Since the 2011 Occupy Wall Street protests, “The 1%” has entered public discussion as a term for the elites of the elites, the pinnacle of the financial food chain in America as they continue to acquire more and more wealth every year. St. Louis has become especially wary of these elites as money disappears from the pockets of the middle class and rises to the top. Communities in the area such as Ferguson feel the sting of this shift in both wealth and power, only to watch it paraded in front of them every year downtown.
Yes, literally paraded in front of them.
Every year in St. Louis, people turn out in droves for an event called Fair St. Louis. Sounds pretty harmless, right? We did host the 1904 World’s Fair after all; maybe they’re similar? At first glance, it seems innocent enough. But until 1992, Fair St. Louis used to be known as the VP Fair, short for Veiled Prophet Fair.
The Prophet’s veil, however, seems more like a certain type of hood than anything else. Notice the shotgun and pistol in hand as well.
Founded in 1872 by former Confederate General Charles Slayback, the Veiled Prophet Organization is a ritualistic society in which a group of local elites chooses one of the members to play the Veiled Prophet of Khorrasan, a mystical being who they believe chose St. Louis as his home base. Since its creation, the identity of only one of these Prophets has been revealed willingly. That Prophet was St. Louis Police Commissioner John G. Priest, who worked to silence workers’ strikes in the late 1860s as they fought for child labor laws, eight-hour work days, and improved work conditions.
From the beginning, the Veiled Prophet made no attempt to hide their control over the working class or minority communities.
Their member list has been kept under tight wraps for well over a century, but in 1972 an activist group snuck into the Veiled Prophet’s Ball, the most exclusive and well-networked party in the city. Once inside, protester Gena Scott slid down from the ceiling, ran onto the stage, and unmasked that year’s Prophet – Tom K. Smith, Executive Vice President of Monsanto. Shortly after this revelation, Scott’s car was “mysteriously” bombed and her house vandalized.
To keep these “pests” out of their society and flex their power over the city, the Veiled Prophet historically has not admitted Black or Jewish Americans, adorned their parade floats in vicious stereotypical depictions of minorities in earlier years, and used the group to ensure the same families who owned businesses at the time of its founding still continue to do so. Though no one but the organization has access to a list of names, it is well worth looking at the winners of the Queen of Love and Beauty, an honorary title given by the Veiled Prophet traditionally to one of the daughters of a VP member. Google search any of the last names of the winners, and you will be amazed at who is involved. Many locals will know some of the names already.
With a new mayor, new police chief, and a renewed focus on improving struggling communities, there is still hope for recovery in St. Louis. VP's influence, however, continues to present itself in the form of increased policing, corporate mismanagement, and an implied refusal to listen to the voices of those in struggling, impoverished communities. So to those fighting for change here and elsewhere, do not for one second take your eyes off the Veiled Prophet Organization.
