In Short North, many remain undeterred despite two weekends of gun violence
When he arrived Downtown on Saturday, May 6, Justin Belcher wasn't aware of the chaos and violence that had unfolded just hours earlier and only a few blocks away in Columbus' Short North.
An employee for an event décor company in his home of Springfield, Ohio, Belcher, 37, had traveled to the Greater Columbus Convention Center with his husband and a friend to set up for a prom. When they finished their work, Belcher said the three walked around the Short North, much of which had been closed down for hours after a chaotic, early morning shooting spree left 10 people injured.
It was there that Belcher said he witnessed evidence of the violence that had erupted around 2:30 a.m. on the 600 block of North High Street, prompting Columbus police to respond and fire their own weapons: shattered glass and windows riddled with bullet holes; remnants of crime scene tape; damaged shopfronts.
But what Belcher said was nearly as shocking was just how quickly life seemed to have resumed in one of Columbus’ most popular and bustling neighborhoods.
More on Short North violence: Columbus police release bodycam videos showing police responding to Short North gunfire
“On one hand I feel like it's good to continue and not let fear rule you,” Belcher said. “The other (hand) also made me just realize how used to this we now are … and that kind of terrified me more."
'You have to live your life': Visitors return to the Short North
In a city plagued by gun violence, the Short North — known for its art galleries and eclectic night life — has been no exception from other neighborhoods. And yet even after a man was killed around 2:45 a.m. Sunday in the second consecutive weekend that gunfire has erupted in the Short North, many told The Dispatch they remain undeterred about visiting.
“While these events certainly give me some pause, I can't say they change my outlook significantly,” said Blake Barnett, a 33-year-old graduate student studying welding engineering at Ohio State University. “The sad truth is that gun violence like this is all too common in the U.S.”
Read the series: Under Fire: An examination of gun violence across Columbus
On Monday afternoon, the Short North was humming with life as office workers walked to restaurants for lunch, runners blazed along sidewalks, and shoppers perused stores.
Brian Lefkowitz, 49, and Eric Scalfano, 23 — both employees at a promotional product distributor with offices in the Short North — were headed back to the office around 12:30 p.m. after grabbing lunch to go. Both said the shootings, which have taken place in the early morning hours, have not made them feel unsafe coming to work.
Lefkowitz, who lives with his family in Bexley, said he isn't opposed to returning to the neighborhood to have dinner with family and friends. After all, he said, this sort of violence could happen anywhere.
"The issue I have now is no place is really safe, but you have to live your life," Lefkowitz said. "Unfortunately, it's the way of life now."
Scalfano, who lives close by in the University District, said he's still willing to visit the Short North for nights out with friends, too. But he does watch the clock.
"I try to make sure I'm home early or not out walking the streets when bars close," he said.
Less than 48 hours earlier, 21-year-old Arthur Pickens was shot and killed early Sunday when a fight escalated to gunfire in the 900 block of North High Street outside SeeSaw Kitchen + Bar.
Autumn Imhoff, 21, had been to the bar just a few weeks prior for a night out with friends.
The 21-year-old Imhoff, who will be a fourth-year journalism student at Ohio State in the fall, said seeing the news of the shooting rattled her. And while it didn't convince her to avoid the Short North altogether in the future, she said it's made her even more aware of the importance of being vigilant about her surroundings.
“It makes me feel better to know strangers aren’t targets, but it can happen to anyone, even if you aren’t necessarily the target," Imhoff said. “I don’t think I would necessarily want to hang around down there past midnight."
Columbus city officials, neighborhood leaders respond to the violence
The string of shootings has drawn sharp condemnations from Mayor Andrew J. Ginther, City Attorney Zach Klein and other city leaders.
After the first shooting in the Short North, Ginther called on the community to stand up and support law enforcement while criticizing state and federal lawmakers for making guns too accessible.
"We need the state and federal governments to step up to keep guns off the street, and if they don't have the courage to do that, then they at least need to get out of our way and let us do it," he said. "I'm just talking basic,common sense, gun-safety legislation."
The Short North Civic Association did not respond to an email on Monday from The Dispatch seeking comment.
The Short North Alliance, a nonprofit organization advocating for and serving business and property owners in the arts district, released a prepared statement to The Dispatch referring any questions to Ginther's office or the Columbus Division of Police.
"The safety of those who live, work, and visit the Short North remains our top priority," the alliance said. "We are actively committed to partnering with elected leaders, CPD, businesses, residents, and other community stakeholders to implement necessary changes that will reduce gun violence throughout Columbus."
In 2022, 712 incidents were recorded by the Short North Crime Interdiction Program, a partnership with Columbus police. Of those, 36 were considered extreme or violent, including fights, robberies, and reported shots fired, according to the Short North Alliance, which indicated that all of the incidents involving gun violence took place after 1 a.m.
For subscribers: Can Columbus meet Mayor Ginther's goal of record police on city's streets in 2024?
Taking the violence in stride
While the consecutive weekends of shootings has unnerved some and outraged others, Angel Lopez is taking the violence in stride.
Lopez, a 33-year-old Grammy-winning music producer from Hilliard, lives in Los Angeles, but is spending a few months in Columbus — a city he said he loves.
Lopez said he was out and about in the Short North when both of the recent shootings occurred, though he didn't witness them directly. Compared to the dangers of living in L.A., he said the violence in Columbus hasn't fazed him as much.
However, he said it concerns him to see that teenagers and young adults are so often the victims or perpetrators.
"I just feel like we're bubbled-up here in Ohio and not used to seeing things like that," Lopez said. "When there's trouble like that, you just turn away and walk away from it."
Eric Lagatta is a reporter at The Columbus Dispatch covering public safety, with a focus on in-depth coverage of social justice issues and crime trends.
elagatta@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Short North gun violence yet to stop Columbus residents from visiting
