Thanks a Bunch, Phyllis

Owners of Soulard bars with 3 a.m. closing licenses are the happiest of people these days, thanks to a gift from Seventh Ward Alderman Phyllis Young. Phyllis eliminated future competition for these late night bars by introduced legislation which would prevent additional 3 a.m. licenses from being granted. The legislation passed the B of A and is sitting on the Mayor’s desk, awaiting his signature, according to Phyllis.

"The alderwoman Phyllis Young, who represents Soulard, says crime has spiked around some of the Soulard bars with 3 a.m. licenses. Her proposal would not allow any new 3 a.m. bars south of Chouteau in Soulard. She says areas around 3 a.m. bars have more smash and grab thefts from cars," reports Lakisha Jackson, whose story titled "New Proposal would limit 3 a.m. bars in Soulard" was posted on the Fox2Now website on March 9, 2012.

Smash and grab? How about a couple of late night murders, stemming from the 3 a.m. license owned by the Social House of Soulard?

The story continues: "Young says most bar patrons in Soulard don’t cause problems but that crime seems to be greater around some clubs with three a-m licenses."

Bob Kraiberg, the Liquor License Commissioner, played this same game a number of years ago. At a Soulard Restoration Group meeting he stood up and rambled about this and that, and then said something to the effect that there are enough bars in Soulard, and he implied that he was not going to permit any more. Those attending were pleased and thanked him. The bar owners were pleased and thanked him, too, because it meant no new competition.

Of course, Bob was just playing to the audience, and more bars settled into the neighborhood.

Like Bob’s self-serving words, Phyllis’ meaningless piece of legislation does nothing to solve Soulard’s crime and bar problems. Her’s is a pretend solution. Just like she is a pretend alderperson. It reveals the bankruptcy of St. Louis leadership.

After the murder of Social House patron James Clavin in January, a Post-Dispatch story dated Jan. 26, 2012 ("St. Louis officials and Soulard nightclub meet after deadly shooting") contained the quote: "‘We’ve had it [Social House of Soulard] on the radar for awhile now," said City Operations Director Sam Dotson." One can only wonder: Did you salvage your radar from the Titanic? Does it need a tune up? Hello? Is anybody there?

The basic question is: Why are these places allowed to open in the first place? After the two murders of Social House customers (Clavin and Gary Patch), this bar/nightclub held a forum to "clear the air." Their lawyer got up on their stage and said, among other things, that because the bar was open late night, the area around the bar was safer, because people were out and about, thereby preventing crime.

What a whopper! Violent criminals don’t hang around the Holly Hills neighborhood, for example, at 2:30 in the morning, because pickings would be slim to nothing. But they sure do love Soulard, where there are always victims - and drunk, too - on the streets in the middle of the night. In fact, we have enough problems with the bars without 3 a.m. licenses.

Thanks to leadership’s inability to understand their job and a lack of any decisive plans - or even a clue, the only thing threatening the prosperity of our Soulard bars is more crime. Phyllis is taking care of new competition.

City Hall and our Alderperson don’t want to rock any boats. Instead, they give criminals a license to do their thing. This approach has backfired before, undermining residential and commercial assets and crushing real estate values. St. Louis should know all about that, but they have forgotten..

Everything is Okay after Soulard Murder

Well, its back to business as usual here on Happy Island, after the murder of James M. Clavin was put in perspective and to bed, thanks to a Neighborhood Forum on Monday, January 30, sponsored and held at the Social House of Soulard, 1551 S. 7th St.

Inquiring readers may remember that Mr. Clavin ("beloved husband of Lisa Clavin (nee Bentrup), loving father of Henry and Nathan Clavin, dear son of Randy Clavin and Deborah Lietz, dear son-in-law of Robert and JoAnne Bentrup," etc., etc., as per the Kutis Funeral Home) was shot to death around 2:40 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012 in the 1500 block of S. 8th Street, in back of the Social House, which has a closing time of 3 a.m..

There were some calls for reining in the Social House after the murder. It seems that Gary Patch, 40, had been killed in September by a speeding vehicle driven by suspect Emmanuel Sanchez, 27, the result of some parking lot argument, possibly involving Social Club patrons. In addition, the police blotter reveals that there have been dozens of police complaints, responses, etc., stemming from patrons, nearby residents and others at this late closing nightclub. Also, there was extensive reporting of similar troubles at another nightclub, previously known as Lure and now appropriately named Amnesia, apparently owned by the same people but located in downtown St. Louis.

Not to worry, though. In lieu of displaying any leadership or showing any official resolve from City leaders, Soulard was granted this forum, a fulfilling event which settled all the dust.

The forum, scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m., opened with a very fine presentation by a fat faced lawyer representing the club. His basic message was: "shithappens." He went on the explain that the Social House benefits Soulard (and the City of St. Louis and its leadership) and that the objective of the owners was to make an evening at the Social House a pleasant experience. We certainly thank him for that, and we thank the owners for spending their money on a high-priced mouthpiece to present this message. Very impressive. The lawyer’s words were in no way condescending or self-serving. It should be noted that the owners, Aprille Trupiano and Josh Sample (according to the Post-Dispatch), showed their respect for neighborhood residents by not showing up at the forum.

The attorney explained that the Social House had nothing to do with the entire tragedy, taking a load off our minds. Some wag thought: with the record of Social House and Lure, why should we believe anything that comes out of your mouth, but that thought was quickly shelved. We were listening to people who display St. Louis integrity.

Next was a presentation from a friend of the deceased. This friend apparently had been out "partying" with Mr. Clavin that night. He actually got up on the Social House stage and detailed the evening from his perspective. He related that Mr. Clavin was on the street talking with a couple of ladies who had missed their ride home when some other gentlemen wearing masks or what-have-you came around a corner, had a brief conversation with Mr. Clavin, shot him and then scurried off into the night. Thus, the Social House was absolved of any involvement, was the message.

We cherish his words with all our heart, testimony from a close friend who was with Mr. Clavin at the end. If I lost a friend in these circumstances, I wouldn’t be returning to the scene to testify that, well, "except for that, we had a good time" and implying that "sure, I would come back to the Social House with some of my other friends." Thus, we offer our congratulations to this friend, and, as they say, "who needs enemies when you have friends like this?" I think that the Soulard Restoration Group and the City of St. Louis should name this individual an "honorary citizen of Soulard" and give him a bronzed, symbolic key to the neighborhood.

Then there was the testimony of a U.S. Army man, who had medical training. A Social House customer, he said that when he arrived at the side of Mr. Clavin, he recognized that there was nothing he could do. It was told to all that the U.S. Army man had served a couple of tours in Iraq. I think the intended message was that everything was done to help the dying and in a patriotic way, too. Missing was somebody waving the American flag on behalf of the Social House and a rousing rendition of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" to support the Constitutional right of the Social House to run a raucous establishment, and the community be damned.

So we left, secure in the knowledge that the Social House was up and coming and that the City of St. Louis blessed this fine charade instead of doing anything substantive.

Post Script: It should be recorded that placid-faced Bob Kraiberg, City of St. Louis Liquor License Commissioner, was there, as was cherubic Brian Wahby, head of the City Democratic Committee, who worked the crowd and passed out cards advertising himself and his run for Treasurer of the City of St. Louis. Alderperson Phyllis Young was out of town, conveniently. End of adventure. Problem solved.
　
　

Our Fab Pub Crawl Scene

Imagine our surprise when we received an e-mail titled "First Annual Gleaming Toothfairies Pub Crawl to benefit Give Kids a Smile taking place July 16 in Soulard."

From Pamela Powell, The Hauser Group, Inc., 515 Olive Street, Ste. 1204, St. Louis, MO 63101, the e-mail stated: "I just wanted to send this to you as an FYI. Thanks so much."

The accompanying press release stated in part: "This new event represents another unique way for us to spread the word about Give Kids a Smile and raise critical funds to help the organization continue its work to provide quality dental care to area children that need it most," said Joan Allen, executive Director of Give Kids a Smile. "We encourage area residents to take advantage of this opportunity to have lots of fun for a good cause."

