A Solidarity March to protest for transgender rights with a rally took place at the PRISM BAR in The Grove neighborhood in St. Louis, MO, March 25, 2023.
Protest and Rally for Transgender Rights at PRISM Bar, in The Grove [PHOTOS]
Mayor Tishaura Jones Speaks at Protest for Transgender Rights in The Grove
Mayor Tishaura O. Jones, with her niece Beverly, attended the protest for transgender rights at Prism Bar and got up and spoke to hundreds of people belonging to the LGBTQIA community on March 25, 2023.
In Missouri, there are now over 30 bills being introduced against transgender rights and the two most recent anti-transgender bills will prevent treatment for minors and will not allow transgender women to compete in women’s sports.
The Mayor said, “Beverley is the reason why I fight so hard for your community. I have known her since she was a itty bitty baby. I stand here in tears thanking about how our state legislature wants to legislate their body, your body, and everybody’s body. But I got a message for our state legislators; if you don’t like drag shows, don’t go to one. You can just stay your butt at home, and we’ll have all the fun.” Listen to Mayor’s speech on YouTube
Mayor Jones continue saying, “I also want to recognize our honorees today: Jordan Elizabeth Braxton, Maxi Glamour, who beat my face for inauguration, and Akasha Royale. We’re here today because we refuse to allow our LGBTQ+ neighbors to be silent, erase or targeted by dangerous and hateful political attacks.
We’re here today because using hatred to survive is a tired and old political tactic. But to target our trans-youth is just disgusting. We’re here today because the attacks on our people, our history, our children takes us backwards instead of forward. I want to thank all of the advocates for working to defeat the drag band. Let’s claim victory where we can but we have a lot more work to do.”
“Instead of protecting us from gun violence,” the Mayor said, “instead of fully funding education and Medicaid, the Missouri Legislature is attacking our LGBTQ+ and youth, attacking drag queens for having a say. How are those priorities in our state, because it’s not a priority in St. Louis. If you hear nothing else from me today, I want to tell you that LGBTQ+ kids belong, no matter what the Missouri Legislature says.”
The Mayor ended with, “I want to thank all of you and thank the families for coming out. I want to thank the children for standing up for yourselves and fighting to make sure that we make this state a better place and make our city a better place. Thank you!”
In May 2021, Missouri Governor Mike Parson signed a bill that prohibits transgender athletes from competing in school sports teams that correspond with their gender identity. This bill was one of several introduced in Missouri and across the United States that sought to limit the rights of transgender individuals.
There have been other bills introduced in Missouri that seek to limit access to healthcare for transgender individuals, ban gender-affirming treatment for minors, and make it harder for transgender individuals to change their gender on official documents.
Advocates for transgender rights continue to push for greater protections and recognition, as well as increased awareness and acceptance of the transgender community as a whole.
Mayor Tishaura Jones Allows Homeless Encampment on Riverfront For Now
By Tent Mission STL: March 24, 2023:
“We are at the St. Louis Riverfront. They are once again going to bulldoze an unhoused community. These are all folks who were displaced from the last riverfront eviction on March 10. They were all forced to move on this muddy beach area. The city has quite a line up over here: the cars, the cops, the bulldozers waiting to tear peoples stuff down after two days of rain.
What you won’t see is case workers, social workers. I wonder how much this costs the city. That is the tiny section in front of the flood wall where people have been forced to move after they gated off the spot with the rain-cover over here.
No case managers, no St. Patrick’s Center, no one offering shelter; shelters are full. Supposedly everyone from here was housed during the last eviction, so it’s shocking that there are still people back there…not actually! They didn’t house anyone.
Folks back there, on the beach section, had no idea this was coming today. There’s no notice to vacate back here. There are no city officials coming by to try to get them into a shelter. Most people are not on the housing list back here.
This really came out of the blue, and people are very stressed about where to go right now. There has been a few protesters blocking the bulldozers since 9:00 AM this morning. We will continue to show up and provide “intentional interference” when the state threatens our neighbors with outright violence through evictions and intimidation tactics. All power to the people. By Tent Mission STL
By the end of the day, the city backed off its initial plans to evict the people and the police, the dump trucks, and the bulldozers quietly went away. As of right now, the encampment community is still there.
