Effort begins by targeting poor housing, crime

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Two decaying bodies uncovered in two weeks.

A street corner where toughs routinely turned their violence on police.

A toothless property law that allowed landlords to cultivate slums.

These and other conditions in 2000 sent frustrated Sikeston citizens to their city councilmen. Do something, they insisted. Now.

But the five men who oversee Sikeston's government already were working on what they considered the best solutions:

A new property law that made absentee landlords take notice.

An effort to reduce government-subsidized housing.

A get-tough stance with those who would use the city's West End, specifically the Clayton and Sunset neighborhoods, as shelter for the drug trade.

Then-mayor Josh Bill wrote a 5,282-word open letter to the community outlining the steps the city would take to fix its problems. All the council members signed it. The letter ran on the editorial page of the Sept. 24, 2000, Standard Democrat, Sikeston's daily newspaper, and then on the Associated Press wire service.

The council went on to take action on every item outlined.

Making changes

Members passed a property-maintenance law that fines offenders in $100 increments. The Sikeston Housing Authority, a council-appointed board that oversees subsidized housing, is moving to reduce the number of Section 8 vouchers. A new police chief promoted from within the department in April experienced the calmest summer in a decade -- not a single melee between police and residents in Sunset or Clayton in June, July and August.

The vacant corner of Ruth and Branum streets, where clashes with police once were all too frequent, gets few visitors these days. The neighborhoods are a little cleaner, too. The number of property owners taken to municipal court for tall weeds, trashed-filled yards and junk cars tripled over the year 2000.

Neighbors such as Ruth Street resident Hattie Grant, 72, have noticed a difference.

"A lot of them say police are harassing folks over here," she said. "The police had to do something because things were getting so bad. At one time, these folks were shooting like popping firecrackers."

But that neighborhood's crime problem is far from solved -- a man was shot almost to death just a few blocks away two weeks ago.

Mayor Jerry Pullen, the successor when Bill's term expired in April, admits Sikeston has its challenges, most notably in bringing together polarized sections of the city -- blacks on the West End, whites everywhere else.

"That will take time," Pullen said. "We are trying to show them we mean business about helping that area. I don't know any other way."

"I want people on the West End to know they are a part of this city just like everybody else," he said.

Telling population shift

Perhaps the most telling symptom of the divide are census figures released this year. In 1990, Sikeston had 17,641 residents. The number dropped to 16,992 in 2000, nearly 4 percent. Meanwhile, Scott County's total population went up 2.7 percent.

In the same period, the number of whites in Sikeston decreased by 12 percent, from 14,577 to 12,832. The number of blacks increased by 29 percent, from 2,936 to 3,800.

The mayor says he doesn't understand why white flight, a slang term for the population shift, affected the town. Doug Friend, the city manager, said the city is encouraging development of single-family homes and anticipates more stable numbers in the next census.

To comment on the reasons, other say, might characterize the increase in black residents as a negative.

Some believe the answer to healing racial wounds could lie in a new form of government. The five councilmen today are elected at large. Next April, Sikeston voters will decide if they prefer council members from four wards with two others and the mayor elected at large.

It is clear city leaders attempted to make strides forward in the last year.

The question is whether the community will come along.