This drinking event will begin at the Great Grizzly Bear and it will "send participants on a day-long tour of six Soulard-area bars." T-shirts, appetizers, prizes, etc., are all part of this enticing deal. Apparently, Give Kids a Smile is headquartered in St. Charles.

Our first reaction was: why don’t these ass holes hold this event in their own neighborhood ("Oh, I wouldn’t live in a neighborhood with so many bars. Bars attract the lowest common denominator of people.")? What did the residents of Soulard ever do to these organizations that they inflict us with another damn institutionally sponsored drunk?

It looks pretty hollow to us. We recall the story told to us by a friend. One of her female relatives owned and ran a bar in Illinois. She had a crew of regulars, who expressed undying love for her and her bar. In contemplation of selling the bar and retiring, she asked her regulars if they would visit her at her home. They all said yes, of course, so she installed a number of concrete benches and tables in her yard to provide seating for these friends. Well, she finally retired, and - guess what - her friends from the bar never, ever paid her a visit. She failed to recognize that it was not about socializing or friendship. It was about booze.

This "new event" is sort of like in those old Mickey Rooney movies, where Mickey stands up and says: "Let’s put on a show for the gang," followed by singing and dancing. In this case, GKAS and their pr outfit stand up and say: "Let’s put on a cheap drunk, and maybe we can make some bucks out of it." followed by another group of slobs further undermining the residential assets of Soulard, making noise, littering and carrying on. It is all about the booze.

Is this what GKAS is about? Offer them an excuse to drink, and they will come. Is The Hauser Group hankering after some kind of public relations award for creativity? Do these people think that a bunch of drunks care about their objectives?

Our city politicians obviously do not care about the residential assets of Soulard. They boost Mardi Gras and every other noisy, destructive, dangerous and drinking-oriented festival that wants to exploit the neighborhood, all in the name of making the City of St. Louis more cosmopolitan and prosperous (that’ll be the day). The bars in Soulard could care less about the neighborhood, focusing on attracting every boorish, disrespectful person for miles around. The Soulard Restoration Group, the neighborhood organization, cannot stand on its own two feet, although it pretends that it speaks for neighborhood residents and their best interests. Now we have charitable organizations hopping on the bandwagon.

Our question: are GKAS and The Hauser Group, Inc. as hollow as their fund raiser?
　
　

We Lost our Precious Oktoberfest

Among the sacrifices Soulard residents made in 2010 was suffering the relocation of Soulard Oktoberfest to Lyons Park, down the landscape from the A-B campus. After years of having this "event" in the Soulard Market Park, complete with trash, noise, overcrowding, shopping disruptions, etc., it was moved elsewhere.

Our hard working alderperson, Phyllis Young, did this. Thank you, Phyllis. Now they can call it Lyons Park Oktoberfest or A-B Oktoberfest or whatever.

If they change the name, then maybe we will not have to listen to McKinstry carping about how much money he loses each year by putting on Oktoberfest and how he only does it to benefit Soulard, not his own pocketbook.

Meanwhile, hey, A-B, how do you like people urinating your product (and your competitors products) on your fence and trashing the perimeter of your campus on their way out? Inquiring readers want to know. How does it feel to play second fiddle to some erzatz "neighborhood" festival? Remember, if there is something you don’t like, just talk to McKinstry. He is always full of promises.

Pictured is what appears to be a partially eaten turkey leg and a dead man on the A-B perimeter fence, compliments of the Oktoberfest crowd, shot the morning after. It took years for Phyllis to get that mess out of Soulard. Good luck, A-B. You get what you deserve.

Soulard's Revenge: Our Wonderful Mardi Gras Scandal

This year the Saturday, February 13 Soulard Mardi Gras Grand Parade Day was the best ever. Nothing but pleasant memories. Of course, it was not the lame parade, consisting of truck floats dragging cargoes of port-a-potties and wannabe celebrities. And it was not the apres parade boozing. The drink prices were through the roof, and only the socially challenged would stand in trash up to their ankles, drinking in the streets of Soulard when the temperature is 35. Get a life.
No, it was the wonderful scandal which erupted within days of the parade.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch February 16, 2010 headline was: "With phone call, police commissioner springs nephew from jail." The lead paragraph read: "A St. Louis Police Board member, Vincent J. Bommarito, said today that a nephew who was arrested under suspicion of drunken driving in Soulard on Saturday was released to him at his request."

So Mr. B, as one poster called him, saved his nephew from spending Grand Parade night in the drunk tank. As a bonus, the nephew’s name was stricken from the police blotter, and he was given a ride by an official to elsewhere. Can you say "abuse of power?"

After publication of this breathtaking news, there erupted a self-righteous, defensive verbal battle between Mr. B, the Honorable Mayor Slay, and the Chief of Police, all indignantly spouting and bombastically beating their chests, just like some alderman caught farting in the cloak room. And all this gassy verbiage and finger pointing was captured, transcribed into sentences and lovingly printed in following editions of the Post-Dispatch.

I mean, you couldn’t buy entertainment like this.

Besides being amusing, the series of newspaper articles nudged aside the much embroidered curtain concealing the illegitimacy of the Soulard Mardi Gras and the incompetence of local government, whose most successful activity is to create a nesting ground for favoritism, cronyism, back scratching and what have you. Thanks to our very own Soulard Mardi Gras, the motto of our local politicians emerges: if you can’t govern effectively, at least be entertaining. In this they have been successful, playing the fools.

The Soulard Mardi Gras Grand Parade Day Drunk, the high point of a faux festival which is struggling to brand itself as the St. Louis Mardi Gras, always brings out the worst from St. Louis (and from miles around), providing an arena for underage drinking, drunk driving, minors in possession of alcohol, false ID’s, procuring alcohol for a minor, and, of course, what we are most proud of: lewd conduct, public urination, assault, property destruction, etc.

This is in addition to the above referenced abuse of power. This is not the first, nor will it be the last, revealing incident spotlighting those who benefit from Mardi Gras and from their official positions in St. Louis.

Someday, maybe somebody with a grain of insight will point out to such people that the Soulard Mardi Gras taints whatever it touches, just as its cancerous growth has disfigured Soulard. Until the St. Louis version of Mardi Gras becomes legitimate, Antoine Soulard will continue to wreak revenge for what it is doing to his namesake historic district.

Pursuing Real Estate Tax Questions: Seeking Edification

The following e-mail has been sent to showerst@stlouiscity.com, the address listed on the web site of the Collector of Revenue:

To the Honorable Gregory F. X. Daly, Collector of Revenue, City of St. Louis:

Today your web site on the St. Louis Community Information Network indicates that owners of property under two bar/restaurants in Soulard are in arrears in paying real estate taxes. The bills include special business district tax, lateral sewer fee, commercial surtax, total original tax, penalty and recording fee, where applicable.

This issue has been addressed in several articles on a blog titled Gumbo, which may be found at http://gumbotheforumforsoulard.blogspot.com/.

The property owners include: Clementine Inc., owner of property described as 2001-2003 Menard, site of Clementine’s Bar, which is in arrears in the amount of $10,212.29 for 2009 and 2008. I note that the payment of their 2007 taxes was posted on 1/5/2010.

The other is Great Grizzly Blues LLC, owner of property described as 1027 Geyer, site of The Great Grizzly Bear. The property owner is in arrears in the amount of $21,865.38, the accumulated tax bill for 2007, 2008 and 2009. (A City of St. Louis Real Estate Tax System "Open Special Tax Bills Report" dated 10/02/09 notes that the same property owners were in arrears on their 2005 taxes, and before the year turned over, they were also on arrears in the 2007 taxes. Your web site only covers three years. Thus, I am unable to confirm whether these taxes have been paid.)

I note that the "St. Louis City Revised Code Chapter 8.02.010 Statement of Clearance - Required" ( http://www.slpl.lib.mo.us/cco/code/data/t0802.htm ) states:

"The License Collection shall not issue any merchants, manufacturers, franchise, business or occupational license or renewal thereof, to any person, partnership or corporation, or anyone who contracts for personal service to be performed by individuals within the City, which under the law the License Collector is empowered to issue, unless and until the applicant for such license produces a written statement of clearance issued jointly by the Collector of Revenue and the License Collector certifies that the current or past personal property, real estate tax, payroll tax, business license taxes and/or earnings taxes are due and payable to the City and a statement from the Director of Revenue of the State of Missouri certifying that the applicant is in possession of a retail sales license, if such a license is required."