Read some comments on Tent Mission STL’s social media:
Nancy said, “They provided some with a 1 day hotel last time and immediately started reporting that they were all house. More STL B.S. They also promised to keep belongings safe and secure but abandoned them in a unsecured unprotected parking lot. The city is full of sh*t! ”
Chandler, “Every eviction is an extrajudicial attempted murder. It’s just that simple.”
Kim, “Maybe another stadium or tax incentives for a hotel and Cortex would help!”
Ramona, “It’s eviction season in St. Louis. The city has bulldozed or attempted to bulldoze three unhoused encampments in the last week or so. This was led by the city’s first Black woman mayor Tishaura Jones. The same mayor who ran on the promise that she would support the unhoused community. The same mayor who was appointed by HUD to a national committee of mayors to use new ARPA funding to address homelessness. That mayor. Is doing this. She’ll be up for reelection in two years. Please bookmark this so that you can remember how she did not keep her promise to support the unhoused community.
Unhoused, “Yeah connected with resources just like dialing 211 when you’re homeless those resources don’t do anything I’ve been on the streets I’ve been to those shelters. I’ve seen how many beds that that are empty every single night because a homeless person cannot just walk up to a shelter and say I need a bed. No. You have to go to St Patrick’s center or some other place and jump through all these hoops and give them all this information. You have to jump through the bureaucratic loopholes and give them your social security number so they can then submit that to the state for funding. Let that sink in people”
Kirkwood, Historic Suburb of St. Louis, Missouri
Kirkwood is a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri, located in St. Louis County. It is a historic city with a rich cultural heritage and a vibrant downtown area. Here are some key facts about Kirkwood:
- History: Kirkwood was founded in 1853 and named after James P. Kirkwood, an engineer who helped build the Pacific Railroad. The city played an important role in the Civil War, serving as a recruiting and training center for Union troops.
- Demographics: According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the population of Kirkwood was 27,443 as of 2020. The city is predominantly white, with a median age of 44 years.
- Economy: Kirkwood has a thriving economy, with a mix of retail, professional services, and manufacturing businesses. Major employers in the area include Kirkwood School District, St. Louis Community College, and Mercy Hospital.
- Education: The Kirkwood School District is one of the top-ranked school districts in Missouri, with a focus on high-quality education and student achievement. The district includes five elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school.
- Attractions: Kirkwood has a number of attractions for visitors, including the Magic House children’s museum, the Kirkwood Farmers’ Market, and the Kirkwood Train Station, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Overall, Kirkwood is a vibrant and historic city with a strong sense of community and a high quality of life.
Homeless Gentleman Talks About Getting Evicted From I-44 and Hampton Ave.
A homeless camp, with a few tents, was evicted March 23, 2023 at 12:00 PM at Highway I-44 and Hampton Ave., in St. Louis. The encampment was along the westbound on ramp to I-44. The encampment has been there for over two years, and now that it is illegal to sleep on state property, these evictions will become common place in our society. The homeless refuge was torn down by MoDOT.
A very nice gentlemen called this home for around a year, and is sad that he has to leave today. Listen in the video as he talks about the problems he faces everyday which we take for granted. Watch him talk about the problems of homelessness on YouTube.
Homelessness is a serious issue in St. Louis. According to the St. Louis Continuum of Care, on a single night in January 2022, 1,050 county and city residents experienced some level of homelessness. Of those, 34% were unsheltered, meaning they were living on the streets, in abandoned buildings, or in cars.
The majority of those who were homeless in St. Louis in January 2022 were individuals (78%), while 22% were families. The most common reasons for homelessness were lack of affordable housing (45%), job loss (23%), and domestic violence (20%).
Homelessness is a complex issue with no easy solutions. However, there are a number of things that can be done to help address the problem in St. Louis. These include:
- Providing more affordable housing
- Creating more jobs
- Providing more support for victims of domestic violence
- Increasing access to mental health and substance abuse treatment
- Reducing the stigma of homelessness
These are just some of the things that can be done to help address homelessness in St. Louis. By working together, we can make a difference in the lives of those who are struggling with homelessness.
Kirkwood Apartments Under Construction
The Kirkwood Apartments is a mixed-use development with 60 units dividing into 1, 2 & 3 bedrooms. The development will feature a public gym, retail and 110 parking spots.
Mayor Tishaura O. Jones Evicts Homeless on Riverfront, They Are Now Homeless Without Tents
UPDATE March 21, 2023: A Joint Statement by STL Winter Outreach and Tent Mission STL
“Most residents did not receive shelter. By our count, at least 28 residents slept outside the night they were displaced. At least 33 were outside within a week, now without their belongings. ZERO residents were housed.” Watch YouTube video of protesters blocking bulldozer which later destroy tents and personal property on the St. Louis riverfront March 10, 2023.
ST. LOUIS, MO: Mayor Tishaura Oneda Jones evicted a homeless community in the Laclede’s Landing neighborhood on the riverfront today in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. There were dozens of homeless people living in the encampment and most did not want to leave. Watch eviction day with interview on YouTube.
KB Doman, from Tent Mission STL, a supporter for the homeless was there and said, “They are saying that they are going to come in with bulldozers and clear out everybody’s things. The signs read the eviction was to officially start at noon, but they got here around 6:30AM this morning. Some folks cleared out yesterday. There were almost 40 people here a few days ago. I think the city provided shelter for around 15 people. People here have been asking for that all winter, so I am glad that that happened.”
Doman continued, “But now there are other folks here that are going to Illinois, for example, because there’s really no camps left that aren’t highly criminalized in St. Louis. A lot of folks are just trying to get more hidden, stay farther from the city which makes it harder to reach them for health services, harder to reach them for outreach. No one is being housed today; no one is moving into a house.”
“Mayor Jones, during her campaign, promised that there would be no sweeps happening under her administration,” KB Doman said, “and that she was going to work on decriminalizing houselessness, and getting people services, especially housing. Unfortunately we haven’t seen that. We have not seen a big change. It’s really unfortunate.”
KB Doman ended with, “I would love to say differently; I would love to not see this, but we’re surrounded by dump trucks right now. There’s a lot of cops here; I only saw a couple social workers. It doesn’t seem like a lot has changed.”
There have been several instances of tent cities or homeless encampments in St. Louis, Missouri over the years.
One of the most notable examples was the tent city that emerged in the summer of 2020 in downtown St. Louis near the intersection of Market Street and Tucker Boulevard. The encampment was established by people experiencing homelessness who were seeking a safe place to sleep during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The tent city grew rapidly, and at its peak, it was estimated to house around 50 people. However, the city eventually began to crack down on the encampment, citing health and safety concerns. The camp was dismantled in November 2020, and many of its residents were moved to temporary housing provided by the city.
There have also been other instances of tent cities in St. Louis, including a large encampment that emerged in Forest Park in 2019. Like the Market Street tent city, this encampment was eventually dismantled by city officials.
Watch eviction day with interview on YouTube.
St. Louis Ranks 2nd Highest in Eviction Rates
Evictions have been a significant issue in St. Louis, Missouri for many years, with the city having one of the highest eviction rates in the country. According to a report from the Eviction Lab at Princeton University, St. Louis had an eviction rate of 4.72% in 2016, which was the second-highest rate among large cities in the United States. Eviction Lab, also, reported around 2.3 million evictions in the United States in 2016 overall.
The COVID-19 pandemic had only made the situation worse since many people lost their job due to lockdowns. While the federal government implemented eviction moratoriums in response to the pandemic, this safe guard is now gone, and evictions have sky-rocketed in St. Louis.
In August 2021, a group of housing advocates in St. Louis filed a lawsuit against the city and the sheriff’s office, alleging that they were illegally carrying out evictions during the pandemic. The advocates argued that the eviction moratoriums put in place by the federal government should apply to St. Louis and that the city and sheriff’s office were violating tenants’ rights by continuing to carry out evictions.
Now in 2023, without moratoriums or housing advocates fighting, the situation regarding evictions in St. Louis remains uncertain.
Shaq’s Big Chicken Restaurant, Busch Stadium, Downtown St. Louis – OPENING SOON!
A Big Chicken restaurant, by former NBA Shaquille O’Neal, will be opening at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The main dishes are all chicken based and cooked home style. The closest Big Chicken restaurant currently is at the Kansas City, MO Airport.
Shaquille O’Neal, also known as Shaq, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is widely considered one of the greatest players in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played a total of 19 seasons in the NBA, spending time with six different teams.
Shaq was drafted by the Orlando Magic as the first overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft. He quickly established himself as one of the most dominant forces in the league, earning the NBA Rookie of the Year award in 1993. In 1996, he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers and won three consecutive NBA championships with the team in 2000, 2001, and 2002.
