ST. LOUIS — Anxious residents used a downtown neighborhood meeting Monday to press police and city leaders to do more to rein in violence and mayhem downtown after a rash of shootings and illegal fireworks following the weekend’s Fourth of July celebrations.
The meeting, in the wake of a holiday weekend that has again focused attention on downtown safety, featured police Chief Robert Tracy and Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore, who tried to reassure downtown residents that they were making progress on bringing down the city’s overall crime rate.
“We’ve had some success in the last year and a half, we’ve helped reduce homicides to 10-year lows,” Tracy, who became the city’s top cop at the beginning of 2023, told about 80 people gathered at St. Louis Central Library. “Actually we’re trending in the right direction. Do we have a lot more work to do? Absolutely.”
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But residents told Tracy they wanted to see more traffic enforcement to reduce red light violations and cruising, and some questioned why police didn’t pull over more people with expired license plates.
Arnold Stricker, who lives in a Downtown West loft, said it too often feels like the police are reacting to downtown incidents rather than preventing them, probably because they “have too much on their plate.” It seems like “there’s always something going on,” whether it’s gunfire or dangerous driving in the area.
“It does not feel like things are getting better,” he said.
De’Joneiro Jones, an artist who lives in the Arcade Building and has been a downtown resident for 15 years, said crime in the area is “spiraling.” He didn’t think city leaders were taking it seriously enough.
“I’ve always said, if the Cardinals aren’t playing, they don’t give a damn what goes on downtown,” Jones said.
The concerns follow a spate of shootings and fireworks mayhem, much of it involving young people, during the holiday weekend.
Four people were shot near Eighth and Pine streets after midnight Thursday. About the same time, a 13-year-old boy from Florissant was shot near Seventh and Chestnut streets. Two 23-year-old men, both from north St. Louis County, also showed up at a hospital with gunshot wounds they said they sustained near Seventh and Chestnut streets as well. And on Saturday, a 15-year-old was grazed by a bullet on Market Street near Stifel Theatre.
Speaking to reporters before the meeting Monday, Tracy said the Celebrate St. Louis event was largely a “great firework show” and the mayhem was caused by people who stayed downtown to shoot off illegal fireworks afterward. Police made 42 arrests downtown and in Downtown West between July 3 and July 7, 15 of which involved firearms. Of those arrests, 19 were juveniles cited for weapon violations, fireworks, assaults and destruction of property. All the juveniles have been released.
Tracy said police will “adapt” based on a review of the incidents. But he bemoaned Missouri law that makes it legal for even juveniles to carry firearms in some cases and said his officers can only do so much to hold minors, who are processed by the juvenile justice system, accountable. Those that the police did arrest “were brought to the juvenile detention facility and they were released. So we were a little frustrated,” Tracy said, adding that the city is looking for ways to keep young people from gathering downtown late at night.
“Nothing good happens after midnight, and we’re going to continue to push people out of the parks,” Tracy said.
Gore, who took office a little over a year ago, told residents his office is working to reduce a backlog of 6,700 warrant applications he inherited from his predecessor, Kim Gardner. Some of those applications were for the same people who were suspected of violent crimes.
“Those repeat violent offenders were charged and we are holding them accountable,” Gore said.
Tracy said Gore’s work has helped improve morale among officers who were tired of arresting the same people over and over with no action from prosecutors. And last year’s pay raise has made salaries competitive with surrounding departments, he said, helping it recruit more officers and slow attrition.
Mayor Tishaura O. Jones’ chief of staff, Jared Boyd, listed the administration’s plans to invest in traffic calming infrastructure downtown, secure nuisance properties like the enormous Railway Exchange building and provide other activities for youth that come downtown “out of boredom.”
“The police play a critically important role, but they cannot be the only actors when we talk about public safety,” Boyd said.