It seems to me that Chapter 8.02.010 suggests that businesses need to be good citizens, i.e., that they pay their real estate taxes in order to do business. There is a failure to display good citizenship by these two businesses. It seems that this failure is being aided and abetted by the Office of the Collector of Revenue.

I make this statement because the License Collector, The Honorable Michael McMillan, states that the businesses at the above addresses are in full compliance as far as payment of taxes, etc., in order for them to receive business licenses from his office. "Neither company you named, Great Grizzly and Clementine’s Inc., requires compliance action," Mr. McMillan states.

You may think that this matter is really none of my business. In fact, I feel the issue is entirely my business, since I am among a number of people in the Soulard neighborhood who feel that bars and their customers contribute to undermining the quality of life here. Trash, noise, crime, accidents and other problems are created and aggravated by these two businesses. Their failure to pay their real estate taxes mirrors their contempt for the neighborhood and for the general community.

Further, the inability of City of St. Louis officials and elected leaders to collect taxes reflects badly on their abilities, undermining confidence in government and implying corruption and favoritism. Large numbers of lots in the City of St. Louis are fallow, yielding no tax revenue because they are owned by the City. That this is widespread signals a failure of elected officials to nurture an environment conducive to prosperity. Slapping the face of tax payers is that tax abatement favors have been given to numbers of developers, further gnawing at the tax base and consuming confidence in governmental priorities.

At the same time, elected officials talk of budgetary problems and cuts in services. The conclusion is obvious: if a city cannot manage its tax base, then it is out of business. The question arises: why are businesses which negatively impact the community and which reflect badly on leadership allowed to game the system so effectively?

On these topics I seek edification and correction. Thus, I turn to you. I look forward to hearing your response to these issues, as will the readers of the blog.

Remembrances of Mardi Gras Past

On April 20, 1999 the Soulard Mardi Gras Community Forum was held. It was an apres Mardi Gras event to uncover problems and complaints resulting from the Grand Parade Day. Some time after the forum there was made available a "summary of issues identified."

This summary is interesting reading, primarily because most of the issues raised and problems uncovered remain unresolved to this day. For example, at the top of the list is the category Unacceptable Behaviors of Crowd. Bullet point items were:
Public urination/defecation/vomiting
Public drunkenness
Underage drinking
Bringing in alcohol (coolers)
Vandalism/property destruction
Violence/personal injury
Nudity
Sex acts
Lack of enforcement by police of existing laws

On this list, the one item which has been corrected is "bringing in alcohol (coolers)." This behavior is totally unacceptable to those who sell booze during the event. There are now paid guards at neighborhood entrances to make sure no miscellaneous booze is smuggled into Soulard during the Grand Parade Day drunk.

After a period of discussion, forum attendees were divided into 19 groups and asked to list their views of the event. Not wishing to bore readers, Madame Chouteau numbered 19 pieces of paper and choose one piece from a hat. Number 18 came up. Following are the items generated by Group 18:
Underage drinking
Coolers (outside liquor coming in)
Car access - in crowd areas
Neighborhood parking - lack of
Public urination
Vandalism/property destruction
Police response
Public nudity
Media coverage - negative
Event too large
Accountability
Misinformation
Inconvenient to residents
Tuesday event was disaster

That the unsavory nature of the Grand Parade Day has not changed is underlined by a story titled "Mardi Gras revelry brings protest," printed in the Wednesday, March 26, 2008 issue of the South Side Journal. Written by Jim Merkel, the article begins:

"Lloyd Harvey has participated in sit-ins at segregated Woolworths stores during the Civil Rights era, fought for the homeless and victims of HIV/AIDS and formed a tenants association to fight a landlord.

"The 75-year-old artist is topping it off with a campaign to fight hours of jarring music and what he believes is rampant public urination once a year within close view and hearing of a South Side senior citizen apartment building.

"Harvey lives on the fourth floor of the Allen Market Lane Senior Living Apartments on the northwest corner of 12th Street and Russell Boulevard in the Soulard neighborhood.

"That’s five blocks west of the annual parade route and toward the edge of where thousands of revelers party for hours after the parade.

"Harvey has watched the antics of revelers during three Mardi Gras parade days. He’s looked out his window facing Russell and seen a street full of people celebrating and heard loud, jarring music all day, he said.

"This year, he said, he heard a DJ constantly shouting to people, ‘Let’s get drunk.’"

Article author Jim Merkel quotes a spectrum of St. Louis personalities who have fingers in the Mardi Gras pot. They all declare their shock and surprise about the complaints of Harvey, and they all express their apologies. Implied is their helplessness to correct problems, although they all testify that they sure are working on it.

A quote from Alderman Phyllis Young is symptomatic. As printed:

"Young agreed there’s a serious public urination problem which she’s seen around her own property. People will stand next to porta potties and urinate, she said. ‘It’s like they lose any sense of public decency that they had.’"

The Honorable Phyllis Young pretty much puts her finger on the problem: a lack of public decency, encouraged by the beneficiaries, the bars, and winked at by the political leadership of St. Louis, who apparently feels that the negatives of the event are outweighed by the positives: the money which trickles into the city coffers as the result of taxes collected.

In fact, this "festival" taints everything that comes into contact with it, including the annual Mayor’s Mardi Gras Ball, a goofy celebration of how good things are going for St. Louis, when, in fact, problems for the City are looming in every direction. The "what me worry" attitude of this peculiar act of blindness, held at City Hall the evening before the Grand Parade Day debacle, is spotlighted in a blog posting dated Jan. 7, 2010 and titled "Francis Slay Touts Mardi Gras Ball, While 17,000 St. Louisans Cannot Find Work" by Thomas Duda at http://notmymayor.com.

Over the last decade, if thought and integrity had been devoted to growing St. Louis, rather than greed and stupidity to growing the Soulard Mardi Gras Drunk, St. Louis might not be in as bad a shape as it now is.

McMillan: Unpaid Real Estate Taxes Not My Problem

Following is the response from The Honorable Michael McMillan, License Collector for the City of St. Louis, regarding our story about Soulard as a Tax Haven. The response was dated January 5, 2010. It was received Jan. 9.

"We are in receipt of your email in reference to the article titled: "Soulard: The Tax Haven Revisited." Neither company you named, Great Grizzly and Clementine’s Inc, requires compliance action. Clementine’s is currently in compliance. Great Grizzly’s taxes are just due now.

"Allow me to clarify the role of the License Collector in matters such as these. We serve as a check and balance for other departments in City Hall. We verify that the requirements of those departments are met prior to issuing a business license. Once we receive a clearance from those departments we issue a business license. We recognize the difficulties that businesses are facing during these tough economic times and we allow them every opportunity to become compliant.

"We follow a process that includes the following steps:

"1. Any business coming to our office for a license must have a clearance from the Collector of Revenue on Earnings Tax, Payroll Expense Tax, and Personal Property Tax. Additional items requiring clearance are Occupancy Permit Status, Workers Compensation, Missouri Department of Revenue Clearance and Addendum Form. Any one or all of these items could result in a license not being issued. Real Estate Taxes are addressed solely by the Collector of Revenue.

"2. Our Office does not have the authority to close a business according to St. Louis City Revised Code Chapter 8.02.110; 8.02.120; and 8.06.160. Upon recommendation of the Collector of Revenue, when a business is not in compliance, we first contact the non-compliant business owner and offer them an opportunity to come into City Hall for a resolution hearing. If a resolution is not obtained, pursuant to state and local law, the License Collector has a duty to report such violations to the Circuit Attorney, Police and/or the Grand Jury for further action. Any further action is at their discretion. We do, however, continue to make attempts to collect outstanding taxes until the business either reconciles its account or closing occurs.

"Since taking office, my staff and I have worked to make the licensing process easier with on-line services, annual licensing fairs, industry briefings, increased fraud monitoring and consumer education. Our community outreach activities include creating networking opportunities with resource providers such as financial institutions and manpower assistance agencies to help businesses sustain and grow. Overall, we have initiated over 25-upgrades during my term for improved business services.
　
"Additionally, we initiated collaborations between multiple city departments to share information in order to ensure continuity and foster more expedient problem-solving actions. We have found that this cross communication decreases customer confusion, offers them accurate information, workable resolutions and results in more businesses being able to remain open. This benefits the city and the many organizations and city services supported by business taxes.

"For more information about our Office, please visit our website: http://stlouis.missouri.org/citygov/license/. We trust our response will help you to help others clarify these issues. If you have any additional questions, please call me at (314) 622-4643.
　
Sincerely,
Michael McMillan
License Collector
City of St. Louis"

We must admit that we are somewhat disappointed by this response. According to the web site of the License Collector, under "additional links, frequently asked questions," we find that the law states as follows:

8.06.020 License - Payment of Taxes
"No license or permit provided for, or required by this chapter or any ordinance of the City shall hereafter be issued by any department, division or office thereof to any person, until all taxes, personal taxes, earning taxes, license taxes, permits, certificates and merchants tax due, if any, of such person for the preceding year shall first have been paid."

From what the License Collector says, "until all taxes" means all taxes - except real estate taxes - have to be paid. "Real Estate Taxes are addressed solely by the Collector of Revenue," Michael McMillan says.

In the meantime, as of 1:30 p.m., Monday, January 11, 2010, according to the web site of the Collector of Revenue, Great Grizzly Blues LLC, owner of 1027 Geyer (a.k.a. 1863-1865 Menard) owes real estate taxes:
for 2009 ($6,987.60)
for 2008 ($7,058.01)
for 2007 ($7,819.77), for a total amount due of $21,865.38. In addition, we believe that taxes for 2006 and 2005 are also owed. Unfortunately, the Collector of Revenue web site only goes back three years.

Also, Clementine Inc., listed as owner of 2001-2003 Menard, owes real estate taxes on this property:
for 2009 ($5,080.48)
for 2008 ($5,131.81)
for 2007 ($5,685.73), for a total amount of $15,898.02.

Both businesses are open for business. Doesn’t seem right. It implies something about our local government, particularly in these tough times of service cutbacks. And, obviously, the buck does not stop at the Office of License Collector.

City Licenses: Seeking Enlightenment

The following was recently e-mailed to Mr. Michael McMillan:

Please forward this e-mail to Mr. Michael McMillan, License Collector, City of St. Louis

Dear Mr. McMillan:

On Friday, Dec. 11, 2009 an article titled “Soulard: The Tax Haven Revisited” was posted on a blog labeled Gumbo, the Forum for Soulard at http://gumbotheforumforsoulard.blogspot.com/. The article contained information about bar/restaurants in the Soulard neighborhood whose property taxes are in arrears or were paid after the deadline. (Please note that this letter is also posted on the blog.)

My understanding is that businesses cannot open their doors and do business unless they have been granted a business license. I understand a business license cannot be issued if the business owes any taxes. Are these understandings correct, or have I misread the laws and ordinances of the City of St. Louis?

I have been approached by several business owners who have paid all their relevant taxes. They want to know why businesses which have not been good citizens - those which have not paid all their taxes - are being subsidized by those who have. They believe an unfair competitive advantage has been created. At what point is a business which has a defective business license - one which does not meet the requirements as defined by laws and ordinances of the City of St. Louis - going to be closed? Are the business licensing laws something to be taken casually here in St. Louis, by both elected officials and businesses?

There are some people in Soulard who feel that there are too many bars/restaurants in the neighborhood. They feel that the large number of these establishments contribute to quality of life problems. Examples of these quality of life issues include increased crime, trash, noise, traffic accidents, vandalism, and others. That some of these establishments remain open when it appears that they have defective licenses suggests favoritism and corruption in City of St. Louis government. They are expected to pay their taxes, their parking tickets, etc., etc., but bars/restaurants which degrade the living experience in the neighborhood seem to get a free pass. Could you please address this concept? Is there any concern by you that residents think favoritism and corruption is an ingredient in St. Louis city government?

I am most interested in hearing from you so that your responses can be published on the blog in order to set the record straight and to calm the fears and anger of some of my fellow citizens. Thank you in advance for your time.

ADDENDUM: The following was attached to the above message and re-sent to The Honorable Michael McMillan on January 4:

Dear Michael McMillan, License Collector, City of St. Louis

This is the second e-mail I have sent you. The first was sent on Dec. 17 to the e-mail address licensecollectorsoffice@stlouiscity.com, as directed by your page on the CIN/St. Louis web site. The e-mail seeks information about irregular business licenses in Soulard, as per a story published on the Soulard blog on Friday, Dec. 11, 2009 and titled Soulard: The Tax Haven Revisited. I have not received any answer from you. You may not have been able to find the story due to an error in the blog address. My apologies for the mistake. Thus, I am re-sending the first e-mail to mcmillanm@stlouiscity.com, a different address. I look forward to hearing from you.

Soulard: The Tax Haven Revisited

Recently we posted information (Monday, July 6, 2009 titled "When was Soulard declared a Tax Haven? Nobody told Madame Chouteau" and Friday, July 31, 2009 titled "Update on Soulard as a Tax Haven and Our Apologies") about four bar/restaurants in Soulard that were in arrears in their property taxes but were still open, despite the City of St. Louis law which states that property taxes - and other taxes - must be paid up in order for a business to have a valid business license.

Well, we are happy to report that things have changed, in a St. Louis sort of way.

The good news is that McGurks-Soulard LLC, owner of record of the ground under John D. McGurk’s Irish Pub, 1200 Russell Blvd., finally paid their 2008 tax bill of $22,984.72. This was posted on 9/24/2009 on the web site of the Collector of Revenue. Anybody concerned about this late pay should remind themselves that James P. Holloran is listed as agent for the company, and he is a "mover and shaker" here in St. Louis. He is blue blood royalty for what passes as St. Louis society, so he pays his taxes when he damn well feels like it, and the rest of you can just bow and scrape and tug your respective forelocks when he passes..

Next, we turn to Nadine’s Gin Joint. Here we have some real St. Louis type progress. The tax problems, which our research showed and we reported as stretching over three years and amounting to $29,389.34, including penalties, were resolved when the property was sold. It appears that somebody in NTM Partnership LLC, listed as the previous owner, paid taxes and bought out some other owners.

The new owners, who call themselves Missouri Housing Assoc. LLC (created on 10/7/09) and who boast a mailing address at 74 Hester Ct., St. Charles, MO 63304, are listed on the Secretary of State’s web site as Gregory Stephen Wood, Nicole Marie Wood, Benjamin Aaron Scott and Kelly Ann Scott. The property, which had been subdivided under the ownership of NTM Partnership LLC, has the abbreviated property description of Nadine’s Kingdom Subdivision. While welcoming the Woods and Scotts to property ownership in Soulard, we wonder if they are going to change the subdivision description to Woods and Scotts Kingdom.

Interestingly, the new owners have created two parcels out of the property, dividing the tax bill into two pieces. The two tax bills were promptly paid by the new owners, which is a blessing, since the City of St. Louis needs every tax dollar it can get. Previously, we had though that the property had been a beneficiary of a tax cut. We were mistaken. Our apologies for the error, and congratulations to the new owners for paying on time.

From here, the news is not so good. Clementine Inc. owes taxes on 2001-2003 Menard for 2007, 2008 and 2009 in the amount of $15,653.36, as of 12/9/09 from the site of Gregory F. X. Daly, Collector of Revenue. But their doors are still open for business.

And, of course, our eternal favorite, Great Grizzly Blues LLC, owner of the building that homes the Great Grizzly Bear, owes $30,273.72 as of 12/9/09. They are in arrears all the way back to 2006, and there is evidence they also owe for 2005. The address of Great Grizzly Bear is 1027 Geyer. Assessor’s Office records list the owner/owners as living at 2 Clara Ave., Webster Groves, MO 63119. Everybody in Soulard is proud to have one of our bar properties owned by somebody from the county, even if they don’t pay their taxes. Us taxpayers really do not mind subsidizing their operation.