Throughout his career, Shaq was known for his size, strength, and athleticism, which made him a dominant force on the court. He was a fifteen-time All-Star, a four-time NBA champion, and was named to the All-NBA First Team eight times. He was also named the NBA Most Valuable Player in 2000.
Off the court, Shaq is known for his personality and charisma, which have made him a popular figure both in the sports world and beyond. He has dabbled in acting, music, and even law enforcement.
In 2016, Shaq was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, further solidifying his legacy as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport.
St. Louis Mayor, Tishaura O. Jones, Reparations Help”Right Those Wrongs”
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones was elected as the city’s first Black woman mayor in April 2021. Prior to her election, she served as Treasurer of St. Louis and has worked on various initiatives focused on equity, economic development, and financial empowerment. Mayor Jones has also been vocal about issues such as police reform, racial justice, and affordable housing. Her election was seen as a significant milestone in St. Louis and was a symbol of progress towards greater diversity and inclusion in politics.
St. Louis has a complex history of racial segregation, discrimination, and inequality, which has led to ongoing challenges and struggles for many individuals and communities. Mayor Tishaura O. Jones continues to work towards creating a more equitable and inclusive society and to address systemic racism wherever it exists.
During Juneteenth 2021 at Forest Park, Jones said, “So many people have been ignored and flat out left behind by our Government for far too long, and it’s time we right those wrongs, not only within city government but also within our city, because we can not expect our city to thrive if half of it is set to fail.” Less than two years later, she take steps that help “right those wrongs,” without wavering, with out fear.
PRESS RELEASE BELOW:
Mayor Tishaura O. Jones Appoints City of St. Louis’ First Reparations Commission
The Commission consists of nine members that live in the City of St. Louis and represent different backgrounds
March 10, 2023 | 2 min reading time
Mayor Tishaura O. Jones appointed members of the City of St. Louis’ first Reparations Commission established by Executive Order in December 2022. The volunteer commission will analyze the history of race-based harms in the city and reveal the modern manifestations of injustice. Ultimately, the commission will offer recommendations for methods to develop and implement reparations for Black St. Louisans and the descendants of enslaved peoples.
“St. Louis has always been a leader on civil rights, and we have the unique opportunity to address the damage that decades of racism and disinvestment have done to Black neighborhoods across our City,” said Mayor Tishaura O. Jones. “The Commission’s work is essential as we acknowledge the history of racial injustice in our City, work to rectify them, and build a better, fairer St. Louis for every family.”
The Commission consists of nine members. All members live in the City of St. Louis, and represent different backgrounds, including civil rights advocates, clergy members, attorneys, academics, public health professionals, and youth. The appointments are as follows:
- Will Ross, associate dean for Diversity at Washington University School of Medicine and professor of medicine in the Nephrology Division
- Delesha N. George, program manager at Deaconess Foundation
- Kayla Reed, co-founder and executive director of Action St. Louis
- William Foster, city resident and external audit generalist at PriceWaterHouseCoopers
- Gwen Moore, historian and curator of Urban Landscape and Community Identity
- Kevin Anthony, bridge pastor at Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ
- David Cunningham, professor and chair of sociology at Washington University in St. Louis
- Jada Brooks, a Communications student at Harris-Stowe University
- Kimberly Hicks Franks, attorney, activist, and board member of Dutchtown South Community Corporation
“I am honored to be appointed by Mayor Tishaura Jones to the City’s Reparations Commission,” said newly sworn-in commissioner Delesha N. George. “I look forward to working with my fellow commissioners to promote restorative justice and identify opportunities to bring reparations to the people of St. Louis.”
Across St. Louis, residents are subjected to racial disparities in their neighborhoods. Studies show Black residents in the City of St. Louis are more likely than white residents to live in low-opportunity environments, in concentrated areas of poverty, and in areas with low access to healthy food. Also residents of majority Black neighborhoods are more likely to live in neighborhoods suffering from disinvestment.
St. Louis is one of many cities nationwide, including Mayor Jones joined the Mayors Organizing for Reparations and Equity (MORE) Coalition [moremayors.org] in 2021, an organization dedicated to analyzing best practices and approaches toward pursuing reparations initiatives. The administration’s Commission is its latest effort for advancing racial justice and addressing the toll racism has taken on Black neighborhoods by exploring opportunities to provide St. Louisans reparations at the local level.
The commission will hold its first meeting within 45 days.
- Contact Information:
Nick Dunne
Public Information Officer - Department:
Office of the Mayor - Topic: Equality