Tef Poe

Five years ago, Kevin and Danielle McCoy were making art that wasn’t particularly political.

“We made a lot of safe work,” Kevin McCoy said, “but it didn’t have a lot of meaning. It didn’t get to the crux of the issues.”

Then white Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson shot and killed Michael Brown Jr., an unarmed, 18-year-old black man. Brown's death sparked weeks of protests in Ferguson, unrest that reverberated in the local arts community. Black artists formed new alliances and reached new platforms, but also bumped up against enduring divides over race in this community.

Many people around the country saw Michael Brown’s death in Ferguson as the catalyst behind a new civil rights movement.

But, even with the Ferguson protest movement going from the streets to the halls of government, political change in the St. Louis region was slow, as activist-preferred candidates lost elections and some policy demands went unmet.

St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell has a message for people who believe little has been accomplished or gained here in five years.

“I would say with all due respect, me sitting in this office now would be evidence of change,” Bell said. “And in my opinion obviously positive change.”

On the latest edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, we take things in a slightly different direction by interviewing St. Louis musician C-Sharp about his get-out-the-vote initiative.

The St. Louis County native has launched “YouTurn 2016.” In addition to talking with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Willis Ryder Arnold about the importance of voting, C-Sharp is barnstorming across the city to talk about the value of voter participation.

Delmar Records is working to bring the national spotlight to a group of St. Louis musicians.

Cofounder and music producer Sebastian “Tech Supreme” Lee said the label’s roster features St. Louis musicians with strong careers who are looking expand their audience.  

Since Michael Brown’s death one has heard a consistent cry for justice. For many protesters, that justice means the indictment of Officer Darren Wilson, who shot the unarmed 18 year old. That case is before the grand jury. But an indictment is not the only definition of justice, as sought by those who have been demonstrating.

Justice Beyond Indictment

Brittany Ferrell loves nursing.

“Having the ability to touch someone’s life whether they just came into this world, or they are exiting this world, that means a lot to me.”

It’s been well over a month since a Ferguson police officer shot and killed Michael Brown. And for the most part, the St. Louis County Council was shielded from the unbridled anger over the 18-year-old’s death.

That reprieve ended on Tuesday.

The council’s chambers were packed with supporters of Brown and his family, with the vast majority of the crowd giving the county’s top executive and legislative officeholders a blazing array of criticism.

Johnetta Elzie went to Ferguson the afternoon Michael Brown was shot and killed.

“It moved us to tears,” the 25-year-old college student said. “Between hearing the first-hand accounts and seeing his blood on the streets still. You could feel that his blood was screaming out from the pavement.” 

Young leaders in Ferguson have amplified that cry, rallying on social media and participating in protests.

If you don’t know who St. Louis rapper Tef Poe is, then there’s a good chance you haven’t been spending enough time in the digital world. Through his thoughts and lyrics he is trying to shape the way that people think about the politics and daily life of what occurs in the city from his perspective.