That spot makes a lot of sense actually. Great visibility both street side and back to the station and easy to get video back into the building for monitoring. Of course, proximity to the station and surrounding area is solid as well.
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Now that makes sense! Definitely a wise move, going forward…
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Not only a great location for this, but also a really great choice in space, it’s blended into the neighborhood but also not street level…
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I vote for more of these sites tucked around Raleigh. Community policing integrated into the neighborhoods.
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I’ll add that it’s also right next to all the businesses that pleaded with the City Council last year:
“It’s really hard to do business when you have big groups of kids hanging out in front, selling drugs,” said a manager for Young Hearts Distilling.
I’ll add that the area directly in the frame of the shot I took, right under the ‘GoRaleigh STATION’ sign, is the area where a bunch of kids were selling drugs last year. Still happens on occasion, but not nearly to the propensity that it happened last year. The other businesses that were asking for help (Green Monkey, Bittersweet, Empire, Young Hearts) are also in the immediate vicinity.
It would take a lot of balls to sell drugs right under a police station. Major props to whoever the decision-makers were here to invest in this area. Should be a big boon to the businesses in the local area (which I frequent often).
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I just got back from lunch at Tonbo. Tonbo was basically empty unfortunately from 12 to 12:45 and I could definitely see the police presence along Wilmington. We probably need this for a few years to kind of “stabilize” things but I feel like we’re still in it once the BRT station is added. I mean that the construction phase is just going to be a struggle for those businesses.
What I hope it does though is kind of elevate that block’s look as the street is pretty tired looking. I hate to say it but I actually think repaving the street will help. Doesn’t take much either, like the awning outside Green Monkey is very nice. Small things go a long way.
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Let’s get some string lights across Wilmington Street too.
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Just saw a story on abc11 that RPD has solved every homicide so far in the city in 2024 . 100% clearance rate and that’s the only city in the country of it’s size to have done that. Chief Patterson has done and incredible job already in such a short time!
hired some excellent detectives, settled lingering lawsuits, improved recruiting, and got officers nice new uniforms. hope she sticks around
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this does not sound good and sounds like a freeway shooter. They need to be caught before someone is killed or severely injuried.
https://www.wral.com/story/raleigh-police-investigating-6-reports-of-cars-being-shot-at-along-i-40/21710617/
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Looks like a 7th car was shot at this morning but this time on Trailwood Dr. not on I-40 
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That can’t be good. I remember when this was a thing in LA 20 or so years ago.
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Ok cool so I just won’t go anywhere today or ever awesome lmao
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DC had a deadly freeway shooter too around the highways in MD and VA before he was caught.
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May have caught the guys responsible but not sure yet.
https://www.wral.com/story/two-people-including-person-of-interest-detained-in-string-of-shootings-in-western-raleigh/21712350/
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Oh hey Taz is finally getting his day in court.
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hopefully the dumpy store will have to close…
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Glad to see 2025 has started off well down here. Middle of the afternoon too. We saw cops go flying by when were at Vault.
Sigh. Why can’t people just be normal?
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Let’s start a new “Shooting of the Week” series and discuss it here. That way we can keep a running history to see how 2025 goes. 
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You’re not wrong. I don’t know how frequently people on here actually visit the heart of downtown but I do not drive so i use the bus system on a daily basis. I am frequently at the moore squat station and I excessive at the YMCA on Fayetteville. (directly across from Taz). (i also shop at Taz on a monthly basis.)
Like I said before, the bus system is how i get around the triangle; so, i am very experienced interacting with city folks. I see all walks of life riding the bus. That being said the only time i genuinely fear for my safety, is in front of Taz. The side walk is very narrow so i have to weave my way through drug deals, people nodding out, people openly carrying guns, and people aggressively asking for money.
The narrow side walk is honestly my biggest concern. There isn’t much space to walk around the people living, smoking, drinking, fighting etc. My hope is when they build the BRT stop in front of Taz they widen the sidewalk and maybe even add some hostile architecture to prevent people from loitering outside the store.
Taz, in my opinion, is not the issue. It’s how that section of the street is designed and managed.
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I agree that they need to widen the sidewalk, but I also don’t think that some of the issues there are going to persist for much longer. I can’t imagine people are going to want to do drug deals or any of those other things right under a police substation once that space is finished up.
1 Like