East St. Louis mayor announces citywide curfew in response to recent gun violence
The mayor of East St. Louis on Friday announced a citywide, daily curfew in response to recent gun violence.
Mayor Robert Eastern III said the curfew starts immediately. It will be in effect from midnight to 6 a.m. each day at businesses, parks, bars and other public places until further notice. In addition, parks in the city will be closed during weekends.
Three suspects were arrested Friday morning in connection with the shooting of seven people Thursday afternoon near Sixth Street and Martin Luther King Drive in East St. Louis, according to Illinois State Police. State police announced their names and charges on Friday night.
Earlier in the week, a 16-year-old was shot to death on an East St. Louis street and a 3-year-old was struck by a stray bullet that came through a wall in an apartment at Roosevelt Homes. She died at a St. Louis hospital.
Eastern said the recent gun violence has made the curfew necessary. He said he hopes the curfew will give East St. Louis Police support while deterring further violence.
He said the department will be increasing its patrols for the foreseeable future as an additional effort to curb violent crime.
He also called on young people to think twice before using a weapon in East St. Louis and touted a zero-tolerance policy in the city against violent crimes.
“I’m praying and I’m pleading to our young people to stop the gun violence,” Eastern said. “Making these unnecessary decisions that are injuring people and impacting lives and communities.”
“The persistent violence that is affecting our urban community is shocking,” Eastern said. “Communities like East St. Louis need to be uplifted and we need to do better to address these issues as one unit.”
Eastern also called on elected officials and the community to continue to “rewrite the narrative” of East St. Louis and invest in the community. He noted that the city is currently investing in increased lighting throughout its streets, seeking funding to add to its police force, adding cameras in locations recommended by citizens and first responders and renovating the city’s abandoned old police station.
A similar curfew was implemented in June 2020 following the death of George Floyd, a Black man who was killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis.
This story was originally published September 10, 2021 at 5:12 PM.