Poll: Concealed Weapons Allowed On Public Transit

The National Riffle Association is in St. Louis and outstate Missouri legislators are trying to change Missouri law to force concealed guns onto public transit. House Bill 1483 was introduced in January but it had it’s first hearing last week in the “General Laws” House committee.  The bill summary:

This bill specifies that a political subdivision in the state cannot prohibit a person with a valid concealed carry endorsement from carrying a concealed firearm onto a train or public bus.

This isn’t about preventing the City of St. Louis, Kansas City, St. Louis County, Richmond Heights or any over “political subdivision” from prohibiting concealed weapons on public transit vehicles. No, this is about preventing the Bi-State Development Corporation, the political subdivision that operates as Metro St. Louis, from prohibiting concealed guns.

Metro St. Louis is the Bi-State Development Corporation is joint political subdivision of Missouri & Illinois. I personally don’t have fear using public transit but some seem so struck with fear they feel the need to carry deadly force on their person. The only guns I think should be on public  transit would be those of law enforcement:

Law enforcement officers (including reserve officers, police cadets and turnkeys) may ride whether in or out of uniform. These individuals must present an appropriate badge and identification card to the bus operator or fare inspector when boarding out of uniform. Firefighters may ride free of charge when in uniform and wearing appropriate insignia. These individuals are permitted to ride free of charge because of their ability to assist an operator with dealing with emergency situations that might occur while on the bus. Any of these individuals identified “above”, who accept free transportation are in fact, expected to assist in emergencies in return for their free transportation. (Metro FAQ)

What do you think about concealed guns on public transit? The weekly poll is in the right sidebar. Vote there and share your thoughts below.

– Steve Patterson

Fiat Showroom, Not Dealership, Open Downtown

You can’t purchase or test drive a new Fiat 500 at the new Fiat St. Louis Downtown Showroom. You can check out five different cars on display in the space on the corner of 11th & Locust St. I love that the Lou Fusz folks realized they needed a presence downtown and made it happen.

I wrote about this in January after two blogs incorrectly reported a Fiat dealership was opening downtown (If It Sounds Too Good Top Be True…). One of the bloggers, friend Frank DeGraaf, commented on my post:

I spoke with the broker and a representative of CB Richard Ellis. They both confirmed that a Fiat “dealership” would go into this space. I never implied that it would be a full-service (maintenance) dealership, because even I understand that the space would not be suited for that, let alone the environmental issues that would have to be negated . However, the space will be used to display and sell Fiat 500’s (I call that a “dealership”, I don’t know what else to call it), a significant and positive development for downtown St. Louis.

Is this a half-servivce dealership? One third service dealership?  No, the word is “showroom”, not dealership, since they are displaying new Fiats but there’re not selling new Fiats.  If you are interested in a test drive and purchasing you need to visit their two actual dealerships in Creve Coeur, MO (link) or Fairview Heights, IL (link).

As a huge fan of the adorable Fiat 500 I’ll be passing through frequently as a reminder to buy a lottery ticket each month.

I welcome Lou Fusz downtown. If you are curious about these cars stop by on your lunch break. The showroom is open 10-5 Monday-Friday. Special vents are being planned to get downtown workers and residents to stop into the space.

– Steve Patterson

Richard Nickel Died 40 Years Ago

One Chicago resident was obsessed with photographing, stopping demolition of and lastly saving pieces from buildings designed by Louis Sullivan.

Architecture photographer Richard Nickel spent years with his camera, documenting — and arguing against — the demolition of buildings in Chicago. Thirty-five years ago this month, Nickel died trying to document the demise of a building designed by Louis Sullivan, whose architecture helped define the Chicago cityscape.

In the ’60s and early ’70s, Nickel watched the demolition of so many of Sullivan’s buildings — and buildings created by other turn-of-the-century masters — that he wrote, “I look forward to the day when I never have to enter a wet, charred, smoky building again.” (NPR)

He died 40 years ago today inside one of those buildings.

Nickel was killed on April 13, 1972, while attempting to obtain more items for SIUE, when a stairwell in the Chicago Stock Exchange building collapsed on him. He is buried in Chicago’s Graceland Cemetery, not very far from where Sullivan is buried. He died without completing his great collection of photographs of Sullivan’s work, but Nickel’s black-and-white photos have been displayed at the Art Institute of Chicago and elsewhere. The Richard Nickel Committee and Photographic Archive is a non-profit organization devoted to preserving the photographer’s work, and holds the copyrights for most of his pictures. (Wikipedia)

Some items previously salvaged by Nickel had been purchased by Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE). Some are on display in the The Louis H. Sullivan Collection in Lovejoy Library.

Nickel would be 83 if he were alive today.

– Steve Patterson

Peabody Opera House Valets Caught Driving On 14th Street Sidewalk

Last Sunday I was heading home on the bus just before 1:30pm in the afternoon. Something big was going on at the Peabody Opera House because traffic was backed up. At first I was happy to see cars weren’t being parked on the east sidewalk along 14th like the previous time I came through the area during an event. But, I was soon shocked — the valets were driving on the sidewalk to park customer’s vehicles diagonally on 14th.  Here are the pictures I got from the bus:

I posted one of the images to Twitter and Facebook then once home emailed a few to various city officials. I’ll email this post to people at the Peabody. Sidewalks are for pedestrians! They are not overflow parking or private driveways. If I have to sit in my power chair in the middle of that sidewalk  to get this to stop, I will.

– Steve Patterson

Readers: Posted Handbills Are A Sign Of Life

More than half the readers that took the poll last week felt posted handbills are a sign of life, here are the results:

Q: Posted Handbills are:

1. A sign of life 56 [56.57%]
2. Not as bad as graffiti but not positive 32 [32.32%]
3. As bad as graffiti 9 [9.09%]
4. Other: 2 [2.02%]
5. Unsure/No Opinion 0 [0%]

The two other answers were:

1. Worse than graffiti
2. As long as they stick to plywood and don’t intrude onto occupied property

Really, worse than graffiti?  I agree with the majority, posted handbills are a positive element that tell me the city is alive, events are taking place and being communicated to pedestrians on the sidewalks.

– Steve Patterson