You’re not quite 18, you’ve just marched with about 2,000 others in a peaceful protest in O’Fallon, Missouri, that you helped organize, and photos showing you arm-in-arm with a local police chief ran in newspapers nationwide.
So when a photojournalist asked Jalen Thompson if he was proud of what he had just done, “yes” would’ve been a perfectly good answer.
But instead of taking the well-deserved credit, the recent Fort Zumwalt West High graduate said, “I’m less proud of myself than with everyone who showed up today. People showed up to show love and drown that hate out.”
O'Fallon police chief Tim Clothier, center, walks arm-in-arm with Ryan Staples, to his left, and Jalen Thompson, to his right, at the front of a march for George Floyd in O'Fallon, Mo., on Monday, June 1, 2020. Thompson and some friends organized the march with the help of the police. About 1,500 -2,000 people showed up to march. Clothier said he took part in the demonstration to show solidarity with the marchers and he condemned the officer's actions in Minneapolis as an "embarrassment to our profession." (David Carson, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Thompson said he understood the frustration of fellow black Americans who believe “the police are not there for us.
“But there are thousands of police officers who would lay down their lives for us — like they said they would when they decided to become an officer,” he said.
Jalen Thompson, 17, addresses a crowd of about 1,500-2000 on Monday, June 1, 2020 in front of the O'Fallon, Mo. police department during a protest march in the aftermath of the death in Minnesota of George Floyd. Thompson and some of his friends helped organize the march. (David Carson, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
No surprise that Jalen’s sincere, reasoned replies have made him a media sensation of sorts.
In less than a week, he has been featured in segments on “CBS Evening News,” the “Today” show, MSNBC and numerous radio stations.
Jalen conceded that his recent activism — and he was quick to note that classmates Ryan Staples, Joseph Bartholomew and Ryan Fetch also helped organize the protest — was sparked by his frustration with police brutality.
“We were just fed up, done with waiting,” he said of the teen-led march. “I mean it shouldn’t be up to us; it stinks that we have to lead the charge.
“But I guess we’re the ones who have to fix things for the future.”
A brighter future is what landed Jalen in O’Fallon in the first place. He and his family came from the Chicago area when he was 3.
“We moved here because (his parents) thought there’d be more opportunities for us here.”
His father, Jamal Thompson, works with special needs students in the Fort Zumwalt school district and coaches girls basketball at Riverview Gardens. His mother, Heather Thompson, is a middle-school nurse in the district. His younger brother, Jordan, will start as a freshman at Fort Zumwalt West in the fall.
From the sound of it, high school Principal Neil Berry will look forward to having another Thompson walking the halls.
After quickly describing Jalen as “awesome” and “a great kid,” he talked about how Jalen visited district grade schools to talk with young students about making the most of their education.
“He is wise beyond his years, to say the least,” Berry said. “Whether he’s 17 or 35, there is a maturity about him.”
Talk to a police officer who met with Jalen and his colleagues before the march and that word pops up again.
“He is an extremely mature young man,” said Tony Michalka, public information officer for the O’Fallon Police Department. “I can’t imagine myself 20 years ago, when I was his age, handling all of what he has, meeting with police, city officials, community leaders, and the media.”
But by his own admission, Jalen is a talker.
“I was a pretty quiet kid until about the sixth grade. Then I just, I don’t know, became kind of a social animal,” he said. “I like talking to people, having a genuine conversation. The more you talk with someone, you find out you have things in common.”
Talk with Jalen long enough and you find out that he is not simply a student activist.
He is a big basketball fan (both his parents played college hoops) who loves French fries and has worked at a Dairy Queen in O’Fallon since last summer.
But his real passion is music.
A percussionist in the high school band, Jalen is headed to Colorado State University to pursue a degree in music education.
His preferred instruments are marimba and vibraphone, and he loves the work of Third Coast Percussion, jazz great Lionel Hampton and classical music giant Sergei Rachmaninoff.
But now, in between media interviews, Jalen is working at the DQ and trying to plan his move to Colorado.
“It’s been crazy to say the least,” he said, conceding that answering the same questions repeatedly can be trying and tiring. “But I’m blessed to have a platform right now to spread a message. I’d be mad at myself to think of that as anything other than a blessing.”
Joe Holleman • 314-340-8254 @stlsherpa on Twitter This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Editor's Note: This story has been updated to correct the name of Jalen Thompson's younger brother. He is Jordan Thompson.
