Residents Call For Peace In The Streets Of St. Louis

Shootings may seem to be in the news all the time; but on Saturday, it was an effort to stop them that was making the headlines. The call is for peace in the streets on St. Louis. At a funeral Saturday in Pine Lawn for a murder victim, police had to be posted in force because of threats of retaliation. Around the corner from that funeral there was a call for action; less a call to arms and more a call to feet.

The mothers of four murder victims rise as the Better Family Life organization kicks off its family week; peace in the streets campaign.

For the first time since the murder of former U-City and Pagedale police officer Tyrone Thompson last month, his mother Betty, a former state lawmaker, spoke publicly.


She stated, "I believe my son's death is going to be a blessing."

To urge people to join the St. Louis "Street Peace" movement; to fight crime from the inside out; from the home, to the family, to the neighborhood, to the city.

Thompson said, "This is something we have to take to another level. We've got to stop this violence. I often tell people nobody's going to save us, from us, for us, but us. We all have to be concerned about that. "

James Clark with Better Family Life says, "We have small pockets of crime. Very, very small pockets that can be as small as 4-5 city blocks. What we're saying is, we have got to be surgical."

So now, in honor of Tyrone Thompson, they're taking to the streets and spreading the word about family week and peace in the streets of north St. Louis..

Volunteers are now going car-to-car and door to door with fliers declaring August 7th - 14th to be "family week"; no violence. It's only a week but it's a start. That's all Betty Thompson is asking.

"I want you to wake up, get up, sit up, look up, dress up, and speak up and go out and stop the violence and all of that. If you can't do that, you ought just stay home and give up."

Again, the Better Family Life organization's Family Week is August 7th to the 14th. Organizers are asking people to drive with their headlights "on" during the day, and turn porch-lights "on" at night, in observance.