Hop Alley—steam from laundries, lanterns over doorways. How St. Louis erased its Chinatown for a downtown stadium—and what remains today, from Alla Lee to On Leong Way and the archives keeping the story alive.

That Doesn’t Make Sense delivers 10–20 minute deep dives into erasure, policy, and power—giving you the names and sources so you can go verify the record. I open the door; you walk through it. Follow, tap the bell, rate, and share.

In this episode of That Doesn’t Make Sense, Michael Porter uncovers the story of how a federally funded highway carved straight through Black neighborhoods — displacing families, shuttering businesses, and dismantling churches and schools that once held the community together.

From the vibrant days of 18th & Vine to the bulldozers that leveled entire blocks, this is the history of a city divided by concrete. Featuring the voices of leaders like Pastor D.A. Holmes and Bruce R. Watkins, we examine how the scars of Highway 71 still shape Kansas City today — and the fight to reconnect what was lost.

Because what happened here wasn’t just about roads. It was about lives.

Steptoe was once one of Kansas City’s oldest free Black neighborhoods—built by freed men and women after slavery, filled with homes, churches, and schools. This episode uncovers how it thrived, how it was erased, and why remembering Steptoe still matters today.

The Gateway Arch stands as a symbol of progress, but its foundation was built on erased neighborhoods, displaced families, and forgotten Black history. This episode uncovers the lives, businesses, and culture lost beneath St. Louis’s shining monument.

When the U.S. Government Used St. Louis as a Test Lab

Did you know that there were black soliders whom fought for the confederate army?

Plain and simple Woman King is a movies not a doc and ppl need a life