It was slightly more than two weeks ago when bullets continued to fly around a Northside African-American, work-ethic neighborhood.  Last Spring, mothers let their girls play hopscotch on the sidewalks, and the boys would play a short-term baseball game in the streets, near the watchful eye of their big brother or sister, or mother.

Today the O’Fallon/Penrose neighborhood is on high alert, after the rash of senseless murders and violence by apparent gang warfare.

Darlene Noble was shot and killed several Tuesday mornings ago, outside a vacant four-family flat in the 4300 block of Lee Avenue. Like the last four other shootings in one week in that area, residents -- including Operation Unity residents -- called it a cowardly act.

More than 150 area residents have become sick and tired of the gunshots – deaths and injuries during the recent rash of shootings and high drama in the O’Fallon and Penrose neighborhoods in north St. Louis, so much they sought help from their elected officials and their police department’s gang unit.

A group fed up with the deadly violence, recently marched the streets of North St. Louis, united and led by, state Rep. Jamilah Nasheed, D-Mo., Mayor Francis Slay, Police Chief Dan Isom, James Clark, Alderman Antonio French, ministers and residents, some members of Operation Unity.

There have been at least five reported shootings, two of which were fatal, within one week in that north side neighborhood. Mayor Slay called for unity as he spoke to members of the organized prayer vigil. Those members had previously marched around the neighborhoods chanting “What do we need? Peace. When do we need it? Now.”

“What’s going on in this neighborhood is unacceptable to you and it’s unacceptable to me,” said Mayor Slay. “You should be able to walk the streets of your own neighborhoods without fear. Your children should be able to play outside without fear, and senior citizens shouldn’t have to feel afraid of leaving their homes.”

The mayor asked area ministers, community leaders and residents and to help inform the St. Louis Police department and the special gang unit about those who are causing trouble in their neighborhoods.

“We believe these are two gangs at war with each other,” said Chief Isom. “We’re going to need your help to find them and get them out of your neighborhoods.”

Isom informed the group that they have one suspect already, and are in the process of seeking a warrant for another suspect.

But, Isom said, police needed additional names.  He also asked the residents to call Crime Stoppers, where they didn’t have to give their names.  It’s 866-371-8477, if you believe you have information to help solve any of the recent shootings in the O’Fallon/Penrose neighborhood.

About 10 local ministers had the children, young adults, community leaders, law enforcement and elected officials to circle around an open lot at Lee and Turner, where a smaller circle was erected of ministers, who stood and began praying for the victims, family members and for safety and cooperation, as each participants began holding each another’s hands in a show of unity.

Rep. Nasheed said she was not a stranger to violence and spoke passionately about the violence that she's seen in her own life. Nasheed said her father was killed in a drive-by shooting and her mother committed suicide at the age of 25.

“It’s going to take education and jobs to help get rid of crime in our community,” Nasheed emphasized to the concerned crowd, who surrounded her and other speakers at the corner of Lee and Turner recently. “It’s also going to take adults to start taking responsibility for the kids in the area.”

“There is no issue that we face today as important as the crisis of violence in our neighborhoods,” said James Clark, VP Community Outreach for Better Family Life, Inc. “The climate of violence and crime has crippled the neighborhoods.  Our seniors are afraid to sit on their porches, we hear gunshots daily, and our young men are dying in the streets.”

Isom also told the St. Louis Argus that for the next 30 days the department is blanketing the area with patrol officers. They'll be getting to know many of the residents, stepping up a 24/7 alert of the special gang unit to find criminals, arrest them and have them prosecuted.

After 30 days, city hall, and the police department will reassess where they are in terms of effectiveness and what steps will be taken for the next phase of operation, Isom said.

“I believe our Mayor, and Police Chief are two of the best in the country,” said Clark.  “They provide resources to help.  The solution to this issue will also come from the block.  When men stand up on the block the violence will end.”

A Better Family Life official confided that high unemployment and high crime go hand in hand. They responded at the event by informing the crowd that through their Neighborhood Alliance, which is currently active in two St. Louis City high crime neighborhoods, helped by offering job placement and skill based training opportunities at the MET Center.  Such opportunities also helped cool down tensions.

An arbitrator has ruled that the city must immediately stop furlough days for union police officers and pay them the money that has been taken from their checks since the furloughs started.

The ruling presents a problem for the city because the mandatory furlough days, along with pay reductions were implemented for city workers as part of a plan to balance the 2010 fiscal budget, which is now nearly six months late.

The city has to have a balanced budget to operate its daily functions. Without a balanced budget, the city will be forced to shut down. To avoid that situation, city leaders are putting their heads together.  A special city council meeting is set for noon on Friday. Mayor Alvin L. Parks, Jr., said much of the discussion there will be about the budget. He did not say how much of the discussion would be in open meeting, however.
 

City Manager Deletra Hudson, when asked where the city goes from here, said it is weighing its options.

"Unfortunately, I can't answer that question," Hudson said. "I don't know where the city will get money to repay the employees. We need additional revenue sources or expenditure reduction programs. If we could have afforded to pay the officers, we would not have implemented the furlough days."

At a prior city council meeting, which was packed with angry police and firemen, city leaders said it was either the furloughs and everyone keeps a job, or layoffs.
Parks would not say whether the city will now have massive layoffs.
Hudson said before the city makes any repayments, "We'll consider an appeal."
The city has 30 days to file for an appeal.

Asked how the ruling would impact the budget that was approved by the Financial Advisory Authority, which oversees city spending, Hudson said she was not sure.
"The city has not been in this financial position since I've been here," she said.

Arbitrator Brian Clauss said, in his ruling, "I agree with the city, in part. The city must reimburse the employees whose pay was deducted, despite working. The city must also reimburse those who were placed on mandatory furlough. The city must also return to the work schedule as detailed in the manning table for the Collective Bargaining Agreement."

Additionally, the city "must immediately cease the imposition of the mandatory furlough days."

Clauss said if the city wants to consider implementing mandatory furlough days or reduction of pay in the future, it must follow the notification and negotiation terms of the collective bargaining agreement.

Clauss wrote in his ruling that "the parties have a long and professional relationship (and) they are ordered to meet to review and discuss the remedy."

Clauss said that despite the city's financial conditions, it cannot unilaterally implement pay and workweek decisions that violate the union contract.

Bill Mehrtens, the field representative for the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 126, said, "We were delighted with the ruling."

Mehrtens said he was confident from the beginning that the arbitrator would rule the way he did because what the city did "was a clear violation of the bargaining agreement."
Mehrtens said he wishes the city would have bargained with the union prior to imposing the furlough days earlier this month.

Union Lodge 126 President Dennis Butler said, "We won everything we asked for because the city was in violation of our union agreement. I want to see how they will balance their budget now, since they balanced their budget on our backs."

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