I support Slay, and all things considered, think he has done a great job as mayor. But he’s just plain wrong on this issue. Perhaps he has a hard time understanding, living in his ritzy south-side nabe, why those who live in constant fear of violent crime might want to take measures to defend themselves. If the mayor has such confidence in the police, why doesn’t he get a nice home in Walnut Park?

What exactly has Slay done that is great??? Please enlighten me. Was it what he has done with crime? Or education? Or how about economic development? How about Ball Park Village?

Between Slay and Irene Smith…………..St. Louis City is screwed. No way around that one.

““I used the sad occasion of the ceremony,” Slay wrote later, “to urge St. Louisans to make every effort to get handguns off our streets.””

If that were the solution, why doesnt the good mayor ask to disarm his police force?

Yes, Nick, you keep saying that, but where’s the beef? Simply believing something and saying so doesn’t make it so. The evidence that owning a gun leads to a reduction in crime is mixed at best. Contrast that with the evidence that many other policies–from community policing to more federal funds for overtime–actually can decrease crime.

Slay’s home address in this case isn’t important. Many people who don’t live in ritzy southside neighborhoods think that Troupe’s position is silly grandstanding.

To answer Mr. Democrat,

I am a convert. After doing some research I now am a full supporter of Mayor Slay. Here is a small list of only some of the accomplishments in the past 7 years.

-More people are moving into the City for the first time in 50 years.
-more than five billion dollars in new investment in neighborhoods in all parts of the City (almost $2 Billion has been invested on the Northside alone)
-City government is operating more efficiently and effectively.
-The City’s credit rating has gone up.
-The city is cleaner thanks to his anti litter efforts
-Crime is going down despite the efforts against the Police by people like Troupe
-$1-million prisoner re-entry program
-The City now spends millions of dollars each year to help low income elderly citizens deal with the extreme heat and extreme cold
-Has reduced homelessnes in St. Louis by 30%
-Created the affordable housing trust
-reduced the lead poisoning rate for children by almost two third from 13.6% to 4.6%
-created the family justice center
-created a summer job program for low income kids after the federal government elinimated summer programs for kids

There is more but this list alone is more than the last three mayors did and more than any folks that have been mentioned to run against Slay would ever dream of doing. Like it or not, he is a good mayor.

Convert,

The crime rate now is higher than when Slay entered office, atleast 15 local schools have closed on his watch, developers are selling the Slayed TIFed land at a profit (which is criminal), outside of downtown Slay has been an utter failure and one can even make an arguement that the downtown development has been below average. Do you know the vacancy rate of downtown lofts?

The re-entry fund is from the state level not the municipal level and Jamilah Nasheed and Rodney Hubbard did the majority of that work, not Slay.

Sure Slay has done a few good things, what Mayor hasn’t outside of Harmon.

I dont see any real leadership that is prepared to lead in St. Louis. There is definitely none at City Hall.

I live in what has been described as the neighborhood with the “highest crime rate.” Although, that is mostly a fiction of statistics, there is still quite a bit of crimes against persons and even more crimes against property in my neighborhood. That being the case, I want fewer, not more, guns on the streets. While I realize that a ban on hand-guns and assault riffles (nothing used for hunting) would not eliminate their presence in our community, a reduction certainly would limit the ability of law-breakers to steal them from law-abiders. And, at the same time reduce the likelihood of being shot within one’s own home, which is greater if there is a gun kept in the home. I did not sign-up to be a cop; I did not receive the appropriate training to be a cop; I don’t want to be a cop. No civilian should want to play cop.

Overall crime in the City of St. Louis is down 10% this year and 15% last year. What is interesting is that the majority of homicides are black on black crime. So I ask Black Democrat, what are you and other African-Americans leaders doing to address this issue? I think it is much easier for you to blame the white mayor than address issues in your own community.

Black Dem…you’re going to blame the Mayor for vacant lofts? People are facing foreclosures across the country. The realstate markets are collapsing and Bush & Co. are bailing out banks and handing them money as if they’re cruising on one of their Republican CEO yachts….Speaking of yachts, that’s the only business that’s booming under the Bush policies of the last 8 years….Yachts sales have tripled since 2003. And people wonder where all the money has gone? And you thought it was in the ritzy southside neighborhoods of Corondelet.

Insider, I am a county resident and I’m proud of it. But I do mentor and help coach at Herbert Hoover Boys club. I fully understand Slay can’t solve all St. Louis problems on his own, but I’m aware that very few blacks have a seat at the table as well. But why is this black/white thing. No where in my post did I indicate that I fault him for being white or make any racial acquisations. Insider you are part of the intergral problem in St. Louis, you look at north St. Louis as though its not the City of St. Louis community……….that’s why St. Louis has fallen from being a great city. If St. Louis stop lookin at itself as black vs white, southside vs northside maybe then something positive could happened, but you my friend showed why St. Louis City is stagnate (well declining) and not making any progress.

