Of the 59 people killed to date in St. Louis, 43 of them are black males, according to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. The number of murders at the end of May last year was 46.
“We’re in for a very tough summer,” warned Richard Rosenfeld, professor and graduate program director of criminology at UM-St. Louis and founder of crimetrends.com.
“In my research, crime rises when the economy sours.”
Others point to social rather than economic indicators of the crisis.
“The biggest issue facing our youths is a cycle of hopeless because there has been a breakdown of schools, social programs, churches and families,” said Kim Crouch author of Mother to Son: Words of wisdom, inspiration and hope for today’s African-American men, who grew up in Walnut Park and allegedly suffered the murder of a younger brother at the hands of acquaintances.
“Not a year passes that I don’t know at least five people that got killed.”
Murder, in fact, begets murder.
“In many cases, the murder of one person can lead to the death of several others, which contributes to the murder rate,” said Richard Wright, professor of criminology at UM-St. Louis and author of Crime and the American Dream.
“We see death as the end of something, but it can be the beginning of something – it can be contagious, like a disease.”
Shooting someone who shot your “dead homey” is a practice common to street gangs, according to Sultan Muhammad, a former gang member turned gang-abatement activist and producer of the CD Real Talk: A Comprehensive Profile on Gang Psychology.
“A countless number of inner-city homicides is gang-related,” Muhammad said.
“I, like most gang members, was insane and confused, full of fuel to feed the fire of anger, bitterness, self-hatred, low-self esteem, resentment and post-traumatic syndrome, but there isn’t any treatment available.”
Gang culture has carried over into many inner cities, where young black males often feud just because they are from different parts of town.
“There are street codes that you have to follow if you live in certain neighborhoods or you can become prey,” said Jody Squires, University of Missouri outreach specialist, who works with kids in West St. Louis.
“Sometimes you can’t avoid the politics of the ‘hood,” Squires said.
‘We need community involvement’
But hard times don’t mean hopelessness.
“People shouldn’t let the murder rate produce fatalism,” Rosenfeld said.
“We need community involvement and constructive media attention like the American gives crime.”
Today in St. Louis, two notable groups are responding to the astronomical rate of black-on-black murders, which is on pace to surpass last year’s tally of 138.
Better Family Life, Inc. has established itself in two of St. Louis’ highest crime neighborhoods, where they approach youths on street corners and at the residences.
Once they assess the youngsters’ situations, they offer mentoring, educational assistance, employment or job training.
“The best way to fight crime is to offer an alternative, and you have to be in the ‘hood on the sidewalk” said James Clark, vice president of community outreach at BFL.
“When I heard of five shootings in one day, I thought about the brothers in our program and said, ‘The only difference between them and the brothers who pulled the triggers is that we hadn’t reached them yet,’” Clark said.
Once wayward youngsters are given resources, they are prone to putting down the 9 millimeter guns, Clark said.
Another effort is Shalom Church’s A Call to Oneness Weekend and March through North St. Louis.
The weekend will start with a State of Emergency panel discussion, from 7-10 p.m. Friday, May 30 at Shalom Church (City of Peace) in North St. Louis County.
On Saturday, May 31 is a Day of Information and Implementation in which classes will be taught (in several churches and other venues) on confronting the moral issues and concerns that face black men.
Sunday, June 1 is a Day of Worship, Witness and Reconciliation. After participants worship at the place of their choice, a march through North St. Louis will begin at 2 p.m. at the Victor Roberts Building (formerly the Old Sears Building), 1408 N. Kingshighway, and end at Tandy Recreation Center in the historic Ville.
A strategy meeting will be held at 7 p.m. today (Thursday, May 22), at Pleasant Grove Church, 2411 Belleglade.