First, after years of horrendous test scores and cronyism, the State of Illinois moved to take over East St. Louis Schools and, subsequently, moved to eliminate an obstinate and inept school board.
Now, with 18 felony charges filed in the past year against Metro East law enforcement officials, including the conviction of former Alorton and East St. Louis police chief Michael Baxton, who was caught stealing Xbox video game systems in an FBI sting, and former Alorton Mayor Randy McCallum’s indiscretions in using his police department to steal and distribute cocaine, the state is proposing to regulate the police work of the troubled communities of East St. Louis, Washington Park, Alorton and Brooklyn.
State Sen. James Clayborne, D-Belleville has sponsored a bill to create a “Metro East Police District Commission” which, if approved, would oversee these crime-ridden communities and have the power to create ordinances to regulate and strengthen departmental standards, as well as apply for and spend state and federal grants.
Clayborne’s proposes a police district, with the governor appointing seven members, the mayor of ESL appointing four members and the mayors of Alorton, Brooklyn and Washington Park appointing one member each. There would also be three ex-officio members representing the St. Clair County state’s attorney, the Illinois State Police and the Southern Illinois Law Enforcement Commission.
Both U.S Attorney Stephen Wigginton and St. Clair County State’s Attorney Brendan Kelly support Clayborne’s legislation and former East St. Louis Police Chief Renadore Foggs believes that such a commission would create a unified governing body and linkage between departments.
And with a murder rate in ESL and in the surrounding towns and villages which is 20 times the national average, only a fool would have the audacity to oppose such a plan.
However, Mayor Alvin Parks, in recent weeks, has played the “conspiracy card” saying (in reference to state oversight) that “It appears to be a takeover attempt of the East St. Louis community.”
I would submit to Parks (and others of his ilk) that he, the ESL school board and corrupt elements of Metro East law enforcement have done a better job of handing over their community to the state than the state has done of taking over.
Allowing nightclub violence to run rampant with all-night liquor sales and slaps on the wrists to proprietors whose security practices are negligent, if not non-existent, have been the ongoing practice of the Parks administration.
Someone or something needs to stop the violence and end the needless carnage and suffering.
And, contrary to popular belief, there are many good, law-abiding, God-fearing, hard-working, tax-paying citizens in ESL, Alorton, Brooklyn and Washington Park. They deserve better law enforcement and safer communities just like any other community.
This legislation may be a major step toward bringing that dream into fruition.
Email: jtingram_1960@yahoo.com Twitter@JamesTIngram.
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