FERGUSON, Mo. – They have plans for change, and now have a building to house those efforts.
This week, St. Louis City Alderman Antonio French will open the doors to #HealSTL, adding a physical location to his work in Ferguson, Missouri.
Located just off West Florissant, French says this building will serve as a place to coordinate political change in that community.
“This is where volunteers will be able to come, where we’ll be organized in planning out next steps,” French said. “And we’re here for the long-haul. It’s not just a couple of weeks or a day, we’re here for the next few months, if not year.”
French ventured outside his official ward during the Ferguson unrest, and gained national recognition for his live tweets during that time. Now, he’s looking to the future.
“It’s really about next steps, after the events of the last two weeks,” he said. “Our first part of our next steps is to register everyone out here to vote in Ferguson and to get them educated and mobilized to get political change out here.”
French said the building he found sat vacant for a period of time, even before the unrest in Ferguson. Without giving specifics, he said he and some “supporters” paid for the property, which currently houses a few boxes and hand-drawn signs.
Heal STL: Join the Movement
hursday, September 4, 2014
Last Call For The Painful Turtle
Posted by Zandar
The Lexington Herald-Leader editorial board is not happy with Sen. Mitch McConnell pledging allegiance to the Koch brothers and not to Kentuckians in need, and they unleashed a blistering editorial this week against the incumbent GOP Senate majority leader.
The Republican leader assured the Kochs and their friends that he would use budget riders to stymie protections for consumers and the economy enacted to avoid a repeat of the financial meltdown. And he expressed contempt for policies that would help the middle class regain its economic footing, such as a minimum-wage increase, extended unemployment benefits and relief from student-loan debt.
“We’re not going to be debating all these gosh-darn proposals,” McConnell promised if Republicans gain control of the Senate and he becomes its leader.
The recession ended five years ago. Wall Street is setting record highs, yet too many people say they are economically insecure.
Kentucky needs an additional 80,800 jobs to make up for losses in the recession and keep up with the state’s 4 percent population growth, according to the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy.
A branch of the Kochs’ political organization, Americans for Prosperity, recently opened in Kentucky, with the spouse of a McConnell field rep as its director.
On the recently disclosed tape, McConnell is heard thanking the Koch brothers “for the important work you’re doing. I don’t know where we’d be without you.”
What Kentucky voters should think about is where we’d be with them pulling the strings of the U.S. Senate.
http://zandarvts.blogspot.com/
Matt Murphy @MattMurph24
PBO is like Michael Corleone. Rarely shows emotion, plans behind the scenes, & his enemies never see it coming. Ask OBL, you’re next ISIS.
so true….not a bad day at all.
………………….
Is Today One of the Greatest Days Ever?
Posted by John Cole +0 at 8:24 pm
Sep 042014
I think at least for 2014, September 4th is in the running. A quick recap:
1.) BP found grossly negligent and fined 18 billion.
2.) Gay marriage ruled constitutional in Indiana and Wisconsin.
3.) Bob McDonnell and wife found guilty and could spend a good hunk of time in the big house.
4.) Early voting changes that restricted ballot access blocked in Ohio.
5.) DC Republicans are so freaked out about the Kansas Senate race they are taking over on the ground.
6.) Obamacare legal challenge by shitburgers overturned.
7.) St. Louis County Executive apologizes for Ferguson episode and seems genuinely sorry and intent on making change.
8.) Thousands of fast food workers take to the street to demand a fair wage.
9.) Rand Paul, Ron Paul and Mitch McConnell’s wingnut tea party clown, Jesse Benton, has been subpoenaed in the Iowa bribery case.
http://www.balloon-juice.com/2014/09/04/is-today-one-of-the-greatest-days-ever/
Mom Arrested for Blocking Sidewalk While Waiting for Family to Use Bathroom
By Ben Fractenberg on September 2, 2014 3:20pm
MIDTOWN — A mother and former top government lawyer waiting for her husband and kids to use the bathroom at a Times Square restaurant was arrested for blocking the sidewalk, in what she calls an attempt by the NYPD to target her for being Muslim, according to a pending lawsuit.
Chaumtoli Huq, 42, a human rights lawyer and former general counsel for Public Advocate Letitia James, said she had just left a pro-Palestinian rally in Times Square on July 19 with her husband and two young children when they stopped to use the bathroom at Ruby Tuesday at 41st Street and Seventh Avenue.
