As long-time St. Louis activist Percy Green took questions Friday at the World Community Center on his decades of activist experiences, he grinned politely at the prospect of answering one audience member’s question, in particular: his thoughts on the efforts to recall St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay.
“I thought you would never ask,” he laughed.
The occasion of Green’s lecture was a discussion on protesting and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, of which he was a leading voice here in St. Louis. The event was hosted by the Peace Economy Project. After speaking for more than an hour-and-a-half, the final question he took was about the recall effort.
Green used the question as a platform to jump from addressing the legwork for signature-gathering for the recall effort to giving his opinion on the fight between Slay and his African-American constituency.
“Most of us don’t see Chief (Sherman) George and the recall Slay effort as a fight against blacks and City Hall,” Green said. “Others feel like Slay has been a poor manager of the city. Lots of the resources the current administration has used — like the new stadium — we needed a new stadium like a hole in the head. It wasn’t a new stadium. It was a replacement stadium.”
Green said Slay has misused city funds to reward business interest that have not benefited the city as a whole. He cited as the debate over the new Busch Stadium as an example where he believed the taxpayers were manipulated by the “false crisis” of Cardinal management threatening to move the team. Green saw it as a bluff.
“All of that was a game. They weren’t going any place,” Green said. “You don’t want administrators who are going to be gouging taxpayers whether they’re black or not.”
Green also gave his perspective on the firing of embattled Fire Chief Sherman George. While much has been reported of the fight being over hiring practices and race issues, Green, who was also fired by Francis Slay in 2001 from his post as head of the city’s minority business-certification program, said George’s dismissal had everything to do with money.
Green said that as Fire Chief George oversaw the fire code enforcement of downtown buildings, his refusal to approve building which he felt were unsafe rubbed Slay and the mayor’s developer contributors the wrong way. Green charged that Slay wanted George out to ease the path for these business people.
Green called the new chief a “patsy” there to “rubber stamp everything” for Slay and the downtown developers.
“Many people haven’t thought about it,” Green said. “They haven’t seen the connection.”
This guy’s a joke.
Posted by Danny | 31. Mar, 2008, 9:41 AMMr. Green is a hero! If there is loss of life due to Slay’s Fire Chief passing buildings as safe,that damn Slay and his flunky fire chief will have blood on their hands!
Posted by Star Jones | 31. Mar, 2008, 10:18 AMLives will be saved thanks to the departure of the last Chief.
Two lives were lost because of his incompetence.
Go protest the old chief.
Posted by Kim | 31. Mar, 2008, 11:47 AMLives lost? Joke? Would you care to elaborate on those points?
Like what he has to say or not, Mr Green and his peers have the guts to stand up against injustices (even if you don’t see them as injustices, he stands up for what he believes in) and has been doing so for nearly 50 years.
Posted by Andino | 31. Mar, 2008, 3:53 PMWow. I seriousky did not even think of that. I knew Slay was up to something crooked when he demoted George, but I really didn’t think he wanted to risk pissing off 90% of the North Side. That clears that up!
Posted by Turd Ferguson | 31. Mar, 2008, 4:01 PMTo Whom It May Concern,
I would like to thank Mr. Percy Green II.
Although Mr. Green did not prevail upon remand of his case to the federal district court, his case did establish the premise of the plaintiff’s and defendant’s burdens of proof established in McDonnell-Douglas v. Green.
Sometimes, we never really appreciate what others have done for us. Although I did not know about your case until 2008, now that I am going thru the same situation of Discrimination, THANK Y0U FOR not quitting the fight for justice and fair play.
Most people only ask for a fair and equal opportunity. Thank you Mr. Green for standing up and staying true to your principles. You are a hero. And, the people who stood with you are the same.
CW3 Romona Mayeaux
Houston, Texas
romonamayeaux@gmail.com
09 July 2008
Posted by Romona Mayeaux | 09. Jul, 2008, 9:59 PMDanny,you are right, he is a joke.
Star,Green is no hero. Heroes are all around us, and he is not one!
Kim, we can only hope the move is for the better(so far so good).Heroes are all around Fact is Sherman George didn’t do what he said he would (repeatedly). Leaders do what they say they’re going to do. In his position that puts lives in jeopardy.
Andino, what Green stands up for (or against) doesn’t take guts, its called freedom. What he thinks is a injustice or believes in does not make him right. I can’t believe he has been an activist for 50yrs. Some of the things he promotes are so childish.
Yo Turd, don’t get your facts from places like this. These are opinions. Put a little more effort into being a citizen in the know.
Romona, it’s not that it isn’t appreciated for what is done, but sometimes just forgotten. Remember how you got your freedom? Once again Green is no hero, he is an activist. Pick up a history book, may help you understand what hero truly is.
This is for all of you especially those of you that are black. In two sentences or less. Do you know what made Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. good at what he stood for?
I will end with this. The most discriminated person in America is the white man – BELIEVE THAT!
Posted by Kip | 09. Jan, 2010, 9:10 AM