Built St. Louis documents a slow crime that residents of the near north side have watched unfold in the last several weeks: the destruction on five buildings on the 1900 block of Montgomery by brick rustlers. Need I add that these are the only five buildings on this block?
Apathy breeds neglect, and neglect of whole areas of a city is fatal. When our cultural leaders have had the chance to safeguard St. Louis Place and other near north side neighborhoods, they have chosen otherwise. When our leaders have seen dozens of buildings fall, they have offered apologies or ignored the destruction. When they have watched residents loose their sense of place...well, they haven't. Apparently a "sense of place" is germane only to the central corridor and the south side. North St. Louis gets fucked.
North St. Louis the region's shameful embarrassment, and the "Blairmont" solution will help us forget about some of it without having to do any real work for change. While we can't preserve a building whose walls have fallen to thieves and their eager fences, we can look back and see decades where we had the chance to prevent this tragedy from unfolding and instead we silently let it happen.
Of course, the reality is very disconcerting east of Grand: blocks with much vacancy also contain well-kept homes and apartments, smiling children and strong churches. Middle-class mythology renders the people who live here politically and culturally nonexistent, and that helps us to cope with our end of the problem. The harsh reality is that there is enough social fabric left to rebuild this area without wholesale clearance or mass relocation.
But the myths are easier: Oh, they don't care. Most of those buildings are past saving. Parts of that areas have places where you can't see a building for blocks around. Old North St. Louis is the only part of that area worth saving. No one wants to live there.
The reality is that despite fifty years of degradation and neglect the near north side retains its character and its sense of place. Thoughtful public policy for this area was impossible in the urban renewal age, but in our historic-tax-credit era seems equally impossible. The brick rustlers are committing a small crime with their own hands. Other more powerful parties have committed larger crimes with those of others. Sadly, it seems that the near north side will not fend off either assault, which seems likely to spread west of Grand after the "Blairmont" model is proven and embraced politically.
What then becomes of the character of the rest of the city? Are our self-serving myths worth the loss of a large part of the city's culture?
Showing posts with label crime. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crime. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Dealers Buy Stolen Goods from Scavengers
Scavengers strip homes in path of Hwy. 40 work - Elisa Crouch (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 3)
What can we expect when this region does not regulate its antiques dealers or metal recyclers? To curb this theft, we need to curtail market incentives to steal. A good start would be requirements for metal recyclers and antiques dealers to get a copy of a photo ID before buying anything from anyone. Thus, the sale could later be reviewed by the police -- something that both thief and fence would hate.
Obviously, theft is a crime but this article again neglects to point out that the thieves sell the stolen goods to dealers equally unscrupulous. Mentioning the dealers seems the great unspeakable act in all media coverage of architectural theft.
What can we expect when this region does not regulate its antiques dealers or metal recyclers? To curb this theft, we need to curtail market incentives to steal. A good start would be requirements for metal recyclers and antiques dealers to get a copy of a photo ID before buying anything from anyone. Thus, the sale could later be reviewed by the police -- something that both thief and fence would hate.
Obviously, theft is a crime but this article again neglects to point out that the thieves sell the stolen goods to dealers equally unscrupulous. Mentioning the dealers seems the great unspeakable act in all media coverage of architectural theft.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Pub Def's thoughts on the crime stats; my thoughts on Pub Def's thoughts.
Antonio French wrote a very good post on crime statistics, and what it's like to read the machine's spin on our Most Dangerous City title, while one is living in what continues to be a rough neighborhood with insufficient police coverage: Even More "Dangerous" This Year
I have to say, all this crime ranking talk has me feeling conflicted. On one hand, I feel pretty safe where I live, I generally feel okay walking down the street, and I understand that both murder and rape are usually committed by someone the victim knows (i.e., not usually against a random person walking down the street). I also understand that this whole sour discussion has lead to a lot of City-bashing and shallow finger-pointing, to the point that I have actually lost count of how many people have recently told me to my face that it's "just because of the North Side" in a tone that suggested that it was somehow the fault of all of us who live in North City. Um, no. My street ain't perfect but I still love it, and I am still amazed at how great a lot of my CITY neighbors up here on the NORTH SIDE are. In fact, tomorrow morning, me and one of my NORTH SIDE neighbors from the CITY are going out to breakfast at a diner on the NORTH SIDE and I am going to eat a huge waffle--sounds like we're all doing crime 24/7 up here, don't it?
