Rasheen Aldridge Jr.

Rasheen Aldridge Jr. (b. 1994) is an American politician, currently serving in the Missouri House of Representatives as State Representative for the 78th District of St. Louis, Missouri.

Rasheen Aldridge Jr.
Member of the Missouri House of Representatives
from the 78th district
Assumed office
2019
Preceded byBruce Franks Jr.
Personal details
Born1994
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
OccupationCommunity organizer, Activist

Early life

Aldridge was born in St. Louis, Missouri to a single mother.[1] He attended Parkway West high school[2] and then enrolled in the St. Louis Community College.[3]

Activism

In 2014, he was recognized by the Youth Council for Positive Development with the ‘2013 Jamala Rogers Young Visionary Award" that supports "young adults who have made efforts to promote social justice, equality, diversity and human rights."[4] In 2015, he was invited to speak at the World Bank's three-day conference on "Fragility, Conflict and Violence."[5]

Aldridge serves as director of the organization "Young Activists United St. Louis" and sits as student co-chair on the non-profit organisation "Missouri Jobs with Justice". He was appointed on the Ferguson Commission, created by the State of Missouri following the shooting of Michael Brown in August 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri and the subsequent civil unrest, whose mandate was to submit policy recommendations in various areas of social life, such as citizen-law enforcement interaction and relations; racial and ethnic relations; municipal government organization and the municipal court system; and disparities in areas including education, economic opportunity, housing, transportation, health care, child care, business ownership, and family and community stability.[4]

Aldridge also leads the workers' movement "Show Me 15", a reference to the demand for a federally mandated $15 minimum wage.[4]

Politics

On May 16, 2019,[6] Bruce Franks Jr. announced that, for reasons of mental illness, he would resign as the 78th District's State Representative.[7] Aldridge was tapped to replace him.[8] In the November 5, 2019, special election,[9] Aldridge won the seat.[10] He is serving in the Committee for Appropriations, and in its sub-committees on Public Safety and on Children & Families.[11]

On January 30, 2020, he introduced, along with co-sponsors Bob Burns and Chris Carter, of Districts 93 and 76 respectively, House Bill 2352 that would designate April as "Limb-Loss Awareness Month" in Missouri.[12]

2020 St. Louis protest
Further information: St. Louis gun-toting controversy

On June 28, 2020, Black Lives Matter protesters entered Portland and Westmoreland Places, a private gated community, to protest at the residence of St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson, and demand her resignation, on the grounds that she had publicly read names and addresses of those who had submitted letters calling to defund the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.[13] As protesters marched toward the mayor's home, the couple of Mark and Patricia McCloskey stood outside their home holding firearms, whereby verbal altercations followed between the couple and marchers.

State Representative Aldridge helped lead the protest through the private community, and, following the McCloskey incident, stated that "no threats were ever made" by the protesters. When asked about the group marching on private property, Aldridge responded, "Just like in many disobedient protests, even in the '60s, you break laws, make people feel uncomfortable [but] we're not doing anything where we're hurting anyone or putting anyone in danger."[14]

Personal life

Aldridge was born with one leg shorter than the other and uses a full prosthetic right-leg.[1]

References
  1. Gerber, Cameron (February 6, 2020). "Freshmen to Watch: Rep. Rasheen Aldridge". The Missouri Times. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  2. Woytus, Amanda (December 23, 2019). "Soon, Rasheen Aldridge will be sworn into the Missouri House. Here's how he plans to make his mark". St. Louis Magazine. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  3. "Rasheen Aldridge Jr". The Ferguson Commission. February 6, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  4. "Featured Speaker: Rasheen Aldridge". World Bank. February 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  5. "Fragility, Conflict and Violence Forum 2015". World Bank. Washington, D.C. February 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  6. Rosenbaum, Jason (May 16, 2019). "Bruce Franks Will Resign From Missouri House To Focus On His Mental Health". St. Louis Public Radio. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  7. King, Chris (July 22, 2019). "'The toughest battle was with myself:' Bruce Franks Jr. is leaving St. Louis to heal". The St. Louis American. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  8. Rosenbaum, Jason (August 15, 2019). "Rasheen Aldridge Captures Democratic Nomination For 78th District House Seat". St. Louis Public Radio. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  9. "78th Legislative District Special Election". St. Louis City Hall. January 30, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  10. "Special Election Summary Report" (PDF). St. Louis City Hall. November 14, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  11. "Rep. Rasheen Aldridge, District 78". Missouri House Democrats website. November 14, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  12. "Missouri House Bill 2020 Designates April as Limb Loss Awareness Month". Open States. January 30, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  13. Staff, KMOV com. "Central West End couple explains why they pointed guns at protesters who demanded Krewson's resignation". KMOV.com. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  14. "White couple who pointed guns at St. Louis protesters claims "angry mob" threatened them". CBS News. July 1, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.

Further reading
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