Huq said she was standing just inches from the front of the restaurant waiting for her husband, Marvin Cabrera, and her 10-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter when Officer Ryan Lathrop and another officer approached her and demanded she clear the sidewalk.
“I’m not in anybody’s way. Why do I have to move? What’s the problem?” she told police, according to the criminal complaint.
Huq said there was plenty of room for pedestrians to walk between her and the protesters, who were penned in along Seventh Avenue.
She said the officers pinned her against the wall, prompting her to say, “I can’t move, I can’t move.”
http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20140902/midtown/mom-arrested-for-blocking-sidewalk-while-waiting-for-family-use-bathroom
Thread for AG Holder announcement of FPD probe is up!
ok
DAMN, Chicas! No place is safe for African Americans in this country.
Louisiana Cop Allegedly Texts He Wants A ‘#Ferguson’ To Take Those ‘African Monkeys’ Out.
http://crooksandliars.com/2014/09/louisiana-cop-allegedly-texts-he-wants
A Baton Rouge Police Officer is under fire after a string of text messages he is accused of sending to another person containing racial slurs has surfaced.
WBRZ reports that Baton Rouge Police are in the midst of two investigations in which detectives are looking into cell phone records of that officer.
BREAKING: Bob McDonnell guilty of 11 counts; Maureen guilty of 9 counts
http://bit.ly/1unRd9H
YOU PLAY, YOU PAY, MCDONNELLS
BREAKING: Bob and Maureen McDonnell both found guilty of count 1, political conspiracy. via @wusa9
BREAKING NEWS: AG Eric Holder says DOJ will investigate all arrests, traffic stops, etc in Ferguson.
New Sheriff in town! AG Holder is NOT playing with these mofos. Brother’s gonna work it out
Praise the Lord! Yes, indeed that is great news.
Liza and the rest of us at 3 Chics knows that NOTHING substantial is going to be resolved in Ferguson, until the POLICE DEPARTMENT has been fully investigated for their corruption, racial profiling, abuse and cover up for the murder of Michael Brown.
That’s the truth, Ametia. Thank God that AG Holder is going after ALL of the corruption, cover ups, and human rights abuses in Ferguson. And, sadly, I suspect we’ll eventually learn that what has been going on in that town is far worse than we imagined.
Thread is up with full AG Holder announcement of Ferguson police PROBE!
Hallelujah!
KSDK NewsChannel 5 ✔ @ksdknews
RT @BrandiePiper Holder: It’s been determined there is cause to open an investigation into #Ferguson police department.
Breaking News
National/global news alert • Thu., Sep. 4, 2014 2:30 pm
Jury reaches verdict in McDonnell corruption trial
Jurors in the public corruption trial of former Virginia governor Robert F. McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, have reached a verdict. They will return to court shortly to deliver it.
An indictment alleges the couple lent the prestige of the governor’s office to a wealthy businessman and that, in exchange, the businessman lavished them with gifts and money. Follow our liveblog for the latest from Richmond.
The 8 year old who speaks 8 languages and plays 8 instruments
by admin / September 4, 2014
If being adorable were a crime, then 8-year-old Mabou Loiseau would be an outlaw. But being a cute and sweet child hasn’t stopped her from being one of the most extraordinary and capable minds on the entire planet.
Mabou, a product of great genes and excellent parenting, now speaks eight languages: French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Mandarian, and Creole. She also knows sign language to top it off. She recently hit the national spotlight after being featured on the Katie Couric show, looking as beautiful as ever.
When Katie asked her where she got her talent from, Mabou said, “I was born smart, duh!”
Esther, Mabou’s mother, says that when the child was just one year old, she was able to say words in French that she’d never been taught by her mom. This was the first indicator that the child was something special. She says that she even knew the definition of the words, which her mother found to be amazing.
The child isn’t done learning languages and wants to now learn Japanese.
“It’s not that tough because I have Mandarin,” she says.
Mabou is taking Algebra at the college level. She plays eight instruments in addition to her extensive portfolio of languages: The piano, the flute, the violin, the clarinet, the drums, the harp, the guitar and the congas.
“Many people make that mistake, thinking I am pushing her. She is pushing me. Believe me,” her mother says.
http://naturallymoi.com/the-8-year-old-who-speaks-8-languages-and-plays-8-instruments/
Nick Cannon slams Mariah Carey haters
He went on a 18 tweet rant blasting the media and unnamed sources. (Photo Credit: Getty)
http://features.aol.com/video/nick-cannon-slams-mariah-carey-haters?ncid=webmail1
these are some evil ass children raised by evil ass parents
………………..
