The community is invited to a meeting at the YMCA Tuesday to discuss crime and public safety downtown.
Julie Parker, coordinator for the Columbus Southside Neighborhood Watch, organized the meeting in response to a shooting downtown outside The Princess Theater the morning of March 19. No one was injured, but several cars were hit, including two that were occupied.
Parker called the meeting a follow-up from last Tuesday’s city council meeting, in which The Princess owner Bart Lawrence agreed to roll back his business hours and limit the number of patrons to help control crime downtown.
“The mayor had encouraged us to coordinate this meeting just so more residents could have a forum to ask questions or express any additional concerns that they had, and then also for Bart to be able to kind of talk through what this process looks like for his business as well,” Parker said. “I think it was really just an effort to allow people one more opportunity to collaborate … and think through these situations and come up with a plan that works for everybody (to curtail crime and increase public safety downtown).”
Parker invited Columbus Police Department Chief of Police Oscar Lewis and Columbus Mayor Robert Smith to the meeting.
“We’re thrilled to be able to meet with Julie Parker and other residents from the area to continue a dialogue with them concerning safety in our community,” Smith said. “Community involvement is an important part of public safety, and this meeting is a great way to further communication between everyone involved.”
The meeting will be in the YMCA conference room on the second floor from 5:30-6:30.
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