Poll: How Racially Segregated is St. Louis?

Every city has some level of racial segregation among black & white residents, I’m curious how readers perceive this in St. Louis. The poll this week, as always, is located in the upper right corner of the blog.

– Steve Patterson

PR: ‘Let Freedom Ring’ on Monday

The following is a press release:

—

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, Christ Church Cathedral is hosting “Let Freedom Ring” — a daylong reading of his writings and speeches on Monday, January 17, 2010.
For the second consecutive year, the Nave of the Cathedral (13th and Locust, across from the Central Library) will be open from 9 am through 5 pm for the reading, which will be accompanied by a visual display of pictures of the civil rights leader. The public is invited both to come and listen and also to take part in the reading. There is no admission charge.
Leaders have been assigned for half-hour reading shifts, but anyone in attendance is invited to be part of the reading as well by coming to the lectern and indicating they wish to take over for a time. Whenever they wish to stop, someone will be ready to take their place.
“Like scripture, Dr. King’s words don’t just have meaning for the generation in which they were written, but new meaning for every generation,” says the Very Rev. Mike Kinman, provost of Christ Church Cathedral. “We’re hoping people will come and let these words just wash over them and also participate in reading them. Whether people come for 10 minutes, an hour or all day we want to provide chance for everyone to hear these words, let them re-enter our consciousness and continue to form us today.”
“Dr. King embodied the deepest tradition of our faith being a balance of reflection and action. There are many wonderful opportunities for action in our communities. We are providing an opportunity for reflection to inform our actions not just on this one day but every day.”
“We had a steady stream of people who came last year. A few stayed most of the day. Some came for an hour or two. Some just for a few minutes. Many of them talked about how moving it was not just to hear Dr. King’s words but to have the chance to speak them as well.”
This is the second year Christ Church Cathedral has offered this observance. You can hear the story local NPR affiliate KWMU did on it last year at http://tindeck.com/listen/xjtv.
Please address all questions and requests to the Very Rev. Mike Kinman at mkinman@gmail.com or 314.348.6453.
#30#

1964 St. Louis Streetcar Clip Is So Interesting

Streetcars rolling along track in the road and connected to overhead cables bring a smile to my face.  This short film from January 1964 keeps me grinning and watching over and over.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1Q7HomBkmo

I hope you like it as much as I do, have a great weekend!

– Steve Patterson

Changes Coming To Macy’s In The Railway Exchange

Macy’s currently occupies the first six floors of the 21-story Railway Exchange Building.

The department store plans to consolidate into the lower three floors.  Macy’s contains two restaurants, Papa Fabares on the 2nd floor and The St. Louis Room on the 6th, but you need to know about them because you won’t find any information on their website:

The store is still listed as “St. Louis Centre” for the former mall to the north being rebuilt as a parking garage with street-level retail.

Papa Fabares takes you back in time and the French Onion Soup is the signature item.  I don’t see this restaurant going anywhere when Macy’s consolidates.

The 6th Floor St. Louis Room, however, will be a casualty since this floor will no longer be a part of Macy’s.

I’m unsure what will happen to the pedestrian walkway over Olive to the parking garage.  Most months when I go to a regular lunch meeting at the St. Louis Room I just use my wheelchair to travel the 10 blocks to the store, but a few times I will drive my car and then the pedestrian bridge is handy in bad weather.

The pedestrian bridge connects at the 4th floor of the Railway Exchange Building, one above Macy’s after consolidation.  It is butt ugly and should go but the sidewalk level disabled entrance faces 6th Street, not Olive.   Removing the bridge might present some ADA access issues.  I’m torn, the urbanist in me says the bridge needs to go but the disabled me says it is handy.

– Steve Patterson

Economic Development & Job Creation Tops List For Aldermen

Last week readers selected. from a long list, the issues they’d like to see our 28 aldermen work on in 2011.

Q: What are three issues you’d like the St. Louis Board of Aldermen to address in 2011? (Pick 3)

1. Economic development/job creation 80 [18.31%]
2. Reducing the number of city elected offices, including aldermen 73 [16.7%]
3. Rejoinging/merging with St. Louis County 63 [14.42%]
4. The budget – reducing expenses and/or increasing revenue 46 [10.53%]
5. New form-based zoning 41 [9.38%]
6. Defeating the April ballot measure to repeal the earnings tax. 39 [8.92%]
7. Local control of the St. Louis Police 36 [8.24%]
8. Ballpark Village 18 [4.12%]
9. Homelessness 15 [3.43%]
10. Other answer… 11 [2.52%]
11. A comprehensive valet ordinance. 8 [1.83%]
12. Attracting a pro basketball team to the city 6 [1.37%]
13. Create boundaries of one ward so we might see an Asian or Hispanic elected in the future 1 [0.23%]

Not surprising that “Economic development/job creation” topped the list.  But what does that look like from a body that can pass ordinances? Tax abatement? TIFs?

The 11 other answers were:

1. Cannabis reform
2. Citywide demolition review
3. Making ward boundaries so that neighborhoods are not split among multiple wards
4. Cracking down on brick/copper thieves
5. taking a long hard look at City education, i.e. investigating admin. corruption
6. crime
7. Work to pass the earnings tax and wring the difference out of the budget
8. pension reform
9. Get real on balancing pension obligations and funding!
10. None. Violence is no way to organize a society.
11. establishment of checks and balances

Pensions are certainly a topic I should have included on my list.  Not sure how a legislative body can impact crime, other than toughen our ordinances. Similarly, I don’t see how the aldermen can improve education.  More economic development & jobs, however, would indirectly reduce crime and improve education.

Your thoughts?

– Steve Patterson