On the other hand, though, there are certain levels on which I don't feel safe. I still think a lot about things that I saw, heard about, and experienced when I lived in Adams Grove, and how disempowering and frustrating it was to try to, you know, actually get something to happen to change it. I remember a lot of different things, but for some reason the thing that's coming back to me as I write this entry is the time that I called the cops because there was a man holding a gun to the head of a woman whom he was dragging down the street directly in front of our apartment building. I said please hurry, he's got a gun to her head. Ten whole minutes later, a police van rolled by the area and didn't even stop to look around. It just kept driving.
To be fair, that was last year. But earlier this year, a similar incident happened. I was out with a group of neighbors one evening, and we heard nine shots. We called the police. A car came by a few minutes later, hastily shined its spotlight down the block where we'd said it happened without even driving down that block, and then drove away. There was a large group of us concerned citizen types assembled under a streetlight in plain view nearby, but the police in that car didn't even come over to ask us if we'd seen anything. It just drove off. I've spent time in a lot of different places in my life and heard gunshots in several of those places, but somehow seeing that police car not even drive down the block that we told them the shots came from was much scarier than almost any shots I've ever heard before.
Also, this year, a woman I know was attacked and nearly raped in her apartment, and as was reported in the Arch City Chronicle, she had a horrendously difficult time getting the officer who responded to her call to take the crime seriously. This came after the Post-Dispatch report about how the SLPD had fudged its rape statistics by using memos instead of real reports, and after Slay blogged his defense of and support for (and spin on) Mokwa's performance in that area. Honestly, I try not to think about this whole thing too much, because it makes me very, very upset. Despite my friend's outstanding survivorship and resilience, part of me is still very sad that this could possibly happen to her, and is very sad for all the people in my city who've gone through the same but who didn't have the strength that she did to get through it. And as a person who wants firmly to live the rest of my life in St. Louis City, and as a person who has survived rape before, I can't help but wonder--if, god forbid, it ever happens again, will the City police take it seriously? I don't know, but this morning that was on my mind when I read Mokwa's comments on the P-D site that he thinks the rape number went up this year because more rapes are being reported now. I can't even begin to tackle that one without using the words "what the hell" and a lot of words much more acidic than that, so I'm not going to even try it. Suffice it to say, reading that made me feel no better about something that's made me feel unsafe. Mind you, I don't think I'm going to have to survive rape again, but it saddens and sickens me to think that the justice system of the City to which I give so much might not give a shit about me if I did.
I don't submit this as a great essay or as thoroughly thought out, scientific truth, but these are just a few things that have been on my mind about crime in this City lately, and Antonio's blog entry got me thinking about them again. While this blog entry is neither rocket science nor brain surgery, the general gut feeling that residents get about the safety of the place where they live is often a big determining factor about whether or not they decide to keep living there, and that's something worth thinking about. One of the things that is most absurd to me about the oft-repeated We Must Build 8,000 Hideous Particleboard And Vinyl Homes Today Or No One From The County Will Move Here argument is that, um, safety and schools make a much bigger difference in quality of life and in where-to-live decisions than the quantity of hideous vinyl homes built in an area.
The aforementioned P-D article that I read this morning bore one particularly interesting quote about the Morgan Quitno crime rating: "Indeed, to avoid a poor finish in the Quitno report, St. Louis would either need to add thousands of residents or dramatically cut crime." My prediction for 2007 is that Mokwa, Slay, and the other powers that be in StL City will juggle the statistics on both of those topics, but make no significant real change in either area.
Stay safe.
I have to say, all this crime ranking talk has me feeling conflicted. On one hand, I feel pretty safe where I live, I generally feel okay walking down the street, and I understand that both murder and rape are usually committed by someone the victim knows (i.e., not usually against a random person walking down the street). I also understand that this whole sour discussion has lead to a lot of City-bashing and shallow finger-pointing, to the point that I have actually lost count of how many people have recently told me to my face that it's "just because of the North Side" in a tone that suggested that it was somehow the fault of all of us who live in North City. Um, no. My street ain't perfect but I still love it, and I am still amazed at how great a lot of my CITY neighbors up here on the NORTH SIDE are. In fact, tomorrow morning, me and one of my NORTH SIDE neighbors from the CITY are going out to breakfast at a diner on the NORTH SIDE and I am going to eat a huge waffle--sounds like we're all doing crime 24/7 up here, don't it?
On the other hand, though, there are certain levels on which I don't feel safe. I still think a lot about things that I saw, heard about, and experienced when I lived in Adams Grove, and how disempowering and frustrating it was to try to, you know, actually get something to happen to change it. I remember a lot of different things, but for some reason the thing that's coming back to me as I write this entry is the time that I called the cops because there was a man holding a gun to the head of a woman whom he was dragging down the street directly in front of our apartment building. I said please hurry, he's got a gun to her head. Ten whole minutes later, a police van rolled by the area and didn't even stop to look around. It just kept driving.
