Downtown's Dump

Yesterday I was downtown with some clients and saw something disturbing. A Jefferon County sherrif's deputy was dropping someone off at the New Life Evangelistic Center along with their belongings.

Whenever I have heard St. Louis City officials address the topic of homelessness, they always mention that we should encourage other areas to establish services to assist the homeless so that they all don't have to come to downtown St. Louis.

I would encourage all readers of this post (both of you) to drop the following people a line. In reading the Jefferson County web page a bit, they discuss the same crap that any other county website does, providing services to residents and the like. In this case, the service is a ride in a police car across 2 different county lines so that the service becomes our problem.

All this aside, Downtown is still the place to be.

Jeferson County Sheriff

Oliver "Glen" Boyer

Jefferson County Commissioner

Chuck Banks

St. Louis City Population Slant

The downtown lofts were mentioned in a NY Times article that generally seemed to have a negative slant on our little urban renaissance here in St. Louis. What a shocker.

In question was whether the city population is dropping.

The writer seemed to be framing the piece to imply that because St. Louis had goofy report from Morgan Quitno Press, had police officer's involved in allegedly criminal activity (taking World Series tickets from scalper's) and schools that have lost accreditation--that people have continued to flee from the city.

The writer had the same critical style of the Post Disgrace writer that tried to trash the downtown neighborhood a few months back. Saying of city officials "Their optimism is based on a flurry of downtown development since 2000, including hundreds of loft condominiums, boutiques and restaurants." While the downtown neighborhoods have really been the crown jewel of St. Louis development, the development in Lafayette Square, Central West End, DeBaliviere Place, Benton Park, Tower Grove, McKinley Heights, Fox Park, Old North St. Louis and many other areas has been equally impressive. Areas that were riddled with "For Rent" signs today are owner-occupied, and examples of urban renewal.

When I think of the prospective drop in population, I think of the loss of the many residents of downtown's Ford Apartments and the much smaller population that will replace the former residents in when the building is re-opened as large luxury condominiums.

The rebuilding process taking place in most neigbhorhoods continues. Are we really loosing in the population game or do we just have another disgruntled Met's fan?

It's true. City services such as police and public education need to continue to improve. From what I've seen, it won't be long.

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