EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (AP) — East St. Louis' mayor says his struggling city is grappling with what he calls a "rising tide" of violence punctuated by the weekend deaths of three women gunned down outside a convenience store.
And Alvin Parks Jr. says it's time to do something about it.
City leaders on Friday announced the latest push to control the local drug and violence problems by having police step-up patrols of high-crime neighborhoods and get help from state and federal authorities.
The school district also says its counselors, psychologists and social workers are ready to offer help for affected students and encourage dialogue meant to curb the violence.
The city this year has had 27 homicides, already 10 more than at this point last year.
