Henry Halamicek
"This recession has hit everybody, especially this community the hardest," said Henry Halamicek, co-founder of Halamicek Brothers, Inc. Henry's company is the general contractor on the New Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church, which is undergoing a major reconstruction. The church, built in the late 1890's and located at the corner of Page and Euclid was severely damaged in a fire last Christmas.
"Halamicek Brothers, Inc. feels obligated to do our part to help the people of this community," said Mr. Halamicek. "At the end of the week, they have mouths to feed just like my family." Members of the African American Business and Contractors Association (AABCA) couldn't agree more. Makal Ali of AABCA said, "Hosea E. Gales, Pastor of New Bethlehem made certain that this church, in our community would be rebuilt by our people. He continued, "Henry Halamicek understands the need for this type of cooperation on our projects. These men have done right by the community."
Makal Ali has had to raise issues of inclusion on numerous construction projects located deep in the Black community including: the Friendly Temple Church expansion, the Dick Gregory Project (in the Ville), the Subway Restaurant rebuilding (4900 block of Natural Bridge) and countless others. Some of the Black subcontractors on this reconstruction project are: DKW Construction, Thomas Demolition Engineering Company and Hakeem Contractors among others.
Mr. Halamicek believes as most do, that the violence in the community is caused by joblessness, which leads to pain and hopelessness for everyone in the community. "Even though we are being told that things are better, I don't see the better and I don't believe that they are," Henry Halamicek said. "We have to depend on one another to get out of this condition."
Spoken like a truly righteous man.
Henry Halamicek, Co-Founder of Halamicek Brothers, Inc.
Makal Ali, African/American Business Contractors Association (AABCA)
A Black Labor Force
Attorney Eric Vickers Begins A Countdown To Action Against the St. Louis Art Museum's Inclusion Done WRONG!
Special To the RiverCity Examiner
One Black Laborer and 23 Whites - June 1, 2010
To: Jerome J. Sincoff
Chair, St. Louis Art Museum Expansion Oversight Committee
c/o Brent Benjamin, Director St. Louis Art Museum
Re: Lack of Inclusion On Art Museum Expansion Project
Dear Mr. Sincoff:
I am not sure the extent to which you have been briefed about the very serious issues that have been raised concerning the lack of minorities working on the Art Museum's $80 million expansion project, including the letter to the City of St. Louis' Mayor dated June 15, 2010, detailing this problem and requsting certain records.
This past Friday, July 2nd, the City Counselor's Office produced the records that had been requested. It is appallingly evident from reviewing those documents that the Art Museum has engaged in making material misrepresentations about being in compliance with the City's laws resprecting minority inclusion. The documents confirm what is clearly visible in viewing the jobsite itself - the invisibility of blacks on this massive public project.
The June 15 letter spells out the attempts made to work amicably with the Art Museum to achieve inclusion that is in compliance with the law, and also spells out how those attempts were essentially rebuffed by the Director, Mr. Benjamin. Thus bringing us to this point: where our appeal to remedy this wrong is now being brought directly to the Museum's Board, and particularly to you, given your Board role over the expansion project.
Mr. Sincoff, July 12th marks the 11th Anniversary of the 1999 I-70 Shutdown protest, a watershed event and moment in the history of black and minority inclusion in this city. That date has been etched in this community's consciousness as a time annually for both reflection and action around the issue of economic inclusion - the final frontier of the civil rights movement.
I mention this because if we are not able to come to a resolution of the Art Museum's intolerable minority inclusion problem by this Friday, July 9th, then the Art Museum will on July 12, 2010, be the focus of the community's reflection and action about economic inclusion.
Sincerely yours,
Eric E. Vickers
cc: Dr. Donald Suggs
Steve Cousins, Esq.
Home
Henry Halamicek, Co-Founder of Halamicek Brothers, Inc.
