North St. Louis residents band together to fight crime before summer

ST. LOUIS — Residents from two blocks on two streets in north St. Louis gathered Thursday for a neighborhood gathering at the O’Fallon Park Rec Complex in north St. Louis.

“We’re concerned about the crime,” said Amber Cole, one of the neighborhood’s block captains. “We are concerned about reckless driving.”

Members of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, including Commissioner Robert Tracy, attended the meeting, which was organized by residents of blocks 2000 and 2100 of Fair Street and Harris Avenue.

“I think the bedrock of our move forward is community gatherings like this,” Tracy told citizens. “It starts here.”

“The summer months are upon us and we want the kids to be able to play outside safely,” said 11th Precinct committee member James Keyes.

Tracy spoke about his commitment to building trust and communication channels so residents and police can work together.

“We’re having the dialogue, so we know exactly what’s going on,” Tracy said.

“It’s very important that everyone gets involved,” said Joyce Green, a resident of the O’Fallon neighborhood.

She said she hopes other residents will get involved and find ways to make their neighborhoods safer.