City Details Plan To Address Weekend Chaos Along Washington Ave.

CBS St. Louis

May 26, 2021

There are new, detailed plans to prevent more bedlam on Washington Avenue ahead of Memorial Day weekend. Social media videos circulating online show large crowds gathering outside on Washington Avenue early Sunday morning as bars were closing on the busy street in Downtown St. Louis. Last weekend, social media videos show large crowds gathering outside on Washington Avenue early Sunday morning as bars were closing in Downtown St. Louis. Shots were fired and social media videos showed people dancing in the street and several standing and jumping on top of a St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department vehicle.

Dacia Betts, co-owner of G5 security says she has employees working some of the downtown bars and clubs. “Nine times out of 10 the police aren’t around when these crowds are dispersing,” she said. She says while they handle the security inside of these businesses, once the clubs are closed and people are on the streets they don’t have the jurisdiction to intervene. “A lot of times this happens after things have spilled over and people are lingering and security is gone by that time,” she said. There's new video circulating on social media that shows a large crowd entering a loft near the City Museum after a group left a nearby club. The video goes on to show partygoers stomping on top of a city police vehicle. Sheriff Vernon Betts says this incident was bound to happen after deputies were pulled from downtown patrols after an expired agreement under former Mayor Lyda Krewson.

“You have to have visible presence in order to deter what we saw last week,” Betts said.
Tuesday, city leaders met to discuss long-term solutions. Sheriff Betts says starting in June, his office will have 10 two man teams on foot patrols covering Washington Avenue from Eads Bridge to 14th street, on weekend nights.
Public Safety Director Daniel Isom says starting Memorial Day weekend, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department will be enforcing two specialized details. The first detail called "Summer Cruising Detail" will crack down on drag racing on city streets. The second detail, "Summer Violence Detail" will crack down on illegal activity. Both details will operate weekend nights.
They also plan to enforce a three-pronged approach by diverting and enforcing traffic and aggressively blocking off streets.
Newly-elected mayor Tishaura Jones said her office is working with the Downtown Neighborhood Associated to host a virtual meeting with downtown residents next week to discuss safety concerns and potential additional solutions.
“The people closest to the problem should be closest to the solution. We know that people of St. Louis want to feel safe, and any plans we set in motion must address their concerns as proactively as possible. Our goal is to prevent any potential illegal activity before it escalates to injury or harm," she said in a statement Wednesday.