This page provides a basic introduction to life in the neighborhood. Welcome to the community!

You don't have to clean up illegal dumping!

But you do have to report the mess to the Citizen's Service Bureau. After they come out to clean up the mess, then you are responsible for sweeping up the little bits that were left behind.

If you keep the alley clean and the plants cut back, illegal dumpers will look for a different alley to dump in.

Alley Responsibilities

St. Louis City has established responsibilities for alley maintenance:

All persons occupying, leasing, owning, or in control of any premises shall keep such premises clear of litter. No person shall sweep or deposit litter onto any public place.

This means that it doesn’t matter if you own or rent the home, you must maintain the section of the alley behind your house. If you own a vacant home and live elsewhere, you are still responsible for maintaining the section of alley behind that home.

Some examples of maintenance duties include:

Cleaning up trash and debris that is supposed to be in the dumpster

Cutting back plant overgrowth

Reporting damaged or broken dumpsters to CSB for repair/replacement

Reporting illegal dumping to CSB for cleanup

If the city takes longer than 48 hours to cleanup illegal dumping, forward the CSB report number to the Alderwoman so she can make sure it is done.

CSB phone number: (314) 622-4800

Alderwoman Lisa Middlebrook: (314) 622-3287

You don't have to know exactly where the gunshots are coming from in order to call them in.

It is important to know the names of the streets and cross-streets in your area. The sounds of gunshots echo across houses and it can be difficult to know exactly where they are coming from. You don't need to get the location exact. You only need to know the general area.

You can tell the 911 operator that you aren't sure where the gunshots came from, but it was somewhere in the general vicinity of "X" street and "Y" street, or the "XXX" block of "Y" Street.

When you hear gunshots, it is your responsibility to call it in. Don't assume somebody else will. We have to work together to assert that our neighborhood deserves the same resources and respect that South City neighborhoods enjoy.

Most of the North Patrol police officers who you may come into contact with in the neighborhood are respectful, helpful, and kind. They are stretched too thin dealing with the problems brought into the neighborhood by people who don't live here. They are stretched too thin to monitor traffic and enforce safe driving habits through our streets. By calling in gunshots, we are doing what we can to support those who are supporting the neighborhood.

We have to work together if we are going to be successful in making a real change.

Wild Traffic and Gunshots: What You Can Do to Help

For years, North City residents have been asking for police to monitor traffic through our neighborhoods, enforce traffic laws, and deter drivers from being dangerous and reckless while cutting through the Northside from the county to South City.

We have been consistently told that the reason we cannot have officers dedicated to traffic enforcement is because South City residents call in more gunshots so more officers are required down there, and since the City police department is short-staffed, they simply don't have enough officers to enforce traffic safety on the Northside.

North Patrol is not allocated enough officers to have traffic enforcement on a dedicated basis, due to traffic enforcement being ranked by the City as the lowest priority, even though residents have provided feedback to police leadership and the Mayor for years that traffic safety is the priority concern of neighborhood residents and business owners.

ROBA strongly encourages residents to call 911 every time gunshots are heard so the data accurately reflects the safety needs of the neighborhood, so we as a neighborhood are provided with enough officers to ensure our streets are safe from dangerous drivers. DO NOT call the non-emergency number to report gunshots. 911 calls are counted and tracked while the non-emergency numbers are not. In the past, the police department leadership directed Northside residents to use the non-emergency number instead of 911. Do not follow this advice. Always call 911.

South City has more people living there, so every North City resident needs to step up and call 911 every single time we hear gunshots, or we will always be outnumbered by their requests. This is the only way to bring up the report numbers so the City can no longer use this as an excuse to ignore the safety concerns of Northside neighborhoods.

What to do when you hear gunshots:

FIRST

Count the number of gunshots as you hear them. The 911 operator will ask.

Look out of your windows to see if anyone needs emergency assistance. If yes, call 911 immediately to get an ambulance on the way as fast as possible.

THEN

Determine the general direction of the gunshots. The 911 operator will ask you for the cross-streets. For example, "Broadway at Riverview" or "Broadway and Riverview."

ACT

Call 911. Say you heard "x" amount of gunshots at "street and cross-street." If you aren't sure, you can say "in the general area of my block, "900 Street Name."

The 911 operator will ask you if you saw anything. If you didn't, then say "No."

The 911 operator will say something like "Alright, I'll get some officers in the area" or they will ask you if you want to leave your name and number for a call-back. You can say "No." The operator will thank you for calling and you can hang up.