Some projects outlined in the plan include a gateway to reconnect McCormick Field and Memorial Stadium with downtown, public art installations and commemoration of the neighborhood’s African American history. The plan does not include specific funding commitments for capital projects or investments.
“Why not bring in the National Guard to help assist the Asheville Police Department in the downtown area?”
“The lack of regular patrolling invites chaos and boundary testing. This has been a long-running issue and can only be solved by a community united by bold government leadership.”
“Hire 40% more policemen, pay them a salary so they can live in Asheville and put them where they are needed the most — downtown Asheville.”
“Want to see immediate improvements to the ghastly state of downtown Asheville?”
“How could things have gotten this bad without intervention? How quickly will this situation of fear and crime be turned around?”
“Koban policing puts beat cops on the ground where they interact and get to know residents, visitors and even the unhoused in an effort to keep a city running smoothly, while anticipating and mitigating crime.”
Tom Tesser was one of several commenters from the Asheville Coalition for Public Safety, a recently formed advocacy group that looks to build support for the APD. Five of the nine speakers on budget matters sought larger salaries for police officers and shared their personal experiences of downtown crime and safety issues.
“I propose a less violent method of capturing out-of-control people who may be suffering a mental psychotic break, drug- or alcohol-induced episode.”
“It would be an open invitation to violate people’s First, Fourth and 14th amendment rights.”
“What we can’t do is continue pretending that headlines, hand-wringing, a lack of diverse thinking, anger, studies, politicians, enabling and spending other people’s money will create the solutions.”
“We need cameras and more of them.”
“The people we exclude from public spaces, and the things we refer to as worthless, say a lot about what we value as a community.”
An agreement between Asheville and the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, approved by City Council in a 4-1 vote Jan. 24, will allow the APD to use a county-operated camera network to monitor the public.
The reparations commission unanimously approved a recommendation for the city of Asheville and Buncombe County to “stop further harm” to the Black community by “ceasing the repetition of institutional processes that lead to racially disparate outcomes.” The audit is meant to ensure that such harms have actually ceased and that local governments are in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
Asheville Police Department Chief David Zack and Vice Mayor Sandra Kilgore filled in the Asheville-based trade group Jan. 6 about the city’s recent efforts to address dozens of vacancies among the APD’s patrol staff.
After a reduction in the number of incidents reported to the Asheville Police Department in 2021, local shoplifting numbers are rising again.
Before the noise ordinance was passed last September, most noise complaints were called in to the Asheville Police Department nonemergency line. While APD still handles nighttime noise complaints and those that might come with safety risks, the city’s Development Services Department resolved 71% of complaints over the past year.
Parents of children who attend Asheville High School, the School of Inquiry and Life Sciences at Asheville and Asheville Middle School tell Xpress the experience of a perimeter lockdown Sept. 1 was rattling, and assessment of that response was mixed.
Council is considering a public/ private partnership with Charlotte-based developer Laurel Street Residential for the construction of affordable housing in Asheville’s South Slope.
“By acknowledging both the positive and the negative, we can create a complete picture that can serve as a solid base from which we can move forward as a community.”
