During the legislative session, State Rep. Talibdin El-Amin was leading the charge to remove more than a century of state control over the city police department.

Now, El-Amin, saying that crime in some parts of St. Louis is out of control, is asking Gov. Matt Blunt to bring in National Guard officers to patrol the streets of his district, a swath of St. Louis from Delmar Boulevard north to W. Florissant Ave.

“In the past four weeks, there have been more than twenty acts of gun violence within the 57th district, which have claimed the lives of more than six people,” El-Amin wrote to Blunt on Wednesday. “Normal tasks such as going to the grocery story or walking to a neighbor’s house have been surmounted with a growing level of fear and discontent amongst citizens. The safety and well-being of city residents can no longer be compromised. Like my constituents, I want a solution.”

El-Amin asks the governor to send in the guard’s Civil Support Team, which, according to the letter, can be dispatched without issuing a state of emergency.

It will be interesting to see how the governor, as well as City Hall, responds to the request.