I first met Tony Thompson at the University of Kansas. He and I were “St. Louis 'Hawks,” the crew at KU from St. Louis. We were freshman living on The Hill, where he resided in Ellsworth Hall, and I lived in Templin Hall. He majored in engineering, and I majored in journalism. He pledged Kappa Alpha Psi, and I pledged Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Back then, I didn’t realize that his mother, Betty L. Thompson, was a politician and civic leader in St. Louis.
Thompson returned to St. Louis with his engineering degree and attended graduate school at Webster University. In 1991, he founded one of the most successful black-owned businesses in the area, Kwame Building Group.
We met again when I returned to St. Louis in 1995 and was working with the St. Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association. Later, while at the St. Louis American, I would interview him quite often. Today, Thompson's business is locally and nationally respected; he serves on numerous boards and is a go-to guy in civic leadership.
So I was shocked to read an email that he sent this past weekend. Mike Jones, an advisor to County Executive Charlie Dooley, had written a column in last Thursday’s St. Louis American titled "The Political Negligence of Black Leadership." The column—written in the wake of the Ferguson police shooting of Michael Brown and the ensuing protests, looting, and violence—provoked a response from a well-known African-American attorney. Copied to dozens of people, the email called for non-violent civil disobedience.
Thompson replied to all, including me, with this chilling sentence: “Anything short of arresting that white cop for murder is an insult to black people, and Ferguson City Hall and Police Department need to burn to the ground!!!”
I replied to Thompson, first making sure he'd written the email. He confirmed that they were his words and added that he was “metaphorically speaking” about burning down City Hall and the police station. “I don't condone indiscriminate violence," he replied. "Hard-working business owners do not deserve to be inconvenienced and held responsible for the actions of a few. If the cops and local government are covering up and disrespecting the community, then they should pay.
“Looters and rioters are not protesters," he continued. "One has nothing to do with the other. And none of this has anything to do with the cold-blooded murder of another black kid.”
Thompson is doing more than just talking about the situation. He's donated disposable diapers and wipes to families in Ferguson. He's given money to various funds to help small businesses impacted in Ferguson. He's working with attorneys, the NAACP, and raising money for the Brown family. He's a panel member during a community forum tomorrow night at Harris-Stowe State University.
Thompson is no stranger to violent death in the black community. In June 2010, his brother Tyrone Thompson was murdered during an attempted robbery, while sitting in his SUV outside a friend’s home in North County. Tyrone was a former Pagedale police chief and was serving as a part-time investigator for Attorney General Chris Koster. He also worked with his brother at Kwame. Billy L. Cushshon-Bey, age 18, was later charged with the murder.
With his late brother being a former police chief, Thompson could be among the most qualified of St. Louis’ civic leaders to chastise Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson. He questions the decision to release a surveillance video allegedly showing Brown in a strong-armed robbery at a Ferguson store. "He admitted it had nothing to do with the shooting," Thompson noted, referring to Jackson's comments that police officer Darren Wilson didn't know Brown was a suspect in the robbery when he stopped the 18-year-old. "Why release it? To discredit, disgrace, and destroy.”
Thompson said he is prepared to deal with any backlash from his comments. “Anytime we speak out in defense of our rights, we are subject to alienation," he replied. "If blacks can continue to be treated like animals and disrespected, there's nothing to live for."
He closed with this thought: “If I hadn't written those words, you probably wouldn't ask my opinion.”
