Poll: State Of Race Relations In St. Louis

The book St. Louis Day-By-Day by  Frances Hurd Stadler is fascinating, the entry for January 13th tells a chilling story from 175 years ago:

Nathan Brown, newly arrived in St. Louis, wrote to his brother in the East, relating: “I witnessed the sale today by auction of a very interesting young negro boy, 15 years old — sold for $457-1/2. The little fellow was exhibited on the table the same as any other article — and examined by being made to walk back and forth, & by feeling his joints as one would examine a horse. The little fellow appeared to realize his condition and when the big tear rolled down his cheek would merely brush it aside and hold his head up with an air & manner which won him the sympathies of a great number of the spectators. I certainly never have seen a more submissive imploring look than he exhibited as soon as he was sold; his feelings were vented in floods of tears.” While some slave auctions –usually those held to settle estates–took place on the steps of the Old Courthouse, most sales were effected by private dealers who kept notorious slave pens. Ironically, one of these  served as a federal prison during the Civil War.

According to this inflation calculator $457.50 in 1838 is equal to $9,515.96 in 2011 dollars. Wow, for a person! We’ve come a long way in the 175 years since but I don’t think we’re where we need to be.

The poll question this week asks your view on the state of race relations in St. Louis. Improving? Declining? Holding Steady? The poll question is in the right sidebar and the provided answers are presented in a random order.

— Steve Patterson

Readers Support Raising The Seatbelt Violation Fee

Readers support raising the fee for violating Missouri’s seatbelt law.

Q: Support or Oppose Raising Seat Belt Violations From $10 to $50

• Support 52 [53.61%]
• Oppose 37 [38.14%]
• Neutral 5 [5.15%]
• Unsure/no opinion 3 [3.09%]

For more detail see the original post here.

I’m wearing a seatbelt now as I drive a rental car back to Oklahoma for a family funeral. Posts will resume upon my return.

— Steve Patterson

Poll: Support or Oppose Raising Seat Belt Violations From $10 to $50

I’ve long been a fan of seat belt use so the effort of Missouri state Senator Joseph Keavany to try again to raise fines caught my attention:

Now, almost three years later, Missouri still ranks pretty low among states for seat belt compliance, at 79 percent; hundreds of people involved in traffic accidents still die because they don’t buckle up; and Missouri’s fine for not wearing a seat belt is $10.

“The fine for littering in Missouri is $79.50,” Keaveny, D-St. Louis, told the Ride Guy last week.

Senate Bill 62 is the latest version. Keaveny prefiled it for the upcoming session and hopes to get this measure out of committee. (stltoday.com)

You can find SB62 here, and all the 2013 prefiled Senate bills here.

This is the topic for the poll this week, vote in the right sidebar and share your thoughts in the comments below.

— Steve Patterson

Readers: Prop R & Central Library the Best of 2012

To end 2012 on a positive note I asked you, the readers, to vote last week on the best of 2012. The passage of Prop R to reduce the size of the Board of Aldermen after the 2020 census and the reopening of the Central Library tied for the top spot. Rounding out the top 5 was the fact that Missouri voters approved the measure to let St. Louis control its own police department (the Civil War must really be over), the new Grand viaduct/bridge opening, and that a modern streetcar line is being studied to run through downtown out to Midtown and beyond.

Here’s the full results:

Q: Best things to happen to STL in 2012 (pick up to 5)

1. Prop R to reduce the Board of Aldermen approved by STL voters 72 {12.88%]
2. St. Louis Central Library reopened 72 [12.88%]
3. Local control of police approved by Missouri voters 44 [7.87%]
4. New Grand viaduct/bridge opened 40 [7.16%]
5. Downtown Partnership studying a modern streetcar line 39 [6.98%]
6. Metropolitan Bldg opened as artist lofts in Midtown/Grand Center 38 [6.8%]
7. Union Station sold to new owners 34 [6.08%]
8. St. Louis Public Radio (KWMU) relocated to Midtown/Grand Center 30 [5.37%]
9. City shut down riverfront homeless camps 24 [4.29%]
10. Starbucks at the Saucer opened 22 [3.94%]
11. Washington Ave so popular crowd control becomes necessary 21 [3.76%]
12. AAA to use round former HQ rather than raze it 20 [3.58%]
13. SLU faculty & student groups vote no confidence in Biondi 20 [3.58%]
14. Larry Williams decided not to run for another term as STL treasurer 18 [3.22%]
15. Rams fired Spagnuolo as head coach 14 [2.5%]
16. Bike parking ordinance enacted 13 [2.33%]
17. SLU gets approval to raze Pevely building 7 [1.25%]
18. Anti-eminent domain sign wins in court 7 [1.25%]
19. MSD bond issue passed 7 [1.25%]
20. Cigarette tax-hike proposition failed in Missouri 6 [1.07%]
21. Other: 6 [1.07%]
22. Last part of Highway 141 opened 3 [0.54%]
23. Sam Dotson named new police chief 2 [0.36%]

The opening of the Metropolitan in Midtown almost made the top 5, glad to see so many agree that getting residential in the area is a very positive thing. Hopefully 2013 will bring us many more positives to reflect on a year from now.

— Steve Patterson

Poll: What Can/Should Be Done To Reduce Gun Violence?

The tragedy in Newtown CT on Friday has left myself and others wondering what, if anything, can be done to at least reduce the number of such incidences. Facebook, Twitter and other forums have been filled with passionate discussion from all perspectives. I don’t know the answer, I wish I did.

With a lot of reservation the poll question this week asks what can/should be done to reduce gun violence. The poll is in the right sidebar, I’ve provided a wide range of answers to choose from. When commenting below please be respectful to others.

— Steve Patterson