BOSLEY OFFERS ADVICE TO SIKESTON RESIDENTS

SIKESTON -- St. Louis Mayor Freeman Bosley Jr. encouraged Sikeston residents Wednesday to look within themselves for solutions to their city's problems.

It was Bosley's first visit to Sikeston, the only community in Southeast Missouri actively participating in the Weed & Seed program. This community improvement program, designed to weed out criminals and seed in social services, is administered locally by U.S. Attorney Edward Dowd's office.

Over a year ago, the Fox Park neighborhood in St. Louis was first in the city to try Weed & Seed. The racially mixed neighborhood, located on St. Louis' south side, was a haven for drug dealers and thieves. Several residents moved away, others became prisoners in their own homes.

But a third segment decided to reclaim the neighborhood, Bosley said. They joined with Dowd, Bosley and police in implementing Weed & Seed.

During the first six months of the program, robberies dropped 35 percent in Fox Park, armed robberies dropped 50 percent and there were no homicides.

"There are situations now where you have crime, the police are called and they find four or five people who didn't see a thing," Bosley said, referring to other neighborhoods. "But let the victim be your daughter, your husband or yourself, and then you're the one who has to talk to the mayor.

"You have to be as concerned about someone else being a victim as you are yourself."

In Fox Park, he said, residents see crimes in progress, call the police with a description of the parties involved and then participate in the conviction process.

Now the Weed & Seed program is starting in Lewis Place, a northwestern St. Louis neighborhood.

Bosley advised people who want to see the program work in Sikeston to leave their egos behind when attending Weed & Seed meetings. Instead of blaming others for problems, participants should seek to do as much as they can on their own.

About 50 people came out for Bosley's speech. Past Weed & Seed events have been attended primarily of local businessmen and dignitaries. On Wednesday, it was clear residents of Sikeston's west side, the area being targeted by Weed & Seed, are becoming more interested.

Bosley, who was sworn in as St. Louis mayor in April 1993, said he visited Sikeston at Dowd's urging. The mayor received two standing ovations from the crowd Wednesday.

"He was speaking from the heart," Sikeston Mayor Alan Keenan said. "His point was that when things happen, people want to look at someone else for the solution instead of being part of the solution themselves."

Keenan said he hoped to travel to Fox Park with other Sikeston residents to see Weed & Seed's effects firsthand.

The Rev. Ron Williams, a Sikeston minister who has supported the program from its beginning over a year ago, said he expects to see some positive results from Bosley's speech.

"It will help us get a better direction, but anything starting out takes time," he said.

While Sikeston hasn't seen any notable drop in crime, several programs have come from Weed & Seed. Among them are an alternative public school to open in the fall, a soup kitchen, a program to help people become employable and an arts council.

The Weed & Seed Steering Committee plans to hire an executive director soon.