Still, we do not understand what is happening. So we have decided to e-mail some questions to the License Collector, Michael McMillan at licensecollectorsoffice@stlouiscity.com.. His web site states: "The City of St. Louis has a responsibility to maintain the health, safety, and welfare of its citizens. Therefore, the Board of Aldermen and the Mayor enact ordinances that govern operations of businesses that impact the citizens of St. Louis City. State statues and City ordinances give the duty and responsibility to the License Collector of the City of St. Louis to enforce the business license ordinances and statutes."

From their actions - their failure to pay property taxes - Clementines and Great Grizzly are in violation of license requirements. Why are they still open, when their business license applications are defective? Why do you force the rest in the tax-paying community to subsidize their operations? Why are failing businesses - ones which cannot pay their bills - exempted from denial of a business license, while the City of St. Louis expects the rest of us to pay up? Do you not think this undermines confidence in the integrity and competence of City of St. Louis government? We will post any answers we receive from The Honorable Mr. McMillan.

But don’t take our word for any of this. Do your own research, and start by visiting http://stlcin.missouri.org/assessor/lookup.cfm, the site of the City of St. Louis Assessor’s Office. Enter an address and when the property comes up, click on "Tax History Information," which takes you to the page of Gregory F. X. Daly, Collector of Revenue. That page shows tax history, dates of payments and other information. And maybe send an e-mail to Michael McMillan, or Phyllis Young, or Mayor Slay. It is time we stopped being victimized by elected officials. It is time for elected officials to start listening to their respective oaths of office.

Crime: Antoine Soulard's Revenge

On Saturday morning, November 28 - the Saturday after Thanksgiving - the number of broken auto windows - evidenced by the piles of windows glass along the road and from the still parked, damaged cars - on Soulard and S. 10th Streets was discomforting. A simple shopping trip to Soulard Farmers’ Market yielded insight into the condition of neighborhood civility.


In front of 1823 S. 10th was a red truck with a broken driver’s side window, and there was a fresh pile of broken glass where an adjoining vehicle would have parked. Across the street in front of 1824 S. 10th was what looked like older broken glass (it was scattered) and an auto with a temporary black plastic bag driver’s side window. Around the corner and in front of 911 Soulard was another car with a broken window, plus two fresh piles of broken window glass in adjoining spaces. Across the street in front of 904 Soulard was an older spread of broken window glass.


It looked like somebody had taken out five windows during the previous night, supplementing evidence of older vandalism in the vicinity. The car in front of 911 Soulard had temporary Colorado plates. Not an auspicious beginning for a new purchase.

What is one to make of this?


In an e-mail blaster message from Terry Hoffman - and copied from Lisa Otke’s blaster message dated Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009 - the weekend before Thanksgiving - the message was:


"Great news from Officer Hickel, Soulard Community Officer.


"Officers caught 4 black males, 17 years old breaking into vehicles on Wednesday night in Soulard. There had several handbags and valuable in the vehicle they were driving which had been stolen earlier in the day. They were responsible for several car break-ins around the area. This should reduce crime in the area!


"Thanks to Officer Hickel for sharing this good news!! Let’s hope we see a reduction of crime for awhile!!

"Have a good week and Happy Thanksgiving!"


The call to celebrate was premature. One could try for some humor and comment that Hi-Tech Security, the "rent-a-cop" company hired with our special business district add-on tax, is hot on restoring neighborhood manners, but it seems that there is nothing humorous - nor effective - about Hi-Tech Security. Two recent stories in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch hinted that scandal touches the company, suggesting it suffers from a defective business plan.

Of course, over the last number of years, civility has not been a Soulard trademark. The Mardi Gras Grand Parade Day (and other boozy festivals) promotes Soulard as a place to waste, all in the name of celebrating drunkenness while boosting the bottom lines of area bars and restaurants.

Year around, the patrons of the bars and restaurants do a fine job of leaving a debris trail that helps convey the message that "nobody cares what happens in this neighborhood," the price we pay for the unsought designation from the City of St. Louis of "Entertainment District."

The Soulard Restoration Group, a self-centered collection of poseurs, believes that promoting the party somehow promotes the neighborhood. They effortlessly sidestep the truth that fighting trash, just like fighting crime, requires healthy neighborhood morale and effective leadership. What years ago had been an evolving residential neighborhood has been traded for a "party neighborhood."


So maybe we can see all these broken windows - and a lot of other anti-social events - as "Soulard’s Revenge," as payback from our namesake for directing his neighborhood down the road towards Pigpensville. Random vandalism, occasionally mixed with violence or the threat of violence, coupled with trash, noise, accidents, etc., all the stuff from the police blotter, are "Soulard’s Revenge" for turning a historic residential neighborhood into St. Louis’ Party Neighborhood, as The Riverfront Times labels us.

Police Incident Reports, Soulard, Oct. 11 - 18

Incident reports for Soulard from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department - as recorded on an official department website at http://safecity.slmpd.org/index.htm - for the seven day
period of Sunday, Oct. 11 through Sunday, Oct.18 include:

2 theft: 900 block of Lafayette, reported at 10:35 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 11; 2300 block of S. 13th, reported at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 11.

2 stolen autos: 1200 block of Sidney, reported at 11:45 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 16; 2500 block of S. 18th, reported at 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 13.

1 peace disturbance: 2300 block of S. 10th, reported at 2:45 a.m. of Sunday, Oct. 11.

93 service calls, including accidents (7), assault (2), disturbance (8), indecent act, prowler attempting entry, etc.

Interestingly, this blog received an anonymous posting regarding the murder/suicide, first brought to our attention by Cynthia Harrison, chairman of the Soulard Special Business District during a SSBD forum, held Sept. 30, 2009 and mentioned in the last two incident reports.

The posting simply said: "There was no murder/suicide. The swat team did show for a drug bust at a home which turned out not to have any drugs. Who knows where murder/suicide started!"

Another item brought up at the Sept. 30 forum was that the SSBD was going to start a web site in order to reduce neighborhood rumors, especially those involving crime. At the same meeting, they contribute to the rumors, if the anonymous posting is to be believed.

We are sort of at a loss for words. What kind of people have been appointed by the mayor to be in charge of spending approximately $282,000 in special tax funds? Are they incompetent? Do they have any concept of what they are supposed to do?

Our Special Oktoberfest Festival

The Oktoberfest event has again landed on Soulard, another commercial exploitation of this historic district by private interests. Striving mightily to pretend that it is a neighborhood event, instead of a private, money-making activity, Oktoberfest further degrades the quality of residential life, distracting attention from growth and improvement, focusing on a party.

At the Soulard Special Business District forum, held on Sept. 30, a question was raised regarding security during Oktoberfest. It was interesting to listen to Alderwoman Phyllis Young during the ensuing discussion. She assured those attending that the responsible organization - Soulard Oktoberfest Benevolent Association - had assumed full responsibility for security.

She also said that the so-called festival will no longer be held in Soulard after this year. "They have promised this is the last year," she said, ignoring the fact that the organizers promised the same thing last year. She could have made the point that the organizers will say (and promise) anything to continue the event in Soulard.

Finally, she added that Oktoberfest was growing in popularity, and any who "did not like this event in their neighborhood should make their voices heard." She neglected to say to whom comments should be directed. Perhaps Santa Claus? The Easter Bunny?

St. Louis Post-Dispatch readers will recall that Alderwoman Young seems not to be a fan of Oktoberfest, possibly because she doesn’t want another over-the-top commercial event added to her legacy. She has good cause for embarrassment.

The Soulard Mardi Gras has grown to its present state of disorder as a public drunk during her reign as alderwoman. It gets a free pass from the City of St. Louis because our wise City Fathers are so desperate for revenue, no matter what the cost to a city neighborhood, no matter how disgraceful the event.

SMG has changed the tone of the entire neighborhood, transforming the culture from neighborhood growth and improvement to "let’s have a party." Thus, it gets a free pass from the Soulard Restoration Group, an organization now devoted to drinking. Their glib motto is: "If you don’t like Soulard Mardi Gras, then it’s time to move." And many otherwise contributing people have done this.

