St. Louis court aimed at curbing bad behavior in downtown

ST. LOUIS -- Dutifully repentant, Charles Reed answers correctly and politely to Judge Theresa Burke's tough-love questions about public drinking downtown, and how he will turn his life around.

Yes, he is attending Alcoholics Anonymous and group courses for the homeless. Yes, he is staying at a shelter but wants a job and his own apartment. Yes, he will do community service.

After the half-hour session, Burke, a divorce lawyer who doubles as judge in St. Louis' new Downtown Community Court, seems satisfied. But Reed, 43, who got busted for drinking a beer downtown, is not.

"I think it's a crock," he said. "The homeless are always getting hassled. It's a violation of civil rights."

People such as Reed are being hauled into the fledgling court -- begun in November -- that is aimed at ridding downtown of annoying behaviors such as public drinking, public urination and defecation, panhandling, trespassing and petty larceny, crimes that degrade the quality of life.

Trouble is, the process unfairly targets the poor and homeless, according to New Life Evangelistic Center, a homeless shelter and advocacy group. Burke disputes that claim, saying the court is not aimed at a class of people. Rather, "our goal is to try to stop the chronic quality-of-life violations in the downtown," she said.

Reed doesn't buy that. He said two of his own drinking citations were trumped up.

The St. Louis court is a joint project of the city, police department and the Downtown St. Louis Partnership, a private nonprofit group of businesses and residents involved in downtown revitalization. Downtown property owners help finance the court through a special tax assessment.

The infractions "may seem minor, but in the aggregate, studies across the country have shown they're a precursor to more serious crimes," said Jim Cloar, president of the partnership.

The infractions are of pre-existing city ordinances.