Protesters block I-70-courtesy of St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

St. Louis — Demonstrators briefly blocked Interstate 70 downtown Monday afternoon in an effort to draw attention to the number of minority-owned businesses hired for public projects in the area.

Trucks and cars driven by demonstrators blocked I-70 at the depressed section near the Arch grounds for about a minute at about 4:40 p.m. as drivers honked and police watched. Sixteen protesters held signs on the Chestnut Street overpass over I-70.

The cars soon moved on and traffic flowed again. Drivers of two white-and-blue pickups halted westbound traffic again shortly after 5 p.m. before driving off — this time with St. Louis motorcycle police giving chase. The drivers said later that they received tickets for impeding the flow of traffic.

Monday's demonstration was 10 years and one day after a similar protest brought motorists to a halt on I-70 at Goodfellow Boulevard. In that protest, 125 were arrested. It vaulted tension over the lack of highway contracts for minority businesses onto a national stage.

"It's a moment of observance to highlight the discrimination that still continues," said Eric Vickers, an organizer of the 1999 protest who watched the demonstration Monday from the Chestnut Street overpass.

Currently, state goals for disadvantaged business enterprises combine women and minority contractors. But firms owned by white women are getting most of the disadvantaged-business work — 88 percent in Missouri, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation. That leaves minority contractors with 12 percent. In Illinois, about 70 percent of contracts to disadvantaged businesses have gone to women contractors, and 30 percent to minorities.

Discussions are under way about minority participation in the $640 million Mississippi River bridge between downtown and the Metro East. Construction is scheduled to begin in January.

Missouri and Illinois transportation officials have been meeting with minority contractors since February, and both sides characterize the talks as going well. The state departments plan to ask the U.S. Department of Transportation for a waiver so they can set separate goals for women- and minority-owned businesses in the bridge work.

The request isn't to reduce participation by women-owned businesses, only to bring minority contractors to a higher level, Marisa Kollias, spokeswoman for the Illinois Transportation of Department, said last week.

"There's no reason why it could not be a 50/50 goal," said Pat Clark, one of the demonstrators.

If minority contractors don't get more work, organizers of the demonstration said, they'll take their campaign up a notch.

"It is in MoDOT's and IDOT's lap," said Makal Ali, president of the African-American Business and Contractors Association.

A few of the motorists caught in Monday's protest honked or tried to maneuver around the clot of traffic.

"I support it," one woman told a reporter through the sunroof of her car. "But I've got somewhere to be." Courtesy of By Ken Leiser and Elisa Crouch, ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 07/14/2009.

Read also "minority group holds peaceful protest on I-70"-KSDK TV 5, St. Louis

Ad lutua continua - "the struggle continues."

Eric E. Vickers
Attorney, Minority Inclusion Alliance
St. Louis Metropolitan.