St. Louis officials are planning to phase out a tornado-related curfew.
After the May 16 tornado destroyed parts of the city, police kept a 9 p.m.-to-6 a.m. curfew for the St. Louis Police Department’s 5th and 6th Districts. That area takes in portions of north St. Louis. Among other reasons, police officials placed the curfew in effect to protect property owners from looters.
Mitch McCoy of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department said on Monday that the curfew is set to end on Tuesday. He said the decision came down to practicality.
“There are a lot of people, many who are returning or trying to return back to normal life and normal living,” McCoy said. “I believe that as those conversations happen, we're looking at call volume. And the calls in the tornado-impacted areas have pretty much returned back to the normal call load for officers.”
McCoy said there would still be extra patrols in parts of the city that the tornado affected the most.
Asked whether it made sense to lift the curfew before the Fourth of July weekend, McCoy said “people deserve to go out on Fourth of July night.”
“People can't be held hostage in their own homes,” McCoy said. “People's lives have been completely uprooted and changed because of the tornado. And it’s not fair to the law-abiding homeowner to have to stay inside on the Fourth of July when he or she would like to go see fireworks in a sanctioned area where fireworks are happening.”
Rasmus Jorgensen, a spokesman for Mayor Cara Spencer, said he didn’t have any information about the end of the tornado-related curfew.
Police decry Grove violence
Over the weekend, at least six people were arrested in connection with violence in the Grove business district. That area was especially busy with commemorations at the end of Pride Month for the LGBTQ community.
McCoy detailed several incidents that occurred in the Grove, which contains a number of LGBTQ bars and restaurants:
- On Sunday morning, a 22-year-old woman and a 34-year-old woman were arrested on suspicion of shooting at each other after a fight occurred. Police said the 34-year-old shot a 19-year-old woman, who was an innocent bystander. The 22-year-old then fired back and shot the 34-year-old woman in the back, police said. Both women who were shot were hospitalized.
- A police officer who was trying to break up a fight on Sunday evening fell and hit his head on the concrete. McCoy said the officer has been released from the hospital.
- On Sunday evening, a 19-year-old woman was arrested for shooting fireworks into a crowd. A 19-year-old man attempted to interfere with the woman’s arrest by jumping on a police officer’s back. McCoy said the man had a gun in his waistband.
- Two 19-year-old women were arrested for fighting with each other on Sunday evening, police said.
Unlike events like Mardi Gras, McCoy said the gathering in the Grove wasn’t a permitted event. Permits, he said, allow for fencing and checkpoints.
“It's night-and-day difference because of the rules that are in place,” McCoy said.
Michael Browning, a member of the Board of Aldermen who represents the Grove, said in a post that the Grove has for many years served as the unofficial afterparty for Pride events. He added “the City worked with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police and the Grove Community Improvement District for months ahead of the event to plan and coordinate security.”
“Unfortunately, budget restrictions and the size of this year’s crowd made it all but impossible to keep the peace,” Browning said. “To be clear: the chaos and violence that ensued this past week were the result of a few individuals making irresponsible and dangerous choices. We refuse to let these incidents ruin what should be a joyous occasion for our community. The City, the Grove CID, and SLMPD are already working together to find a different solution for next year that will keep all Pridegoers safe.”
