Cape Girardeau residents raised concerns about gun violence, police accountability and neighborhood conditions during the Oct. 5 City Council meeting following the Sept. 27 fatal downtown shooting.
The meeting also included discussion of traffic and parking near Central Middle School and the city’s restaurant-tax advisory committee.
Cape Girardeau Mayor Robbie Guard addressed the shooting's impact on the Cape Girardeau community and thanked police for their response.
“I’ve been extremely sad and frustrated since the events on September 27,” Guard said. “I just want to say thank you to chief (Adam) Glueck and his guys, because there’s a lot that’s been missing in the last week. So, chief Glueck, thank you for everything you [and your men] have done, and I promise we will all get better from this.”
Cape Girardeau resident and gun violence and domestic violence prevention advocate, Leslie Washington, described how the shooting affected her.
“I’m saddened, I’m angry, I’m disheartened, that it continues to happen in our community,” Washington said. “So we need to find some way to come together, to work together as a community, to do better for our community, to make our community safer.”
Local Cape Girardeau musician Joy Brooker called for the city to address conditions that contribute to violence in the downtown area.
“I’m not just asking what we can do to make downtown safer next weekend, I’m asking a bigger question: what is happening throughout our community before violence ever reaches downtown?” Brooker said. “Violence doesn’t begin the moment somebody pulls the trigger on Main Street.”
Brooker also discussed the need for sustained investment in struggling neighborhoods.
“I’ve lived in South Cape for almost 10 years. I’ve seen what neglect looks like, but I’d like to see what 10 years of consistency looks like,” Brooker said.
Kolten Siebert, who has worked in downtown businesses for eight years, questioned whether the city’s public safety investments were producing notable results. He cited police staffing and crime statistics, arguing for transparency.
“I think that you guys have made substantial and meaningful investments into our public safety,” Siebert told the city council. “However, I have one question I feel the need to pose: what are we getting for them? I think the question the council owes the public isn’t, ‘are we spending enough?’ It’s, ‘Why are we below the national average in officers when we’re experiencing crime rates substantially above it?’
According to FBI-based 2024 crime data, Cape Girardeau recorded 217 aggravated assaults, a rate of approximately 532 per 100,000 residents.
The national aggravated-assault rate that year was approximately 256 per 100,000, making Cape Girardeau’s rate more than twice the national figure. The city’s reported murder and rape rates were also higher than the corresponding national rates in 2024.
“I think the question isn’t political. I actually think it’s measurable. Our own city says that what gets measured, gets done,” Siebert said.
Cape Girardeau City Councilmember DeWayne Schaaf acknowledged the shooting's impact on downtown residents, business owners and patrons.
“This death doesn’t mean I don’t believe in my town, or downtown, any less. We have things to fix. There’s no doubt about that,” Schaaf said. “Our town doesn’t have a single catch-all answer for downtown. We have to put the work in and never rest.”
Ward II Councilmember Tameka Randle emphasized that public safety concerns extend beyond downtown.
“We do not want to see violence. Not just in downtown, but in South Cape, West Side, any area of our city,” Randle said.
Randle encouraged residents to work directly with police and city officials to identify ways to improve safety.
“If you want to empower and encourage your city, as much as everybody who stood here, I hope you stand right at the police chief and say, ‘You know what? What can we do today?’” Randle said.
