We don't have nearly the manpower to pursue stop & frisk even if we wanted to.
Can we charge the judge who released the idiot that shot and paralyzed the vet? How many priors did he have and why was the judge so lenient.
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In north St. Louis, about a block west of N. Grand in the vicinity of N. Market, there's one of those 24/7 police cameras mounted on a light pole.
You can tell it's a police camera because of the red and blue LED lights blinking brightly from the fixture. This particular installation has two cameras mounted on the pole, each facing down separate streets.
What's to stop a bad guy with a gun from blowing those cameras to smithereens?
You can tell it's a police camera because of the red and blue LED lights blinking brightly from the fixture. This particular installation has two cameras mounted on the pole, each facing down separate streets.
What's to stop a bad guy with a gun from blowing those cameras to smithereens?
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Nothing at all, but at least it would be on camera. And they'd be wasting 2 bullets that could otherwise be used on a human.Northside Neighbor wrote:In north St. Louis, about a block west of N. Grand in the vicinity of N. Market, there's one of those 24/7 police cameras mounted on a light pole.
You can tell it's a police camera because of the red and blue LED lights blinking brightly from the fixture. This particular installation has two cameras mounted on the pole, each facing down separate streets.
What's to stop a bad guy with a gun from blowing those cameras to smithereens?
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Isn't there a way to shield those cameras from high powered gunfire so that they'd survive such attacks?
The one I saw yesterday appeared to be unprotected, but maybe the shielding is compact and hard to detect?
The one I saw yesterday appeared to be unprotected, but maybe the shielding is compact and hard to detect?
I'm a little concerned about the political risk associated with Alderman French's push for a "comprehensive plan" to deal with crime. Last week French and some other aldermen had a meeting with Mayor Slay about it. French has been pushing for this for months. Slay finally met with him over pressure on the stadium deal. French tweeted out that it was a positive first step and that a second meeting is planned.
Let's say they agree on a plan. That's where the risk comes in. With plans come accountability for results. What if they adopt the plan and the results are the same - a high gun violence rate and no change in the murder count? Do all the elected get voted out?
It's true that having a plan is better than not having a plan. You have to start somewhere and at least try to make a difference. But crime is a different sort of thing. It's economically driven. As Virvus Jones says, "poverty is the father of crime". Until we deal with the poverty issue, we will have a crime problem. Plans to reduce poverty are much more complicated and expensive than plans to reduce crime.
The writing effort to create this new comprehensive crime plan will be a good one. 2015/2016 big year for tough planning efforts...Ferguson Commission, Comprehensive Plan (on crime), etc. We can do the planning. But are people in St. Louis willing to accept change - or point the finger and assign blame?
Maybe we will learn that the planning part is easy and the doing part is near impossible. Simple question. Think of yourself. How will you change after these plans? What sacrifices are you willing to make? What extra are you willing to give? What's your role? (All questions pointed to NN and everyone else...).
Let's say they agree on a plan. That's where the risk comes in. With plans come accountability for results. What if they adopt the plan and the results are the same - a high gun violence rate and no change in the murder count? Do all the elected get voted out?
It's true that having a plan is better than not having a plan. You have to start somewhere and at least try to make a difference. But crime is a different sort of thing. It's economically driven. As Virvus Jones says, "poverty is the father of crime". Until we deal with the poverty issue, we will have a crime problem. Plans to reduce poverty are much more complicated and expensive than plans to reduce crime.
The writing effort to create this new comprehensive crime plan will be a good one. 2015/2016 big year for tough planning efforts...Ferguson Commission, Comprehensive Plan (on crime), etc. We can do the planning. But are people in St. Louis willing to accept change - or point the finger and assign blame?
Maybe we will learn that the planning part is easy and the doing part is near impossible. Simple question. Think of yourself. How will you change after these plans? What sacrifices are you willing to make? What extra are you willing to give? What's your role? (All questions pointed to NN and everyone else...).
