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News St. Louis Urban League Breaks Ground at QuikTrip Site T he burnt-out QuikTrip con- venience store in Ferguson, which became a symbol of racial unrest after a police officer killed an unarmed black teenag- er nearby almost a year ago, will soon reopen as a community cen- ter focused on job training for Af- rican Americans. The store was looted, burned and spray painted “R.I.P. Mike Brown” before civilians pitched in and cleaned up the site. As ri- oting along West Florissant Road intensified, heavily armed police with armored vehicles pointed ri- fles at protesters and fired tear gas and “less lethal” projectiles into crowds. The Urban League of Metro- politan St. Louis held a ground- breaking ceremony at the site July 9. Under a white tent sheltering dignitaries, Michael McMillan, president and CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Lou- is, said the organization aims to train and find employment for 500 young people in the region by the end of summer. “After Michael Brown’s death, many young people in the com- munity said they were not being listened to and their voices were not heard,” McMillan told the au- PHOTO BY WILEY PRICE/ST. LOUIS AMERICAN By Mariah Stewart Special to the NNPA from the St. Louis American Michael McMillan, president and CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, wielded a shovel alongside Marc Mo- rial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, at the groundbreaking for a new community center at the site of the burnt-out QuikTrip in Ferguson. dience. “We decided to go out and walk the streets of Ferguson and talk to people to find out what we could of those young people said they needed jobs and economic oppor- tunity in this area.” Data collected by the Federal ‘We decided to go out and walk the streets of Ferguson and talk to people to find out what we could do as the Urban League to make a difference’ do as the Urban League to make a difference. Every single one Reserve Bank of St. Louis show unemployment among African Americans in the St. Louis region at 9.5 percent, compared with 4.8 percent for whites. After talking with Ferguson youth, McMillan created the Ur- ban League’s Save Our Sons ini- tiative. McMillan said the program has already helped 100 young men find jobs. The new center built on the site of the torched QuikTrip will house Save Our Sons, as well as three other social services orga- nizations: Provident, Better Fami- ly Life and Lutheran Church Mis- souri Synod. McMillan also announced that the construction crew for the new center will be a 100 percent Afri- can-American. Kwame Building Group will manage the construc- tion, which is expected to be com- pleted in early 2016. QuikTrip donated the land and paid to demolish the ruined build- ing and remediate the site. En- terprise Holdings and the Taylor Family gave a combined $1.8 mil- lion, and Centene Corporation do- nated $650,000. Another $1.5 mil- lion came from several other St. Louis-based companies, including Ameren, Emerson, Edward Jones, Armstrong Teasdale, and several civic organizations. Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, attended the groundbreaking and said it points toward hope for the future in Ferguson. Morial said, “Building the Community Em- powerment Center represents movement in a positive direction.” This story is published as part of a partnership between The St. Louis American and The Huffing- ton Post. Parks continued from page 6 will be asked to contribute to the initiative. Young children may not be dropped off unsupervised at any of the bureau’s community cen- ters. The East Portland Communi- ty Center is open 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. weekdays; 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays; and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays. The free program will not include admission to the East Portland pool, which currently is at capacity. For more information, go to the center’s webpage, or contact the center at (503) 823-3450. Make The Skanner part of your daily routine for a better day today and tomorrow. Grab the headlines from your mobile device. Tap to view local events and announcements. Get a quick update or enjoy an in-depth read on your desktop. Page 8 July 22, 2015 The Portland Skanner Receive breaking news, you won’t find anywhere else, in your inbox. Don’t miss anything! Page through the latest print edition online.