To be fair, that was last year. But earlier this year, a similar incident happened. I was out with a group of neighbors one evening, and we heard nine shots. We called the police. A car came by a few minutes later, hastily shined its spotlight down the block where we'd said it happened without even driving down that block, and then drove away. There was a large group of us concerned citizen types assembled under a streetlight in plain view nearby, but the police in that car didn't even come over to ask us if we'd seen anything. It just drove off. I've spent time in a lot of different places in my life and heard gunshots in several of those places, but somehow seeing that police car not even drive down the block that we told them the shots came from was much scarier than almost any shots I've ever heard before.
Also, this year, a woman I know was attacked and nearly raped in her apartment, and as was reported in the Arch City Chronicle, she had a horrendously difficult time getting the officer who responded to her call to take the crime seriously. This came after the Post-Dispatch report about how the SLPD had fudged its rape statistics by using memos instead of real reports, and after Slay blogged his defense of and support for (and spin on) Mokwa's performance in that area. Honestly, I try not to think about this whole thing too much, because it makes me very, very upset. Despite my friend's outstanding survivorship and resilience, part of me is still very sad that this could possibly happen to her, and is very sad for all the people in my city who've gone through the same but who didn't have the strength that she did to get through it. And as a person who wants firmly to live the rest of my life in St. Louis City, and as a person who has survived rape before, I can't help but wonder--if, god forbid, it ever happens again, will the City police take it seriously? I don't know, but this morning that was on my mind when I read Mokwa's comments on the P-D site that he thinks the rape number went up this year because more rapes are being reported now. I can't even begin to tackle that one without using the words "what the hell" and a lot of words much more acidic than that, so I'm not going to even try it. Suffice it to say, reading that made me feel no better about something that's made me feel unsafe. Mind you, I don't think I'm going to have to survive rape again, but it saddens and sickens me to think that the justice system of the City to which I give so much might not give a shit about me if I did.
I don't submit this as a great essay or as thoroughly thought out, scientific truth, but these are just a few things that have been on my mind about crime in this City lately, and Antonio's blog entry got me thinking about them again. While this blog entry is neither rocket science nor brain surgery, the general gut feeling that residents get about the safety of the place where they live is often a big determining factor about whether or not they decide to keep living there, and that's something worth thinking about. One of the things that is most absurd to me about the oft-repeated We Must Build 8,000 Hideous Particleboard And Vinyl Homes Today Or No One From The County Will Move Here argument is that, um, safety and schools make a much bigger difference in quality of life and in where-to-live decisions than the quantity of hideous vinyl homes built in an area.
The aforementioned P-D article that I read this morning bore one particularly interesting quote about the Morgan Quitno crime rating: "Indeed, to avoid a poor finish in the Quitno report, St. Louis would either need to add thousands of residents or dramatically cut crime." My prediction for 2007 is that Mokwa, Slay, and the other powers that be in StL City will juggle the statistics on both of those topics, but make no significant real change in either area.
Stay safe.
Saturday, November 18, 2006
On safety, from the "bad" side of America's Most Dangerous City
Tonight, our fridge died. It was only a $30 fridge, but we just went to the store late last night, so we had a lot of perishables in there. It sucked.
At the point when it became clear to us that the fridge really was not going to get cold again, I started calling neighbors, with the intention of at least giving the food away to someone who could use it. No sense in wasting it, right?
Two different neighbors (and for the record, two other awesome central City dwellin' friends) offered to let us store the food in their fridges. I insisted that they just take what they wanted, but no.... They insisted we store the food at their houses, in their fridges. So that's where it is. The visit to drop off groceries at the first neighbor's house blossomed into an hour of stimulating conversation about civic issues. The second neighbor actually showed up unannounced at our door to help me carry the groceries to his house. I persuaded him to take some cookies in exchange for the favor, but then he insisted on giving me freshly harvested tomatoes from their backyard.
Last week, I woke up feeling sick. I went to work and all, but I found myself just sitting there. I tried to get myself going.... but I'd find myself.... staring for minutes on end at my opened inbox, not reading any messages. Or I'd catch myself shuffling the papers from tray A to tray B and back to tray A, and then staring off into space.... and again, I wasn't getting anywhere. I was feeling worse and worse and achieving nothing, so I headed home. Because it was an unplanned bus excursion and I couldn't plan it based on bus schedules (spontaneous Metrobus trips = ha), I just barely missed my bus connection and had to walk (still sick) 20 minutes down a very muddy Saint Louis Avenue sidewalk before I caught another bus.
As the bus approached my stop, I rifled around in my bag to find my keys and discovered I didn't have them. GREAT. I AM A GENIUS. I got off the bus not knowing what to do. But there, there was my neighbor who works at the ONSL Restoration Group. I explained and asked her if I could some sit down in the ONSLRG office while I made a phone call. She went in with me and gave me a drink. I called Michael and found that he absolutely could not leave work then, and so my neighbor drove me Downtown in the middle of her work day to get the keys. She then took me back to the house and watched me go inside before leaving.
At the point when it became clear to us that the fridge really was not going to get cold again, I started calling neighbors, with the intention of at least giving the food away to someone who could use it. No sense in wasting it, right?
Two different neighbors (and for the record, two other awesome central City dwellin' friends) offered to let us store the food in their fridges. I insisted that they just take what they wanted, but no.... They insisted we store the food at their houses, in their fridges. So that's where it is. The visit to drop off groceries at the first neighbor's house blossomed into an hour of stimulating conversation about civic issues. The second neighbor actually showed up unannounced at our door to help me carry the groceries to his house. I persuaded him to take some cookies in exchange for the favor, but then he insisted on giving me freshly harvested tomatoes from their backyard.
____________
Last week, I woke up feeling sick. I went to work and all, but I found myself just sitting there. I tried to get myself going.... but I'd find myself.... staring for minutes on end at my opened inbox, not reading any messages. Or I'd catch myself shuffling the papers from tray A to tray B and back to tray A, and then staring off into space.... and again, I wasn't getting anywhere. I was feeling worse and worse and achieving nothing, so I headed home. Because it was an unplanned bus excursion and I couldn't plan it based on bus schedules (spontaneous Metrobus trips = ha), I just barely missed my bus connection and had to walk (still sick) 20 minutes down a very muddy Saint Louis Avenue sidewalk before I caught another bus.
As the bus approached my stop, I rifled around in my bag to find my keys and discovered I didn't have them. GREAT. I AM A GENIUS. I got off the bus not knowing what to do. But there, there was my neighbor who works at the ONSL Restoration Group. I explained and asked her if I could some sit down in the ONSLRG office while I made a phone call. She went in with me and gave me a drink. I called Michael and found that he absolutely could not leave work then, and so my neighbor drove me Downtown in the middle of her work day to get the keys. She then took me back to the house and watched me go inside before leaving.
____________
In the past few weeks, I have heard a lot about my beloved hometown being a dangerous, crime-ridden hole, and I have heard lots of people say "It's just because of North City." I have a lot of thoughts and feelings on this issue, but they're not the point of this particular blog entry, so I'll just say here that accusatory one-sentence explanations of any complex phenomenon are almost always incorrect just by their very nature.
One thing I do know for sure about the neighborhood where I live, about my North City and my St. Louis, is that it is a place where people honestly do help each other out. I now know that if our fridge dies and we're about to lose a bunch of food, neighbors will be there to help us out. I also know that if I'm locked out of my house, again, a neighbor will be there to help me. Neighbors have fed us when we've showed up unannounced on their doorsteps in the middle of house-related disasters. They've lent us tarps, car keys, and house keys. They've kept their shops open for us after closing time to get us out of emergencies. One neighbor drives me to work and home every day, since we work near each other and I can't drive; together with Michael, she has been giving me driving lessons.
The place where I live is not perfect, but it is a place populated by a surprising number of amazingly generous people who feel a genuine duty to each other. Is your neighborhood safe like that?
Monday, October 30, 2006
Danger?
Is St. Louis really the most dangerous city in the US?
Mayor Slay says no, and for once I can't disagree with him. (Except for the plug for Proposition P, which would create a recreation center in Carondelet Park that would eat up historic park land and place a much-needed resource at the resource-rich far south end of the city.)
I remain awed that these "most dangerous cities" lists are still widely publicized. Their existence seems designed to reinforce suburban America's deepest and most unreasonable fears of inner cities and racial difference. The lists also have the terrible side effect of discouraging investment in the cities that need it the most -- which inevitable end up in the upper ranks of danger.
Instead of reacting to statistical reinforcement of the status quo, the press should compile lists of the cities with the most dramatic improvement in stemming population loss and disinvestment. Or the cities that most need the attention and effort of caring Americans. Or the cities with the most potential to become vibrant, dense urban areas.
Mayor Slay says no, and for once I can't disagree with him. (Except for the plug for Proposition P, which would create a recreation center in Carondelet Park that would eat up historic park land and place a much-needed resource at the resource-rich far south end of the city.)
