Many also spoke sympathetically of Charles "Cookie" Thornton, the man who murdered five at the Kirkwood City Hall Thursday night before police gunned him down. One man called Thornton a "hero."

About 100 people jammed the two-hour emergency meeting in the former J. Milton Turner school, an 84-year-old building that was renovated into a community center. Roughly one third of those present were white. Annie Bell Thornton, the killer’s mother, sat in the front row.

Association President Harriett Patton opened the meeting saying, "I have been crying all night, and I’m trying...." Overcome by more tears, she couldn’t continue. A procession of ministers then spoke of God’s love and the need for prayer and healing, but also called for Kirkwood and beyond to understand Meacham Park, the predominantly African-American area of the suburb.

"It takes prayer and it takes time. This is something that took place over time, and perhaps it could have been avoided," said Elder Harry Jones of Men and Women of Faith Ministries. "There always has been a great divide between Kirkwood and Meacham Park."

He received many "amens."

Several white residents said they wanted to learn more about the problems in Meacham Park and offered to help. One woman, who identified herself only as Anna, sobbed as she said, "I am so sad. I want to know what I can do as a white woman to make this change?"

Minister Joy Williams, who had spoken earlier of growing up in Meacham Park, approached Anna and said, "Give me a hug."

Other speeches had a harder edge. Ben Gordon, a black man from Webster Groves, said, "To me, Cookie Thornton is a hero. He was an athlete... He opened a business. He went to court, but the system failed him... We are sorry, we grieve, but (Kirkwood officials) share in this responsibility."

Ending his speech to loud applause, Gordon called him "a soldier who paid the price for liberty."

But the Rev. Miguel Brinkley, pastor of the Kirkwood Church of God, strongly disagreed, saying Thornton’s actions "were not the way God says things should be handled." Later in the meeting, when the issue came back up, Meacham Park native Laura Brassfield said, "He was a hero to this community for things he did before. In his last act, he was not a hero."

Meacham Park was settled by whites in the 1890s, but became a rural black community before World War I. It was annexed by Kirkwood after a referendum in 1991. Kirkwood and St. Louis County built new housing at no cost to residents, and55 acres were cleared to build a major shopping center on Kirkwood Road.

Michael Moore, who called himself a friend of Thornton, said, "Kirkwood has gotten rich off the backs of the blacks in Meacham Park... Kirkwood adopted us, for only for the check."

A tearful Shannon Hicks, another Meacham Park native, said, "We have to start bridging this gap with our children. We have to stop thinking about (Kirkwood) as Mayberry and realize this is the real world."

Franklin McCallie, longtime former principal at Kirkwood High School, said he spoke often to Thornton several years ago in an effort to resolve his conflict with city hall. He said he considered Thornton a friend but admitted he didn’t understand his disagreement, noting that Kirkwood offered to cancel Thornton’s stack of parking tickets if he’d start obeying the ordinances.

"He said, ‘It’s a matter of principle to me.’ He wanted to sue for millions," McCallie said. "When this happened last night, I felt so helpless."

Annie Thornton spoke last, saying, "We’ve got to do things the Bible way. I’m sad that this happened."

Patton, the association president, said it will hold another public session on Feb. 25 and is planning a vigil.

"What happened is not the description of Meacham Park. We are trying very hard to make things better," Patton said.

She noted that Kirkwood Councilwoman Connie Karr, who was among those murdered, had served as the association’s secretary. "She took that time for us," Patton said. "We have to work together."

toneil@post-dispatch.com | 314-340-8132