- St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones told the Black Mayors’ Coalition on Crime that she plans to make grocery store owners more accountable for crimes on or near their properties
- The plans are inspired by those used in Atlanta, Georgia, which would make nightclub owners more liable for crimes on their premises
- It comes as the city grapples with a wave of high-profile attacks, including the attack on 15-year-old Kaylee Gain earlier this month.
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones has announced new plans to make grocery store owners more accountable for crimes committed on or off their properties.
Mayor Jones, St. Louis’ first Black female mayor, told leaders of the Black Mayors’ Coalition on Crime in Memphis that St. Louis must combat violent crime and theft around convenience stores.
“There’s a lot of violence around convenience stores and gas stations,” Mayor Jones said Thursday.
“So how can we hold those business owners accountable and reduce crime at the same time?” she asked.
Adding: “Some of the things we are already doing, we notice other mayors are doing too.”
Jones, who has been mayor since 2021, said the other mayor’s ideas, the details of which are not yet clear, will be adapted from laws in Atlanta, Georgia that make nightclub owners more liable for crimes on or near their properties.
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones has announced new plans to make grocery store owners more accountable for the crimes committed on or off their properties
“There’s a lot of violence around convenience stores and gas stations,” Mayor Jones told the Black Mayors’ Coalition on Crime on Thursday.
According to local police, the robberies at the Webster Groves gas station may be connected to others in the metro
In January, a woman was shot and killed at a Jennings supermarket after a struggle ensued. local news reported.
According to reports, a man was shot at a QuikTrip store in south St. Louis earlier this month.
The suspect was shot and killed and the store security guard was shot in the thigh in a struggle over his gun. according to local reports.
The attacks also targeted gas stations, such as the Webster Groves gas station that police have indicated may be connected to other violent robberies.
In 2023, St. Louis was again ranked as the third most dangerous city, behind Detroit and Michigan but also Baltimore.
“The prevalence of firearms, coupled with limited gun control measures, further contributes to St. Louis’ overall crime rate,” real estate Norada wrote about the city.
It comes after a wave of violent attacks in the city, including the recent attack about fifteen-year-old Kaylee Gain earlier this month.
Kaylee Gain’s high school has refused to turn over records to the Missouri attorney general after a vicious school fight left her fighting for her life. This comes after a wave of violent attacks in the city, including the recent attack on 15-year-old Kaylee Gain earlier this month.
Gain was attacked on March 8 by another teenage girl who hit her head on the sidewalk.
After the attack, the teenager was left with a skull fracture, cerebral hemorrhage, swelling of the brain and was in a coma for two weeks.
Despite the high crime rate, statistics in 2023 have dropped significantly compared to the previous year.
According to the St. Louis Police Department, shootings are down 24 percent from 2022, felony thefts are down 39 percent and shootings involving juveniles are down 47 percent.
The city also saw a drop of more than forty homicides, bringing the homicide rate to its lowest level in more than a decade.