Despite a recent spate of highly publicized murders and shootings in the city of St. Louis, the number of murders is actually down in 2009, compared to 2008. At this time last year, there had been 77 homicides in the city, compared to 55 thus far for 2009. The number of rapes is down, marginally, as are burglaries, larcenies and vehicle thefts.
Yet robberies and incidence of aggravated assault are up significantly over last year on the watch of St. Louis Metropolitan Police Chief Daniel Isom, who took command in early October 2008. The data-driven Isom fretted over these statistics in a recent conversation with The American.
Isom reached out to this paper for help publicizing an opinion poll he had commissioned, in an effort to learn how safe (or unsafe) citizens feel and what they think about their local police force. As a locally rooted African American, Isom is well aware that our community has had good reasons to be wary of the city police’s actions.
Recently we have taken pains to remind our readers of the ample evidence that Missouri death row inmate Reginald Clemons had a confession beaten out of him by St. Louis detectives. It is our opinion that, if the State of Missouri proceeds with Clemons’ execution, his blood will be on the hands of those detectives and prosecutor Nels Moss. The recent exoneration of Darryl Burton shows that Clemons’ case is not an isolated incident.
That is why we continue to urge Governor Jay Nixon to commute Clemons’ death sentence, not only out of respect for due process, but also to affirm to those in our community who feel endangered and embittered that they can expect justice in Missouri. It is absolutely essential that residents in our most vulnerable – and, statistically, most violent – communities gain some degree of trust in our systems of law enforcement and criminal justice.
We consider it fortunate that former Police Chief Joseph Mokwa resigned in the context of an ongoing federal investigation that almost certainly includes members of his senior command, forcing the police board to look outside its usual suspects to promote an African-American professional like Isom. (Gov. Jay Nixon’s appointment of Bettye Battle-Turner to the police board is another step in the direction of justice and accountability.) It will not be easy, with the considerable negative inertia that he inherited, but Isom has the opportunity to take this police department in a direction that could help dramatically improve the perspective of the black community.
Isom and the police force, however, need the cooperation of the community. They need for black citizens to cooperate with investigations. They need for eyewitnesses of crime to come forward. “Silence = death” – the old rallying cry of AIDS activists – is deathly true of residents of crime-riddled communities who abide by the street code that prohibits “snitching”.
And let us be very clear: Whatever our grievances with the criminal justice system, there is no substitute for greater personal responsibility. It is our responsibility to build strong families and raise decent, respectful children – to abide by the law, and teach our children to abide by the law. Father’s Day is perhaps the best time of all to remind ourselves of these responsibilities.