Bullies Dump Feces, Urine on Autistic Boy in Evil Ice Bucket “Prank”
Police are investigating after a group of teens in Bay Village, Ohio, allegedly tricked an autistic 15-year-old into creating an ice bucket challenge video, then dousing him with urine, feces, spit, and cigarette butts.
The video was filmed on the boy’s cell phone and posted to Instagram, according to his mother, Diane. (Local news outlet WJW withheld the family’s last name to protect the boy’s identity.)
The victim’s brother, Jacob, told WJW:
I mean, the first thing that popped into my mind was like, why could someone – how could someone do this? How could someone really be this cruel to someone?
In the video, the boy can be seen standing in a driveway, wearing only his underwear, and the liquid that comes splashing down on him appears to come from the roof of a garage. According to WJW, the family asked that the clip be broadcast, “to make other parents aware of bullying.”
http://gawker.com/bullies-dump-feces-urine-on-autistic-boy-in-evil-ice-b-1630536729/+cushac
OMG! That is awful. Sick!
Plum Line
Why voter ID laws pose long term danger to GOP
By Paul Waldman September 2
A trial begins today in a federal courtroom in Texas to determine the constitutionality of the state’s voter identification law, which is widely acknowledged to be the most restrictive in the nation. It has gone through a number of twists and turns: Passed in 2011, it was struck down in federal court in 2012 as a violation of the Voting Rights Act. Then in 2013 the Supreme Court gutted the VRA. Now the law faces a new trial based on a different VRA section.
In the end, the Republicans who passed this law may prevail, particularly since the only racial discrimination the conservative majority on the Supreme Court apparently finds troubling is the kind that might affect a white person somewhere. But Republicans may have underestimated just how much damage they continue to do to their party’s image by trying, anywhere and everywhere, to make it as hard as possible for the wrong people to vote.
True, voter ID is not at the forefront of the national debate. Majorities do tell pollsters that you should have to show ID to vote, since it has a certain intuitive appeal. But when the subject is actually debated and discussed in the news, it drives people away from the GOP — and not just any people, but precisely the people the party wants so desperately to improve among to stay competitive in national elections.
First, some background. While there is a certain amount of voter fraud in American elections, almost all of it happens through absentee ballots. The only kind of fraud prevented by voter ID laws is in-person voter impersonation, which is incredibly rare. As Zachary Roth has detailed, when Greg Abbott became the state’s attorney general, he vowed a crusade against the “epidemic” of voter fraud in the state. How many cases did he find that would have been stopped by the ID law? Two. Meanwhile, according to the state’s own figures, almost 800,000 Texans lack the appropriate state-issued ID to vote
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2014/09/02/why-voter-id-laws-pose-long-term-danger-to-gop/
How about it’s not just the discussion of voter id laws, but the ACTUAL passing and enacting of such fuckery.
Judge orders expanded Ohio early voting schedule
By Associated Press September 4 at 1:55 PM
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked an Ohio law that scales back early voting, ordering the state’s elections chief to set additional voting times just ahead of the fall election.
The ruling from U.S. District Judge Peter Economus comes in a lawsuit filed by civil rights groups, several predominantly black churches and others challenging two early voting measures in the perennial presidential battleground state.
One is a directive from Republican Secretary of State Jon Husted that established uniform early voting times and restricted weekend and evening hours. Another is a GOP-backed law that eliminates golden week, when people could both register to vote and cast ballots. Without those days, early voting would typically start 28 or 29 days before Election Day instead of the prior 35-day window.
Ohioans can vote absentee by mail or in person.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/judge-orders-expanded-ohio-early-voting-schedule/2014/09/04/7b766e78-3449-11e4-9f4d-24103cb8b742_story.html
https://twitter.com/elonjames/status/507591805148221440
BWA HA HA HA I guess Tavis really is a STAR now, since he’s a contestant on DWTS. SMGDH
https://twitter.com/ObamaCares1/status/507584828380704769
PragmaticObotsUnite
@PragObots
Exclusive audio: United Negro College Fund head mocked critics at Koch retreat http://www.salon.com/2014/09/0… … @rolandsmartin @tjholmes @TheRevAl
What? Stop it! Say it ain’t so?
COONTASTIC! We need the graphics, ladies.