Anyway, after some skirmishing in the pages of the Post-Dispatch, Alderwoman Young wrote a letter - on Board of Aldermen stationary - on May 30, 2009 to Mr. Victor Wendl, President, Soulard Oktoberfest Benevolent Association, 7321 S. Lindbergh, Suite 208, St. Louis, MO 63125.

The letter pretty well catalogues the impact of Oktoberfest and reads as follows:

"I have reviewed the plan of action that you have submitted for curtailing the problems that have arisen in the past from the Oktoberfest. While I can see that you have made some effort I still have concerns. I’ll address the issues as you presented them.

"ISSUE 1: PUBLIC URINATION. Additional porta-potties in the area will be appreciated if they are used by your visitors. Will the ‘stationary officers’ patrol and issue tickets?

"ISSUE 2: PERSONAL PROPERTY DAMAGE. That might help; however, again what will the patrols do to curb this behavior? Will they issue tickets for damage?

"ISSUE 3: DAMAGE TO VEGETATION IN SOULARD MARKET PARK. Fencing the flower beds would be appreciated.

"ISSUE 4: DAMAGE TO PARK GROUNDS. That’s an item to take up with the Parks Director.

"ISSUE 5: IMPACT ON MARKET PARKING. Have you discussed this with the Market’s Merchant’s Association? In my discussions with them it was felt that the elderly and handicapped as well as those people who shop for large families will not come to the Market due to the inconvenience or inability to deal with large quantities of food on a shuttle bus. This is not an acceptable approach for resolving the Market’s issue.

"ISSUE 6: IMPACT ON MARKET SALES AND TRAFFIC. There has been no growth shown in the number of younger shoppers at the Market after either Mardi Gras or Oktoberfest. While you moved your date to the second week of October the checks for those dependent on Social Security generally arrive on the 5th of the month. Therefore, the date you have chosen is also the one that is generally the busiest of the month for the Market.

"You need to work more closely with the merchants at Soulard Market to limit the damage to their revenues. In effect your event causes them to lose a week’s revenues. It would be similar to closing a Soulard bar for a week. Keep that in mind as you plan your event.

"I’m told that the 50 cent coupons that were issued last year to offset the decrease in sales were never funded by your organization. Therefore, I am skeptical that the vendors would get reimbursed if people from food pantries came in with Soulard Oktoberfest Dollars. To show good faith to the Market Merchants a check with an agreed upon amount should be provided to the Merchants Association for deposit in an account two weeks prior to Oktoberfest to insure that the program would be funded.

"ISSUE 7: JULIA STREET VENDOR PARKING PROBLEMS. Again this is an issue to take up with the Park Director.

"ISSUE 8: EXCESSIVE DRUNKENNESS. I applaud the mandating of TIPS training for nonprofit organizations selling alcohol at Oktoberfest. I request that ID’s be checked with every sale. You’ll make the older folks feel young and be certain that everyone is of age to drink. In addition the state and local Excise officers should be asked to be at the event ticketing underage drinkers.

"ISSUE 9: GROWTH OF THE FESTIVAL TO UNMANAGEABLE ATTENDANCE. I agree that an entrance fee will help the event. I’m told that there was a $10 fee previously so I don’t understand the $5 one now proposed. You should also provide flexibility to hire additional security if the crowd builds.

"ISSUE 10: USE OF ALTERNATIVE LOCATIONS OR DISBURSE ACTIVITIES. (1) I have no information about why Strassenfest failed downtown; however, the split that brought Oktoberfest to Soulard was likely a part of it along with the fact that it occurred in the hottest part of our St. Louis summers. (2) If Oktoberfest is a German Cultural festival why not hold it at the German Cultural Center on S. Jefferson and build on the decision to locate that facility in that location. There is also a large parking lot adjacent to the St. Louis Gast Haus on Chouteau which could promote the event and the restaurant. (3) Alderman Ortmann has also agreed that your event could locate in Lyons Park in the shadow of the brewery.

"ISSUE 11: BOISTEROUS PEOPLE WHO BOTHERED RESIDENTS. While you can post on the website and throughout the neighborhood, unless there is some penalty imposed by the officers you hire there is no enforcement for this problem. What specific measures are you taking to insure the residents that your participants will be responsible and respectful?

"ISSUE 12: SHORTEN THE FESTIVAL HOURS AND/OR DAYS.

"ISSUE 13: CLOSING OF LAFAYETTE STREET NO EARLIER THAN NOON ON FRIDAY. These are the Director of Streets requirements. You may close 8th St on Thursday morning to construct the stage as was done last year, however, Lafayette Street will be available on Friday at noon. You may use the parking lanes and sidewalks for prep and staging provided that you leave the driving lanes open. You’ll need permits for all of this.

"I appreciate the thoughts and efforts of the group to meet the concerns expressed; however, I believe that more work is needed to protect both the adjacent neighbors and the Soulard Market Merchants. I will await you ideas.

"Sincerely, Phyllis Young, Alderwoman, 7th Ward"

Copies were sent to Alderman Ken Ortmann, Gary Bess, Todd Waeltermann, Jim Price, Johnny Daus, Joannie Thomas and Ann Chance.

Wow, that is some letter. These issues raise the obvious question: why let private interests - and private wallets - wag the dog and on the public dime, too?

An analysis of the issues reveals that Oktoberfest is nothing more than a microcosm of the Soulard Mardi Gras, and both events offer insights into the leadership skills - the degree of incompetence and venality - of those who run the neighborhood and the City of St. Louis. So if you don’t like what you see, well, then, it is time to move, as the neighborhood party people would say.

Police Incident Reports, Soulard, Sept. 27 - Oct. 4

Incident reports for Soulard from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department - as recorded on an official department website at http://safecity.slmpd.org/index.htm - for the seven day
period of Sunday, Sept. 27 through Sunday, Oct. 4 include:

1 serious assault: 1300 block of Gravois, reported at 9:15 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 29.

3 theft: 1500 block of S. 7th, reported at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3; Menard and Allen, reported at 10 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 27; 2500 block of S. 11th, reported at 11:45 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 28.

1 stolen autos: 1500 block of S. 7th, reported at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3.

1 minor assault: 1000 block of Ann, reported at 2:05 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 27.

3 peace disturbances: 1700 block of S. 9th, reported at 12:40 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 27; 1000 block of Lami, reported at 11 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 2; 2400 block of S. 12th, reported at 10:40 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 27.

120 service calls, including accident (11), accident with injuries (3), auto theft (2), disturbance (15), etc.

As an aside, there was an interesting incident which occurred during a scheduled meeting of the Soulard Special Business District, which held a public forum on Sept. 30 at the Soulard Preservation Hall. Cynthia Harrison, Chairman of the commissioners of the SPBD, revealed that sometime during the past 30 days there had been a murder/suicide - apparently the result of a domestic altercation - in the 700 block of Russell. A swat team had made an appearance during the course of this event.

No other details were provided.

It is odd that this event was not identified on the web site where all of above material was obtained and has been obtained for the past numbers of weeks. This absence was brought up during the meeting, and the response to the question made absolutely no sense.

One interpretation of the answer was that the event, which apparently involved two life partners, was too personal to be put on the web site and to be exposed to public comment. We cannot see the sense in this interpretation. All crime is personal. Just ask the man who lives a half block from us how personal it was to feel a pistol barrel placed on the back of his head in the middle of the night, all part of a robbery reported earlier on this blog.

If crime and incidents are not listed because they are too personal, where does this begin and end? Would any crimes be listed?

We asked Terry Hoffman, Treasurer of the SSBD, to please provide additional details of the murder/suicide so that we might research it on the web site. We look forward to hearing from him, and we hope that the absence of information to date is no more sinister than a clerical error. If it is more than a clerical error, then what else is being left out?

Minding our Pets, Displaying Courtesy

The following comments are from a Soulard neighborhood e-mail blaster

Hello all,

I am still somewhat new to the neighborhood and getting acquainted with how things work around here. So far living in Soulard is fantastic, but I am having some issues with folks not cleaning up after their animals in front of my home on 11th st. This has happened several times over the past couple of months. I have never seen the culprit(s) so I can't ask them to stop or to pick up the mess. Is anybody having or had the same and how have you dealt with it? If you know someone who knowingly leaves there animal droppings on other people's property please pass this along as it very discourteous and they should begin to clean up after there animal.

