ST. LOUIS – In the wake of the weekend shooting deal of a 7-year-old and her father, St. Louis City leaders cite a myriad of causes for all the murders in the city. But at least one official says drastic steps are needed to bring down the crime.
Aldermen Brandon Bosley says the city needs to be shut down to allow authorities to get control of the streets. He says things are out of control at the moment and some semblance of order has to be restored.
Bosley once suggested bringing in the Missouri National Guard to bring down crime. Other leaders had ideas not nearly as drastic.
St. Louis Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed says the city is working to get control of crime but still has not done enough.
Reed was the main backer of the Cure Violence program, which carried a $7 million price tag. He also came up with the idea for a $400,000 reward fund for tips about murders.
St Louis Urban League President and CEO Michael McMillan says there are many causes of the killing like lack of jobs, lack of resources and poor education. He says those must be tackled in order to make significant changes in bringing down the murders.
In the month of January alone, 17 people were killed in the city, compared with 13 last year.
In all, 262 people were murdered in 2020, a near-record. That was a deadly 30% leap from the year prior.