If you are willing to support justice for Victor White please donate to #justiceforvic defense fund. Give whatever you can. If you can’t give, please pass this link along so others may give. TYVM!
http://www.gofundme.com/7ductk
‘Dancing With the Stars’ 2014: Season 19 Celebrity Cast Revealed
Sep 4, 2014, 8:40 AM ET
GOOD GRIEF
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/dancing-stars-2014-season-19-celebrity-cast-revealed/story?id=25215335
Mark Balis always get pairs with the TRAILER TRASH.
Holder to hold Ferguson-related press conference this afternoon
WASHINGTON • Attorney General Eric Holder has called a press conference for 1:30 p.m. CT today to “provide an update on the Justice Department’s efforts in Ferguson, Mo.,” his office announced this morning.
Holder is expected to announce a broader civil rights investigation of the practices and procedures of the Ferguson Police Department, beyond the Justice Department’s current investigation of the Aug. 9 shooting death of Michael Brown, 18, by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson.
Holder will be joined by Molly Moran, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, and Ronald Davis, the Director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), according to the Justice Department.
http://www.stltoday.com/holder-to-hold-ferguson-related-press-conference-this-afternoon/article_d2cd8f72-69a2-5afe-bbe0-8e4dfb371477.html?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed
A suburban Atlanta grand jury has indicted Justin Ross Harris on eight counts, including murder, in the hot car death of his toddler son.
Harris left 22-month-old Cooper strapped in a car seat in the back of his car after he arrived at work at Home Depot on June 18. He found the boy dead when he left work.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/04/justice/hot-car-death-ross-harris-grand-jury/index.html
Hey Chicas!
Haley is home with me today. Josh had to pick her up from school early yesterday b/c she got sick. Jay didn’t know that so when his mother picked him up, he said
Jay: I didn’t see Haley all day. I don’t know what happened to her.
Jay’s mother …aww Jay, you missed your sister? You were worried?
Jay: No. I just didn’t see her.
LOL!
HA HA HA Jay’s such a boy’s boy. He can’t really say he misses his sister, when it’s sooo very clear he does.
What would we ever do without the male sex?
LOL!
Too funny.
Liza, Jay just says whatever is on his mind. A couple of years ago at Thanksgiving I asked him what was he thankful for. Jay answered “I’m thankful for Haley”. I said that’s good, what else are you thankful for and he said… “That’s it, granny”. LOL!
Kids operate in the present moment. Oh if we were but kids again!
Jay loves his big sister. That tells me that she really loves him and takes care of him and treats him well.
Jay is so sweet…I adore him and I’ve never met him..LOL
Sweet :-)
:)
My little Jay.
So funny! http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-laughing024.gif
Jay is a dear!
Good Morning 3Chics,
Thanks for the HealSTL information. I haven’t seen or heard much on it elsewhere. Sorry it’s taken all this for them to come together, but I’ll take it. Have a good day all.
Thank you, Tyren! I’m trying to help get the word out. Nice to see you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4F7QOvIDPE
Reposting here
Why is Daryl Parks giving interviews to CNN and Darren Wilson and co are giving away NOTHING?
I guess his mother never told him to never let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. *Sigh*
Rosie Perez & Nicolle Wallace To Join ‘The View’ As New Co-Hosts
UPDATE 7 PM: ABC just confirmed our story, officially announcing Perez and Wallace as new co-hosts. The release with quotes from the duo is below the original story.
http://deadline.com/2014/09/nicolle-wallace-rosie-perez-the-view-hosts-828653/
Nicole Wallace is just another Elizabeth Hasselback with a degree.
Capital Journal ✔ @WSJPolitics
Follow
Republicans are trying to woo women voters with ads that support easy access to contraceptives and equal pay. http://on.wsj.com/1qpLShE
7:46 AM – 4 Sep 2014
SMH and of course they don’t mean any of it.
Celebrities from Wales welcoming the President
http://youtu.be/G7EN0dBYwIM
Sen. Pat Roberts Should Not Be Favored
by BooMan
Thu Sep 4th, 2014 at 12:37:01 AM EST
I think Nate Silver is brilliant and very, very good at predicting elections, but he’s only as good as the data he has to work with, and he is capable of making small mistakes or developing models that are too clunky to capture some of the finer grains in campaigns. One example is his reliance on a “fundamentals” score that really serves as a stand-in for good data in the early stages before he has a robust sample of polls to work with.
If you look at the fundamentals of a state like Kansas, it’s going to look like the Republicans have a huge advantage over the Democrats. The state hasn’t elected a Democratic senator since the 1930’s and it vastly prefers Republican presidential candidates. The voters are very conservative and the president is quite unpopular there.
