SIKESTON POLICE TRY TO IMPROVE RELATIONS THROUGH WEED AND SEED

SIKESTON -- When Sunset residents ask for proof of progress through Operation Weed and Seed, promoters point them to the city's police force. It seems changes happen the quickest there.

Weed and Seed is a program through the U.S. attorney's office to weed out criminals and seed in social programs. Residents of Sunset, a primarily black community on Sikeston's west side, started community meetings in June to set the program's agenda.

A few needs emerged at the last meeting in October -- activities for youth running the streets, a solution to the high drop-out rate among black students and more communication between blacks and whites.

But the big problem, residents agreed, was a terrible relationship between Sunset residents and Sikeston's almost all-white police force. Moving ahead of other groups working through Weed and Seed, the Sikeston Department of Public Safety is implementing several community relations programs.

Chief Jim Leist explained some of them to a large Weed and Seed meeting Thursday at the Citizens Home Mission Outreach Center.

First, a community-oriented police officer recently began walking a beat through Sunset, meeting the people who live there. Soon, he will work out of a police substation on Sunset Drive. Another is being set up on Watson Street, which is just outside Sunset.

Second, Leist will be registering participants for a Citizens' Police Academy. An eight-week course beginning in January will teach citizens why police do what they do -- sometimes draw weapons, sometimes do traffic stops, sometimes shine spotlights on their subjects.

Third, all officers will take cultural diversity classes to help them deal with people of various races and cultures.

Finally, with the approval of Superintendent Robert Buchanan, Leist and other officers plan to go into the Sikeston Public Schools to teach kids not to fear them.

Part of the trouble with Sunset youth, Leist said, is their negative attitude toward police, who they may have seen arresting their parents or siblings.

Jesse Redd, a Sunset resident and former police officer, said some parents teach their children to distrust officers.

"I saw a woman whose son was misbehaving, and she threatened to have me take him away," he said. "I told her not to say that. If she keeps on, when her son gets into trouble, he won't come to me. He will run the other way."

But progress has been made, Leist said, as evidenced by one of the safest Halloweens on record in Sikeston. And residents said they sensed an improved attitude toward law officers.

In addition to law enforcement programs, progress was made in planning a mentoring program, Weed and Seed Steering Committee Chairman Michael Harris said. The program would match responsible adults of all colors with children and teens in need of help.

A few in attendance Thursday said they wanted more visible signs of advancement through Weed and Seed in Sunset, and not just with police work. They weren't happy with so many meetings, either.

"We've established what we need to work on, but we keep starting and starting," Rev. Ron Williams said. "We are like a goldfish put in a little pond. He keeps swimming in a circle, around and around, and he's happy doing that."

Patricia Roland, a governmental services coordinator with the U.S. attorney's office, stressed that progress takes time through Weed and Seed, but it can be made.

The next meeting will be at 6 p.m. Dec. 13 at the Citizens Home Mission.