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If this bit of a lull in homicides in the city continues we may be fortunate enough to end the year below 200... but it's way too early to be overly optimistic about a sustained drop.
In a span of just three days, five people were shot and killed in St. Paul and Minneapolis. As of Friday afternoon, police had made no arrests in any of the cases as they scrambled to figure out who fired the fatal shots and why.
Authorities have said in each of the incidents that the public is not at risk — including one Wednesday night in which a man was shot at a vigil honoring a woman three years after she had been killed near the same spot by an alleged gang member.
“There’s too many killings every day, too many bodies getting dropped,” said a St. Paul man who heard the gunshots from the Earl Street Bridge on Thursday from his home nearby. The man did not identify himself Friday out of fear for his safety.
As police investigate the motives behind the killings, officers on both sides of the river Friday said they are taking steps to address the spike in gun violence.
St. Paul police are reassigning some officers from specialty units to cover “hot spots,” including on the East Side, where two shootings took place just blocks apart within 24 hours of each other, police spokesman Sgt. Mike Ernster said.
Ernster declined to identify the locations and number of officers to be allocated, but said, “The public will notice an increase in officer presence as we deal with these issues.”
The killings this week were the eighth and ninth in St. Paul this year. In 2014, a total of 11 homicides were reported.
http://www.startribune.com/minneapolis- ... 333426861/
Authorities have said in each of the incidents that the public is not at risk — including one Wednesday night in which a man was shot at a vigil honoring a woman three years after she had been killed near the same spot by an alleged gang member.
“There’s too many killings every day, too many bodies getting dropped,” said a St. Paul man who heard the gunshots from the Earl Street Bridge on Thursday from his home nearby. The man did not identify himself Friday out of fear for his safety.
As police investigate the motives behind the killings, officers on both sides of the river Friday said they are taking steps to address the spike in gun violence.
St. Paul police are reassigning some officers from specialty units to cover “hot spots,” including on the East Side, where two shootings took place just blocks apart within 24 hours of each other, police spokesman Sgt. Mike Ernster said.
Ernster declined to identify the locations and number of officers to be allocated, but said, “The public will notice an increase in officer presence as we deal with these issues.”
The killings this week were the eighth and ninth in St. Paul this year. In 2014, a total of 11 homicides were reported.
http://www.startribune.com/minneapolis- ... 333426861/
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It is unfortunate that people in this article are jumping to the conclusion that race is the reason the churches are burning in North City. We do not have a suspect. He could be any race and have any motivation, including mental illness, yet this article almost implies it is racism and brings up Ferguson. Doesn't help that they interviewed a guy saying this proves how bad racism is in STL. Ridiculous to imply without any evidence, that race is the motive in the arsons.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/22/us/st-lou ... =obnetwork
http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/22/us/st-lou ... =obnetwork
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Looks like we have a total of 217 homicides y.t.d. in the City (165) & County (52). But while we have so far to go, we have seen a bit of a slow down in the number of homicides in the city the past month or two.... hopefully we've hit peak and will see a sustained drop soon.
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Guess this ends any speculation that these church fires were racially motivated. Looks like a whack-job to me. . .
http://fox2now.com/2015/10/30/suspect-u ... rch-fires/
http://fox2now.com/2015/10/30/suspect-u ... rch-fires/
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Figures it would be a KC Royals fan. Hopefully this guy did all of em and isn't just a copy-cat (if he is indeed guilty in the ones he's charged).
With October crime stats out, I think we're getting some pretty strong data to make the case that the "crime spike" has essentially ended and what we're facing now is whether we maintain more or less this present high rate of homicide and gun assaults or if we are fortunate enough to have violent crime go back down.
http://www.slmpd.org/crimestats/CRM0013-BY_201510.pdf
After August, for example, y.t.d. homicides were up 60% compared to '14, while now it's only a 38% increase. But even at last month's lower number of 15 homicides, that's still an annualized rate of 180 murders.
