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Teen’s Tragedy Spotlights Traffic Violence Trend in St. Louis | St. Louis Metro News | St. Louis

Published

2 years ago

February 23, 2023

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click to enlarge Janae Edmondson was pinned between two cars and had both of her legs amputated after a crash Saturday night.

Just after midnight on April 13, 2016, the driver of a red Lexus struck and killed Jameca Stanfield as she tried to cross North Grand Boulevard.

Notice of her death wouldn’t have extended beyond a few short news stories had it not been for her sister, Tiffanie Stanfield, who has fought for justice for her sister and so many other hit-and-run victims in the years after Jameca’s death.

Stanfield galvanized her grief to launch her organization, Fighting Against Hit and Run Driving, in hopes that the nonprofit would spur action against traffic violence by telling the stories of hit-and-run victims.

“I fight for her because her death is in vain if I don’t,” Stanfield says.

Jameca’s death was part of a grim tally of pedestrians injured or killed by motor vehicles in 2016. That year, 294 were injured, 17 killed.

Six years later, traffic violence in St. Louis is at a high.

Data from Trailnet, a local nonprofit that tracks traffic violence, shows the total number of people killed on St. Louis city streets by vehicles hit a record high in 2022 compared to the last two decades (available records only go back to 2002). Seventy-eight people, whether pedestrians or vehicle occupants, lost their lives to traffic violence last year. In 2021, 70 people died. The year before, 76.

“Traffic violence is a systemic issue in the public health crisis in our city,” Trailnet Community Planner Sam McCrory says.

Street safety in the city has garnered renewed attention after a speeding driver struck 17-year-old Janae Edmondson on Saturday. Edmondson lost both of her legs as a result of the crash.

Her case is undoubtedly tragic, street safety advocates say — especially considering that the incident could have been averted. The man who struck her, 21-year-old Daniel Riley, had violated his bond more than 50 times but remained out of jail.

Still, the crash that resulted in Edmondson’s injuries is far from rare in St. Louis.

“This is not a new topic,” Stanfield says. “It’s not a new tragedy.”

This is especially true in pockets of north city, where seven of the 12 most dangerous city corridors identified by Trailnet exist.

North city crashes involving innocent pedestrians or motorists are often thought of as “a shame,” but don’t receive much public outcry, Ward 21 Alderwoman Laura Keys tells the RFT.

“Unfortunately, the broken glass theory is still in play,” Keys says. “You see things, and you’re so socialized to them that you no longer see them. It’s like being nose blind constantly.”

According to McCrory, who authors Trailnet’s annual crash reports, the part of the city where Edmondson was hit is a particularly dangerous one.

Since 2021, 62 pedestrians have been involved in crashes in Downtown West. Two resulted in fatalities. Washington and Tucker stands out as a particularly fraught area, with 12 crashes on Washington and eight on Tucker in 2021, according to McCrory.

“A lot of our great amenities are downtown,” McCrory says. “But, unfortunately, we don’t have the infrastructure to support a safe walking and biking environment.”

During a phone interview Thursday, Stanfield lists numerous traffic tragedies that have contributed to St. Louis’ “epidemic” of traffic violence. In 2017, a hit-and-run driver killed Doletha Hudson as she tried to cross Natural Bridge Avenue. Stanfield also recalls a 2021 hit-and-run where a toddler died and his mother was paralyzed on one side of her body.

“There are many crash victims coming from all over the city of St. Louis might not get quite as much attention,” Trailnet Chief Executive Officer Cindy Mense says. “We really hope this conversation can be about how we can make it safer for everyone.”Coming soon: Riverfront Times Daily newsletter. We’ll send you a handful of interesting St. Louis stories every morning. Subscribe now to not miss a thing.

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Fenton Man Charged in Sword Attack on Roommate

Published

7 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

7 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

7 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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