Makal Ali, African/American Business Contractors Association (AABCA)
A Black Labor Force
Attorney Eric Vickers Begins A Countdown To Action Against the St. Louis Art Museum's Inclusion Done WRONG!
Special To the RiverCity Examiner
One Black Laborer and 23 Whites - June 1, 2010
To: Jerome J. Sincoff
Chair, St. Louis Art Museum Expansion Oversight Committee
c/o Brent Benjamin, Director St. Louis Art Museum
Re: Lack of Inclusion On Art Museum Expansion Project
Dear Mr. Sincoff:
I am not sure the extent to which you have been briefed about the very serious issues that have been raised concerning the lack of minorities working on the Art Museum's $80 million expansion project, including the letter to the City of St. Louis' Mayor dated June 15, 2010, detailing this problem and requsting certain records.
This past Friday, July 2nd, the City Counselor's Office produced the records that had been requested. It is appallingly evident from reviewing those documents that the Art Museum has engaged in making material misrepresentations about being in compliance with the City's laws resprecting minority inclusion. The documents confirm what is clearly visible in viewing the jobsite itself - the invisibility of blacks on this massive public project.
The June 15 letter spells out the attempts made to work amicably with the Art Museum to achieve inclusion that is in compliance with the law, and also spells out how those attempts were essentially rebuffed by the Director, Mr. Benjamin. Thus bringing us to this point: where our appeal to remedy this wrong is now being brought directly to the Museum's Board, and particularly to you, given your Board role over the expansion project.
Mr. Sincoff, July 12th marks the 11th Anniversary of the 1999 I-70 Shutdown protest, a watershed event and moment in the history of black and minority inclusion in this city. That date has been etched in this community's consciousness as a time annually for both reflection and action around the issue of economic inclusion - the final frontier of the civil rights movement.
I mention this because if we are not able to come to a resolution of the Art Museum's intolerable minority inclusion problem by this Friday, July 9th, then the Art Museum will on July 12, 2010, be the focus of the community's reflection and action about economic inclusion.
Sincerely yours,
Eric E. Vickers
cc: Dr. Donald Suggs
Steve Cousins, Esq.
Home
Chair, St. Louis Art Museum Expansion Oversight Committee
c/o Brent Benjamin, Director St. Louis Art Museum
Re: Lack of Inclusion On Art Museum Expansion Project
Dear Mr. Sincoff:
I am not sure the extent to which you have been briefed about the very serious issues that have been raised concerning the lack of minorities working on the Art Museum's $80 million expansion project, including the letter to the City of St. Louis' Mayor dated June 15, 2010, detailing this problem and requsting certain records.
This past Friday, July 2nd, the City Counselor's Office produced the records that had been requested. It is appallingly evident from reviewing those documents that the Art Museum has engaged in making material misrepresentations about being in compliance with the City's laws resprecting minority inclusion. The documents confirm what is clearly visible in viewing the jobsite itself - the invisibility of blacks on this massive public project.
The June 15 letter spells out the attempts made to work amicably with the Art Museum to achieve inclusion that is in compliance with the law, and also spells out how those attempts were essentially rebuffed by the Director, Mr. Benjamin. Thus bringing us to this point: where our appeal to remedy this wrong is now being brought directly to the Museum's Board, and particularly to you, given your Board role over the expansion project.
Mr. Sincoff, July 12th marks the 11th Anniversary of the 1999 I-70 Shutdown protest, a watershed event and moment in the history of black and minority inclusion in this city. That date has been etched in this community's consciousness as a time annually for both reflection and action around the issue of economic inclusion - the final frontier of the civil rights movement.
I mention this because if we are not able to come to a resolution of the Art Museum's intolerable minority inclusion problem by this Friday, July 9th, then the Art Museum will on July 12, 2010, be the focus of the community's reflection and action about economic inclusion.
Sincerely yours,
Eric E. Vickers
cc: Dr. Donald Suggs
Steve Cousins, Esq.