University of South Florida Scholar Commons Newspaper collection The Weekly Challenger 2017-10-26 The Weekly Challenger : 2017 : 10 : 26 The Weekly Challenger, et al Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/challenger Recommended Citation The Weekly Challenger, et al, "The Weekly Challenger : 2017 : 10 : 26" (2017). Newspaper collection. 718. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/challenger/718 This is brought to you for free and open access by the The Weekly Challenger at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Newspaper collection by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 1967 2017 The Weekly Challenger BLACK MEN MUST SELL AS WELL AS BUY OR ELSE REMAIN A BEGGAR RACE. VOL. 50 NO. 10OCTOBER 26 - NOVEMBER 1, 2017 50¢ IN THIS Open letter from the WEEK mayor PAGE 4 COMMUNITY NEWS The sky has no limits Mayor Rick Kriseman Carla Bristol closed Gallerie 909’s storefront, but the gallery will continue Thank you for engaging, with pop-up exhibits around town. caring about the direction of our city, and for voting in our city’s upcoming municipal election. Your vote is power- Carla is Gallerie 909 ful, for there’s never been more at stake. This election PAGE 7 will decide whether St. Pete COMMUNITY NEWS BY RAVEN JOY SHONEL South America and Bangladesh. there, especially the owner. moves forward and continues A call Staff Writer The gallery livened up the Every time somebody comes in, to makes progress, or turns area, gave black artist an outlet ‘Oh, have you been over to Gal- back to a time of a higher to action ST. PETERSBURG – The to showcase their work and gave lerie 909 yet?’ Constantly walk- crime and less opportunity. I first story printed in The Weekly Bristol a storefront to display her ing people in the door to make vote for moving forward. So Challenger about a new art lively, loving personality. sure they knew.” does President Barack gallery opening up on the So when she announced that Bristol said she also made Obama, who endorsed my Deuces called Gallerie 909 was the gallery would be shutting its sure she brought people over to candidacy. I hope you will, three and a half years ago. It doors, it floored many people. the barbeque joint. If she had an too. opened up to great fanfare with “The shift of having Deuces event, it benefited other busi- Moving forward is what food, music and internationally BBQ leave…that was a huge im- nesses along the street and like- we’re all about in St. Pete. It’s renowned African artist William pact,” said Bristol. “It immedi- wise. been the focus of my cam- Kwanena-Poh. That April back ately took the energy of the area “I knew when I came in that paign. The Baker Campaign, in 2014 was the day that the back to three years ago because it would be three to five years be- however, was designed not PAGE 9 much talked about “renais- now two-thirds of the building fore this area turned. Every- just to turn back the clock, but COMMUNITY NEWS sance” of 22nd Street started isn’t filled.” thing was trending. You finally to tear me down and our com- A never-ending taking hold. Bristol said on any given Sat- had a business next door that munity apart. It started on day Gallerist Carla Bristol asked love story urday or Sunday, there would be was viable and sustainable and one when Mr. Baker de- herself what would she rather be car after car pulling up to get growing, but none of us were scribed our community as one doing and her corporate day job some barbeque and many would there yet. All of us were still ba- in shambles and it has contin- was the last thing on her list. She wander over to her gallery to see sically just investing in the com- ued through his latest commu- took a chance and opened a the goings-on. munity.” nication, an ad with more gallery that would feature works “There’s a certain energy Bristol lived through the ceil- falsehoods than a Donald from local black artists to artists that goes with that, plus you ing leaking and water seeping in Trump tweet storm. coming from as far away as have four or so advocates over from the other shop. She under- The commercial claimed our new pier is over budget INDEX See GALLERIE, page 12 (it’s not), my staff budget is $4.2 million (it isn’t), hurri- cane debris threatens our health (it doesn’t), and that COMMUNITY Midtown focal points demand change bike paths, playgrounds, and scholarships for kids have suf- NEWS GOLIATH J. DAVIS, III, PH.D University of South Florida pro- fered (they haven’t). In fact, Contributor fessor Darryl Paulson. Second, we’re becoming a friendlier PAGES regarding her assessment of city for pedestrians and cy- Last week, School Board Midtown’s focal