Tough on the VICTIMS of crime: St Louis Democrat mayor blames convenience store owners for crimes that happen on their property and vows to hold them ‘accountable’ for lawbreaking

St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones has announced new plans to hold convenience store owners more accountable for crimes committed on or off their property.

Mayor Jones, St. Louis’ first Black mayor, told leaders of the Memphis Black Mayors Against Crime Coalition that St. Louis needs to combat violent crime and convenience store theft.

“We have a lot of violence around convenience stores and gas stations,” Mayor Jones said Thursday.

‘So how can we hold business owners accountable and also reduce crime?’ she asked.

And he added: “We discovered that some of the things that we are already doing other mayors are also doing.”

Jones, who has been mayor since 2021, said the other mayor’s ideas, the details of which are still unclear, will be adopted from laws in Atlanta, Georgia, that make nightclub owners more responsible for crimes in o near your property.

In January, a woman was shot and killed at a Jennings store after a fight broke out. local news reported.

A man was reportedly shot at a QuikTrip store in south St. Louis earlier this month.

The suspect was shot to death and the store’s security guard was shot in the thigh while struggling for his gun. according to local reports.

Attacks have also focused on gas stations, such as the Webster Groves gas station, which police have flagged as potentially linked to other violent robberies.

In 2023, St. Louis was again ranked as the third most dangerous city, behind Detroit and Michigan, but also Baltimore.

“The prevalence of firearms, coupled with limited gun control measures, further contributes to the overall crime rates in St. Louis,” real estate developer Norada wrote about the city.

It comes after a series of violent attacks in the city, including the recent attack about fifteen-year-old Kaylee Gain earlier this month.

Gain was attacked on March 8 by another teenage girl who crashed her head on the pavement.

The teenager was left with a skull fracture, brain haemorrhage, brain swelling and was in a coma for two weeks after the attack.

Despite its high crime rate, statistics fell significantly in 2023 compared to the previous year.

Shootings are down 24 percent from 2022, felony robberies are down 39 percent and shootings involving minors are down 47 percent, according to St Louis police.

The city also saw a drop of more than 40 homicides, bringing murders to their lowest levels in more than a decade.