ST. LOUIS — Protesters representing Black contractors stopped several large trucks on a section of Interstate 70 near the Gateway Arch.
The protest by the African-American Business and Contractors Association blocked traffic in both directions for about a minute during rush-hour traffic Monday afternoon.
The demonstration came a decade after a much larger protest shut down I-70 in St. Louis and resulted in 125 arrests.
Eric Vickers helped organize the 1999 protest. He says not enough progress has been made to correct racial disparities in awarding construction contracts.
He says white women, rather than minorities, are getting federal contracts for disadvantaged businesses.
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In photo AP Photo/Jeff Roberson
Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The protest by the African-American Business and Contractors Association blocked traffic in both directions for about a minute during rush-hour traffic Monday afternoon.
The demonstration came a decade after a much larger protest shut down I-70 in St. Louis and resulted in 125 arrests.
Eric Vickers helped organize the 1999 protest. He says not enough progress has been made to correct racial disparities in awarding construction contracts.
He says white women, rather than minorities, are getting federal contracts for disadvantaged businesses.
______
In photo AP Photo/Jeff Roberson
Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
