St. Louis, known for its rich history and vibrant culture, also bears a more troubling distinction. The city has long wrestled with one of the highest violent crime rates in the country. A situation that prompts urgent discussions on safety, responsibility, and the roles different stakeholders play in addressing crime.
In a recent development, St. Louis’s Democratic Mayor Tishaura Jones offered a mind blowing perspective.
Imagine this: You own a business and get robbed at gun point. Well…it’s your fault.
During the Memphis meeting of the Black Mayors Coalition on Crime, which concluded on March 28th, Mayor Jones blamed the role of local businesses in curbing crime rates. This conference, though closed to media, was a platform where various strategies to tackle urban crime were explored. Mayor Jones, in an interview with WMC-TV, highlighted a specific challenge: the surge of violence around convenience stores and gas stations. She raised the question of accountability, suggesting a shift towards holding business owners accountable for crimes committed on their premises.
“We have a lot of violence around convenience stores and gas stations. So how can we hold those business owners accountable and also bring down crime? Some of the things are already doing, we’re finding other mayors are doing as well,” she said.
So it’s no longer the city’s problem (that you pay taxes to) it’s the businesses issue.
However, the narrative doesn’t end here. Memphis Mayor Paul Young, another attendee of the conference – who’s city is also flooded with crime – brought an intriguing angle to the conversation. He suggested that the issue might not solely be the rise in crime but also the public’s perception of safety. According to Mayor Young, despite what the national crime data might suggest, if people do not feel safe, then the statistics lose their relevance.
But, speaking of data, the statistics from Memphis tell a story that cannot be ignored.
The Memphis Shelby Crime Commission noted significant increases in overall crime, property crime, and violent crime in 2023 compared to 2022. These figures challenge the notion that crime might be decreasing, underscoring the severity of the issue at hand.
St. Louis, with its “F” rating from CrimeGrade.org and historically high murder rates, stands as a critical example of urban centers grappling with entrenched crime problems. Since Mayor Jones took office in 2021, the search for effective solutions has become more pressing.
