There were two shootings downtown in less than a week with shots fired into a car yesterday on Person Street and the shooting next to Transfer Co a few days ago. Both occurred during the higher foot and car traffic hours of the early evening.
While homicides are trending down slightly from the recent peak in 2022, our homicide rate is still tracking to be higher than all other recent years. In addition, assaults are close to flat with 2022.
Overall crime in the Raleigh area is trending slightly down, but crime in downtown localities is up, like in Moore Square where incidents are up 81%. With violent crime remaining high, and criminal activity in general increasing in key downtown areas, I think it will be difficult to fully reverse many of the negative covid-induced trends.
Less formally, I’ve heard several families say they no longer like to play in Moore Square after a visit to the Marbles Museum, and don’t venture downtown as frequently as before. As the Union Special owner highlighted in the ABC11 interview, it will be difficult to attract and keep lessees when people feel this way.
As for how to fix it, I’ve seen reports like this DOJ brief but don’t personally have any experience in the matter. Perhaps a vote to increase police funding would help? I’ve read that they’re having trouble getting to fully-staffed status.
Just got back from my morning walk around this area, and I’m seeing a higher police presence today. Wondering if the shooting yesterday might have been the final straw for the RPD.
We’ll definitely see. I’ve lived in the area for about 2 years, and oftentimes when there are incidents, there is a temporarily increased police force. This one feels different though. Yesterday, the Moore Square area was completely flooded with police officers after the gun went off (right near the Middle School).
It also comes almost immediately after some recent news and media commentary on increased crime in the area. Including some comments from the mayor.
It does feel a bit different this time. We’ll see if that presence remains. Considering the city’s investment in Moore Square, as well as the fact that this area borders a children’s museum and a middle school, I can’t see the city happy with an 81% increased rate of crime and two gun incidents recently happening in the area.
Just to chime in, there was were shots fired on Martin St on May 28th and May 29th. The latter sent a man to the hospital. The police were out the next day searching bushes and canvassing the neighborhood for security cameras, as the suspect fled on foot. As far as I know, no one was identified. I had a very unpleasant go at trying to interact with RPD Records to follow up.
Following events like these, I have been lulled into the idea that “this one feels different”, but a week goes by, and Martin St / Olde East is back to its minimal police presence. I can’t help but remember when I lived in Oakwood - no shortage of police patrols and parked cruisers waiting for calls. Since moving to Martin St in 2020, I genuinely cannot count the number of shootings in a two block radius. I have come into contact with a number of officers and supervisors and my impression is that they are averse to the optics of increasing presence. My own take based on zero evidence is that officers are afraid of the area. Truthfully, its not a job I would want to have.
I have been nervously assured by Councilman Branch that he would “protect my investment” (which seems to ignore the fact that the situation is inherently dangerous). A number of different district commanders and police chiefs have told me that they are well aware of the issue. RHA installed a set of brutally dystopian-looking camera stations. Frustratingly, RPD is unaware of their presence. For a while, there was a Martin St. task-force implemented. It consisted of single officer who asked that he be texted if something was going on. I don’t know what the answer is and I don’t like being the squeaky wheel so I will continue to tolerate it. I’m fortunate to not have a family living with me, but I will say that I don’t invite anyone over because of the perception of these few problematic blocks.
Yup, wife still has her dentist downtown. She parked and was walking to dentist when this happened. Then when she arrived at dentist office on Fayetteville st a crazed man would not stop beating and screaming and pulling at the locked dentist office door. Luckily they let my wife in another door.
Obviously this forum has my thoughts on downtown since I moved about 6 months ago, but it is indeed different from several years ago. A man was shot on 500 Chavis way just the other day, just several houses down from my previous address.
Only 4 residents left of the original 15 at the Ware. Of course there are many reasons of the high turnover but safety has come up often in the homeowner meetings. Raleigh is not crime ridden but it really seems to be concentrated in that area.
If you are referring to the 700 and 800 blocks of East Martin then wow, I may be missing something and we should talk. I live just around the corner on Freeman Street, been here for 10 years, and from my perspective, things have improved. We’re just doing our thing and loving it so again, would need to chat and see where you are coming from.
Based on what I understand about the condition 10 years ago, I would say there’s little doubt things have improved. Happy to talk, send me a pm if you want to meet up.
They won’t be armed tho. I hope they have something to protect themselves. Don’t envy someone being assigned to jump into a knife fight at the bus station with nothing but a radio and good intentions
It just blows my mind that the knee jerk reaction to de-escalating is through additional show of force / increased penalties which reaches a tipping point which now requires hiring outside security because our services infrastructure is inept and the escalation already comes from the sad truth of society not being able to control itself. We’ve simply failed ourselves…
I didn’t say anything about doing nothing, although I think that’s sorta what got us here - the ineptitude of our services infrastructure combined with the deterioration of ( societal ) fringe behavior was the gist of my post. The city has collectively allowed this vacuum of law enforcement presence to exist on GloSo in the rebound following the pandemic. In the absence of enforcement, things have escalated.
Now the pendulum swings and we react, which in my experience tends to be over-reaction. Private security seems to be the path forward but that feels like a failure to create the proper structure to begin with. No need for another survey or study. Just patience, and yes - we should have the will to seek consequences for those who act outside the law.
