Every Day Numbers for the 14th District
CHILDREN & FAMILY SERVICES
Division of Child Support Enforcement
(314) 877-2700
Jewish Family and Children's Services
(314) 993-1000
NAACP - St. Louis County Branch
(314) 389-1552
St. Louis County Human Services
(314) 615-4453
Youth Emergency Services
(314) 862-1334
CONSUMER PROTECTION
Consumer Credit Counseling Services
(314) 647-9004
Consumer
Credit Reports
1-877-322-8228
Missouri Consumer Protection Hotline
1-800-392-8222
Missouri Dept. of Insurance Consumer Information
1-800-726-7390
CRISIS HOTLINES
Youth Emergency Service Hotline
(314) 727-6294
St. Louis Housing Resource Center
(Homeless Hotline)
(314) 802-5444
Life Crisis Services, Inc. (for Adults)
(24-Hour)
(314) 647-4357
Elderly Abuse Hotline
1-800-392-0210
Child Abuse & Neglect Hotline
(24-Hours)
1-800-392-3738
Alcohol Drug Interventions & Drug Treatment Referrals
1-888-762-3750
HEALTH-RELATED SERVICES
Alzheimer's Association
1-800-980-9080
Birth & Death Records
(314) 615-1720
HIGHER EDUCATION
Missouri School for the Blind
(314) 776-4320
Paraquad, Inc.
(314) 289-4200
HOUSING
Beyond Housing
(314) 533-0600
Housing Authority -
St. Louis County
(314) 428-3200
Home Improvement Grants (North County)
(314) 615-8232
PREGNANCY COUNSELING
Abortion Alternatives
(314) 962-5300
Planned Parenthood & Reproductive Health Services of St. Louis
(314) 531-7526
SENIOR CITIZEN SERVICES
Missouri Rx Program
1-800-375-1406
Long-Term Care Information - Ombudsman
(314) 918-8222
Older Adult Community Action Program
(314) 993-2671
Legal Services of Eastern Missouri (Elderly Law Unit)
(314) 534-4200
TOUR THE CAPITAL CITY
State Capitol Tours
(573) 751-2854
TRANSPORTATION
Call-A-Ride
(314) 652-3617
VETERANS BENEFITS
American Red Cross Blood Services
(314) 658-2000
Missouri Veterans Commission
(573) 751-3779
St. Louis County Office of Veterans' Services
(314) 615-4413
VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATIONS
Big Brothers
Big Sisters
(314) 361-5900
Foster Grandparents
(314) 961-8000
ext. 370
Newsletter
February 14, 2013
Friends & Neighbors,
If you would like to learn more about the issues addressed in this newsletter or would like to discuss any matter involving state government, please contact my Capitol office.
Thank you,
Maria Chappelle-Nadal
14th District
| Gangs, Guns & Schools |
Over the past few weeks, I've done several ride-alongs with St. Louis area police officers who patrol our streets. My goal is to reach out to our citizens and our law enforcement officers to find the best way to combat gang activity in our neighborhoods. So what have I learned? Gang activity in the St. Louis region is worse than I thought. Unlike Chicago, New York or even Los Angeles, St. Louis-style gangs are mostly based on neighborhoods, and this reality presents unique challenges.
Gang culture is guns, drugs, tattoos, girls and graffiti. Gang crime is theft, burglary, homicide and drug distribution. |
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In a place like California, a Crip from Los Angeles is treated no differently than a Crip from San Francisco. Once a Crip, always a Crip, and you are respected by fellow Crips no matter where you go. You are a part of one family. In St. Louis, gangs are linked to particular neighborhoods with names like TAG, 5600 Acme, Dead Ends, 5900 Good (short for Goodfellow), and 10/20. These are the names and tags you see spray painted on the walls of businesses, our city streets and inside abandoned homes and garages.
Guns are easily accessible to gang members; they are handed out like candy at a parade. Everyone has guns and they are even displayed on Facebook, a site where gang signs, money and drugs are openly glamorized. Each area high school has "sets" of gangs that work in collaboration to claim their territory. This presents a problem for rival high school teams, especially at home games, where dozens of rival gangs show up to cheer and heckle. The gang members chant in the stands just like doting parents watching to see if their child makes the free-throw or touchdown.
Social media is a unique tool to keep gang warfare alive. It is used to advocate for the jailed, honor the slain gang members and to show off the posse. Social media is also used to perpetuate violence at funerals, high school sporting events and for unclaimed territory. |
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And of course, these young gang members attract girls who mistakenly think these gang members are cool. It's hard to look at a Facebook page without seeing the loyal girlfriend posted in a picture on a nice summer day at a party in the park for an entire gang family.