Thanks,

Domenic Marcello

And a response:

I second that emotion. I always clean up after my animals when I walk them, whether it is on sidewalks, in tree lawns, public parks or the dog park (if there has been a time I haven't, it's because I ran out of bags during the walk, but I always try go back after and pick it up as soon as possible....)

It is both irresponsible and just plain rude to leave your animal's waste, no matter the size, etc., on public property or some other person's private property.

Even if it is in the tree lawn, the homeowner whose property is adjacent to that tree lawn is responsible for maintaining it, e.g. cutting the grass, and it is very frustrating to have to pick up some other person's pet waste prior to mowing the tree lawn. Sometimes I really consider putting the asphalt back that was there before I bought the house so I won't have to deal with it...

Dana Brackeen

Police Incident Reports, Soulard Neighborhood, Aug. 23 - 30

Incident reports for Soulard from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department for the seven day period of Sunday, August 23 through Sunday, August 30 include:

1 robbery: 900 block of Russell, reported at 10:28 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 23.

3 theft: 2100 block of S. 12th, reported at 10:00 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 28; 2300 block of S. 13th, reported at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 28; 700 block of Russell, reported at 6:50 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 24.

1 DWI: S. 10th and Geyer, reported at 8:27 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 28.

There were reported 123 service calls, including accident (7), accident w/injuries (4), arrest attempt (2), assault (2), assist motorist (7), attempt holdup (2200 bock of S. 9th), attempt larceny, auto theft (4), burglar in the building, call for police - calling for help - disturbance (5), disturbance (4), fight (2), holdup, parking violation (12), shooting (900 block of Russell), shots fired (900 block of Russell, Russell and Menard), suspicious person (14), etc.

In recent blog postings there was made note of an unfortunate accident involving the dog of a customer of Elicia’s Pizza. The dog was struck and killed by the delivery driver. The owner of the dog was interviewed for the story, and then Elicia’s Pizza e-mailed their side of the accident. Several elements of the accident, as explained by the two sides, are contradictory.

However, it was noted that the customer, a resident of Soulard, called the police and asked the police to make a report of the incident. Madame Chouteau checked the Safe City Incident Mapping site, which is the source of all of the above information. Following is what was recorded regarding the accident: Call type: Injured animal; Reported as: Animal bite; Date time: 2009/08/21 20:15:00; Address: 1300 block of Sidney St.; District: 3.

Madame Chouteau has no sources of information about crime in the Soulard neighborhood other than what is revealed on the Safe City Incident Mapping site, unless those with knowledge of crime incidents step forward. The reason this information is being posted is because it is important that residents and visitors to Soulard understand that there is crime in the area and that they need to be alert to this fact and to act appropriately.

For example, the crime map on the Safe City Incident Mapping site indicates that during the last seven day period, there was considerable police activity along Russell in response to reported incidents. Residents and visitors may wish to verify this information for themselves by visiting the Safe City site.

Good luck, and try to avoid becoming a statistic. Remember, a large element of avoidance depends on you and how you conduct yourself.

Update on Soulard as a Tax Haven and our Apologies

Readers will remember that a recent blog posting noted that property owners of several main line bar/restaurants in Soulard were in arrears in their real estate taxes.

To recap, the owners of: (1) 1923-31 S. 12th, the location of Nadine’s Gin Joint, owe $29,560.65 for the years 06, 07 and 08; (2) 1027 Geyer, the location of The Great Grizzly Bear, owe $23,386.77 for 06, 07 and 08; (3) 2001-2003 Menard, the location of Clementine’s Bar - Oh My Darlin’ Café, owe $10,708.77 for 07 and 08, and (4) 1200-1214 Russell, the location of John D. McGurk’s Irish Pub, owe $24,191.66 for 08. This is per a check of the City of St. Louis web site at 8:45 a.m. on July 31, 2009.

That is a total of $87,847.85, penalties included.

Madame Chouteau checked the St. Louis City Revised Code Chapter 8.02: Licenses and read that: The License Collector shall not issue any merchants, manufacturers, franchise, business or occupational license or renewal thereof, to any person, partnership or corporation, or anyone who contracts for personal service to be performed by individuals within the City, which under the law the License Collector is empowered to issue, unless and until the applicant for such license produces a written statement of clearance issued jointly by the Collector of Revenue and the License Collector certifying that no current or past personal property, real estate tax, payroll tax, business license taxes and/or earnings taxes are due and payable to the City and a statement from the Director of Revenue of the State of Missouri certifying that the applicant is in possession of a retail sales license, if such a license is required.

Madame Chouteau’s interpretation of this boilerplate is that a license to do business will be granted providing that real estate property taxes, among other items, have been paid and are not past due. This sounds reasonable.

The fact that property owners on which some bars and restaurants sit in Soulard are in arrears in their property tax payments, according to City of St. Louis records, is puzzling.

Then everything was made clear, thanks to an excellent column titled "Political Eye," found on page A11 in the July 9 - 15, 2009 issue of the St. Louis American under the headline "License to do business as usual" and the subhead "Scofflaws welcome."

The column explains that Missouri Auditor Susan Montee had released the week before audits of several City of St. Louis departments, including the Office of License Collector, headed by Michael McMillan. There were some miscellaneous problems revealed by the audit, including some problems with procurement policies, etc. The column went on:

"The real eye opener in this audit report, however, is that you really don’t have to have a business license in order to do business in the city of St. Louis.

"The report notes, ‘Of the 3,208 businesses reviewed, 700 operated without a valid business license for at least two years due to deficiencies noted during the clearance process. Of the 700 businesses noted above, 235 operated without a valid business license for at least three years.’

"That’s fully one-quarter of the businesses reviewed!

"McMillan’s response is typical in local politics. If it’s my fault (and I’m not saying it is), then everybody else is doing it.

"‘As indicated, this has been a long standing problem. It is a City and State problem, not just a License Collector’s Office problem,’ he writes.

"‘Businesses in this category have paid for their business licenses. The non-compliant status usually relates to compliance deficiencies with other city departments such as the Collector of Revenue, the Building Division and the Health Department or to the State of Missouri for sales tax.’

"McMillan goes on to admit that the City is so desperate for tax revenue it is willing to waive the license requirement rather than close down scofflaws.

"The report states, ‘According to the License Collectors office, this problem has continued to exist partly because the City has been hesitant to close non-compliant businesses when it is already difficult to keep existing businesses and bring new businesses into the city.’"

So there you have it. Madame Chouteau applauds the administrators of the City of St. Louis for not enforcing their own laws in order to avoid discomforting city businesses, which apparently are in short supply. And we especially thank the St. Louis American for explaining this and making it clear. And we hope that business property owners are not deducting from their income taxes the expense of their unpaid property taxes.

And, of course, Madame Chouteau apologizes for misunderstanding the situation.

When was Soulard declared a Tax Haven? Nobody told Madame Chouteau

In addition to being an entertainment district, Soulard apparently has morphed into a tax haven. Some owners of properties which house local entertainment/business establishments seem to feel that paying their property taxes is a low priority.

Those curious can visit the website described as that of the City of St. Louis Assessor’s Office, Property Database Search (http://stlcin.missouri.org/assessor/lookup.cfm). After entering an address, visitors have the option of going to "Tax Payment History - view summary," a database maintained by the office of Gregory F. X. Daly, Collector of Revenue. According to informatiion provided as of 7/6/09 at approximately 9 a.m., when we checked, property described as 1923-1931 S. 12th Street is in arrears on property taxes for three years. The bills are: 2006: $10,941.03; 2007: $9780.59; 2008: $8,839.03, or a total of $29,560.65. The property is owned by NTM Partnership LLC, located at that address, and the building is the home of Nadine’s Gin Joint, a bar and restaurant.