I remain awed that these "most dangerous cities" lists are still widely publicized. Their existence seems designed to reinforce suburban America's deepest and most unreasonable fears of inner cities and racial difference. The lists also have the terrible side effect of discouraging investment in the cities that need it the most -- which inevitable end up in the upper ranks of danger.
Instead of reacting to statistical reinforcement of the status quo, the press should compile lists of the cities with the most dramatic improvement in stemming population loss and disinvestment. Or the cities that most need the attention and effort of caring Americans. Or the cities with the most potential to become vibrant, dense urban areas.
Sunday, July 2, 2006
Property is not the only thing you can buy at the corner of Blair and Montgomery
It strikes me as particularly twisted and sick that the real estate sharks behind the Blairmont, LLC land scheme chose the corner of Blair and Montgomery for the namesake of their company.
Why? Because up until these past few weeks, it was by far one of the worst spots in the neighborhood for drug dealing and prostitution. It seems to have cooled off somewhat thanks to neighborly and police action, but nonetheless it remains a center of activity. This neighborhood doesn't have problems with blatant dealing and prostitution nearly on the level of a number of other places I've lived and been before (Yes, really.) and overall I feel pretty safe here, but that particular corner was one for the books.
So the (ahem) fine folks behind Blairmont looked at that and said "Let's name our company after this!"
I've heard about them trying to con a blind woman out of her home, I've lived with the effects of their neglected and frequently unsecured property, but man. This is just one more detail that goes to show you what kind of people Blairmont Associates, N&G Ventures, Noble Development, VHS Partners, and the whole mess of them are simply not good people. To put it politely.
Why? Because up until these past few weeks, it was by far one of the worst spots in the neighborhood for drug dealing and prostitution. It seems to have cooled off somewhat thanks to neighborly and police action, but nonetheless it remains a center of activity. This neighborhood doesn't have problems with blatant dealing and prostitution nearly on the level of a number of other places I've lived and been before (Yes, really.) and overall I feel pretty safe here, but that particular corner was one for the books.
So the (ahem) fine folks behind Blairmont looked at that and said "Let's name our company after this!"
I've heard about them trying to con a blind woman out of her home, I've lived with the effects of their neglected and frequently unsecured property, but man. This is just one more detail that goes to show you what kind of people Blairmont Associates, N&G Ventures, Noble Development, VHS Partners, and the whole mess of them are simply not good people. To put it politely.
Monday, October 17, 2005
Forest Park Southeast Car Show
Update on the stolen red car at 4467 Norfolk: Neighborhood Stabilization Office head Joe Thele and his staff have applied for access warrants to tow this car and others like it all over town. The hold-up? A city judge has yet to sign the warrants!
In the meantime, a crafty FPSE resident found a stolen streets department easel-style road block and erected it behind the car. It's about time to put up some ornamental corn and carved pumpkins, and then some Christmas lights (which often stay up even longer than this car has been around -- a perfect match).
In the meantime, a crafty FPSE resident found a stolen streets department easel-style road block and erected it behind the car. It's about time to put up some ornamental corn and carved pumpkins, and then some Christmas lights (which often stay up even longer than this car has been around -- a perfect match).
Tuesday, September 6, 2005
Downtown Drive-By
Some fools shot at us downtown tonight -- with a paintball gun!
Tonight was the last day of the year when the Gateway Arch was on summer hours and thus open until 10:00 p.m. We joined a friend for trip to the top at night, since none of us had been for years and were excited to see the city from above in its nighttime glory. (It's a great view that can inspire even the most demoralized urbanist to love the city, and splendid at night before the horrid floodlights that illuminate the Arch come on -- I recommend taking a trip.) Afterwards, we trekked down to the river for awhile and then walked back to our friend's vehicle.
After crossing 4th Street on Chestnut, in front of the Old Courthouse, a car careened by and one of its occupants fired two shots at us. Quickly we realized that we were hit with some sort of oily pellets that left bruises on our bodies -- no one got hit in the face or head -- and stains on our clothes. The reports of the gun were so powerful that it could have been a .22 for all we knew. In the confusion, we did not get a good look at the car but did note that it was a silver car with Illinois plates. I shouted loudly but did not chase the car, fearing getting fired upon.
Of the three people standing in front of the Adam's Mark Hotel, only one man began walking toward us. No car deivers slowed down or stopped. Two tourists barely looked at us, and then boarded a casion bus that came for them. The man who approached us turned out to be a homless man whom we see frequently around downtown. He asked what happened.
