ST. LOUIS — Getting a handle on crime — especially for youth — can be a community effort. That's the message from a local party planner who lives downtown. He heard the gunshots over the weekend.
"I heard the shots. I said ‘Dang, I was right again,'" said Darren Seals, better known as Peda.
He knew something was strange late Saturday night when he noticed teens in hoodies and ski masks gathering downtown. Moments later, a mass shooting at 14th and Washington claimed the life of 17-year-old Makao Moore.
"What is there for them to do? I can never get an answer,” he said.
He wants to see solutions that will keep area youth occupied so they won't resort to crime.
Shortly after the weekend chaos, Mayor Tishuara Jones announced the city will expand hours at recreation centers.
"Is that what teens want to do? Do they want to hang out at a recreation center?” 5 On Your Side asked Seals.
“No. Unless they have music, unless it’s a draw…. You want to see rappers. You want to see 2K tournaments,” he responded.
This week he posted on Instagram: "This Saturday I'm throwing a high school party for the teens."
It's something he once was known for. Video from one event in 2017 shows teens standing in a long line just so they could gather.
He wants to keep them busy and change the way they think. Seals recounted a recent conversation with a young person who asked him if he could bring his gun inside.
"'I got my momma car. I brought my thumper. Is it any type of way I can bring it in? I'll have it on me. You know I ain't finna shoot nobody.’ I'm like 'Use your common sense. You think I'm about to let you bring that up in here?’ 'Oh you can put it up for me. I just don't want my car getting broke into',” he recalled.
Seals believes it will take a community effort to bring about realistic solutions.
"I think some of the businesses downtown need to contribute to some of these teen events to help us get them off the street. Let's get the bi-state involved. Let's get the school buses involved. Let's have a checkpoint
where we take them and bring them back,” he suggested.
As he searches for solutions, one idea he has is to partner with a local club and turn it into a spot for teenagers. He wants to have people donate their time to offer security and to work with judges to have teen offenders perform community service instead of automatic jail time.