Garrison,
I don’t blame Slay for people not moving into the lofts, he cant control that. But I do blame him for giving developers tax credits and incentives for building living occupancies that people aren’t willing to buy.

Slay did not create the Family Justice Center. That was a group effort of many local agencies. Yes, he supported the proposal to have the Center here, but that’s about it. What mayor wouldn’t do that?

I think all of you who don’t live in the City, like Black Democract, should focus on your own community because you have plenty of problems out there to keep you busy!

The county has a lot less problems then St. Louis City, for one we arent running with our hat in hand trying to have a city county merger, secondly our government is ran much more efficiently than the city. And as long as I am a proud business owner, tax payer, and a healthy contributor to the city of St. Louis I will voice my concerns about it.

Of 27 employees that I have 20 are city residents. I chose to locate my business in the city and sought no tax credits for doing so. Why because whats good for the goose is good for the gander. I don’t duck taxes through fancy accounting works or a savy tax lawyer.

And I aam able to multitask and focus on more than one problem at a time. You should be thankful for people like me who actually make positivie contributions to the City of St. Louis.

“I want fewer, not more, guns on the streets. While I realize that a ban on hand-guns and assault riffles (nothing used for hunting) would not eliminate their presence in our community, a reduction certainly would limit the ability of law-breakers to steal them from law-abiders. ”

How about we ban cars too? That would prevent criminals from having access to steal them wouldnt it? It should be easier to ban cars too, they arent protected in the Constitution.

About these “assault rifles”, what is it that makes a regular rifle an “assault rifle”? And does this apply to other instruments as well? Is a long handled spoon more likely to be used as an assault spoon than a regular short handled spoon?

“And, at the same time reduce the likelihood of being shot within one’s own home, which is greater if there is a gun kept in the home.”

What? By your logic, I am XX number of times more likely to be shot in my home because I have XX number of weapons. What about the likely hood of a criminal to be shot in my home during the commission of a crime? I would also be twice as likely to be in a car accident because I have two vehicles.

“I did not sign-up to be a cop; I did not receive the appropriate training to be a cop; I don’t want to be a cop. No civilian should want to play cop.”

Civilians cant play cop, impersonating an officer is a criminal offense. Civilians can and should accept some responsibility for their own safety and well being.

Here’s a novel idea - why don’t you Dems vote for a Republican? WHen you don’t like Washington because of the GOP, the voters try a Democrat? Why not try this in St. Louis? It couldn’t get any worse.

There goes Sub Par with his flawed “Guns vs. Cars” anaolgy.
Know what? If the only purpose for driving cars was to inflict bodily harm on others [instead of transportion and economic commerce] they would be outlawed….

Imagine a society where we needed more cars to protect ourselves from other cars.
I’ll run you over first if I have to protect myself!
Tell Homer Simpson I said Hello.

The constitution does not ‘protect guns’ the constitution says arms, it also ways ‘well regulated militia’. Does this mean if I band together a group of veterans we should be able to legal own missile launchers??? Or how about nuclear warheads. I sure would feel alot safer. At some point simple logic has to step in.

Its funny the same people who are gung-ho about ‘arms’, are the same ones who wanted to disarm Saddam and the rest of the civilized world.

BD, so you are one of the people who claim the “militia clause”, ok, fine, answer this for me, The Constitution refers to “the people” five times in the Bill of Rights, in which other amendment does “the people” not mean “the people”, or is this exclusive to the 2nd?

While I sympathize with the Aldermans constiuents, I’m hard pressed to think that by arming them that they will be less likely to be held up or at worst murdered. No one seems to be addressing/discussing the root cause for crimes. Lack of Education + unemployment=crime. What can the City/BOA do to bring in work to the area to better the lives of those who are committing the most crimes? Am I saying educate and employ criminals? no, get to them before they are criminals.

This is a long problem for Cities across the US that have pockets of poor areas and I really believe that it goes back to lack of education and then as these kids get older, lack of employment opportunities.

When people say “focus on your own neighborhood” they seem to be forgetting that this is one big City and if one neighborhood goes so do the rest. You think that your south city ‘hood isnt effected by crime in North City? Try insurance premiums going up because of overall crime in the City, police department pulling officers from south city to north city because of the high crime - point being, you cant just sluff it all off to those who live in those neighborhoods and say it’s their problem and wash your hands of it. You have to help too big guy

There are not any easy or simple answers to gun-related crimes. The Mayor is the politician that is throwing emotions and the past into a personal battle with Alderman Troupe. He could have very easily focused on the memorial for what it was, a time to remember another young person that wanted to make a difference makiing the ultimate sacrifice. He made a political choice to mention Alderman Troupe and the action that Alderman Troupe proposed. It is like jr. high, where two ego-centric hormone-raged boys have to get the last word in an argument.