While he was walking, at 10:22 p.m., I called 911 and dealt with a dispatcher who seemed annoyed that I wanted to report the incident. Since we were at the corner of 4th and Chestnut in the heart of downtown's tourist ghetto, we had nowhere to see shelter. On one corner stands the Adam's Mark Hotel, which lacks many windows on the ground floor; one another, an empty park; on another, where we stood, the Old Courthouse; and on the fourt corner stands the banal one-story portion of the Bank of America Tower, which has windows but no storefront uses, openings or meaningful connection with the sidewalk. There is not a single store or indoor public space at this corner, making it an ugly and potentially unsafe spot to be at night. Had there been a 24-hour convenience mart or donut shop, or even a bar, someone would have seen the incident better and we could have had a witness. Alas, this corner joins many others downtown as one that remains dark and silent at night and bright and silent in the daytime.
By the way: there is no metered parking on this block, as all parking is completely reserved for taxicabs 24 hours a day, even though few cabs park there after 9:00 p.m. most nights. Note to the dumbass who approved this cab-only zone: A row of cars would have protected us.
The slow response time of police helped, though: the car returned, its now-describable occupants laughing at us and its license plate revealed. They did not fire again. At 10:36 p.m., I called 911 again -- no officer had arrived. Two toursits walked by on the opposite side of the street and stared but said nothing. A homeless woman approached us, asked what had ahppened, and then flagged down a passing police officer on a bike -- who was indeed coming to answer the call. We began speaking to the officer at about 10:40 p.m., 18 minutes after making the report.
Fortunately, the officer who responded treated us with respect and pledged to file a report of assault. We appreciated her demeanor and felt better about our night. The bicycle-based officers are much more accessible in case of emergency -- they can hear your shouts and see your face.
After filing the report, we walked two more blocks west on Chestnut. Kiener Plaza appeared dark and unappealing, a perfect place to get jumped at night. This area of downtown east of Broadway -- or maybe east of Sixth Street -- is a horrible place for people to walk. There are few stores, many buildings overscaled and too many street closures (Locust Street between 4th and Broadway being the most recent). Some parts of downtown work better, such as Tenth Street (thanks, Craig Heller!), Washington west of Tucker and some of Olive Street. There are businesses in these areas, with windows at sidewalk level and, most important of all, people to watch the streets who actually care (unlike the guests of the Adam's Mark, apparently). There's even a hugely successful monthly nighttime art gallery walk in part of downtown to encourage street life. It might be hard to pull a drive-by shooting in those areas without finding a witness other than the victims. Something to think about before you design your next empty block of park space or monument to vanity.
After all, some people downtown don't have the relative safety that we had tonight: a nearby vehicle. Transit riders, pedestrians and homeless people adrift in parts of downtown literally have no refuge. Creating nighttime vitality downtown will make it a safer and more fun place to walk.
Pass the ice pack.
Tonight was the last day of the year when the Gateway Arch was on summer hours and thus open until 10:00 p.m. We joined a friend for trip to the top at night, since none of us had been for years and were excited to see the city from above in its nighttime glory. (It's a great view that can inspire even the most demoralized urbanist to love the city, and splendid at night before the horrid floodlights that illuminate the Arch come on -- I recommend taking a trip.) Afterwards, we trekked down to the river for awhile and then walked back to our friend's vehicle.
After crossing 4th Street on Chestnut, in front of the Old Courthouse, a car careened by and one of its occupants fired two shots at us. Quickly we realized that we were hit with some sort of oily pellets that left bruises on our bodies -- no one got hit in the face or head -- and stains on our clothes. The reports of the gun were so powerful that it could have been a .22 for all we knew. In the confusion, we did not get a good look at the car but did note that it was a silver car with Illinois plates. I shouted loudly but did not chase the car, fearing getting fired upon.
Of the three people standing in front of the Adam's Mark Hotel, only one man began walking toward us. No car deivers slowed down or stopped. Two tourists barely looked at us, and then boarded a casion bus that came for them. The man who approached us turned out to be a homless man whom we see frequently around downtown. He asked what happened.
While he was walking, at 10:22 p.m., I called 911 and dealt with a dispatcher who seemed annoyed that I wanted to report the incident. Since we were at the corner of 4th and Chestnut in the heart of downtown's tourist ghetto, we had nowhere to see shelter. On one corner stands the Adam's Mark Hotel, which lacks many windows on the ground floor; one another, an empty park; on another, where we stood, the Old Courthouse; and on the fourt corner stands the banal one-story portion of the Bank of America Tower, which has windows but no storefront uses, openings or meaningful connection with the sidewalk. There is not a single store or indoor public space at this corner, making it an ugly and potentially unsafe spot to be at night. Had there been a 24-hour convenience mart or donut shop, or even a bar, someone would have seen the incident better and we could have had a witness. Alas, this corner joins many others downtown as one that remains dark and silent at night and bright and silent in the daytime.
