STEP AT A TIME, SIKESTON BRIDGES GAP

SIKESTON -- A year ago Sikeston was a city of chasms: Blacks and whites, the educated and uneducated, police officers and regular folks ... all were separated.

Community meetings, when attempted at all, were occasions for finger-pointing. And the thought of people from wealthy First Baptist Church attending services at West End Baptist, situated in the city's worst neighborhood, was almost laughable.

But it happened -- along with a series of prayer breakfasts, police-sponsored classes and productive community meetings.

With one steel beam at a time, Sikestonians are building bridges.

The latest effort is Sikeston Civic Improvement Inc., a not-for-profit group made up of businesses, churches and clubs. Representatives have dedicated their time and resources to improving the city, and SCI's first project is The Prince of Peace Mission.

It's the brainchild of the Rev. Rick Anderson, pastor of Prince of Peace Missionary Baptist Church. When he moved here two years ago, he saw a community living in fear -- fear of the nightly sound of gunshots, the drug addicts standing on the corners and the lack of decent jobs.

Anderson went to an SCI meeting to talk about establishing a GED program and a soup kitchen for residents of Sikeston's West End. SCI president David Carnell said members asked several rapid-fire questions: Where will the money come from? Who will be served? Who will oversee the mission?

"At the end, we told Ricky we would think about what he said and decide if we would help with the mission," Carnell said. "He looked straight at us and said, `Whether you help or not, it's going to happen.'"

The Prince of Peace Mission opened two weeks ago, and 10 students already are enrolled in the GED classes sponsored by Sikeston public schools. Some are there to get their diplomas; others hold high-school diplomas and still can't comprehend what they read or add and subtract enough to balance their checkbooks. Help is available for them, too.

The hope is eventually to have a full-service mission, something for the uneducated, cold, sick and hungry. Anderson also wants programs for Sikeston's youth; a void was left when the federal government cracked down on drug dealers in Sikeston, he said, and unoccupied young people may fill that void.

Through other programs, police in Sikeston are working to build bridges between themselves and the community. A west-end police substation to house two community-oriented police officers soon will open. The two will walk their beats or ride bicycles, getting to know the neighborhood and its people.

In February, Department of Public Safety Chief Jim Leist taught the first session of the Citizens' Police Academy. Weekly classes, open to anyone over 14, teach students about officers and police procedure.

"When people learn about the police, it's usually through a complaint," Leist said. "This is a more proactive approach."

The combined effect of all the programs has been positive, say west-end residents. No matter what the numbers say, people feel better about their neighborhoods.

"I was beginning to worry about the community," resident Rose Griffin said. "To my point of view, it looks like things are turning around. Some of the bad stuff is still going on, but the city and the churches are doing a lot of cleaning up.

"People are speaking out, and that makes a difference."

Her friend Lenora Gator attributed improvements to prayer -- blacks and whites praying in church and at home for a better Sikeston.

Anderson, the pastor, agreed there is divine intervention in Sikeston's affairs, but said it is time for people to join the improvements efforts.

He has a favorite saying to illustrate the urgency.

"The badness starts out in your town, and you notice but don't do anything about it," Anderson said. "Then it's on your street, and you get a little worried but still feel safe. Then it's in your yard, and you still don't act.

"Now it's in the house. It's time to do something."