His Name was Danye Jones. And You Ain’t Gonna Forget It.

Clayton, Missouri is the capital and nerve center of Saint Louis County. Many people in the Greater STL Metropolitan area come here to shop and handle other business of that nature. The main attraction for most is the Saint Louis Galleria (don’t go to Plaza Frontenac if you want to stay financially healthy or not get followed by racist employees). If you get arrested for anything major anywhere from South County to Spanish Lake to Chesterfield, you have to deal with somebody here. STL County Police, aka County Browns, have jurisdiction over the whole county and are based in Clayton. Many of the people responsible for locking up, poisoning, judging, or squeezing money out of black people in nearby Saint Louis City reside or maintain offices in Clayton or in neighboring Frontenac, Maryland Heights, Ladue, Huntleigh, or in further out West County. Spacious mansions and expensive lofts are all found here. In essence, this and Downtown STL are the nerve centers and residential bases of the local big bourgeoisie and big petty bourgeoisie (aka exploiters). Their foot soldiers (cops, managers, etc) usually stay in Saint Charles far away from the black people they and their bosses both despise, they just don’t keep up a liberal veneer like “progressive” Clayton, now home to a Black STL County prosecutor, Wesley Bell. To the masses, a black lyncher and a white lyncher are all the same. Both send you to prison. Don’t tell that to local reformists though.

Danye Jones, as you’re certainly aware, was a 24 year old black man, the same age as this author (he would have been 25 on November 19th), who was found lynched in his backyard. Melissa Mckinnies, Danye’s mother, was the very epitome of 500 years of Black women’s rage and class antagonism. Watching her deliver that stirring address at today’s rally at Shaw Park reminded me of several generations of working class women in my own family stirred to outrage by yet another criminal act committed by white supremacy. Several other members of Danye’s family were present and gave speeches, imploring all present to remain vigilant, demonstrate solidarity with all black victims of white supremacist violence, and struggle hard in the streets to bring justice to the victim. There was no local media present, although several local livestreamers and Real STL News were present. There was a call to make a donation to this Gofundme which is the only legitimate one affiliated with the family of Danye Jones. There is an autopsy that must be performed, and investigators and attorneys must be hired. Make no mistake, this was a lynching. I encourage all readers to make a contribution to the extent of their ability. It was very clear to all who know and were raised by black women that these munchers a

The outside meeting dispersed and we went to the Galleria. After about a half hour of waiting for forces to accumulate, we went to a central location and began raising up Danye’s name. The proletariat, the people who built the Galleria, the people who built this country with our blood sweat and tears and still see no justice, Black people, at a temple of materialism. Versus the exploiters, those who look at another black youth gone and remain in the funk of apathy or, even worse, laugh. Bitter rage, sharp class struggle. The same force that set empires ablaze and will again yet. Immediately,  expensive stores that people from the North side couldn’t enter without spending their savings for a special occasion yet at which their robbers regularly shop as if it was the local grocery store pulled down gates and shut their doors. They couldn’t shut their eyes and ears. The enemy of our people recognizes white hot class rage and the police they had summoned (like they always do when more than two black people were around) were powerless. We held the mall and none could stand in our way. Reactionaries hovered around glowering but dared not meddle. Front and center was Mrs. Mckennies. She who had sought justice for her people and put her very life on the line and dared to struggle was now struggling to avenge her seed murdered by so many others. They will not sweep this under the rug. These murderers will be exposed, not by the police, but by we, the revolutionary masses of this city. Otherwise, they will hear more than voices next time.