TheChat: A Missouri senator says Jim Crow is back
Good morning.
▪ “It seems Jim Crow is back knocking on our doors. I thought Jim Crow laws were buried, but I see that’s not the case.” — Missouri state Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, a St. Louis Democrat, speaking about a proposed voter ID law.
Nasheed is convinced the bill is all about suppressing black turnout. The bill’s sponsor, state Sen. Will Kraus, a Lee’s Summit Republican, countered that some Democrats “want to find a way to cheat elections.” (link via johncombest.com).
▪ “People must not fall asleep and think because Tim Wolfe has resigned and Jonathan Butler is off his hunger strike that everything is hunky-dory. That's not the case at all. Don't fall asleep. Wake up." — Academy Award-winning director Spike Lee speaking about his new documentary, “2 Fists Up,” about unrest on the MU campus last year. Wolfe is the former MU System president who resigned following the protests. Butler was a student protestor.
The film had its premiere Wednesday night, and ESPN plans to show a version of it. Lee said he wants audience members to make up their own minds about what happened at MU.
▪ “That's what we're doing at the end of the day – giving people a little bit of their freedom back.” — Missouri state Rep. Eric Burlison, a Springfield Republican, on the latest version of a measure that would allow motorcyclists to ride without their helmets.
Under Burlison’s bill, riders could ride sans helmets if they are at least 21 and have $50,000 worth of health insurance coverage.
▪ “I’m hoping it becomes part of our culture (that) all teachers all across the United States will make an effort to recognize military children and their challenges.” — Jill Biden, wife of the vice president, during a visit Wednesday to Fort Riley Middle School.
Biden set up the Joining Forces initiative in 2011 to better support military families, who move frequently. Her visit to Kansas came as part of the Month of the Military Child.
This story was originally published April 6, 2016 at 9:32 PM.