BY THE WAY: SIKESTON'S CITIZENS DESERVE BETTER

Thanks to Don Shrubshell's persistence and Mr. T's need for 15 cents, I learned a little bit more about gang graffiti, checkbook journalism and those who live and die on the mean streets of Sikeston.

Shrubshell, who accompanied me to Sikeston to shoot pictures for a series on gangs, drugs and violence, became much more than an aggressive photographer. The Southeast Missourian staff photographer demonstrated the ability to seize the moment when the opportunity to gather more information presented itself.

A man who is identified as Mr. T, a pseudonym used to protect him from retaliation, asked Don if he could spare 15 cents. Don said that could be arranged if Mr. T could spare a moment of truth about gangs and what goes on when the sun sets on Sunset, the most lawless area of Sikeston.

We asked Mr. T to tell us about the gangs that patrol the Sunset area. Who would want to join? Is there really recruiting going on by gang members from Chicago and Los Angeles?

Mr. T said Sunset won't allow the big boys from Chicago to amass any real power because they would rather control what they already have. "I'm not interested in drugs or anything," said Mr. T. "I just like to drink and maybe smoke a cigar now and then. That's probably what I'll use the 15 cents for."

Mr. T told us not all of what you see is what is really going on. There are those who would like to keep race relations strained and volatile. Blacks are using graffiti to incite blacks against whites and whites are doing the same thing to stir up whites against blacks.

Don also struck up a conversation with Allen Grimes, who appeared to be so frustrated he didn't even seem to care if anyone tried to keep him quiet about gangs and the lawlessness of Sunset.

Grimes began discussing what it used to be like and what the streets of his hometown are about today. "I was no angel when I was growing up here 15 years ago," said Grimes. "But I knew there were certain things I could get away with and the other things I couldn't. My dad would have tanned my hide if I tried to pull some of the things these kids are getting away with right now."

As he said this, I was distracted by a group of pictures that appeared to be of Grimes' parents and perhaps his grandparents. The longer he spoke of the mean streets of Sikeston, the more I realized that there are people who are growing weary of these daily doses of violence.

If something isn't done soon, there will be a kind of vigilante justice that will rock the very foundation of this and other towns surrounding it.

If I learned anything from this series it is that the majority of people who live in this town are as kind and hard-working as any in America. They don't look for handouts or ways to duck responsibility for their actions. They just want to carve out a little bit of heaven and reap the rewards of their honest toil.

Michael Green wants to provide an alternative for people whose lives are spinning out of control on this cycle we call welfare. I have to admire him for this because it is people like Green who are going to get at the very root of the problem.

As Duane Voltmer, who is an expert on gang violence, said: "The root of this gang violence done by juveniles is poverty, racism and poor parenting. We've been dancing around those issues far too long."

Some things to consider: You can get a good job, a nice house and try to rid your life of bigotry and still find yourself unhappy. Owning one of the most luxurious houses in the country doesn't protect you from the mean streets of Sikeston because you never know when this cancer we call gang violence will spread next. Perhaps it will affect a friend or your child.

Then it will be your problem. For this and other reasons, the lawlessness that exists in Sunset must be dealt with in swift and orderly fashion by the courts, the police and the majority of people who deserve much better than they're getting.

~Bill Heitland is a staff writer for the Southeast Missourian.