Voices

Most of the residents and activists quoted and named in this book were interviewed by the author or by a trained research assistant with ties to North St. Louis County and/or the protest community. Interviews were conducted and recorded according to protocols approved by Washington University or University of California, Berkeley. Respondents were asked whether they wished to have their first names used and cited in the research. Although the majority of respondents requested to be named and cited, the identifying information for several people was not reliable. In the case of those who wished to remain anonymous or whose information was insufficient to use, pseudonyms were randomly assigned using pseudonym software.

The people who provided extensive interviews and whose voices and insight appear throughout the chapters that follow include: Alexis, Alisha, Angel, Antwan, Brianna, Brittany, Cameron (pseudonym), Cassandra (pseudonym), Cathy/Mama Cat, Cheyenne, Chuck, Darwin (pseudonym), Diamond, E. J., Estell (pseudonym), Evelyn, Gloria (pseudonym), “Haiku Unsung,” Ivy (pseudonym), Jamell, Jonathan, Ms. Jones, Kathryn (pseudonym), Kelly, Kiera, Kristina (pseudonym), Marlene, Mary (pseudonym), Mitchell, Mr. Moff, Nell (pseudonym), Patrice, “Sixela Yoccm,” Tia (pseudonym), Valerie (pseudonym), Vanessa (pseudonym), William.