should not have approached him while he was at a voter’s door, or jumped to conclusions about why he was there.
“It’s just the assumptions, they assume that I shouldn’t even be here,” Wilson said.
Though he is glad his experience has raised awareness about racial profiling, something he said he has experienced many times before, Wilson said he does not want to be known as a single-issue candidate. As a school board member, he said, he would also focus on ensuring that teachers have the resources to adequately serve all of their students and are not forced to teach to a test.
Wilson is running against two incumbents on the Clayton School Board, Amy Rubin and Jenaro Centeno, for two open seats. Candidates serve three years terms with no salary. Voting will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on April 3, and voters can choose up to two candidates.
Wilson said he feels cautiously optimistic about his chances in the school board election on April 3. 98 percent of the responses to his Facebook video, he said, have been positive.
“I would consider that a viral victory,” Wilson said.
The Clayton Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
