Dear City Council Member:
I write today to voice my opinion on the recent discussion involving crime overall in Greenville, as well as the attempt to restructure the Public/Private Club Use in downtown Greenville. While the recent shootings and murders in the downtown area are tragic, I feel that these are somewhat isolated events. Unfortunately, there are other sections of Greenville where incidents like this are a regular occurrence instead of a somewhat isolated incident. With that being said, I do feel that both issues need to be seriously contemplated and addressed.
In my opinion, as well as others with whom I have discussed this issue, the best idea of the fifteen (15) proposed actions in the downtown area is to require all Public/Private Clubs to have an off duty officer working in the establishment. From first hand knowledge this has many benefits. Patrons feel safer, a qualified individual is available to assist security in properly dealing with issues which arise, and a uniformed officer is a definite deterrent to underage drinking and fake IDs, as well as problematic patrons. Further, officers would be aware of activities within the Clubs, as opposed to only dealing with the patrons when they end up on the street at closing time. From a business owners perspective this also lowers potential liability as a sworn officer would be available to testify during any type of lawsuit which may arise from a number of issues. A patron is a lot less likely to drive a vehicle when having consumed too many beverages when they have to walk by a uniformed officer and then drive from the parking lot.
Not only does this help the bar owners and security of the patrons, but if enacted in the same manner as Unk’s where an officer (in Unk’s case two (2)) are required anytime amplified music is played after 11pm there would basically be 16 officers in the CD district every Tuesday thru Saturday who would be paid by the bar owners instead of the taxpayers. This idea could potentially reduce the number of on duty, city paid officers in the downtown area by half (from 25 to 12) and in effect still have 28 officers in the CD area. I am unaware of how much of the $500,000 is related to salaries, but since most of these officers are either working overtime or are from the impact unit one could assume at least 60% – 70% is salaries. Hypothetically, the math breaks down to a savings of $150,000 assuming $300,000 is salaries and half of the on duty officers would be required since an additional 16 officers would be in the area at the expense of the bar owners.
Not only would this save money in the downtown area, but also free up officers to police areas where serious violence is a constant instead of an abnormality.
Realizing this email is already rather lengthy, the other ideas I support would be: 1) Glass (or other transparent materials) on the front of these businesses. Not only would this help with security as far as visibility into the establishments, but also would force owners to maintain and improve the interiors of their buildings and give a better overall feel to the downtown area much like Evans Street and the new Winslow’s Tavern (at least I believe that is the name). 2) Requiring the grandfather Clubs to obtain Special Use Permits instead of operating without fear of repercussions when the business is not operated properly.
It is a sad day when the murder of a woman who just wanted peace in her neighborhood and to be rid of drug dealers and violence does not cause the same uproar as the tragic incidents downtown, especially when crime is a regular occurrence in that neighborhood. All areas of Greenville deserve to be policed with the number of units assigned in direct proportion to the current level of crime. The bar owners can afford these measures. The majority of their money is made off of cover sales which generate no sales tax, so while it has already been stated that the property taxes generate less than $20,000 per year, it would also be interesting to know how much sales tax revenue is reported by these businesses and makes its way back to Greenville. With Penny Draft and Dollar Liqour being the norm in this area I do not imagine that the sales tax revenue makes up for the $500,000 shortfall.
The overall idea concerning the downtown bar district should be proper operation with oversight, not the more extreme stance of closing down these businesses. I appreciate your public service and realize it requires an extreme amount of time and dedication. I feel solutions are possible and that careful consideration and long term planning for the viability of these businesses, the Uptown Greenville area and crime in Greenville as a whole is quite possible.
Thank you for your time and I will gladly discuss this issue with you personally at your convenience if you are interested. Having worked in restaurants for the past 18 years and owned restaurants for the past 11 years, I have many ideas on what can be done to at least improve the “operation” of the downtown bar district.
Sincerely,
Jeremy Spengeman