Growing Insecurity.
Growing insecurity is a major factor contributing to Downtown falling far behind its peer cities.
Let’s take a look at drug-dealing and guns; cruising, drag racing, illegal vehicles and other traffic violations; problem properties; homelessness; & liquor licensing problems in downtown:
Shown: Gun seizures in downtown May, 2020. Gun violence has increased in downtown St. Louis.
Increase in Downtown Gun Violence 2008-2017
Percentage increase (2008-2017) in Aggravated Gun Assaults:
-Downtown: 173%
-Downtown West: 326%
-Columbus Square: 423%
Increase in Gun Violence Across Downtown’s Three Neighborhoods (2008-2017)
There are several sources of gun violence in downtown St. Louis: active drug markets; late night economy violence; cruising violence; & more infrequently, violent interactions between homeless persons or between drug dealers and homeless persons.
Guns confiscated by St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department in downtown St. Louis on May 9th, 2020:
Drug markets & guns.
Active drug markets lead to violent interactions between rival drug dealers as well as drug dealers and their clients. There are two primary drug markets in downtown: closed-air (apartment buildings/condo buildings) and open-air (Metrolink stations, parks, etc.).
Gun violence in downtown is often associated with cruising, drag racing and illegal ATVs and other vehicles. Police are finding weapons of all kinds when searching vehicles.
Guns are many times in cars. Below video source: Snap Chat May 13th, 2020:
Rolling gun battles in downtown.
March 21st, 2019: Police officers mark shell casings at the intersection of Clark ST & Tucker BLVD in downtown St. Louis.
Drag racing, cruising, illegal vehicles and other traffic violations in downtown.
Drag racing in Downtown?
Most of downtown’s insecurity occurs after night falls, generally on weekends. So even when downtown is a safe, great place to be most days, nighttime activities, and the resulting very bad news reports, bring all of downtown’s numbers down (apartments, condos, offices, retail & tourism).
The drag-racing crash shown here happened May 3rd, 2020 around 1:30 AM at Broadway & Washington Avenue. Many, many vehicles can be seen cruising in the area in the video. This is common place now in downtown on weekend evenings.
Revving engines, loud exhaust, burnouts, doughnuts … on major streets near major attractions.
Vehicles regularly race around downtown St. Louis keeping residents awake, startling tourists and generally giving a feeling of complete lawlessness. In this video, a man carelessly and imprudently does doughnuts in the middle of Market Street, under new lights installed by the existing CID. Bystanders cheer the man on as he weaves in and out of lanes just two blocks north of the St. Louis Cardinals Busch Stadium and two blocks west of the newly renovated Gateway Arch National Park, directly nextdoor to Kiener Plaza and the Ballpark Hilton.
Police actions are ignored.
Even after St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department takes action by placing Jersey barricades throughout downtown, violators continue these detrimental behaviors, causing roaring engines, loud screeching of tires, burning rubber & smoke, chaotic & dangerous driving …
This video was posted to social media July ~11th, 2020.
Cruisers in downtown often hang out of vehicles, ride on hoods of vehicles or roofs of vehicles, and enter parking lots which are not fully gated to party, rev engines and burn out, etc.
These vehicles are parked perpendicular to traffic blocking 13th Street at Washington AVE on SAT July 11th, 2020.
This image shows a passenger hanging out of a vehicle in motion on SAT July 11th, 2020.
Riding on top of vehicles.
Late SAT July 11th/early morning SUN July 12th, 2020: one woman rides on the hood of a Jeep while the other hangs out the side while the vehicle moves down Washington Avenue in downtown.
Not all insecurity is limited to nighttime activities.
The below videos were posted the week of April 26th, 2020, and they show similar activities to nighttime cruising & drag racing in downtown, differing in that these begin during the daytime. The videos show an area of downtown just south on 4th Street near Busch Stadium and Ballpark Village.
ATVs & other illegal vehicles.
Dirt bikes in Downtown? Wheelies in Downtown? Dirt bikes AND wheelies in Downtown?
This video speaks for itself.
July 26, 2020: Motorbikes, one doing a wheelie, drive west on Washington Avenue.
When did it become legal to 4-wheel in downtown?
And 4-wheel on your back two wheels in downtown?
Leonor K. Sullivan BLVD | Gateway Arch Grounds
No plates. Wheelie. There is a lot wrong in this picture.
At least three four wheelers on 8th ST, two blocks south of the Convention & Visitors Center.
Problem properties come in many forms.
Some contribute to other problems, such as cruising, as seen in the image below.
Vehicles park to party on Saturday July 11th, 2020 at 1101 Washington AVE in downtown St. Louis. This parking lot is owned by an out of town operator. It lacks sufficient lighting, is not fully gated, and is therefore dark and open to non-paying customers that can park and party, burn out/do doughnuts, etc.
Shown below are illegal fireworks fired from an apartment building near Old Post Office Plaza. This video was shot July 4th, 2020.
Here we see again that a parking facility that is not properly lit or fully gated allows for more misbehavior in the heart of downtown St. Louis. This video is shot July 5th, 2020.
Homelessness.
Downtown St. Louis is more & more often the stage for protest.
And sometimes, specifically after nightfall, protest is overtaken by criminal activity. This video was shot Tuesday, June 2nd, 2020 at the intersection of Convention Plaza & Tucker BLVD, next to Shell gas station. Multiple weapons can be heard being fired while a vehicle burns in the intersection next to the gas station.
Liquor License Problems.
The following images show multiple storefronts shot out during a June 2019 event called the “Missouri Coming Out Party”. This event was held by the owner of FriedSTL located at 1330 Washington AVE. The event was held in the ground floor of the Ely Walker Building. Neither FriedSTL or the Ely Walker ground floor where the event was held was issued a liquor license.
Multiple different storefronts were shot out as well as an upper floor loft unit window. Buildings hit in the shoot out included Ely Walker, Windows Lofts, SIBA & FriedSTL.
The event utilized a loop hole in the City of St. Louis Excise Law allowing the FriedSTL owner to cater in liquor from a business he owned on Cherokee Street.
