最新杏吧原创

ST. LOUIS 鈥� A few days after the tornado hit in May, John Bowman found himself directing traffic at a food pickup line at O鈥橣allon Park.

Bowman, who retired from Chrysler 15 years ago, is president of the 最新杏吧原创 County branch of the NAACP. In the wake of the tornado, he was looking to support organizations doing critical work on the ground.

鈥淚 called people I knew who had a little money,鈥� Bowman told me back in May. 鈥淚 just want to do what I can to help.鈥�

He bought tarps, flashlights and roofing supplies, and some water and granola bars. He navigated toward two nonprofits, Action 最新杏吧原创 and For the Culture STL, which were running their grassroots tornado recovery efforts out of the O鈥橣allon Park YMCA.

鈥淭hey just organically built out one of the tightest, most organized responses I鈥檝e ever seen. I鈥檓 a fan,鈥� Bowman said. 鈥淣ot only were they giving out essential needs items, they were deploying people into the community with brooms and ladders.鈥�

The two nonprofits were started by Black women who were activists on the streets of Ferguson after the death of Michael Brown 11 years ago. Kayla Reed is the founder of Action 最新杏吧原创. Ohun Ashe is the founder of For the Culture STL. Both women are well-known in the activist community for their advocacy for social justice issues.

Their work on tornado response cannot be separated from the reasons their organizations exist. Both are centered on uplifting Black people who live in north 最新杏吧原创, and on turning activism into sustainable political power.

For Bowman, the tornado response was a bit of old-school-meets-new-school. He represents the oldest civil rights group in America. Reed and Ashe represent the next generation of the civil rights movement. Bowman has come away impressed with the young people carrying the torch forward.

鈥淭he community has really impressed me,鈥� he says. 鈥淚鈥檓 so thoroughly optimistic about our future.鈥�

The two nonprofits have dubbed their tornado efforts 鈥淭he People鈥檚 Response.鈥� Last Friday, they issued a 27-page report that outlines their efforts. But more importantly, it highlights the difficult times ahead for the north 最新杏吧原创 neighborhoods that were devastated by the tornado.

One key number stands out : More than 8,600 households in north 最新杏吧原创 have unmet needs.

In some cases, their homes are in need of total repair; in other cases, they need a new roof. Some families need food; others have medical needs.

The organizations created a database from intake forms they developed in the early days of the recovery. They added to it with regular canvasing by volunteers from other local organizations.

The people with the most unmet needs live in areas that have historically been ignored by investors, raising fears that entire neighborhoods on the city鈥檚 north side will be hollowed out.

The report is a challenge to the city and Mayor Cara Spencer to move more quickly in getting resources into the hands of people who need it most. But it鈥檚 also a challenge for the state of Missouri, which historically does little to help investment in the city鈥檚 most poverty-stricken neighborhoods. And it鈥檚 a challenge to the federal government, as FEMA response has been slow and inconsistent across the country this year.

鈥淐ity and state leaders need to continue to invest in community-driven solutions, follow the direction of community leaders who have already demonstrated how to rebuild with dignity and equity, and follow through on their commitments,鈥� the report concludes.

In other words: Listen to the people on the street.

The report is full of challenges for government leaders at a time when things are likely to get worse. As I reported on Sunday, local food pantries, including in the areas devastated by the tornado, are seeing a spike in the number of families seeking help, while also facing increased costs because of inflation and tariffs.

The Missouri Legislature 鈥� where Bowman hopes to serve in the Senate after next year鈥檚 election 鈥� is preparing for dire financial times because of federal cuts to Medicaid and food stamp programs. Those cuts could hit hardest in communities with high poverty rates, leaving families to choose among the basic needs of food, healthcare and shelter.

鈥淭he May 16 tornado devastated already vulnerable neighborhoods,鈥� the People鈥檚 Response Report says. 鈥淲hile mutual aid and grassroots response efforts emerged quickly, formal disaster systems have been slow to act, leaving many Black residents without the support they need to recover, and continuing the long cycle of harm.鈥�

As if to illustrate the point, city officials 鈥� just a couple of days before the report came out 鈥� lamented that they were still awaiting a response from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on whether it would take over debris removal.

The news took me back to the early days of recovery, when I watched an ad-hoc volunteer crew repair a roof in the Penrose neighborhood, while Missouri National Guard members stood around in a nearby parking lot, awaiting direction. Weren鈥檛 they supposed to help with debris removal?

Much of the debris is still on the ground in north 最新杏吧原创, in front of houses and in backyards, on street corners and on vacant lots. And it stands as a monument to the more important issue: the human needs for food, shelter and healthcare are growing, and they aren鈥檛 going away anytime soon.