points, School clists, expanded our park sys- 2 - 9, 12 member Renee Flowers, a Board member Flowers is par- tem, and have never been Weekly Challenger contributor tially correct. Midtown’s focal more focused on our youth. wrote: “….focal points in Mid- points—jobs, the economy, My campaign remains fo- town/south St. Petersburg sur- healthcare, small business, cused on the issues, no matter what Mr. Baker or his Repub- CHURCH round jobs, healthcare, the etc., are in serious jeopardy economy, voting rights and true under the current administra- lican Party allies throw our small business expansion have way in these final weeks. Yes, NEWS tion. not taken hold nor have found However, the current city we will continue to highlight roots as a place for change the sharp contrasts that exist PAGES 10 - 11 administration is democratic, under the current Republican not Republican as indicated by between Mr. Baker and me, leadership.” Additionally, she such as his silence in the face Flowers. And, if by chance she Goliath Davis III reported political analyst Herb is referring to national politics of Donald Trump’s many divi- Poulson maintains one should sive remarks and attacks on as she and the campaign do all nearly four years and the sitting expect partisan politics to be in- minority communities, but we too frequently, consider the fol- president for eight years prior serted into our non-partisan will also continue to tout my lowing: to Trump was President Barack mayoral race. I wish to address record and vision for the fu- Rick Kriseman, not Donald Obama. Yet, despite the om- both points. ture. Trump is mayor of our city. nipresence of democratic rule, First, she referenced the I will continue to reflect the Donald Trump has been Presi- Flowers accurately notes jobs, wrong individual. The political inherent optimism of our resi- dent for nine months. Rick healthcare and small business analyst in question is former Kriseman has been mayor for dents. I will work every day to See MIDTOWN, page 2 See MAYOR, page 2 We Value Diversity | We Value Education | We Value History www.TheWeeklyChallenger.com • 727-896-2922 2 THE WEEKLY CHALLENGER, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2017 COMMUNITY NEWS A great divide Midtown focal points demand change MIDTOWN , from front page Dear Editor: Along with his cohort have “not taken hold nor administrations hired In- develop Tangerine Plaza Sadly, as I write this ed- Trump, Baker has contin- found roots under the dividuals with adverse (grocery store) and the itorial, we are witnessing a ued to deny the science current. .leadership.” criminal justice encoun- Manhattan Casino. The great divide in the St. Pe- behind the obvious. The Kriseman cam- ters in sanitation, Midtown Post Office, tersburg black community Mayor Kriseman envi- paign insists on injecting stormwater, etc. Ban- 1,000 scholarships, a li- as a result of the mayoral sions a city for all of its party politics into the ning the box will not in- brary, Job Corps, jobs, race between the Republi- residents enjoying the re- mayoral race. Given crease employment in the Jordan School and can challenger former wards and the opportuni- Kriseman’s poor record other areas as long as the Royal Theatre renova- Mayor Rick Baker and the ties to take St. Petersburg and Trump’s propensity current selection stan- tions were all Baker ini- Democrat incumbent to an even higher level for acting out and offend- dards remain. Don’t tiatives. Sadly, we lost Mayor Rick Baker. The and make it a wonderfully ing, one can understand “Ban the Box!” Change too much under Krise- community has been diverse place in which to the strategy. However, the criteria and policies man. ripped right down the mid- live and strive. should reasonable people that preclude the employ- Lastly, I agree with dle resulting in nasty and The work that Mayor get caught up in the emo- ment of individuals with a School Board Member insulting rhetoric by com- Kriseman has begun in thought he had accom- tionalism of Trumpism criminal history, and stop Flower’s assertion “what munity leaders and resi- our city must continue. plished in the black com- and deny Kriseman’s dis- pretending there is hope you believe matters,” but dents, played out on social Under Kriseman, St. Pe- munity. This is a classic mal Midtown record? for a significant number I do not agree with her media and even in the tersburg continues to be divide and conquer tactic What has Kriseman done of arrested/convicted ap- underlying premise. She streets and at political one the best places to live that the black community for Midtown? plicants impacted by ex- suggests we should vote gatherings.