ST. LOUIS – Monday evening was a chance for residents to make their voices heard after a chaotic weekend in downtown St. Louis. Some say they don’t feel safe downtown, especially after some of the events that transpired following Fourth of July festivities near arch grounds.
Community members showed up at the Central Library downtown to make their voices heard at the Downtown Neighborhood Association’s meeting. Upset residents described the scenes at night over the holiday weekend downtown as a “war zone.”
“I just feel so unsafe right now,” one woman said.
“This is the second year in a row in which we’ve had those kinds of situations,” another man added.
James Page, the executive director of the association, said he’s also troubled by the amount of crime he saw over the weekend.
“The use of illegal fireworks, the mass shootings that took place—those are disturbing to me and other residents of downtown St. Louis,” Page said.
Police Chief Robert Tracy took many questions from residents and the media. He said he understood resident frustration but noted the Celebrate St. Louis parade and fireworks show went on safely. He added that it took a few bad actors after the events had wrapped up to put a dark cloud over the weekend.
“Out of all the people, it was a small number, but it was a large enough number to cause the kind of things that we’re talking about today,” Tracy said. “We’ll adapt. We’ll do an after-action review, like we do on every event. And we’ll make sure this doesn’t happen again next year.”
The department said over the weekend, 19 juveniles were arrested downtown. Officers also seized 21 guns downtown and multiple stolen guns city-wide. They also responded to 472 fireworks-related calls across the city of St. Louis.
Chief Tracy pointed out that crime as a whole is trending downward in St. Louis. When asked if the department has enough resources, Tracy said they are working with what they have and looking forward to adding more officers to the force soon.
Downtown Alderwoman and candidate for mayor, Cara Spencer, also addressed residents at the end of the meeting. Spencer said she understands why neighbors are upset.
“I think the first step in solving these issues is recognizing that we have a problem,” Spencer said.
The Downtown Neighborhood Association’s next town hall is scheduled for Monday, September 9.