But this all masks a rather serious split within the Republican Party in Kansas. Under the leadership of ultra-conservative Governor Sam Brownback, moderate Republican lawmakers were purged from the legislature and replaced with wingnuts. Dave Weigel termed it The Great Kansas Republican Purge of 2012. And, yes, Koch Brothers money made it possible.
Much of the dispute focused on moderate Republican opposition to Governor Brownback’s proposed income tax cuts, which were seen as fiscally suicidal. And that has turned out to be the case, with both Moody’s and Standard and Poor’s recently downgrading the state’s credit rating.
The most prominent of those purged Republican lawmakers is former state Senate president Steve Morris:
Brownback’s critics say the degree of the tax cuts is threatening basic services, not to mention the state’s bond rating and requirement to balance the budget.
“People are concerned about education,” said Steve Morris, a member of Republicans for Kansas Values, a group of more than 100 GOP members who are backing [Democratic candidate Paul] Davis. “They’re concerned about transportation.”
Morris is a former Kansas state Senate president who lost a 2012 Republican primary to a Brownback-favored Republican. He said he is backing Davis not because of “sour apples,” but “concern about the direction the state’s heading in.”
The result is that Brownback trailed Davis on all three polls taken in August. Rasmussen had Brownback down by 10 points. Needless to say, when the incumbent governor is doing this badly, the “fundamentals” of the state don’t count for much. Brownback will be on the top of the ticket, not President Obama. And that’s a problem for Sen. Pat Roberts. With a very large contingent of angry moderate Republicans headed to the polls to defeat Brownback, might they also cross-over to beat Roberts?
http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2014/9/4/0371/01942#6
Kansas announcement shakes up U.S. Senate map
09/04/14 08:00 AM
By Steve Benen
At first blush, the dynamic is completely counter-intuitive: a competitive statewide election in which Democratic odds of success improve when there’s no Democratic candidate. It happened in 2012 in Vermont’s U.S. Senate race; it happened this week in Alaska’s gubernatorial race.
And as of late yesterday, the same dynamic is now unfolding in Kansas’ U.S. Senate race.
Democratic nominee Chad Taylor has withdrawn from the Kansas Senate race, setting up a competitive race between longtime Republican Sen. Pat Roberts and independent candidate Greg Orman.
Normally, a Democratic nominee dropping out in September would be a disaster for national Democrats. Paradoxically, Taylor’s withdrawal gives the party a significant boost in their effort to retain control of the Senate in the upcoming midterm elections.
To appreciate why, consider our coverage from last week. Pat Roberts (R), who’s been in Congress for over three decades, who no longer owns a home in the state he represents, and who struggled in a recent primary against a political novice, is clearly vulnerable. But recent polling has nevertheless shown the incumbent senator with a modest lead, largely because Taylor (D) and Orman (I) have split Roberts’ opponents.
Just before yesterday’s legal deadline, however, Taylor “terminated” his campaign, creating what is effectively a two-person race, pitting an increasingly popular independent against an increasingly unpopular Republican.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/kansas-announcement-shakes-us-senate-map
As an admitted TV Addict, I admit I always love the ritual of Fall TV Season Premieres
………….
10 new shows to watch this fall
By Frazier Moore
AP
It’s a time-honored rite harking back to an era of black-and-white TVs and the trio of networks whose programs they delivered: the grand unveiling of new fall fare. As part of the ritual, this latest fall crop is an occasion for handicapping the good and the … moremisfires. Granted, it’s a risky business to rate a new series’ prospects on the basis of its pilot episode, which is typically the only thing critics have to go on. But even if it doesn’t guarantee a great series will follow, a pilot must at least trigger interest at a level to get viewers to return the second week. Here are 10 new series that might catch your fancy:
http://tv.msn.com/10-new-shows-to-watch-this-fall/photo-gallery/
don’t wanna hear no more bullshyt about Affirmative Action.
……………………
Tim Russert’s son Luke to be a regular face on ‘Meet The Press’
By Emily Smith
NBC is bringing in Luke Russert, son of the late beloved “Meet the Press” host Tim Russert, as a regular panelist on the Sunday morning show in a bid to turn around its catastrophic ratings slide, Page Six has exclusively learned.
Also joining new moderator Chuck Todd’s team will be former Republican congressman and “Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough, who sources say “is taking on a larger role within NBC News as a senior political analyst and would be one of the regular Sunday panelists.”
