NinjaRider
Regular Member
imported post
I read this article from NBC29's website:
http://www.nbc29.com/global/story.asp?s=6629510
A string of gang beatings near the downtown mall have left people battered, bruised and scared. Thursday night, we have new information on the threat zones, what police are doing to stop the attacks and what you can do to protect yourself.
We begin with the big picture. Police say there have been five violent acts of crimes in the downtown area since February. As we head into another weekend, some wonder: are the streets safe?
When the sun goes down, violent crimes in downtown Charlottesville have gone up. "That's kind of scary to know that that's happening," said resident Sonia Kesser about the recent attacks.
David Phemister of Belmont also shared his reaction: "When I heard about this I was actually really surprised and saddened."
The recent crime wave started when a man was brutally beaten with a club on Garrett Street two weeks ago. A couple was beaten with a rock in the same place last weekend. Their beating was the same weekend there was a shooting on South street.
"If it is gang-related, the fact that it is premeditated and the fact that it's a true initiation shows a type of organized type gang activity," explained gang expert Tim Sinatra.
A possibility police aren't waiting to confirm. More officers are patroling the streets but say they can't be everywhere. "Unfortunately, we cannot prevent things like this," said Lieutenant Gary Pleasants with the Charlottesville Police Department.
But police say you may be able to prevent attacks by thinking about where you park.
"We have such good police coverage on the mall itself that that affords safety for people parking in the garages and the lot," stated Pleasants.
It might be easy to find a spot on Garrett Street, but one look at the signs and it clearly states you shouldn't park there at night. It's a sign that you could be asking for trouble if you do.
Phemister said, "I might think about it a little bit more now."
As for Kesser, she says, "It'll make me be more vigilant. It'll make me be careful to see who's around and what time it is and maybe not be out as much at dark."
Police say they are doing a lot to keep you safe this weekend, but they couldn't tell because they want to catch whoever is behind these brutal attacks.
What makes the story significant to me is that last night, I was walking the downtown mall with my wife and I was open-carrying at the time. I found some humor in the fact that it was billed as "Three days of peace, love, and photography" and that I was armed. I also reflected that part of the peace that I felt is was due to the fact that I was legally armed. What really raised my concern level this morning is that when I parked, I was only one block over from the street where the violence occurred and I was not aware of the history of the area. While I didn't see anything that made me nervous, I am still grateful that I was carrying. In a discussion with my co-workers, it occurred to me that the simple act of openly carrying a pistol would make a would-be criminal think twice before accosting me. It won't prevent me from becoming a crime victim, so I still need to be vigilant and avoid known trouble spots, but just having it is a strong message that I will not be an easy target.
Andrew
I read this article from NBC29's website:
http://www.nbc29.com/global/story.asp?s=6629510
A string of gang beatings near the downtown mall have left people battered, bruised and scared. Thursday night, we have new information on the threat zones, what police are doing to stop the attacks and what you can do to protect yourself.
We begin with the big picture. Police say there have been five violent acts of crimes in the downtown area since February. As we head into another weekend, some wonder: are the streets safe?
When the sun goes down, violent crimes in downtown Charlottesville have gone up. "That's kind of scary to know that that's happening," said resident Sonia Kesser about the recent attacks.
David Phemister of Belmont also shared his reaction: "When I heard about this I was actually really surprised and saddened."
The recent crime wave started when a man was brutally beaten with a club on Garrett Street two weeks ago. A couple was beaten with a rock in the same place last weekend. Their beating was the same weekend there was a shooting on South street.
"If it is gang-related, the fact that it is premeditated and the fact that it's a true initiation shows a type of organized type gang activity," explained gang expert Tim Sinatra.
A possibility police aren't waiting to confirm. More officers are patroling the streets but say they can't be everywhere. "Unfortunately, we cannot prevent things like this," said Lieutenant Gary Pleasants with the Charlottesville Police Department.
But police say you may be able to prevent attacks by thinking about where you park.
"We have such good police coverage on the mall itself that that affords safety for people parking in the garages and the lot," stated Pleasants.
It might be easy to find a spot on Garrett Street, but one look at the signs and it clearly states you shouldn't park there at night. It's a sign that you could be asking for trouble if you do.
Phemister said, "I might think about it a little bit more now."
As for Kesser, she says, "It'll make me be more vigilant. It'll make me be careful to see who's around and what time it is and maybe not be out as much at dark."
Police say they are doing a lot to keep you safe this weekend, but they couldn't tell because they want to catch whoever is behind these brutal attacks.
What makes the story significant to me is that last night, I was walking the downtown mall with my wife and I was open-carrying at the time. I found some humor in the fact that it was billed as "Three days of peace, love, and photography" and that I was armed. I also reflected that part of the peace that I felt is was due to the fact that I was legally armed. What really raised my concern level this morning is that when I parked, I was only one block over from the street where the violence occurred and I was not aware of the history of the area. While I didn't see anything that made me nervous, I am still grateful that I was carrying. In a discussion with my co-workers, it occurred to me that the simple act of openly carrying a pistol would make a would-be criminal think twice before accosting me. It won't prevent me from becoming a crime victim, so I still need to be vigilant and avoid known trouble spots, but just having it is a strong message that I will not be an easy target.
Andrew