But aside from homicides and gun assaults, reported crimes are essentially at the levels of 2012-2013. And of course overall crime is a localized event varying from neighborhood to neighborhood... e.g. in TGS, both property crime and crimes against persons are down over last year while their both up in TGE.
http://www.slmpd.org/crimestats/CRM0013-BY_201510.pdf
After August, for example, y.t.d. homicides were up 60% compared to '14, while now it's only a 38% increase. But even at last month's lower number of 15 homicides, that's still an annualized rate of 180 murders.
But aside from homicides and gun assaults, reported crimes are essentially at the levels of 2012-2013. And of course overall crime is a localized event varying from neighborhood to neighborhood... e.g. in TGS, both property crime and crimes against persons are down over last year while their both up in TGE.
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I'm concerned with the crimes like the carjackings that have been happening in Holly Hills, the knockout game in Tower Grove and the shootings on the southside, Jefferson by the daycare, random morning and the Bevo shootings. While most of the shootings are not random, I feel like the southside is going to start bleeding population and going down hill big time, if these high-profile crimes continue. I already feel like the state streets and the area bordered by Gravois, Bevo Hill Nabe, Carondelet Park and Jefferson, is getting that way. Seems as if the last 5 years have seen a huge spike in crime. Not to mention, if you drive down there, there are vacant houses, trash everywhere and random drug deals going on in broad daylight. I mention this because that is exactly what I saw, going through that area for the first time in a while (drove there last week, random morning). I was disappointed to see the downward shift, this area has experienced. What can be done to reverse the trend in deep south city???
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Many have long wondered when/if the South Side would go the way of the North Side. I think there was a break while the trick was turned on a good portion of North County and now we’re finally getting around to larger chunks of the South Side. As neighborhoods and housing are rendered uninhabitable the cancer spreads to the next available host. It's very organic.
In a way, the garbage in the streets is public sign of ownership, a way of saying to the unwanted “this is ours”, don’t come around changing our lifestyle with your higher standards and calls to 911 and stuff like that. You aren’t welcomed.
In a way, the garbage in the streets is public sign of ownership, a way of saying to the unwanted “this is ours”, don’t come around changing our lifestyle with your higher standards and calls to 911 and stuff like that. You aren’t welcomed.
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I agree, I feel like the "cancer" is spreading. The lack of ownership is those areas is unacceptable. It is almost like a cycle... Areas are nice and livable, start to take a turn, good people (of all races) move out, the nabe falls into disrepair, businesses close, buildings go vacant, get vandalized, crime skyrockets, trash fills the streets, murders, drugs and gangs take over. Once completely destroyed, everyone moves out and leaves the nabe like a warzone for the 'cool people' hipsters, artsy types, to come in and rehab. While not this simple, it takes generations for this to happen. In a lot of cases, like North City, the 'cool people' do not come in to gentrify. That is where we lose our history, our building stock and our City, eventually. This is what is bothering me so much about the fall of South City. It seems to be spreading. I know a lot of people leaving Holly Hills, Bevo and BLVD Heights. Needless to say, I'm concerned for the City right now. I am not one to panic. We've been through these lulls before, but the spread of decay on the deep Southside, seems to be at a crossroads.
PS_ I was driving on Hampton this morning, in front of the Hampton/ Chippewa McDonalds. I was in my car behind the car of a young woman. She opened her car door and set a huge plastic QT cup full of pink liquid in the middle of street by her door, closed her door and drove. I know I am being mother hen, but I pulled up next to her and gave it to her. Just pisses me off that people have zero pride in keeping things nice. That was more blatant than tossing something out the window, but just struck a nerve. This is a common mentality in the aforementioned nabes.
PS_ I was driving on Hampton this morning, in front of the Hampton/ Chippewa McDonalds. I was in my car behind the car of a young woman. She opened her car door and set a huge plastic QT cup full of pink liquid in the middle of street by her door, closed her door and drove. I know I am being mother hen, but I pulled up next to her and gave it to her. Just pisses me off that people have zero pride in keeping things nice. That was more blatant than tossing something out the window, but just struck a nerve. This is a common mentality in the aforementioned nabes.
