Local business owners share concerns about downtown safety at public meeting with WPD

Molly Wilhelm, Wilmington StarNews
·2 min read
The Wilmington Police Department and Wilmington Downtown, iNC. host a public safety meeting with local business owners and residents to address concerns.
The Wilmington Police Department and Wilmington Downtown, iNC. host a public safety meeting with local business owners and residents to address concerns.

“If people are scared that work [downtown] everyday, how do you think the general public feels when they come down here?” said Chap Wallace, downtown Wilmington business owner of 22 years.

The Wilmington Police Department and Wilmington Downtown, iNC. hosted a meeting to discuss public safety issues within the downtown area on Wednesday, Nov 15.

Wallace, among other business owners and residents, expressed concerns.

“What’s going to end up happening is business owners, like myself, ... are going to get tired of it and move out,” Wallace said, highlighting frustration with violent crime and homeless populations trespassing on business property downtown. “You’re going to have vacant buildings ... and then inflated rent ... which is going to compound the problem.”

More: Wilmington man charged with attempted murder after downtown shooting

The meeting was originally planned to address the implementation of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the city of Wilmington, through the Wilmington Police Department, and local business owners.

The memorandum would allow the WPD Situational Tactics & Intelligence Nexus Group (STING) Center to have direct access to camera feeds and video footage obtained from cameras on private business properties.

The Wilmington Police Department and Wilmington Downtown, iNC. host a public safety meeting with local business owners and residents to address concerns.
The Wilmington Police Department and Wilmington Downtown, iNC. host a public safety meeting with local business owners and residents to address concerns.

Chirstina Haley, vice president of Wilmington Downtown, iNC., a nonprofit promoting economic growth and business development in downtown Wilmington, said signing the memorandum would help to decrease criminal activity in the area.

This will "let the violent criminals know out there that there’s people watching,” Haley said. “This community that is present today is taking action on it and is saying that enough is enough, you will be watched.”

Some community members shared their unease.

"You have one part where you say exterior area [cameras], but then you go in and say you have access to real time video, or saving video footage, for any evidence of criminal activity,” Joe Apkarian said, referencing the wording of the Memorandum of Understanding drafted by the WPD.

“That’s a pretty big red flag for me,” Apkarian said, owner of Pour House and The Eagle’s Dare.

In response, WPD officers said that business owners could be selective in their decisions by specifying which cameras the STING Center may access.

Beyond the MOU, community members spoke openly about additional concerns, including issues such as rising homeless populations, shootings, nighttime loitering of juveniles, and a perceived absence of adequate police presence and community policing downtown.

“I really think truly that there is a higher conversation to be had in terms of enforcement and interaction with downtown population, whether it's with the business owners or the young people,” Apkarian said.

WPD officers said they are committed to listening and understanding input from community members.

Luke Waddell, a member of Wilmington City Council who attended the meeting, said he understands the concerns shared by residents and business owners and will work in collaboration to help address and resolve these issues.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Downtown Wilmington business meet with police over safety issues