A city-wide initiative aims to prevent crime before it strikes. The concept involves using former criminals to be the catalyst for change. Due to remarkable results, St. Louis just extended its contract with the group called "Show Me Peace".
To do this work, it takes passion.
"Listen, the only way we're going to have a culture of peace is if we all play a role in that," said James Watson.
The work also takes a personal connection.
"When we go to step in, we're not coming in cold. We know somebody involved because we are connected in some way, shape form or fashion," he added.
That's the winning formula for Show Me Peace. The group of violence interrupters shows up to St. Louis' Walnut Park, Dutchtown, The Ville, and Wells Goodfellow neighborhoods five days a week wearing green. They canvass the community late at night.
"Often, the conversations that we have come down to, 'Man, your feelings were hurt' and emotionally, you only know to respond with violence because you think you're going to meet extreme violence," Watson explained.
He said it leads to candid conversations.
"'Man you really finna go kill somebody over somebody doing x, y, z?'...and then one of us can step in and say, 'Listen, let's think through this. What's some other options we can take?'"
According to the city's Office of Violence Prevention, since Show Me Peace started hitting the streets early this year, homicides have dropped by 53% in the neighborhoods they target.
"The street outreach work performed by Show Me Peace is a cornerstone of the Office of Violence Prevention's community violence intervention strategy. These credible messengers build real relationships with the community that allow them to be impactful in interrupting the cycle of violent crime," OVP Spokesperson Bretton DeLaria shared in a statement. "Show Me Peace and the relationships they are building play a vital role in creating a safer and healthy St. Louis."
The work isn't for the weak. Adam Bulter recalls taking a bullet at Fairground Park.
"Someone thought it would be a smart idea to shoot a gun in the area to disperse the crowd, which caused everybody to shoot from every direction...I was diving out the way when I got shot through my foot, came out my big toe and crawled out the side. I had to wait for all the shells and guns to stop before I got up," he said.
He survived and keeps coming back.
"I come from this and the same way I gave my life to it when I was out there doing wrong, the same way I can give my life to it doing right," Butler said.
St. Louis is now extending the group's services through the summer of 2026.
"The only way you impact community is not by coming to community but by being community," Watson said.
The city is investing close to $3.1 million to keep Show Me Peace operating. The organization is currently recruiting more paid staffers.
To apply, click here.
