As police continue the search for several suspects in connection with the mass shooting on June 17 that left a 17-year-old man dead and 11 injured, St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones reminded the region about the importance of engagement.
During the summer of 2021, the Downtown Engagement and Public Safety Initiative was launched after city leaders realized children were being dropped off downtown on the weekends as the pandemic continued.
“We didn’t want them to be overpoliced. We engaged our young people in a flurry of activities like syphers, video game trucks, and art. And we saw progress,” Jones said during a press conference with Mike McMillan, Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis president and CEO, before a strategy meeting with area leaders.
“Fast forward to [June 17, 2023], where unspeakable violence has yet again plagued our city. And our response should still be the same. Who’s looking out for the children?”
Jones reiterated that the city has extended hours and programming at Wohl and Marquette recreation centers, in north and south St. Louis, saying the centers “are trusted in the community and our staff form relationships with the families who come there.
“These extensions are just a first step, and we know it will take more to get the word out in the community about these programs and opportunities.”
Knowing that young people from throughout the area can descend upon the city of St. Louis, Jones said “I’m challenging our region’s leaders to meet or beat the city’s efforts when it comes to our babies.”
“Right now, our region’s business leaders are talking about making historic investments in secondary policing, but this is a primary investment. If we make the right primary investments, we won’t need to invest as much in secondary.
“That conversation begins today and will continue for weeks and months to come.”
A key organization in the regional effort is the Urban League, and McMillan said it is already actively involved.
“We believe centralizing a response through the city’s Office of Violence Prevention is efficient and strategic and allows the St. louis to marshal resources and respond most effectively and with a unified strategy,” he said.
“This is not a one-solution issue; there are many responses that must be considered and utilized.”
McMillan said the Urban League continues to partner with local organizations to provide career exploration and internship opportunities for youth over the summer.
There are 200 enrolled participants ages 14-24 through the Discover You job readiness program and Summer Work Experience, which provides 160 work hours at $12 per hour).
“We have a strategic partnership with the Youth and Family Center under the leadership of Dr. LaChrisa Crenshaw in which we support programming for underserved youth in the downtown area,” said McMillan, who added the center is currently exploring extended hours and additional programming.
“We continue to offer mental health and trauma-informed counseling to families impacted by violence through our Neighborhood Healing Network initiative funded by ARCHS. Joy Camp manages the program that provides trauma-informed therapy services for crime victims and those involved in disputes that may lead to higher levels of conflict.”
Jones had opened the press conference with a quote from author and political commentator Melissa Harris Perry.
“We’ve always had a private notion of children. Your kid is yours, and your responsibility. We haven’t had a very collective notion of ‘These are our children.”
“So, part of it is we have to break through our kind of private idea that ‘kids belong to their parents’ or ‘kids belong to their families,’ and recognize that kids belong to whole communities.”
Jones said, “if you’re not at today’s meeting, please don’t take it as an insult and please know that there will be more meetings.”
