“If y’all doing what I think y’all doing – hurry up,” said a man scurrying toward a team of two people canvassing Saturday morning for signatures to recall Mayor Francis G. Slay.
“I want to get that crook out of office.”
Pleased to see the recall effort in action, Charles Phillips hurried to gather some of his neighbors in the 5100 block of Maffitt in the North Side’s 1st Ward.
The organization, Citizens to Recall Francis G. Slay, accumulated about 700 signatures and will canvass the 1st Ward again this Saturday. Unregistered voters were issued voter registration cards.
Phillips said the mayor has overstepped his bounds.
“With the 40 years of experience that Chief George has, I think he is better qualified to choose tests and promotions,” Phillips said.
On the other hand, Phillips doesn’t have confidence in recently appointed Director of Public Safety Charles Bryson.
“He used to come to our block unit meetings and never made good on a promise,” Phillips said of Bryson.
Though the organizing effort was promoted to the media, no mainstream print or broadcast outlet covered it over the weekend.
A total of 1,089 additional signatures are needed in the 1st Ward to satisfy recall rules for the ward. Petitioners will meet again Saturday at 9 p.m., at Lexington School, 3130 Norwood Ave., in hopes of wrapping up the 1st Ward.
Eight teams are canvassing each of the eight precincts in the 1st Ward. Organizers said they also will gather signatures during the week at high-traffic locations and set up satellite locations to aid the effort.
State Rep. Jamilah Nasheed was one of 50 volunteers who canvassed on Saturday.
“I’m pleased with the number of people we had hitting doors,” said Nasheed, who canvassed for nearly three hours in 5100-5300 blocks of Maffitt.
“It’s a long road, but it’s feasible,” Nasheed said.
“The people are committed, and it’s going to be done.”
Another neighbor, James Dilworth, said, “There are more blacks here, we should have a black mayor – you don’t see a white mayor in East St. Louis. Some white people are good, but Slay’s no good.”
Some white people in support of the recall showed up to help with canvassing: Bill Purdy, an elected St. Louis Public Schools board member, and Bill Ramsey, of the Instead of War Coalition.
“There are more whites supporting us, so we are crossing racial lines,” said canvass coordinator Zaki Baruti.
“There’s a cross-section of people who aren’t happy with Slay for various reasons.”
Task farce
Meanwhile, Mayor Slay is working to piece together a task force on diversity, but a number of African Americans asked to serve have declined the offer.
According to George supporters, state Rep. Rodney Hubbard, Carolyn Seward of Better Family Life and Ruth Smith of Human Development Corporation have declined the mayor’s offer to serve.
The Rev. Sammie E. Jones has supported the mayor and is expected to serve. James Buford of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis and state State Sen. Jeff Smith reportedly have been asked but did not return calls from the American.
“This task force is a complete farce. Just as Charles Bryson was used to attempt to camouflage the racist treatment of Chief Sherman George, this group is being used to try to fool the community,” said the Rev. Douglas Parham, chairman of a support organization for Sherman George.
“It will not work. The community is intelligent and will immediately recognize this insult to its intelligence.”
Parham called out Jones and others who might serve on Slay’s diversity committee.
“Some of the people on this task force are the same people who, earlier this year, issued a signed statement saying that they would not tolerate disciplinary action against Chief George. What did they mean?” Parham said.
“We salute those who have declined to be a part of the mayor’s group, and we will be very disappointed in the people who choose to be a part of it. Our leaders are supposed to stand for justice and fight for the community.”
The Black Leadership Roundtable also issued a lengthy statement that condemned Slay and praised George’s work as fire chief.
“The controversy surrounding the demotion of Chief George and how he was treated undermines the city’s desires to remake its image and attract new residents and businesses,” writes BLR chairman John Moten.
“This situation needs to be resolved quickly, taking into consideration the concerns of all of the city’s residents and not just the interests of certain political groups.”
