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Coming from two diverse places and backgrounds, our organizations (Organization for Black Struggle and Missouri Rural Crisis Center) are bringing people together from our respective communities to identify our commonalities and mutual values and to work together for policies that positively affect Missouri families, urban and rural, workers and farmers.

Read more in the St. Louis American.

OBS joined an impressive list of Black intellectuals and activists in an open letter to the Congressional Black Caucus, blasting the Black federal lawmakers for failing to mount a “robust defense” of one of their own, Ilhan Omar, the first-term Congresswoman and Muslim from Minneapolis.

Dear Honorable Members of the Congressional Black Caucus:

We write to register our deep disappointment with the Congressional Black Caucus’s (CBC) failure to forcefully defend Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, the Freshmen Representative from Minnesota, whose character, faith, and progressive political agenda have been subjected to spurious accusations. The CBC’s brief three-sentence statement, released on April 13, condemning President Trump’s terrorist-baiting twitter attack against Omar fell far short of the robust defense her personhood and politics deserve. Read more…

St. Louis City Counselor, Julian Bush, has joined the racist and sexist attacks on Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, the first African American prosecutor. See his racist and belittling comments in the Post Dispatch: http://bit.ly/2IZdr1e

Call these city officials (Board of E&A) & demand Bush publicly apologizes:
1) Mayor Lyda Krewson: 314-622-3201
2) Comptroller Darlene Green: 314-622-4389
3) President of the Board of Alders, Lewis Reed: 314-622-4114 

Jamala Rogers’ commentary on “Protecting our Precious Institutions.” Read more.

“I will not prosecute poverty.”

To a standing-room-only crowd, Wesley Bell talked about what he’s been up to in the first 100 days as the 1st African American St. Louis County prosecutor.

One of the areas of concerns that was brought up was the issue of child support. Bell stated that from experience he knows how it feels to keep up with child support. He’s thankful to be able to go to work and pay it off, but he understands that not everyone has the money and opportunity to do so. He sided with keeping family members together and will not prosecute people who fail to pay their child support.

Bell will also not prosecute marijuana possession cases of fewer than 100 grams, “What we can do is dis-incentivize those types of unfair stops & policies. By not prosecuting these cases we help disincentivize these stops.”

The majority of people being held in jail for misdemeanors cases are working poor and can’t afford the amount the bail is set for them. Bell’s office will not request cash bails but instead issue summonses on class D and E felony cases. This would help low income household members by giving them the opportunity to await their court date while being able to work and take care of their family needs. He has reduced the jail population by 12% since being in the prosecuting attorney’s office.

March 15. Bigotry and racist hatred have once again reared its ugly head. The Organization for Black Struggle (OBS) vehemently condemns the evil that claimed nearly 50 people in New Zealand today and injured dozens of others. This attack is another reminder that Muslims all over the world are in the crosshairs of Islamophobia. We support one’s human right to practice the religion of their choice.

OBS is in fierce opposition of today’s cowardly act of bigotry, hatred and terrorism as it is all too reminiscent of the bigotry, hatred and terrorism that Blacks have faced in this country for over 400 years. We stand with freedom-loving people who denounce all forms of religious prosecution and violence in the U.S. and abroad.