LETTERS: WEED AND SEED PROVIDES MODEL

To the editor:

The June 19 editorial, "It's time for solutions, not accusations," appears to be a fairly accurate statement of the questions currently in Cape "given the recent events that transpired on Good Hope." In terms of solutions, however, we don't need to look any farther than Sikeston and other cities in Southeast Missouri for possible directions. Cape does not have to reinvent the wheel. Recent events, subsequent community reactions and open meetings highlight several community-relations principles. These meetings and reactions also underscore the need for knowledgeable and well-founded action to reduce community tensions and to provide for some constructive and comprehensive courses of action for the future.

Weed and Seed is a major crime-prevention and control program. It is a model for Southeast Missouri and the nation. The program here in Southeast Missouri is the only such multicity regional crime-prevention program in the country. It is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri.

Lessons from the program in Sikeston and other cities in Southeast Missouri have shown us a number of things. First, police action in the community (weeding) must be preceded by strong and well-planned community involvement. In Sikeston, which was the first local program and the model, existing and well-respected community organizations from the affected neighborhoods were involved in all phases of planning and validating the weeding efforts from the very beginning. Community surveys determined neighborhood crime-control needs and led to subsequent local police priorities. Calvin Bird, as executive director of Weed and Seed, and others, based upon surveys and focus groups in the community, published a newsletter to keep residents informed of the good work of the weeding (crime-control) efforts based upon the agreed-upon community priorities. The Southeast Missouri State University Department of Criminal Justice as well as the Southeast Missouri Police Academy (including criminal justice students) were active in the research and in the training efforts that led to local police crime-fighting priorities. Various community organizations validated police actions in the community as being needed,for the good of the community and pinpointed where additional enforcement was needed. Hence, while not everything was totally smooth, there was relatively little legitimate negative reaction to police efforts.

Secondly, in Sikeston, weeding efforts were further legitimized by the fact that well-known -- and, most importantly, respected -- community leaders were an active part of the organizing and planning efforts and an essential part of the very independent Weed and Seed Local Advisory Committee. The committee said what was needed, not necessarily what local officials wanted to hear. These actions further supported police crime-control actions in the community and helped to answer questions similar to those posed for Cape Girardeau in the editorial: Should the Good Hope substation be open extended hours? Should a substation commander and more officers and other community-based staffing be assigned there other than the community-policing officers and volunteers? Why haven't people in the area embraced a Neighborhood Watch program as a way to further reduce crime.

According to the local committees, the police were primarily viewed as responding to the stated needs of the community for crime control and prevention. National leaders have continually pointed out that such communities do not condone crime, violence and drug-dealing in their neighborhoods. But there must be prior involvement to preclude a misperception of subsequent police action. This has been proven time and time again in other parts of the country.

As former and founding president of the regional board of Weed and Seed, I stated early on in the development of the activities in Sikeston and Southeast Missouri in general that "the police must not be perceived by the community as an invading army" or -- as the Missourian editorial so aptly put it -- the communities will "feel that they have been unfairly targeted." By and large, this was not perceived to be the case in Sikeston, and it was no accident. One of the first actions of community policing and the subsequent substation there -- based upon the community input -- was to focus on summer jobs for youth, with a very successful neighborhood cleanup-paint up for seniors that rewarded participating area youths with a trip to Six Flags and approximately $600 for back-to-school clothing in September. This was supported by local businesses. A well-publicized, and very popular summer Drug Education for Youth (DEFY) Program also focused on youths in the area and others with summer recreational activities, assisted by the Missouri National Guard. In addition, after-school tutorial programs and other community needs, including an Alternative School, were funded as a result of community planning. These efforts, then, preceded and defined the weeding, even as there were over 30 federal convictions for drug dealing and related offenses and confiscation of houses used for illegal drug activities. Due to these activities, it was widely stated by many, including the U.S. attorney, that much crime had moved out of Sikeston.

Numerous community conflicts similar to the current one in Cape have taught civic and local government leaders that there are a number of general directions that will serve to not only get past the accusation stage, but to reduce community tensions and to create positive and much-improved human relations climate in a given community in all areas for the future. These improvements do not tend to come about solely as a result of investigations whether outside or inside. Rather, they come about through recognition of community problems and open and constructive problem solving.

The Community Relations Service is the community-level mediation branch of the U.S. Department of Justice, and for several decades has served as a mediator in community-level conflicts. This type of mediation of conflict has been shown to be very productive. Independent investigations can help with the short-term, but probably do not deal with the long-term. CRS intervention can serve to reduce immediate tensions as well as to promote models for much-improved relations in the future -- community-wide. Warren Atkins, U.S. Department of Justice, Community Relations in Kansas City, has been very active in other parts of the state as well as in parts of Southeast Missouri. It is likely that this office would be an asset in Cape.

The Missouri Human Rights Commission can probably serve in a similar capacity. The commission's services and advice could prove helpful in this community conflict and again focus on an improved future. The issues raised by the events on Good Hope point to deeper issues that need to be addressed in the city. The Rev. David Allen's suggestion for a police board is commendable. It can no doubt deal with the immediate police-community relations issues. Creation of a broader Cape Girardeau Human Relations Commission by the city, however, could serve to create a mechanism to equitably deal with not only police-community relations issues, but also in a positive way with other related issues that underlie the immediate incident in Cape. Creation of such an ongoing official advisory body now, with specific future-oriented recommendations, can create a constructive and ongoing city forum to prevent other crises and misunderstandings in the future.

The Cape Girardeau Weed and Seed Advisory Committee should, as an independent local body, be asked to work closely with the Cape Girardeau Police Department to devise some immediate community-involvement mechanisms and community-based programs to effectively continue the crime control and prevention efforts in Cape's south end. These will need to be highly publicized to counteract recent events but could be a very positive influence, if there is proper planning and implementation.

PAUL R. KEYS

Cape Girardeau