By Steve Unruhe
Neighborhood concerns for safety have been heightened over the spring and summer following two shootings near Trinity Park’s southern boundary during late night gatherings outside nightclubs on Main Street.
Mollie Flowe, TPNA President, along with several board members, met in May with the Durham City Manager, Wanda Page, and the Durham Chief of Police, Patrice Andrews.
“City leaders were knowledgeable about the situation of crowds forming at the corner of Watts, Morgan and Main Streets on Friday and Saturday nights,” said Mollie. “They knew the names of the night clubs, they knew about the food trucks, and they knew the background on the two murders.”
Chief Andrews identified several steps the police had already taken: a greater police presence over summer months, working more closely with ALE on alcohol enforcement on the streets outside of the night clubs, and working with Highway Patrol to pursue “dirt bikes.” Both Chief Andrews and Manager Page explained some of the restraints on what the city is able to do: staff shortages so that the greater police presence can be compromised by needs elsewhere in the city, restrictions on enforcement of behavioral rules on private property, and local laws allowing alcohol in public within some areas of downtown including Main Street.
Following this meeting, TPNA invited district police officers to speak at our July neighborhood meeting. With regard to the shootings in the winter and spring, the officers reported that investigations were still ongoing, but no arrests had been made. They affirmed that the shootings were not random. The officers also said that overtime hours had been allocated, and although staffing continued to be a challenge, the increased presence had begun to make an impact. Neighbors concurred that the late night parties had been less active in June and July. The officers encouraged the neighborhood to reach out to the ALE to encourage greater efforts at enforcement of under-age drinking and following the rules for outdoor drinking. Scott Doron, TPNA Vice President, encouraged the police officers, and the neighborhood, to also look at an interagency crime plan developed by Raleigh as a possible model for Durham.
