JEFFERSON CITY — Today (9-18), Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis, spoke out against gun violence and black on black crime.  She proposed stiffer penalties for gun crimes, and better police work in solving homicides as her two main targets. Her action comes on the heels of an outbreak of gun violence in St. Louis - a little girl lost her eye after being shot while walking to the store; and just yesterday, a one-year-old and his father were ambushed and shot in the back.

“First, I must offer my deepest sympathy to the families of the victims. Too many of us are touched by gun violence in our lives. You have my understanding and compassion,” said Sen. Nasheed.

“Gun violence must come to an end. Too often, gun violence occurs because investigations aren’t given top priority within the African-American community - so they go unsolved. Unsolved crime breeds more criminals who see a system that ignores crime in certain neighborhoods,” Nasheed explained.

Senator Nasheed is committed to reaching out to law enforcement to look at better training for officers, as well as sensitivity training that they might treat all cases with equal vigor and time.

“It is my hope that true police work will prevail. Most citizens support law enforcement, but now is the time for law enforcement to recognize that all citizens are deserving of their respect and professionalism,” stated Sen. Nasheed.

The senator also called for an increase in mandatory minimums for crimes involving guns.

“Solving crimes must go hand-in-hand with swift and certain punishment. I will be filing legislation in 2015 to double the mandatory minimum for gun crimes from three years to six,” stated Sen. Nasheed.

“Low-income neighborhoods DO matter, and we can turn them into good neighborhoods by cleaning up the violence and setting up a system of job creation,” concluded Sen. Nasheed.