Kirkwood works to mend a year after city hall killings

KIRKWOOD, Mo. -- One year after a gunman opened fire at city hall, this St. Louis suburb will remember six victims with a candelight service Saturday night.

But many Kirkwood residents have focused on something more intangible -- trying to heal divisions in their community.

Charles "Cookie" Thornton, shot and killed a police officer outside city hall Feb. 7, 2008. He fatally shot a second officer inside, then two council members and the public works director. Thornton wounded the mayor, who died months later from complications tied to the shooting, and a newspaper reporter before police shot and killed him.

Government officials, ministers and residents said this week they don't know if they'll ever be able to explain why Thornton resorted to such violence. But in the aftermath they have re-examined their community of 27,000 and looked for ways to move forward.

Thornton had been feuding with city hall for years. He blamed the city for lost contracts for his demolition business. He was angry about numerous tickets he received for code violations and for illegally parking his work trucks.

** FILE ** In this Feb. 8, 2008 file photo, a memorial for those killed in a shooting rampage is seen outside City Hall where a gunman opened fire days before in Kirkwood, Mo. One year after the shooting, the St. Louis suburb of Kirkwood will remember six victims with a candelight service and a memorial walkway. But many Kirkwood residents have focused on something more intangible _ trying to heal divisions in their community. (AP Photo/Tom Gannam, File)

Since the shootings, security has been stepped up at city hall, from an "absolutely no weapons" sign posted on an outside door to safety checks by police officers before meetings.

But Mayor Art McDonnell, who was at city hall the night of the shootings, said he's tried to create a more relaxed atmosphere at meetings. He greets people by name, asks them how they're doing. If he spots someone new, he walks over and introduces himself.

A three-minute rule, where a timer used to go off if someone talked too long, is no longer enforced. The buzzer -- which McDonnell said was partially put into effect to try to stop Thornton's long rants -- is gone.

"It's important we hear everything people need to say," he said.

Thornton lived in the largely black Meacham Park neighborhood, where some residents have said they felt they weren't fully a part of the rest of the predominantly white community.

Kirkwood annexed Meacham Park in 1992, and the subsequent demolition of many homes there for commercial development produced some ill will, despite significant city investments for neighborhood improvements.

In the year since the shootings, a new group called the Community for Understanding and Healing has formed. So far, 500 Kirkwood residents have attended meetings to discuss the shootings, race matters and their community.

"Conversation is more than just talk," said one of the organizers, the Rev. David Bennett of Kirkwood United Methodist Church. The group works to better unite neighborhoods and form new relationships.

Students will be recognized Saturday, the anniversary of the shootings, for the best essays about what a community free of prejudice would look like.

Bennett, who now serves as the police department's chaplain, said he is impressed by professionalism of the department's officers and their work to strengthen community ties.

Many Kirkwood residents don't think the community had serious racial problems. They point out that several of those slain worked hard to unite Kirkwood and to try to help Thornton resolve his problems.

One Meacham Park resident, Ron Hodges, who helped organize the Community for Understanding and Healing, said efforts in Kirkwood are making a difference. People are trying to talk more about race. He sees a new openness in city government.

He noted that a Meacham Park Neighborhood Improvement Association dinner that used to draw a few dozen people attracted 200 this year. "We sold out of every ticket," he said.

But Kirkwood residents continue to struggle with what happened, and recognize all the conversation in the world can't bring back lost loved ones or make painful memories disappear.

Kirkwood city attorney John Hessel threw chairs at Thornton and managed to escape city hall the night of the shootings. He not only went to counseling but also read up on the effects of violence.

"The emotions you go through, they're not normal, but they're normal for you because of the trauma," he said.

He had unexpected bursts of energy. More recently, nightmares. They're not all of Thornton, but they include someone trying to kill people. In them, if Hessel varies his routine, he dies, he said.

He learned: "Treat your brain like it's just had a compound fracture. There's going to be a mending, a healing process that goes on."

But he said support from his family, and even strangers who hug him on the street, has helped.

He'll be at the remembrance service Saturday outside city hall.

"I want to show my respect and admiration to families that lost their loved ones," he said. "I don't know how they do it sometimes."