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This looks like a brilliant idea for gun owners at Cards games. http://m.stltoday.com/news/local/crime- ... touch=true
As interesting as that would be—maybe even good—it would also be scary.
All of those guns in one place. In an area where passions are often high (in St. Louis we don't have a lot of sports related fights, but it's still a reasonable concern).
And what about the gun owners who become intoxicated? Would they have to blow to get their gun back? Would that be legal? Would GIVING them their gun back if they were intoxicated be legal?
All of those guns in one place. In an area where passions are often high (in St. Louis we don't have a lot of sports related fights, but it's still a reasonable concern).
And what about the gun owners who become intoxicated? Would they have to blow to get their gun back? Would that be legal? Would GIVING them their gun back if they were intoxicated be legal?
It seems like all-in-all a great idea to me. Its certainly preferable in my mind to having people leave them in their cars. I have a lockbox bolted to the frame of my car and it still makes me uncomfortable to leave it in there. As for the intoxication thing - Missouri is actually a little weird about it: http://www.moga.mo.gov/mostatutes/stath ... 00301.HTMLjstriebel wrote:As interesting as that would be—maybe even good—it would also be scary.
All of those guns in one place. In an area where passions are often high (in St. Louis we don't have a lot of sports related fights, but it's still a reasonable concern).
And what about the gun owners who become intoxicated? Would they have to blow to get their gun back? Would that be legal? Would GIVING them their gun back if they were intoxicated be legal?
Here's the relevant part:
If you note the "and" in there - its actually not illegal to have a firearm on your person while intoxicated, unless you use it in a negligent or otherwise unlawful manner. From that point of view, they'd be in the clear giving people their guns back (in theory). The remaining issue would likely be civil liability. I can very easily imagine a scenario where they give a gun back to a drunk patron who then uses it irresponsibly and the victims sue this guy, asserting that he shouldn't have given it back.Has a firearm or projectile weapon readily capable of lethal use on his or her person, while he or she is intoxicated, and handles or otherwise uses such firearm or projectile weapon in either a negligent or unlawful manner or discharges such firearm or projectile weapon unless acting in self-defense
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Someone on the radio pointed out that, while traditional crimes are often committed with illegal stolen guns, those criminals are hoping to avoid using their guns on strangers. Whereas these mass murderers, whose objective is to just kill as many people as they can, usually buy their guns legally. These lone wolfs don't have the gang connections that tie them into the illegal gun market. He was making the point that gun laws that make it more difficult to get assault weapons legally probably would reduce the number of random mass murders.
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gary kreie wrote:Someone on the radio pointed out that, while traditional crimes are often committed with illegal stolen guns, those criminals are hoping to avoid using their guns on strangers. Whereas these mass murderers, whose objective is to just kill as many people as they can, usually buy their guns legally. These lone wolfs don't have the gang connections that tie them into the illegal gun market. He was making the point that gun laws that make it more difficult to get assault weapons legally probably would reduce the number of random mass murders.
Interesting point about illegal guns mostly used in illegal markets.
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California has the strictest gun laws in the country, to include:gary kreie wrote:Someone on the radio pointed out that, while traditional crimes are often committed with illegal stolen guns, those criminals are hoping to avoid using their guns on strangers. Whereas these mass murderers, whose objective is to just kill as many people as they can, usually buy their guns legally. These lone wolfs don't have the gang connections that tie them into the illegal gun market. He was making the point that gun laws that make it more difficult to get assault weapons legally probably would reduce the number of random mass murders.
- 10 Day waiting period after a purchase
- 10 round magazine limit
- "Assault weapons" ban
- Background checks to include private sales (all purchases through a federally licensed dealer require a background check nationwide, contrary to popular talking points)
- Bullet button requirement for magazine release
- "May issue" carry permits instead of "shall issue"
- 30 day waiting period between purchases
- Pretty much every other law that the gun control lobby is advocating for on a national level
And all of the guns used in the most recent shooting were purchased in California.
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