Alton Lays Over ARPA Funds For 40 Days Of Nonviolence Initiative

City of Alton - Committee of the Whole Meeting

ALTON – A $10,000 proposal for Alton to participate in the 40 Days of Nonviolence Initiative was put on hold Monday after the Committee of the Whole laid the item over until their next meeting.

A resolution on Monday’s agenda called for the allocation of $10,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for the city and partnering organizations to host six weeks of events and programs aimed at curbing violence and supporting mental/physical health, career skills, and more in Alton youth. More details about the proposal are available in this previous story on Riverbender.com.

Joe Lewis Jr., a member of the 40 Days of Nonviolence Executive Committee, spoke during the Public Comment portion of the meeting in support of the initiative. He said the group’s efforts have helped significantly reduce crime in East St. Louis since it began in 2014 and would like to see that success spread to Alton.

“We’ve met with some of the community leaders ... We think it’s an initiative that will engage your community and also help with the crime,” Lewis said. “We’ve also had a chance and opportunity to talk with your Police Chief and some available council members and we believe it will ... bring positive things to your community.”

Under the current proposal, a total of $4,000 would be spent on planning and community outreach while $6,000 would fund the six weeks of programming. Ward 1 Alderman Chris Bohn asked for a more detailed breakdown of how the $10,000 would be spent, which Ward 4 Alderwoman Rosetta Brown said she had sent committee members weeks earlier.

Brown also cautioned her fellow committee members not to lose sight of the city’s main priority with this initiative.

“I don’t know if you’re just not aware of what’s going on, but I get the calls, I hear the sounds, I see what’s happening, and we need to do something as a city to take back our city,” Brown said. “So I reached out to another city to come in and we kind of follow their initiative.

“Let’s not be blind to what’s going on. As we wait to take action, things are going on – I know in my neighborhood, but I’m concerned about our whole community.”

Since the committee meeting forum does not allow for question-and-answer exchanges except in the case of presentations, Ward 6 Alderman John Meehan asked to lay the item over so that Lewis could return and make a more detailed presentation to committee members, who could then ask questions. The item was ultimately laid over until the next Committee of the Whole meeting on Sept. 22, 2025.

A full recording of the Sept. 8, 2025 Alton Committee of the Whole meeting is available at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com.

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