Missouri's weak laws regarding convictions for burglaries, car thefts, shootings, robberies, and illegal gun ownership are not helping. These young kids develop long rap sheets as they cycle in and out of jail or prison. Most don’t survive their teen years. For example, if a gang member wanted to get a sandwich in another gang's territory, he would probably get shot or killed. Gangs claim specific territories, but then the members are ultimately confined by those borders. And if a gang wants to increase its territory, eventually there will be a battle between rival gangs, resulting in injury and death. The alternative, to give up the gang and the "protection" of his fellow gang-bangers, is often difficult or even impossible, unless the gang member moves someplace entirely different.
To address this specific occurance, I have filed a bill (SB 124) that will prevent the possession, negligent storage, and failure to notify schools of firearm ownership. The legislation intends to encourage parents and legal guardians to become informed on the possession and use of weapons by their children. Those who have a child under the age of 18 would potentially be held responsible for crimes committed if they are aware of the possession of firearms by their children and if they fail to stop the possession or report it to law enforcement, a violation of the law.
We will discuss this and other important issues at my upcoming forum on school violence — Gangs, Guns & Schools. There will be guest speakers, a presentation and public discussion. Everyone is invited to attend; I hope to see you there! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact my office and don't forget to mark your calendars.
Forum on School Violence: Gangs, Guns & Schools
Monday, Feb. 18, 2013
7:00 p.m.
University of Missouri - St. Louis
JC Penney Building
| Report Finds Missouri Leads the Nation in Black Homicides |
The Violence Policy Center, a national educational organization working to stop gun death and injury, reports that Missouri’s black homicide victimization rate is more than seven times the national average. This is the third year in a row Missouri has led the nation in this tragic statistic. The Violence Policy Center recently released its findings after analyzing unpublished data from the FBI’s Supplementary Homicide Report.
The Violence Policy Center reports Missouri’s black homicide victimization rate is 33.86 per 100,000, based on 2010 data, the most recent data available. Pennsylvania, No. 2 on the list, had a black homicide victimization rate of 26.98 per 100,000. Nationwide, the majority of victims – 83 percent were shot and killed with firearms. In Missouri, 91 percent of victims were killed with guns. We are losing an entire generation of young black men to gun violence. It is our responsibility as public servants to find ways to end this plague of gun violence that is destroying the fabric of our communities.
The Violence Policy Center report finds:
- There were 255 black homicides in 2010 - 231 of the victims were male and 24 were female.
- For homicides in which a weapon could be identified, 91 percent of black victims were killed with guns, and 58 percent of those victims were killed with a handgun.
- Fourteen victims were killed with knives or other cutting instruments, four were killed by bodily force, and two were killed with a blunt object.
- For homicides in which a relationship could be identified between the victim and the offender, 56 out of 79 victims (71 percent) were killed by someone they knew, while 23 victims were killed by strangers.
- In those cases where authorities could identify the circumstances of the crime, 53 percent were not related to the commission of another felony.
- Of these cases, 72 percent involved an argument between the victim and the offender.
Nationwide, there were 6,469 black homicide victims in 2010, and the homicide rate for black victims that year was 16.32 per 100,000. The overall national homicide rate was 4.42 per 100,000 and the homicide rate for whites was 2.66 per 100,000. In 2010, blacks represented 13 percent of the U.S. population, but accounted for 49 percent of all homicide victims.
| Video: Senate Bill 199 |
Tuesday morning I presented Senate Bill 199 to members of the Senate Seniors, Families and Pensions Committee. The measure would require the Department of Health and Senior Services to strongly encourage all long-term care facilities licensed in Missouri to institute policies that will encourage familial involvement in the well-being and support of residents of long-term care facilities.
Click here or on the picture above to watch Sen. Chappelle-Nadal present SB 199.
Missouri Legislative Black Caucus Town Hall Forum: "State of Black Missouri" (pdf)
Tax Tips from the Missouri Department of Revenue
Earthquake Awareness Events in Missouri for the Month of February
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Bill Protects Right to Breast-Feed in Public Places (Springfield News-Leader)
"And what about you? Going out into the hood with the cops. Woman, you are fearless! I don't know if any rabbis at my synagogue go with the police when a domestic violence call is received, but we did have a rabbi, Lynn Liberman, who was with us for seven years, who did just that, regardless of the time of day. She said the one thing she worried about was if there was a gun in the house. Hugs and Kisses." – Fritzi
"Keep up the good work!." – Angela
"I support strict gun control laws including registration checks and bans on assault weapons. Thank you." – Chris
"You are right, parents should be forced to tell schools that they own firearms, they should also be required to tell schools if any family members are on welfare." -John
Friday, Feb. 8, 2013
Friday morning I was pleased to be interviewed by a wonderful constituent from the district who is working on a student project. She was tasked with interviewing a public leader about the different leadership roles that men and women play, and wanted to see if women's interests are better represented by women, and vice-versa for men.
Later that evening I was invited by Sgt. Flanigan from the Jennings Police Department to ride along with him during his patrol shift. It was an eye-opening experience, and I am currently reaching out to other police departments in the district for the same opportunity. I am taking notes and learning as much as I can about the gang violence and activity in our neighborhoods. We need to make the streets safe for our citizens.
