The president of the St. Louis County NAACP has been suspended by the national organization, in part for his support of a bill that would change how Missouri colleges respond to allegations of sexual assault by giving the accused more legal rights.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Saturday that St. Louis County NAACP President John Gaskin was notified of his suspension via a letter from national NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson.
The letter cites Gaskin's support for legislation targeting federal Title IX protections for women on college campuses. Johnson says Gaskin offered the support without first getting authorization of the branch's executive committee. The letter also alleges a conflict of interest, saying Gaskin sought support for a proposal to merge St. Louis city and county governments without disclosing he was a paid consultant for an organization pushing the merger.
Gaskin told the Post-Dispatch via text the suspension was an "internal NAACP matter."