A disturbing pattern of out-of-control kids is being overserved in several US cities. This might result from progressive leadership in City Halls failing to enforce law and order while supporting disastrous 'defund the police' efforts that have transformed city streets into war zones in a few short years. The latest example of this chaos comes from an inner-ring suburb of the city of St. Louis in St. Louis County, Missouri.
Local television station KMOV released a shocking video of kids pointing guns at a smart door camera of a home on the 700 block of Vernon. The five kids were strapped with pistols and semi-automatic rifles. They were seen knocking on the door, while one said, "Open that door, man."
[News] ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - Police said they are searching for several teens seen on video standing on the porch of a University City residence holding guns.
— PPV-TAHOE - News Journalist (@ppv_tahoe) August 6, 2023
University City Police said they were sent the video on Thursday and determined it was taken at a residence on the 700… pic.twitter.com/e4aUfvRGdj
Police said they received the video from an anonymous source. There is an open investigation into who the kids are and why they were at the home with guns.
Last month, a gun-wielding 16yo was responsible for a deadly downtown St. Louis mass shooting in June that left one person dead and a dozen injured.
Meanwhile, St. Louis Family Court's Report to the Community for 2022, released in May, shows the number of felony referrals police sent to juvenile courts soared from 535 in 2021 to 878 in 2022. And that number is likely moving higher this year.
Democratic Mayor Tishaura Jones' move to defund the city's police department by millions of dollars to put social justice and racial equity at the center of all public policy appears overshadowed by the continuation of violent crime.
Jones has supported strict gun control and called on Congress to ban "weapons of war," claiming if these guns were banned -- it would result in a drop in violence.
But -- the mayor has been in damage control mode for about a month after open records request revealed private text messages showing a chat with her father in March, in which she said, "Chicago has strict gun laws as well but that doesn't deter gun violence."
Jones is correct. She understands gun control doesn't work. However, public acknowledgment of this failed policy is considered taboo for Democrats.
We must ask the tough questions: Why are these kids radicalized to violence? Is it because of violent video games, violent movies, and or music that preaches violence? Or perhaps it could be due to fatherless homes and the lack of stable households? Or what about the failed education system and faltering welfare-driven local economies that leaves kids with limited room for success?
Whatever the reason why these kids feel the need to run around town like it's a scene from the 'Grand Theft Auto' video game isn't because of guns but instead a reflection of their environment that the Democratic party entirely controls. These kids feel limited upside in their ability to achieve the American Dream and automatically default to a life of crime -- with some not expecting to live past the age of 30.
This has to change. Democrats have spent too long ruining inner cities and keeping an entire class of people oppressed. Banning guns won't solve the rot in inner cities -- as Mayor Jones even noted, there need to be productive investments into these areas. Let's start with real education reforms and investing in factories in inner cities.