By the way: there is no metered parking on this block, as all parking is completely reserved for taxicabs 24 hours a day, even though few cabs park there after 9:00 p.m. most nights. Note to the dumbass who approved this cab-only zone: A row of cars would have protected us.
The slow response time of police helped, though: the car returned, its now-describable occupants laughing at us and its license plate revealed. They did not fire again. At 10:36 p.m., I called 911 again -- no officer had arrived. Two toursits walked by on the opposite side of the street and stared but said nothing. A homeless woman approached us, asked what had ahppened, and then flagged down a passing police officer on a bike -- who was indeed coming to answer the call. We began speaking to the officer at about 10:40 p.m., 18 minutes after making the report.
Fortunately, the officer who responded treated us with respect and pledged to file a report of assault. We appreciated her demeanor and felt better about our night. The bicycle-based officers are much more accessible in case of emergency -- they can hear your shouts and see your face.
After filing the report, we walked two more blocks west on Chestnut. Kiener Plaza appeared dark and unappealing, a perfect place to get jumped at night. This area of downtown east of Broadway -- or maybe east of Sixth Street -- is a horrible place for people to walk. There are few stores, many buildings overscaled and too many street closures (Locust Street between 4th and Broadway being the most recent). Some parts of downtown work better, such as Tenth Street (thanks, Craig Heller!), Washington west of Tucker and some of Olive Street. There are businesses in these areas, with windows at sidewalk level and, most important of all, people to watch the streets who actually care (unlike the guests of the Adam's Mark, apparently). There's even a hugely successful monthly nighttime art gallery walk in part of downtown to encourage street life. It might be hard to pull a drive-by shooting in those areas without finding a witness other than the victims. Something to think about before you design your next empty block of park space or monument to vanity.
After all, some people downtown don't have the relative safety that we had tonight: a nearby vehicle. Transit riders, pedestrians and homeless people adrift in parts of downtown literally have no refuge. Creating nighttime vitality downtown will make it a safer and more fun place to walk.
Pass the ice pack.
Sunday, September 4, 2005
Down on Swan
Today, at 11:30 a.m. in broad daylight, a late model white car pulled into a spot in the 4500 block of Swan. An old black Chevy came up on the side, and a bag was exchanged. I happened upon the deal while driving, and happened to take the same route the white car did: under the Kingshighway viaduct and onto southbound Kingshighway. However, Mr. White Man Alone in the White Car turned off to go west on I-44. Gee, I wonder if he lives in St. Louis County?
At about 1:00 p.m. an ambulance came barreling west on Swan, abruptly halting when the driver unexpectedly reached the cul-de-sac at Taylor.
I hope other people are having a relaxing Labor Day weekend.
At about 1:00 p.m. an ambulance came barreling west on Swan, abruptly halting when the driver unexpectedly reached the cul-de-sac at Taylor.
I hope other people are having a relaxing Labor Day weekend.
Monday, August 29, 2005
King of the Ghetto
The one-story corner commercial building at 4501 Swan Avenue was until last month home of the Genesis Mission, an outreach organization for homeless people. Say what you want about Genesis -- and there's probably a lot to say -- they had the building in use during daytime hours seven days a week. They were evicted in July, and thus began a cycle of trouble that may still be very young.
First, almost immediately after the mission closed, homeless people began sleeping on chairs on Taylor Avenue up against the building. Then, the mission threw out all of their remaining donations into a huge dumpster. This work happened in one day's time, but the dumpster sat in front of their building for over one week, attracting illegal dumping. (Some folks came and salvaged items, including perfectly functional bicycles, winter coats and furniture!) Before the dumpster finally disappeared, the dealers showed up to play in the alley behind the building, taking advantage of the fact that a huge load of tree branches effectively blocks that alley and creates a great place for vice. Locals around here always avoid that alley, and now must avoid that corner.
The dealers are moderately aggressive, and seem to do well here. Why wouldn't they? This part of Forest Park Southeast is neglected, and the street closures and disrepair -- to be chronicled on our site soon -- make this a perfect place for crime. Oh, and this part of the neighborhood is a political pariah in many ways, so complaints are likely to be ignored.
Suffice to say that the corner of Taylor and Swan is becoming a trouble spot. We currently live near this corner, but are moving out in a few weeks to a northside neighborhood that is infinitely safer and prettier with a better sense of community. We can't wait -- but not all of our friends can move out or want to move out. Hopefully someone will take care of this corner, which would necessitate the larger goal of reopening closed streets and giving due political attention to this part of Forest Park Southeast.