We’re told the move is part of a plan to bring a right-leaning voice to the program to appeal to viewers turned off by the show’s famously left-leaning former hosts including the ousted David Gregory.
http://pagesix.com/2014/09/03/tim-russerts-son-luke-to-be-a-regular-face-on-meet-the-press/?_ga=1.28479804.1095428863.1396443557
Another COMPELTE FAIL for MTP. Ain’t NOBODY got time for lil Luke. LOL
This is some SHIDDIGETY BS right here. Gregory was “famously left-leaning?”
GTFOH
https://twitter.com/amk4obama/status/507500069629620225/photo/1
yes and the media is parading the same old, decrepit NEOCONS from the Regan & Bush administrations SoS Kissinger? GMAFB!
The Congressional Black Caucus voted to preserve police militarization
In June of this year, Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) introduced an amendment to halt the Pentagon’s 1033 program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars of military-grade weapons and equipment to local police annually. The amendment overwhelmingly failed, and just seven out of 41 voting members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) supported it.
That vote has drawn controversy in the wake of this summer’s protests and grotesquely militarized police response in Ferguson, Missouri. Ferguson’s own congressman is Rep. Lacy Clay (D-Mo.); he is a member of the CBC, and he voted against demilitarizing police.
Now, The New York Times reports that the CBC is campaigning on what happened in Ferguson to turn out African-American voters for 2014, an effort which would presumably be more difficult were the CBC’s record on police militarization more widely known.
– – Bonnie Kristian
http://theweek.com/speedreads/index/267477/speedreads-the-congressional-black-caucus-voted-to-preserve-police-militarization
If this is TRUE, and no doubt there’s some validity to it, *side-eying the NYT* though the CBC must be EXORCISED.
Keith voted yes.
Hi Tyren. Ellison did vote yes to demilitarize the police force. He better know what day it is.
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2014/roll329.xml
See…all those time you put two socks in to be washed, yet only get one back…
https://twitter.com/nycjim/status/507490046383898625/photo/1
LOL No way did the vet get these many socks out of a dog!
How municipalities in St. Louis County, Missouri profit from poverty
By Radley Balko September 3 at 1:30 PM
On March 20th in the St. Louis County town of Florissant, someone made an illegal U-turn in front of Nicole Bolden. The 32-year-old black single mother hit her brakes, but couldn’t avoid a collision. Bolden wasn’t at fault for the accident, and wanted to continue on her way. The other motorist insisted on calling the police, as per the law. When the officer showed up, Bolden filled with dread.
“He was really nice and polite at first,” Bolden says. “But once he ran my name, he got real mean with me. He told me I was going to jail. I had my 3-year-old and my one-and-a-half year old with me. I asked him about my kids. He said I had better find someone to come and get them, because he was taking me in.” The Florissant officer arrested and cuffed Bolden in front of her children. Her kids remained with another officer until Bolden’s mother and sister could come pick them up.
Nicole Bolden with her daughters Liyah and Lexus. (Photo courtesy of Nicole Bolden)
The officer found that Bolden had four arrest warrants in three separate jurisdictions: the towns of Florissant and Hazelwood in St. Louis County, and the town of Foristell in St. Charles County. All of the warrants were for failure to appear in court for traffic violations. Bolden hadn’t appeared in court because she didn’t have the money. A couple of those fines were for speeding, one was for failure to wear her seatbelt, and most of the rest were for what defense attorneys in the St. Louis area have come to call “poverty violations” — driving with a suspended license, expired plates, expired registration, and a failure to provide proof of insurance.
The Florissant officer first took Bolden to the jail in that town, where Bolden posted a couple hundred dollars bond and was released at around midnight. She was next taken to Hazelwood and held at the jail there until she could post a second bond. That was another couple hundred dollars. She wasn’t released from her cell there until around 5 pm the next day. Exhausted, stressed, and still worried about what her kids had seen, she was finally taken to the St. Charles County jail for the outstanding warrant in Foristell. Why the county jail? Because the tiny town of 500 isn’t large enough to have its own holding cell, even though it does have a mayor, a board of aldermen, a municipal court, and a seven-member police department. It’s probably most well-known locally for the speed trap its police set along I-70.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2014/09/03/how-st-louis-county-missouri-profits-from-poverty/?hpid=z2
Good Morning, Everyone! SG2, Thank you for the series on Ferguson and their organizing efforts to educate and get out the vote.
YVW
Good Morning, Everyone :)