For nearly one year, the city of St. Louis has blocked the opening of a new bakery cafe in the Black neighborhood of College Hill. Residents of this Northside community, labelled a “food desert”, have no access to fresh healthy food—no grocery stores and no restaurants without traveling south across the “Delmar Divide” into the white part of town.
The African People’s Education and Defense Fund (APEDF), a nonprofit group that has invested over one million dollars in the revitalization of St. Louis’ Northside, purchased the property at 3719 W. Florissant Ave. in January of last year and had planned to open the eatery by July 2024, to be operated by its long-time partner, Uhuru Foods & Pies.
Uhuru Foods & Pies has operated successful food businesses in Oakland, CA; Philadelphia, PA and St. Petersburg, FL for over 40 years. Associated with the Uhuru (freedom) Movement, the APEDF has acquired and renovated numerous dilapidated properties in North St. Louis. They’ve built a community center, low income housing, a community garden, a farmers market and a state-of-the-art basketball court, with plans underway for a women’s health center and job training program.
Their architect’s plans for the Uhuru Bakery & Cafe included an addition to increase production space and a popular design where patrons could see their food being prepared through glass windows. They submitted drawings and applied for a building permit in May of last year. They were denied and have encountered a series of road blocks ever since.
In June APEDF learned that a Zoning Hold had been placed on their application indicating that “a restaurant is not a permitted use in F-Neighborhood Commercial Zone,” despite the fact that the same building had housed a restaurant for over 20 years.
They were told they could get a waiver to begin construction if they had letters of support from Alderman Aldridge or the local neighborhood association. The Alderman deferred to the College Hill Neighborhood Association which had been defunct for over a year. Its former president, Teri Rose, reactivated the association and took action to block the permit.
A white resident of the majority Black neighborhood, Rose opposed the cafe permit with baseless accusations that the APEDF “is divisive and a Russian corporation,” and that Black people in that neighborhood shouldn’t have a restaurant because “they can’t afford to eat out.” Rose said that if beer or wine was served at such an establishment, it would prompt gun violence.
Over 300 letters of support for the bakery were submitted to the zoning board from local residents and business owners, who have also spoken out at rallies and press conferences.
One of those business owners is Tameka Stigers, head of the 100-member North St. Louis Business Association and operator of a popular hair salon. She said, “I have owned my salon and spa for 15 years and I’m here standing in support of this organization. We must continue to pressure the city to do the right thing and stop blocking economic development. This North city neighborhood deserves every opportunity to thrive just like those in South city. This neighborhood deserves good healthy choices of food. This neighborhood deserves small businesses and resources for uplifting families that foster pride and wellness.”
Karen Greer operates a home healthcare service in North St. Louis, where she has been a business owner for over 20 years. She testified, “The African People’s Education and Defense Fund has done a great job in this community. Everything they touch is gold. Everything they bring into this community beautifies this community and helps us in ways that the city refuses to do. I stand in support of the African People’s Education and Defense Fund and in support of opening this bakery.”
Residents attribute efforts to thwart Black community economic development to the Team Four Plan and the expansion of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) facility, located just blocks from the planned restaurant.
St. Louis American columnist Jamala Rogers writes that “The 1974 Team Four plan divided the city into three areas: conservation, redevelopment and depletion. The first two concepts speak for themselves. The North Side was designated a ‘depletion’ area, where destabilization efforts included lack of private and public investment and reduction of services. The goal was not just to take land but to dilute the political power of a burgeoning black population.”
Compounding a predatory gentrification program, Black families living in the Northside have been displaced by the hundreds to make way for construction of the 90-acre NGA, called the “Pentagon of the West,” a massive military compound used to collect data and direct U.S. wars around the globe.
In recent years, St. Louis officials have come under criticism and investigation for corruption and a lack of transparency or accountability. Several have been indicted and some imprisoned. The Building Division responsible for denying APEDF’s permit is currently under federal investigation.
According to APEDF President Ona Zené Yeshitela, “The African community is full of good people. We are working hard to build economic self-reliance and a strong thriving neighborhood. We will not allow for the big developers and their puppets at City Hall to drive out families who have lived here for generations. We ask our friends and supporters from across the country to call on City officials to do the right thing and grant this permit so we can move forward.”
The APEDF will go before the Board of Adjustment on February 12 at 1:30pm CT for a permit appeal hearing. The hearing is open to the public via Zoom at https://zoom.us/j/9616100275 Passcode: FDhmG9 or by phone at: 253-215-8782 with Meeting ID: 961 610 0275 and Passcode: 892471
Community meetings are held at the Uhuru House in St. Louis at 4101 W Florissant Avenue, every Sunday at 3 pm and broadcast live on The Burning Spear TV YouTube Channel.