By the way, the owner of 4501 Swan and the trash-strewn vacant lot across Taylor at 4461 Swan -- a lot that neighbors here keep mowing and cleaning -- might be familiar to some of us:
King Auto Financing Inc.
3300 South Kingshighway
St. Louis, MO 63139
King gets to safely sell cars elsewhere while the rest of us don't often invite friends over out of fear that their cars might get stolen. (Ours is your run-of-the-mill St. Louis beater, so we don't worry much.)
First, almost immediately after the mission closed, homeless people began sleeping on chairs on Taylor Avenue up against the building. Then, the mission threw out all of their remaining donations into a huge dumpster. This work happened in one day's time, but the dumpster sat in front of their building for over one week, attracting illegal dumping. (Some folks came and salvaged items, including perfectly functional bicycles, winter coats and furniture!) Before the dumpster finally disappeared, the dealers showed up to play in the alley behind the building, taking advantage of the fact that a huge load of tree branches effectively blocks that alley and creates a great place for vice. Locals around here always avoid that alley, and now must avoid that corner.
The dealers are moderately aggressive, and seem to do well here. Why wouldn't they? This part of Forest Park Southeast is neglected, and the street closures and disrepair -- to be chronicled on our site soon -- make this a perfect place for crime. Oh, and this part of the neighborhood is a political pariah in many ways, so complaints are likely to be ignored.
Suffice to say that the corner of Taylor and Swan is becoming a trouble spot. We currently live near this corner, but are moving out in a few weeks to a northside neighborhood that is infinitely safer and prettier with a better sense of community. We can't wait -- but not all of our friends can move out or want to move out. Hopefully someone will take care of this corner, which would necessitate the larger goal of reopening closed streets and giving due political attention to this part of Forest Park Southeast.
By the way, the owner of 4501 Swan and the trash-strewn vacant lot across Taylor at 4461 Swan -- a lot that neighbors here keep mowing and cleaning -- might be familiar to some of us:
King Auto Financing Inc.
3300 South Kingshighway
St. Louis, MO 63139
King gets to safely sell cars elsewhere while the rest of us don't often invite friends over out of fear that their cars might get stolen. (Ours is your run-of-the-mill St. Louis beater, so we don't worry much.)
Friday, August 12, 2005
Get Your Stolen Stained Glass Back!
From the St. Louis Metropolitan Police:
"The Metropolitan Police Department will give area residents the opportunity to view and claim recovered stolen stained glass windows on Saturday, August 13, and Sunday, August 14, at the South Patrol Division, 3157 Sublette beginning at 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Members of the Department's South Patrol Detective Bureau have recovered a large number of stained glass windows that were stolen from homes throughout South St. Louis over the past year or longer. Anyone that may have been a victim of a burglary where stained glass windows were taken is welcome to view the property at the South Patrol Division this weekend. Victims must provide proof of ownership to retrieve
property."
"The Metropolitan Police Department will give area residents the opportunity to view and claim recovered stolen stained glass windows on Saturday, August 13, and Sunday, August 14, at the South Patrol Division, 3157 Sublette beginning at 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Members of the Department's South Patrol Detective Bureau have recovered a large number of stained glass windows that were stolen from homes throughout South St. Louis over the past year or longer. Anyone that may have been a victim of a burglary where stained glass windows were taken is welcome to view the property at the South Patrol Division this weekend. Victims must provide proof of ownership to retrieve
property."
Thursday, October 28, 2004
More fires in St. Louis's McRee Town neighborhood
From the October 26 St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
"3 suspicious fires hit McRee Town
"Suspicious fires were set in two vacant buildings in McRee Town early Monday and in a third building nearby, authorities reported. The fires were in the 4000 block of McRee and Folsom Avenues in McRee Town and a three-story multifamily building at 39th Street and Shaw Boulevard.
"All the fires were discovered between 3 and 4 a.m., and police bombing and arson squad detectives presume all three were set by the same person. McRee Town was beset by a rash of fires in December, but until Monday the area had had just one fire over the past six months."
Seems that wholesale land clearance and gentrification have done nothing to make this area safer.
"3 suspicious fires hit McRee Town
"Suspicious fires were set in two vacant buildings in McRee Town early Monday and in a third building nearby, authorities reported. The fires were in the 4000 block of McRee and Folsom Avenues in McRee Town and a three-story multifamily building at 39th Street and Shaw Boulevard.
"All the fires were discovered between 3 and 4 a.m., and police bombing and arson squad detectives presume all three were set by the same person. McRee Town was beset by a rash of fires in December, but until Monday the area had had just one fire over the past six months."
Seems that wholesale land clearance and gentrification have done nothing to make this area safer.
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