RICHMOND, Va. — Business owners in the Shockoe Bottom area are feeling positive after what they call a productive meeting with city leaders Wednesday at Main Street Station.
The meeting came in the wake of Saturday's deadly mass shooting in the area. Business owners, including Fallout operator Jackie Bishop Wells, brought their concerns to Councilwoman Cynthia Newbill and Police Chief Rick Edwards.
"I think a lot of people really came to the table to bring some solid ideas. I want to see people who want to have a good time, have a good time. I want to continue to provide a good time for my customers," Bishop Wells said. "I would like to see ride shares instituted at the northern part of Shockoe Bottom and the southern part of Shockoe Bottom so people can get safely out of the bottom."
Among the most popular proposed solutions to make Shockoe Bottom safer were more street lighting, street barriers similar to those at Byrd Park, tighter ABC regulation on serving alcohol after 2 a.m., and station towers with flashing lights in busy areas. City leaders took note on all of those proposals.
"I would like to see less of such a visible police force," Bishop Wells said. "I don't think nightlife and the police are ever going to be divorced from each other. I think they are always going to have to work hand and hand. But using the cars to block off the road is not always the best visual for people. We are pushing for there to be gates at the head of 18th and Main and 18th and Grace."
Edwards announced that additional patrol officers will be on the streets longer starting this weekend, with extended hours until 4 a.m. More technology is also on the way.
"We just got approval from the CO to accept the trial period with six new cameras, but we're gonna dedicate them to Shockoe Bottom," Edwards said.
Newbill and Edwards both announced they are looking into adding a substation to Shockoe Bottom, though that solution would not be immediate. Business owners said they would like to see that happen.
Despite the longer timeline on some measures, business owners and those advocating on their behalf say they are glad to have their voices heard and see action being taken. Juan Braxton, with Richmond NAACP, was among those encouraged by the meeting.
"Councilwoman Newbill came in with a plan and she wanted to discuss what was going on and discuss what's next," Braxton said.
After hours of brainstorming, the message from both business owners and city leaders remained consistent: leave the guns at home.
Councilwoman Newbill will take the ideas discussed at the meeting to the mayor's office. The next meeting between city leaders and business owners is scheduled for March 19.
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