'You're not alone': Community leaders, police team to combat violence

Sitting in the passenger's side of a sleek Camaro, 4-year-old Felix Lewis III gleefully pushed a button and put his hands over his ears, beaming as the vehicle's lights and siren went off.

His timing couldn't have been more appropriate: The siren sounded just as Cape Girardeau Police Chief Wes Blair stepped onto a portable stage to address a group of neighbors gathered for a block party Saturday afternoon on Hanover Street.

Ward 2 Councilwoman Shelly Moore and the Cape Leaders Alliance Partnership -- founded by her late husband, Stafford Moore, in 2010 -- organized the party as part of an ongoing effort to improve communication among police, residents and city leaders in the wake of a violent summer. About 100 attended,

In the span of eight weeks, four men were shot to death within a mile of each other.

The violence rattled nerves, disheartened residents and left people in other parts of town afraid to go into Ward 2, Moore said.

Cape Girardeau police stopped traffic to let marchers pass Saturday evening at the intersection of Middle and William streets. (Emily Priddy)

"I've been right here in this neighborhood for 34 years. ... For me, the level of crime we had those couple of months ago, we hadn't seen [anything] like that before. I don't think that's the norm," she said.

Moore's son, Stafford Lee Moore Jr., said he hopes the block party and an upcoming cleanup day help Ward 2 residents get "the motivation and the zeal back."

"A lot of people are stressed and traumatized -- kind of worried, concerned about the tragedies that have happened in the last few months," he said. "That's kind of scary. We just want to be out here and let them know they're not alone."

Community policing

When he was hired last year, Blair identified community policing as a priority.

More than a year later, the chief meets regularly with local leaders in an effort to bridge gaps and encourage public participation in law enforcement efforts.

"Since December, I've been talking to ministers and community leaders, trying to build those relationships," Blair said in a recent interview at his office.

Businesses have been supportive of outreach efforts, Blair said, with Target sponsoring National Night Out -- a public event that drew about 80 children last month -- and Bi-State Oil offering to host "Coffee with a Cop" events at two of its stores. At the block party Saturday, he said several other businesses offered similar support.

Building trust between officers and civilians takes time, Blair said, and it works best when the parties involved are proactive.

"You can't have an event like Ferguson and then try to build relationships to fix it," he said, referring to the Aug. 9 shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown by Ferguson, Missouri, police officer Darren Wilson and the protests that followed.

Positive relationships can help prevent the kinds of misunderstandings that lead to tragedy, Blair said.

"Now you know each other. You know where you're coming from, and you know that -- God forbid -- if you have a major event like that," people can work together to get through it, he said.

'Good people'

Lt. Brad Smith knows about building relationships.

After 18 years with the Cape Girardeau Police Department, he is on a first-name basis with many Ward 2 residents.

"The bad thing is, there's bad things that happen down here, but you know what people don't pay attention to? There's a lot of people down here that work hard. Good people," Smith said.

He grinned as little boys swarmed over the Camaro, which he called a "magnet" for curious children with its elaborate decals, loud stereo and Wii video game system.

Across the street, several children bounced on inflatables set up in a vacant lot, while 8-year-old Tyrique Lockridge and his sister, Tramia, 11, had their faces painted.

Shelly Moore said the block party gave the community a way to heal after the violence this summer.

"This right here is to just help them out of this bleak state. ... It's a stigma from the deaths," she said. "It's sad that it happened. I was brokenhearted. ... It was overwhelming -- that many deaths in that short a time. I don't think it's the character of Cape."

'Part of the solution'

On Saturday evening, ministers and members from a dozen local churches gathered at Indian Park in Cape Girardeau for another healing event: a march organized by the Community Action Network, which works to curb violence in the community.

"In order for the community to change, the community has to become a part of the solution to the problem," said the Rev. Dr. Joseph G. Cotton Jr., president of the organization. "If we become part of the solution, change can happen."

Among the solutions Cotton advocates: better community watch efforts and conflict-resolution training for residents.

The marchers -- led by a police car and a praise band from True Vine Ministries -- took their message to the streets of Ward 2, stopping to pray at the sites of recent shootings as they made their way to Cotton's church, New Bethel Missionary Baptist.

Lynn Ware, Safe Communities coordinator with the Cape Girardeau Police Department, said after a June 29 vigil calling for unity in the wake of the shooting death of 26-year-old Anthony Hempstead, tips poured in, and within 24 hours, she had the name of a suspect in an earlier shooting.

"That was a very inspiring time, and it solidified what I've always believed, and that's show yourself friendly to the community, and they learn to trust you," Ware said.

Communication

Mayor Harry Rediger said communication is the key to reducing violence and fear in Cape Girardeau.

"I look at one word: communication. ... It's just all about being together and communicating what city government and public safety are doing to help and what citizens can do to team with city government, and I think it's really starting to work," he said at the block party Saturday afternoon, standing near a tent where Blair's wife, Jennifer, and other volunteers handed out chips and barbecue.

Several weeks ago, the mayor and about 50 residents, ministers and city officials met at Shawnee Park to look for solutions to the city's crime problems.

"We were able to start some new initiatives because of some of the input we got from our conversations," Rediger said.

As a result of those conversations, the police department set up a new anonymous tip line that conceals the caller's telephone number and identity, and Rediger said the city is looking at installing additional security cameras in some areas.

Blair drew applause Saturday when he said a report on the new tip line about a suspicious vehicle already had helped police catch someone with illegal drugs and weapons.

The department also is looking at software that will allow people to send anonymous crime tips via text message -- perhaps including photos or videos, Blair said.

"That's just an idea that generated from the community. ... Sometimes that's where you get some of your best ideas," he said.

epriddy@semissourian.com

388-3642

Hanover and Cousin streets, Cape Girardeau, MO

Indian Park, Cape Girardeau, MO