Dutchtown children may begin to notice new birdhouse-looking structures filled with books on certain street corners.
They’re called “bookhouses,” where neighborhood families can borrow or even keep the children’s books inside.
On Wednesday, Dutchtown residents and police gathered for the grand opening of six bookhouses, which are meant to commemorate the life of Paul Reiter, longtime circulation manager for The St. Louis American, and to reach out to children through reading.
Reiter’s family and The St. Louis American paid for the structures, and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department will maintain the mini-libraries with books.
Reiter’s son, Christopher Reiter – along with his sisters, nieces and nephews – helped “cut the ribbon” on one of the bookhouses at the corner of Virginia Avenue and Liberty Street, just blocks from Reiter’s house.
Reiter’s family hopes that the libraries send a message to the children in the neighborhood that many people care about them, said Marty Wofford, Reiter’s sister.
“We wanted you to have these books because you are important to us,” Wofford said. “Great things come in small packages, and that’s what children are. They are so full of wonder and imagination.”
On May 9, 2011, Reiter, 58, was shot and killed in the backyard of his Dutchtown home while trying to call the police to prevent the burglary occurring at his neighborhood’s house next door.
The idea for the bookhouses came just after the fate of Rico Paul, Reiter’s murderer, was finally decided on Sept. 17, 2013. Reiter’s family clung together in the courtroom as Paul was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole.
After they exited the courtroom, Reiter’s sisters and brothers immediately got to work. They talked with Ursula Rudolf, a longtime Dutchtown resident and neighborhood advocate, about doing something for children to keep them out of the path to crime.
The family was saddened that Rico Paul, 20, would spend his life in prison and wanted to reach out to youth.
“I felt so sad for Rico Paul – to be so young,” Wofford said. “The choices we make can affect our whole lives. We always have a choice. Hopefully these books will give children the opportunity to see different choices – to see how important they are. You can be important in a good way or a negative way. The choice is yours.”
Rudolf had just read an article about a man who commemorated his mother’s life as a schoolteacher by building a bookhouse. Now, the man’s idea has sprouted in communities worldwide as an official nonprofit named Little Free Libraries. Rudolf thought the bookhouses would be perfect in Dutchtown because the two closest libraries are not within walking distance for most Dutchtown children.
Dutchtown has about 4,300 kids and a 15,700 population, according to the 2010 Census. A little more than 50 percent of the population is African-American. “That’s a lot of kids,” Rudolf said.
Rudolf contacted Laura Novara, juvenile project grant director for the police department’s first district, which includes Dutchtown. Novara’s job is to help youth to stay in school and stay away from crime. Novara loved the idea of the libraries, especially as someone who gives away many books to children throughout the year. She contacted Police Capt. Dan Howard, who oversees the first district.
“It’s always worth a chance for the captain,” Novara said. “Whatever the need is, the kids get it. He is never one to say no.”
They decided to go one step beyond stocking and maintaining the bookhouses. Police officers will also hand-deliver gift certificates to children who submit book reports in the boxes. The gift certificates were donated by local businesses that want to help in the effort, including Ted Drewes and Merbs Candies. They named the program “Cops Care Libraries.”
“This gives us a chance to reach out to some kids,” Howard said. “If kids can walk down to the end of their blocks and grab a book, that’s great. It’s about showing that we care and showing we are not going to forget Paul Reiter.”
The program is also about changing the perception of Dutchtown as a “violent place,” he said.
Dutchtown is the city’s most densely populated neighborhood with the most crime, according to police statistics. Howard said he’s aware that the neighborhood has its problems with crime, but it also has a lot of great residents and thriving businesses.
“I’m not going to sit here and say crime is not a challenge in Dutchtown, but the perception is not in line with reality,” he said.
Police Chief Sam Dotson attended the ceremony and said the libraries will help police officers build a stronger relationship with children in the neighborhood.
More than anything, the libraries are a great reflection of the person Paul Reiter was, Wofford said. He always loved being around children and would support them in any way he could.
Reiter’s son, Christopher, recalled his father helping one African-American neighborhood family with seven children.
“It was hard for them to catch the bus, so he would take them to school and bring them home every day for about five years,” Christopher said.
His father even sheltered four of them for a time.
“All the children loved their Uncle Paul because he could be a kid with them,” Wofford said. “He was up for anything. They knew they always had a friend in Paul.”