Similarly, the records indicate that 1027 Geyer owes $8,658.61 for 2006; $7,736.58 for 2007, and $6,991.58 for 2008, or a total of $23,386.77, as per the time we checked on 7/6/09. The records indicate that the owner of the structure is Great Grizzly Blues LLC, 2 Clara Ave., Webster Groves, MO. The building is the home of The Great Grizzly Bear, a bar and restaurant.

Another address is 2001-2003 Menard, the address of Clementine’s Bar - Oh My Darlin’ Café. The owner, as listed on the Assessor’s website, is Clementine, Inc at that address. They are in much better shape, with past due taxes listed for 2007 as $5,625.25 and for 2008 as $5,083.52. The total is $10,708.77.

Finally, we note that 1200 Russell Blvd owes $24,191.66 from the 2008 tax year, as per a check of the Assessor’s Office web site, also on 7/6/09 at approximately 9 a.m. Everybody knows that is the address of John D. McGurk’s Irish Pub. The owner is listed as McGurks-Soulard LLC, 2000 S. 8th Street. They make that much money in a half and hour selling booze on Mardi Gras Grand Parade Day or St. Patrick’s Day.

It should be noted that, according to the web site, the information on the web site is updated weekly.

Why is this happening? Do these property owners perceive that Soulard entertainment district businesses are too big - to important - to have to be bothered with keeping their property tax payments up to date? The coffers of the City of St. Louis are not overflowing with cash. St. Louis may declare a fiscal crisis so city government can furlough employees and eliminate jobs.

Did the 2009 Mardi Gras income not meet expectations? Was the neighborhood turned into a trash bin and a public urinal for nothing because some business owners were not satisfied? They didn’t make enough money from the debacle, so they sent the tax man a rain check?

Or is this just another manifestation of the attitude among Soulard entertainment property owners that they can write their own rules, just like they do for Soulard Mardi Gras and during the rest of the year, staging a peculiar string of phony festivals and corn ball events, all to boost liquor sales, all trampling on the quality of life of residents?

Why are property owners whose businesses make so many neighborhood people uncomfortable allowed to skate on their property tax bills, too?

Look, Ma, We Creamed the Porsche and We had a Good Time, Too

By the early 1970's Soulard was a doomed, inner-city slum, a neighborhood to be demolished as soon as government funds became available. Then rehab took hold and a number of people worked for many years to save the interesting housing stock and to turn the area into a residentially oriented historic district.

Unfortunately, the neighborhood made an unexpected turn. A large number of bars and restaurants took root, latching onto and feeding off the Soulard Mardi Gras. The City of St. Louis supported this development, designating Soulard as an "entertainment district." Residential interests were sidelined.

One of the consequences of evolving into an entertainment district is the tremendous amount of vehicular traffic in Soulard. Sometimes vehicles are driven by careless young people. Some drivers have trouble driving because they have been drinking. For whatever reason, their attentions are elsewhere. The result is property damage.

Thus, we were awakened shortly after midnight on Saturday, June 27, by the crunch of metal on metal and the screech of brakes. Dashing out front, we found that a parked Porsche on S. 12th Street near the intersection with Lami had been smushed by another car.

Later, we were told the story that a woman from Arnold was driving alone, she reached for her cell phone and the rest is history. She passed the breath-a-lizer test, administered by John Law. The explanation for the numbers of people on the scene was that they were friends of hers who were in another auto which was following her, for an unstated reason.

Last year there was a similar accident on Lami, half way between S. 11th and S. 12th. A rather fancy parked car lost a whole bunch of metal and plastic when it was hit by somebody or other in the middle of the night. And, of course, on Mardi Gras Grand Parade day, there was an Infiniti parked on the alley on Lami between S. 11th and S. 12th with its back end half way into the street and the alley. The first cop car passing by called it in and had it towed away. Whoever parked it must have been really smashed, but the car wasn’t.

Cars go shooting down S. 12th at 50 miles and hour and blast through stop signs. Motorcycles do the same, while producing an ungodly amount of noise. On any afternoon or evening, speeding vehicles and loud motorcycles announce the corroding presence of those enjoying the Soulard entertainment district while disrespecting the residential element of the neighborhood.

The fallout from these bars and restaurants - the noise, the litter, the discourteous visitors, the property damage - could not continue without support from neighborhood residents. A party culture has evolved in Soulard. Instead of contemplating how to improve the neighborhood, those submerged in the party culture focus on how to improve their party. In other words, Soulard has lost its focus and the party has become the thing.

The hollowness of this culture can be perceived by their excuse. "Anyone who lives in Soulard isn’t going to be anti-bar. You wouldn’t move here if you were!" That is the comment from "Gary Siddens of the Soulard Restoration Group," as printed in the Sunday, August 29, 2004 issue of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

For years his bombastic and glib sound bite has provided sustenance to the arrogance of Mardi Gras and bar and restaurant apologists, enablers and beneficiaries, supporting and excusing bad behavior and the problems these negative elements cause.

Thus, an additional sound bite would be: "Anyone who lives in Soulard isn’t going to be against having their parked car trashed in the middle of the night. You wouldn’t move here if you were."
Nobody can make a comeback to these comments. The bottom line seems to be that if you move to Soulard, for some strange reason you become part of an excuse for bad behavior You are automatically a supporter of the party culture. And if you have lived in Soulard for years and years, somehow you don’t count. Par-tay trumps quality of life every time. This is the message of the trashed Porsche.

(Top two pictures: a bruised Porsche. Bottom picture: Mardi Gras parking problems.)

Foodies Pay Attention: Living Well, Soulard Version

On Saturday, after doing our shopping at the Soulard Farmers' Market, Madame Chouteau purchased several bottles of Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau, vintage 2008 at Globe Drug, 1900 South Broadway. We always enjoy French red wine. It is so smooth, compared with the red wines from California, which often seem to have a bite to them, no matter what the price. Of course, Globe offers a spectrum of wines from Australia, Spain, Italy, Chile, the United States and from other wine producing countries, all reasonably priced.

The beaujolais nouveau we added to our shopping cart was a close-out at Globe, priced at $2.98 per bottle, plus tax, of course. It perfectly complemented a meal which included other locally produced and purchased products including fresh asparagus from Scharf Farm, available at the Scharf booth at Soulard Farmers’ Market, along with a small package of Coeur de la Creme goat cheese from Baetje Farms, also at the Market. The portion that we purchased was flavored with lemon curd, another Baetje Farms innovation. It was perfectly delicious.

Any nominations for other outstanding food purchases in or near Soulard?

Additional information (added May 12): We thank Lyn deMoss for forwarding to us the review of the beaujolais nouveau from Globe Drug. The following review is reprinted from a blog titled drinkhacker.com, self-described as "The essential blog for the discriminating drinker."

Review: 2008 Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau

"On Thursday, November 20, the new 2008 vintage of Beaujolais Nouveau goes on sale, and every wine lover should make a point to try at least one bottle before ‘08 is history.

"I got an early peek at Georges Duboeuf’s Nouveau and found it one of the most charming Nouveaus in recent memory.

"The Gamay’s traditional, lightly bitter and strongly fruity character is here, with all sorts of green herbs on the palate. A kind of sage and dried oregano tone laces its way through the very dark crimson vino, and the finish is moderately quick and dry, with notes of cassis.

"As always, it’s nothing complex (sometimes that’s a good thing, after all), and at $12 a bottle, you can’t really go wrong. As always, Nouveau stands best as a wonderful way to welcome the first wines from the 2008 vintage… even though it will be years before most of them hit the market."

The reviewer gives the wine a B+ rating.

Lyn deMoss, who forwarded the wine review information to Madame Chouteau, is a resident and homeowner in the Lafayette Square neighborhood who enjoys good food and good wine. Interestingly enough, she is a seamstress specializing in home interior sewing, including custom pillows, cushions, draperies and slipcovers. Exotic jobs include engineering and fabricating sound control panels for home theater/home entertainment installations. A fashion design background, coupled with work with ballet and theater customers, has sharpened her skills in clothing fabrication, alteration and repair, and she has constructed Victorian costumes and handled wedding dress alterations, among other projects. She can be reached at 314-865-5388 or by e-mail at lyndemoss@sbcglobal.net.