The E3 tornado that ripped through St. Louis on May 16 resulted in an unplanned topography for the city. It also exposed the ever-present racial history of the planned neglect and abandonment of certain predominantly Black neighborhoods. Two of those Northside neighborhoods were hit particularly hard during the storm. Mother Nature’s fury has given St. Louis an opportunity to rebuild a different landscape that rises from a new common vision for the city.
I have been a part of the recovery efforts. I have attended the meetings of elected officials and their bag of promises. I drive through the Northside neighborhoods almost daily to review the incredible damage and the progress (or lack thereof) for the survivors. I have talked to many tornado survivors. This has helped me keep grounded in reality and not get caught up in a false narrative.
And yes, it’s great that a few million of the nearly $800 million in Rams settlement funds has been allocated to the disaster relief. Most of that is triage money, not so much for the rebuilding phase…