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South Grand’s Ritz Park to Get 6 p.m. Curfew Under New Proposal | St. Louis

Published

10 months ago

December 8, 2023

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RFT FILE Events in Ritz Park can last well into the evening.

A small park in the heart of South Grand’s business district would be kept on a tight curfew under a new proposal at the Board of Aldermen.

Board Bill 179, which will be introduced by Alderwoman Daniela Velázquez on Friday, December 8, calls for Ritz Park to close at 6 p.m. and open at 6 a.m. from November 1 to March 31. The park would close at 7 p.m. and open at 6 a.m. during all other months.

The “curfew” would prohibit people from “idling, wandering, strolling, playing or otherwise being in or upon” the park after hours. Violations could result in fines from $100 to $500.

Velázquez, whose Ward 6 includes Tower Grove South, says business owners along South Grand Boulevard asked to change the park’s current curfew, 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

“It’s really just an effort to make that park safe for everyone in that neighborhood,” Velázquez tells the RFT. “There’s been some issues that have affected South Grand.”

South Grand Boulevard has received a flurry of negative press recently, from high-profile tenant disputes and vacancies to crime. All of that has hurt business, so the South Grand stewards who spoke to the RFT were hesitant to provide specifics on what issues the park could have.

“We noticed an uptick in crime from activity in the park, particularly overnight,” says Danni Eickenhorst, CEO of HUSTL Hospitality Group and co-owner of nearby Steve’s Hot Dogs (3145 South Grand). “We just want to make sure it’s safe and inviting for all of our guests in the South Grand area.”

Yet even Eickenhorst says closing the park at 6 p.m. during cold months and 7 p.m. during warmer months does seem a bit early.

“Eight or nine makes sense to me,” Eickenhorst says of the curfew.

Velázquez’s bill quickly garnered criticism from city gadflies online, mostly because of what they saw as an early closing time.

Most city parks close at 10 p.m., though some of the city’s smallest parks (including Buder, Terry, Tiffany and Marie Fowler Parks, to name a few) close at 7 p.m., according to city ordinance.

But Velázquez says she’s open to adjusting the proposed curfew times for Ritz Park, which sits on South Grand between Juniata and Hartford streets. The first version of the bill was based on sunup/sundown times.

Eickenhorst and South Grand Community Improvement District Executive Director Rachel Witt say there are several events held at Ritz Park that can go past 9 p.m.

Though businesses are seeing less foot traffic and dips in sales, it’s far from doom and gloom on South Grand, Witt assures. Two new businesses are coming to the thoroughfare soon — a Filipino restaurant and a poke joint inside what had been once planned as a Boardwalk Waffles and Ice Cream Joint. Plus, a community event space will soon open in what was once a pawn shop.

Witt says she’s open to a curfew for Ritz Park, but what’s proposed now is too early.

“I appreciate Alderwoman Velázquez’s support and her ambition to move forward on things, but this seems too premature,” Witt says. “There’s a lot of things that we need to work out.”

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Fenton Man Charged in Sword Attack on Roommate

Published

5 months ago

May 22, 2024

Natural Bridge

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A warrant is out for a Fenton man’s arrest after he allegedly attacked his roommate with a sword.

Police say that on Sunday, Angelus Scott spoke openly about “slicing his roommate’s head” before he grabbed a sword, raised it up and then swung it down at the roommate.

The roommate grabbed Scott’s hand in time to prevent injury. When police arrived at the scene, they found the weapon used in the assault.

The sword in question was a katana, which is a Japanese sword recognizable for its curved blade.

This isn’t the first time a samurai-style sword has been used to violent effect in St. Louis. In 2018, a man hearing voices slaughtered his ex-boyfriend with a samurai sword. His mother said he suffered from schizoaffective disorder.

As for Scott, 35, the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office was charged yesterday with two felonies, assault first degree and armed criminal action. The warrant for his arrest says he is to be held on $200,000 bond.

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Caught on Video, Sheriff Says He’s Ready to ‘Turn It All Over’ to Deputy

Published

5 months ago

May 22, 2024

Natural Bridge

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Video of St. Louis Sheriff Vernon Betts taken by a former deputy suggests that the sheriff has a successor in mind to hand the reins of the department over to, even as Betts is in an increasingly heated campaign for reelection.

“I ain’t here for all this rigmarole,” Betts says in the video while seated behind his desk at the Carnahan Courthouse. “The Lord sent me here to turn this department around and I’m doing the best I can and I think I’ve done a good job. I’ve got about eight months and I’m going to qualify for my fourth pension.”

He goes on, “Right now I can walk up out of here and live happily ever after and forget about all this…and live like a king.”

The sheriff then says his wife has been in Atlanta looking at houses and that the other deputy in the room, Donald Hawkins, is someone Betts has been training “to turn it all over to him.”

Asked about the video, Betts tells the RFT, “My future plans are to win reelection on August 6th by a wide margin and to continue my mission as the top elected law enforcement official to make St. Louis safer and stronger. Serving the people of St. Louis with integrity, honor and professional law enforcement qualifications is a sacred responsibility, and I intend to complete that mission.”

The video of Betts was taken by Barbara Chavers, who retired from the sheriff’s office in 2016 after 24 years of service. Chavers now works security at Schnucks at Grand and Gravois. Betts’ brother Howard works security there, too.

Chavers tells the RFT that she was summoned to Betts’ office last week after Betts’ brother made the sheriff aware that she was supporting Montgomery. It was no secret: Chavers had filmed a Facebook live video in which she said she was supporting Betts’ opponent Alfred Montgomery in the election this fall. “Make the judges safe,” she says in the video, standing in front of a large Montgomery sign on Gravois Avenue. “They need a sheriff who is going to make their courtrooms safe.”

In his office, even as Chavers made clear she was filming him, Betts told Chavers he was “flabbergasted” and “stunned” she was supporting Montgomery.

“I don’t know what I did that would make you go against the preacher man,” he says, referring to himself. He then refers to Montgomery as “ungodly.”

Betts goes on to say that not long ago, he was walking in his neighborhood on St. Louis Avenue near 20th Street when suddenly Montgomery pulled up in his car and, according to Betts, shouted, “You motherfucker, you this, you that. You’re taking my signs down.”

Montgomery tells the RFT that he’s never interacted with Betts outside of candidate forums and neighborhood meetings.

“I don’t think anyone with good sense would do something like that to a sitting sheriff,” Montgomery says.

Montgomery has had campaign signs missing and on at least two occasions has obtained video of people tearing them down. (Chavers notes that the sign that she filmed her original Facebook video in front of is itself now missing.)

One man who lives near Columbus Square says that he recently put out two Montgomery signs, which later went missing. “If they keep taking them, I’ll keep putting them up,” he said.

Betts says he has nothing to do with the missing signs. In the video Chavers filmed in Betts’ office, Betts says that his campaign isn’t in a spot where it needs to resort to tearing down opponents’ signs.

“If you sit here long enough, a man is getting ready to come across the street from City Hall bringing me $500, today,” Betts says. “I’m getting that kind of support. I don’t need to tear down signs.”

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St. Louis to Develop First Citywide Transportation Plan in Decades

Published

5 months ago

May 21, 2024

Natural Bridge

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The City of St. Louis is working to develop its first citywide mobility plan in decades, Mayor Tishaura Jones’ office announced Tuesday. This plan seeks to make it easier for everyone — drivers, pedestrians, bikers and public transit users — to safely commute within the city.

The plan will bring together other city projects like the Brickline Greenway, Future64, the MetroLink Green Line, and more, “while establishing new priorities for a safer, more efficient and better-maintained transportation network across the City,” according to the release.

The key elements in the plan will be public engagement, the development of a safety action plan, future infrastructure priorities and transportation network mapping, according to Jones’ office.

The overarching goals are to create a vision for citywide mobility, plan a mixture of short and long-term mobility projects and to develop improved communication tools with the public to receive transportation updates. In recent years, both people who use public transit and cyclists have been outspoken about the difficulties — and dangers — of navigating St. Louis streets, citing both cuts to public transit and traffic violence.

To garner public input and participation for the plan, Jones’ office said there will be community meetings, focus groups and a survey for residents to share their concerns. The city will also be establishing a Community Advisory Committee. Those interested in learning more should check out at tmp-stl.com/

“Everyone deserves to feel safe when getting around St. Louis, whether they’re driving, biking, walking or taking public transit,” Jones said in a news release. “Creating a comprehensive transportation and mobility plan allows us to make intentional and strategic investments so that moving around St. Louis for jobs, education, and entertainment becomes easier, safer and more enjoyable.”

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