Sunday’s early morning shooting incident near the Princess Theater has put local residents and business owners on edge. City officials, meanwhile, have rushed to calm fears, vowing such dangerous incidents will not be tolerated.
The incident, which occurred near the Princess Theater along South Fifth Street in downtown Columbus, is the second early-morning shooting to take place near the theater-turned-nightclub.
On Feb. 7, 2016, a man was shot outside the club. Quinton Deangelo Harris of Columbus was arrested and charged with aggravated assault and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. Harris is scheduled to go to trial in Lowndes County Circuit Court on May 9.
As it was with that incident, Sunday’s shooting has unnerved nearby residents and threatens to undermine efforts by business owners, citizens and city officials to make our downtown an inviting, friendly and safe place.
While we understand the fear and frustration this most recent incident has caused, we urge all parties to apply that same spirit of cooperation in addressing this latest event.
In the immediate aftermath of Sunday’s shooting, emotions are running high among residents of the nearby neighborhood. Posts on a neighborhood watch site have an angry tone.
But we hope once those raw emotions subside, residents will focus their energies on working together with the city, business owners and fellow residents to address this difficult problem. Let’s hear ideas, not accusations, Let’s have dialogue not diatribes.
Mayor Robert Smith responded quickly to Sunday’s shooting, outlining steps the city will take to ensure safety in the area, including increased patrols and installing surveillance cameras near the location.
We applaud the mayor’s quick response and the practical measures he has presented.
We expect the city will also be looking into its policies to see if there are any further steps that can be taken.
Yet to be successful in this effort, the city must also rely on the cooperation and support of the community. It should be noted that neither of these shootings have occurred on theater property and that the club’s owner, Bart Lawrence, has been cooperative in working with the city previously. We expect that will be continue to be the case.
Residents and business owners have a role to play as well, mainly by keeping their eyes and ears open and reporting suspicious activities when they see them.
All of these are productive means to address a problem.
By avoiding the temptation to assign blame — to the police, to the club owner or even club-goers, in general — we can focus on solutions. Let’s be clear about who is to blame — the person or persons responsible for these crimes.
Now, let’s turn our attention to practical steps we all can take to make all of our neighborhoods safer.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.