ST. LOUIS — Greater St. Louis Inc. kicked off Downtown Summer Nights Thursday, an effort to step up foot traffic.
The new, weekly event at Kiener Plaza features food trucks, drinks, and live music every Thursday through August, except for the Fourth of July.
"We want to have a destination downtown weekly, something for people to do. Other cities have things every single week. Their downtowns are bustling and we really wanted to bring this to St. Louis," said organizer Asha Hornaday.
It was just four days ago that Citizens for a Greater Downtown sent out a press release saying that downtown was in a full five-alarm crisis due to crime.
The organizers of Downtown Summer Nights are pushing back against that narrative, and hoping the concert series sends a message resonating that downtown is the place to be.
“Our crime downtown is down over 40% over the last year and a half,” said Kurt Weigel the Chief Downtown Officer for Greater St. Louis Inc. “Obviously, we’d like it to be down to zero, but it’s a good step in the right direction.
At a public safety committee meeting Thursday, St. Louis police Chief Robert Tracy said officers are taking advantage of technology to keep people safe across the city. The department is using nearly $5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds, city funds and money from the St. Louis Police Foundation for the technology, which includes 30 mobile cameras being placed across the city, GPS investigative technology and nearly 400 license plate readers at traffic signals to find stolen cars.
"We can get ahead of these individuals that are doing some of these crimes. We have had great success breaking down some of these rings of carjackers and/or people who are out there stealing vehicles, holding them accountable so they don't go back out and reoffend," he said.
Weigel spent Thursday afternoon in Kiener Plaza soaking up the sun.
“You just really feel the spirit of the city,” Weigel said. “You feel what downtown should be all of the time, and we’re getting a little closer every day.”
As Greater St. Louis Inc. kicks off Downtown Summer Nights, Weigel hopes to show people from around the region what St. Louis is all about.
“A few weeks ago, we had 2,000 people on Washington Avenue having a good time,” Weigel said. “Downtown Summer Nights is an extension of that all through the summer. We’re going to have movie nights, cocktail hours, performances, spoken word, you name it!”
Downtown Summer Nights are just a part of Greater St. Louis Inc.'s larger plan to revitalize the Gateway Mall from the Arch to CityPark extending out to The Dome and Busch Stadium, starting with popup events.
“The idea is to get the private real estate to work better with the public realm, which we call the park space here,” Weigel said. “I think we’re on the right track, we just need to keep building every day.”
But why does Weigel think this plan to bring people back downtown will succeed when similar past plans have failed?
“We’re working together with civic minded businesses like (Greater St. Louis Inc.), the mayor’s office and the city to drive safe, vibrant, and beautiful,” Weigel said. "If you deliver on a space like that, that feels safe and is safe, (and) that is beautiful wherever you go and (has) a sense of activity all of the time, people will come.”
It’s free to attend Downtown Summer Nights. St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones was there Thursday for the kickoff.
"This is what downtown should be about — to come downtown have a little fun," she said.
"We love to see it. We wish it could be more of a daily basis," said Craig Haberstroh, who walked through Kiener Plaza on his way to Bucsh Stadium.
Weigel said that Jones has given the police department authority to deploy extra officers throughout the area to ensure safety.