Over the past three years, East St. Louis Mayor Robert Eastern III has been working to change the perception of his city. Often known as a place with high crime rates, Eastern says the city is heading in a new direction.
"We're known as East St. Louis, but my rebrand is I want to call us 'East Safe Louis,'" Eastern said on Total Information AM. "I that we're intentional about what we're trying to do in East St. Louis, you know, making an environment where people can live work and play."
He told Tom Ackerman and Carol Daniel that East St. Louis is defying national trends when it comes to crime.
"While the rest of the country was trending up by 3-4%, East St. Louis has trended down 2-3%. You know, and this has been over a course of a year and a half," he said.
Eastern outlined some of the ways the city has continued to improve over the last few years, including improved academics and sports and infrastructure. Plus, he announced his bid for reelection in 2023.
Listen to the full interview with Mayor Eastern here: