Last week, news broke that two St. Louisans were denied housing in a senior community because of their sexual orientation. Now the case is headed to the U.S. District Court.
“[Discrimination] is obviously something that many people are facing all over the country, and the open question that remains is what sort of degree of discrimination that we’re going to tolerate as a society,” Blake Strode said on Tuesday’s St. Louis on the Air.
The lawyer and executive director for ArchCity Defenders joined host Don Marsh to discuss this issue among others. Also joining the conversation was Washington University law professor Dan Epps, J.D., and William Freivogel, J.D., who teaches journalism at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
Other issues included the racial profiling of WashU students in Clayton and the state of the local court system in light of the upcoming four-year remembrance of Michael Brown’s death.
“[St. Louis is] the site of all this racial strife, and so often we’re slow to learn the lessons,” Freivogel said, recalling the photo of all white city officials cutting the ribbon at the Arch just a few weeks ago. “To think that after all these years, after Ferguson, that we would end up with that photo … it’s just symbolic.”
On the topic of the replacement of Justice Anthony Kennedy with Judge Brett Kavanaugh, Epps responded, “I think that the basic facts remain the same – he’s very well-qualified and he’s extremely conservative, and he will likely push the court in a more conservative direction.”
Listen to the full conversation:
St. Louis on the Air brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. St. Louis on the Air host Don Marsh and producers Mary Edwards, Alex Heuer, Evie Hemphill and Caitlin Lally give you the information you need to make informed decisions and stay in touch with our diverse and vibrant St. Louis region.
