NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk city leaders are putting their foot down when it comes to violence in the entertainment district.
Business owners will soon have to defend their right to operate downtown, and their establishments will be investigated. However, it could be weeks before owners will find out how this will all work and if businesses are really to blame for the violence downtown.
News 3 reached out to city leaders and the police chief. The spokespeople for them told us they’re not available, but plan to discuss this latest effort in more detail later this month after they’re back from recess.
Every business in the heart of Norfolk is coming under fire.
City leaders are now holding owners downtown accountable for the violence that stems inside their establishment and spills outside.
Bilal Muhammad, the chairman of Stop the Violence Team, supports the idea.
“We’re talking about safety for the community; we’re talking about safety for different business owners; we’re talking about safety for innocent people,” Muhammad said. “We must put everything in place. We have to suspend these types of activities taking place that hurt our community, hurt the establishment.”
This latest effort to crack down on gun violence comes after police say four people were shot and injured outside Legacy nightclub early Friday morning. Detectives say a fight started inside the club and continued outside when the suspect opened fire into a crowd of people as they were leaving.
Now, business practices will be investigated. City Manager Dr. Chip Filer said everything will be looked at, including how late they stay open, if there is overserving or overcrowding.
“You are no longer able to claim immunity for things that occur outside your establishment when we can find evidence that creates no doubt that the genesis of the activity occurred in your establishment,” said Filer.
Over the next several months, city leaders say owners will have to tell them why they should be allowed to do business downtown.
Some business owners, including Baxter Simmons who owns Baxter’s Sports Bar on Granby Street, understand the move.
“They want us to be mindful of our own clientele and if we see things that start to go the wrong way, or start to evolve into something, we need to take action also to help curb the problems,” said Simmons.
Simmons and several other owners, however, feel as though sometimes when things get out of hand, it’s out of their control.
“Some of the people that come down just, I hate to say it, aren’t good people sometimes,” Simmons said.
Aaliyah Lyons, who manages Urban Ice on Granby Street, agreed.
“The owner can’t be here every single second,” Lyons said. “I feel as if that’s not really the approach for it.”
Council members are back from recess on August 23.
