The first time I was arrested they took me to Central. A black cop locked me up for absolutely nothing. This week I’ve been in meeting after meeting about turning this abandoned Police Station into a Music Academy equipped w/studios, rehearsal spaces and art galleries. 
The building is basically a bomb shelter.But it’s been abandoned since 1990 for the most part. I’m letting God lead us on this one. 19,000 square ft of liberated land formerly used to incarcerate and imprison Black People in St.Louis. The community will build its own compound.
I’m talking state of the art recording studios. Performance venues, housing for artists, convening spaces, the gun range and the jail cells are still in tact.
We often talk about abolishing the police. Well this is what it really looks like when Black people take over a police station. If you’re bold enough to make history — here’s an opportunity. Community driven and community sustained. It’s about to be a beautiful site.
First things first— any environmentalists out there?? We need you. Before we do anything we need to know that the building/land is holistically safe. Renovations will have to start in the Spring but this is the first step as we move forward.
There’s lead paint all through out this building. This week me and my comrades met with the Harvard Design School. Tonight me and Walter Johnson ate dinner with Karlene Griffin. There’s a long road ahead of us on this project. But it’s here now and I’m praying we pull it off.
Plenty rappers, politicians, organizers, philanthropists , follow me. The rhetoric is always — if you need something ask for it. Well I need y’all... my city needs y’all. We’re done yelling at buildings— I’m renovating them. We have half a block property and three lots of land.
This is the sugar water moment for a lot of black politicos. Choose to get down w/ something real or continue having a paper thin analysis about race w/zero application of class. You can join us or continue selling sugar water to the public. We’re moving forward regardless.
I’ve been a fellow at Harvard University for 3 yrs. I came back home w/ this project. This is the most ambitious project I’ve ever been apart of. We’ve literally taken over a prison and now we need help reimagining the possibilities for this space. Artists will save the world.
