AP: Feds arrest two Illinois city officials

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http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-east-st.-louis-investigation,0,5429614.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines

"EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. -- The police chief and the director of regulatory affairs were among four people arrested Friday as part of a federal corruption investigation into the government of this impoverished Mississippi River city.

Indictments against the regulatory affairs director, Kelvin Ellis, and Police Chief Ronald Matthews were unrelated, but both men were arrested within hours of each other, and the arrests were announced during a news conference involving officials from several federal agencies.

Ellis, 55, was accused of seeking to have a federal witness killed. According to the indictment, when Ellis learned that a woman had helped federal authorities investigating alleged election fraud, Ellis first tried to have crack cocaine planted on her, then tried to have the woman killed.

He was also charged with tax evasion."

First, I'm surprised someone actually looked into East St. Louis at all. You want to talk about a forgotten city, you talk about East St. Louis. I use to think it was funny to make fun of East St. Louis and I've heard alot of St. Louis people worry about getting lost there. East St. Louis might as well be a third world country. At least the poor neighborhoods in Chicago have funding from the huge tax base of downtown and the north side. It is sick and wrong to make fun of East St. Louis because they have NOTHING. Not only is their city full of poverty, all of the land is toxic because it's in somewhat of a 'valley' surrounded by chemical plants. The toxic waste from chemical plants flow into East St. Louis and pollute everything. The land is worthless. The best part, the chemical plants around East St. Louis don't belong to the city. They belong to their own special incorporated municipalities or to other towns. The city can't even get taxes from them to help clean up the mess. The lack of attention is so appalling. Here's just an example of how poor everyone is: "There were no phone listings for any of the four people arrested."

It seems like these guys were up to no good, but how about the Feds do something more than just arrest corrupt gov't officials in this city for crying out loud.

[More Than A Feeling]

1. Words cannot express how sick reading this made me feel

Those poor people.

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5. Worst part is I just touched the tip of the iceberg

If you want to learn more about this, read Jonathan Kozol's "Savage Inequalities.

Here's some other facts about East St. Louis. East St. Louis was so desperate for cash, the mayor wanted to sell city hall. They couldn't even do that. Some real estate guy took the city to court claiming that he somehow owned the property and the building. The real estate guy won. The city didn't even have the choice to sell city hall in the end.

The grass is very green in parts of East St. Louis. That's because the sewer system is terrible. Often it will back up (this has to do with the chemicals getting into the system as well) and flow into the grass. Manure is great for grass of course. So it's very inviting, but also very dirty.

When high school football teams come to play East St. Louis, they don't want to use the locker rooms because they are so dirty. They try to play without halftime so they can get the hell out of there.

This information all comes from 1991 when Kozol wrote his book. I should really do some research to see if Democratic control of the state has changed conditions at all. I was just finished the book for an urban education class. It's an eye opener to say the least.

[More Than A Feeling]

6. What a sick joke!

Good call on Kozol. I have read his Amazing Grace. Powerful stuff, anyone who thinks that all poor people are "welfare queens" should go to the Bronx. That is, if they aren't afraid of getting shot. I will definitely read Savage Inequalities as well.

[gumby]

2. Been lost in East St. Louis and it was very scary.

You are correct, East St. Louis is indeed a third world scenario.

From what I know, East St. Louis was once a culturally vibrant city. But, for a long time I've seen it as the canary in the mine shaft.

We're all East St. Louis now in Bushworld.

edit: and then there's the horrific racism.......

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4. Yeah, East St. Louis was culturally vibrant

Then industries moved away. It's that same old tune of the majority of factory towns around the United States. Industries move out, black people either move in or stay put because no one would sell them homes in the suburbs. It's impossible to move large amounts of money into the urban areas because they lack overwhelming numbers in state legislators and the suburban and rural reps could care less about the city.

Dick Durbin is from East St. Louis. He graduated from the old Catholic high school Assumption that is now shut down. Based on his age, he and his family must have stuck around during the start of the city's collapse.

[rehema]

3. The State Republicans pushed the issue, I wonder why

NOT!