As the city receives $68 million in federal crime-fighting funds, questions emerge about public accountability, disparities in media scrutiny, and the continuing loss of Black male lives.
By Talibdin El-Amin | St. Louis Argus
ST. LOUIS — The City of St. Louis has reached a grim milestone: 100 homicides in 2026, even as police officials celebrate declining crime rates and a new $68 million federal investment intended to make the city’s streets safer.
The two realities are not necessarily contradictory. Crime can decrease while remaining unacceptably high. But the figures raise a larger question: Are we genuinely making sufficient progress, or have we simply lowered our expectations?
According to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s November 12 homicide report, 88 of the 100 victims were male and 12 were female. Eighty-seven victims were Black, including 78 Black males and nine Black females. Nine were White, and four were Hispanic.
In other words, Black males account for 78 percent of homicide victims, despite representing a substantially smaller share of the city’s population.
These are not merely statistics. They represent families shattered, children losing fathers, and neighborhoods experiencing repeated trauma.
Population Declines While Violence Persists
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates St. Louis had 278,144 residents in July 2025, compared with 301,578 in 2020—a population decline of approximately 7.7 percent.
With fewer residents, raw homicide totals tell only part of the story. Population-adjusted crime rates are essential to understanding the actual risk residents face.
Historically, the city’s homicide figures have declined:
• 2020: 263 homicides
• 2021: Approximately 201–203
• 2022: 200
• 2023: 160
• 2024: 151
• 2025: 141
• 2026: 100 through November 12
The numbers demonstrate meaningful improvement, particularly compared with the extraordinary violence of 2020. Nevertheless, the loss of 100 lives before Thanksgiving remains a serious public safety concern.
Comparing Political Administrations
Former Mayor Tishaura Jones, who served from 2021 until 2025, and former Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner, who resigned in May 2023, endured intense criticism surrounding crime, prosecution, and public safety.
Their administrations became frequent subjects of political attacks and extensive media scrutiny.
Yet homicides declined during Jones’ administration, particularly in 2023 and 2024. Those reductions occurred across overlapping prosecutorial leadership periods, making it difficult to attribute the improvements exclusively to any single official.
Under Mayor Cara Spencer and the subsequent prosecutorial administration, homicides have continued declining.
Indeed, the FBI’s latest national figures show violent crime decreased 9.3 percent in 2025, while murders fell 18.1 percent nationwide. St. Louis is therefore experiencing a broader national trend, although local policies may also contribute.
The question is whether today’s political leadership faces the same intensity of scrutiny that confronted Jones and Gardner.
Some community observers believe public criticism and media attention have become noticeably more restrained. That perception warrants examination through measurable reporting, public statements, and accountability standards—not simply political loyalties.
One hundred homicides should generate serious public concern regardless of who occupies City Hall or the Circuit Attorney’s Office.
The $68 Million Question
On November 9, the U.S. Department of Justice announced more than $68 million for St. Louis through its Model Cities Initiative.
The investment, expected to support public safety efforts over three years, emphasizes police recruitment, technology, equipment, investigations, and law-enforcement coordination.
Federal officials cited a 21 percent year-to-date reduction in homicides and a 25 percent decline in robberies as evidence of progress.
But where does prevention fit into the equation?
Will sufficient resources reach youth employment initiatives, apprenticeships, neighborhood organizations, violence interruption programs, behavioral health services, and community-based interventions addressing underlying conditions associated with crime?
Law enforcement remains indispensable. Yet arrests and technology alone cannot resolve every factor contributing to neighborhood violence.
Accountability Must Transcend Politics
The central concern is not whether crime has declined. The statistics indicate that it has.
The concern is whether public officials, media institutions, and community organizations are applying consistent standards when evaluating those results.
If 150 homicides were considered a crisis under one administration, 100 deaths before year’s end cannot become an unquestioned political success under another.
Progress deserves acknowledgment. So does the continuing human cost.
St. Louis needs more than celebratory press conferences and substantial federal grants. It needs transparent spending, measurable outcomes, sustained community investment, and equal accountability regardless of who holds political power.
Because the ultimate measure of public safety is not the political affiliation of those claiming credit.
It is whether families can live without fearing that someone they love will become the next homicide statistic.
STATISTICAL SOURCES & REPORTING NOTES
• St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, homicide report dated November 12, 2026 (victim demographic breakdown and year-to-date total).
• U.S. Census Bureau, St. Louis city population estimates for July 2025 and 2020 Census.
• SLMPD and City of St. Louis historical homicide reporting, 2020–2025 (some annual figures differ due to revisions/classification).
• Federal Bureau of Investigation, August 14, 2026 national crime-data release (2025 trends).
• U.S. Department of Justice, November 9, 2026 Model Cities Initiative announcement ($68 million St. Louis award).
• Editorial note: Comparisons of media scrutiny are framed as questions for investigation, not as a verified quantitative finding.
