CHARLOTTE — Recent crime in NoDa has only amplified the concerns many business owners have in the Charlotte neighborhood.
Business owners paused work on Thursday morning to meet with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department about a major problem they want action on. The meeting took place on the back porch of Jack Beagle’s on North Davidson Street.
Police didn’t allow news outlets in the meeting, but Channel 9 caught up with business owners after it ended.
“There are robberies, shootings. All of these things going on,” said David Ladish, who helps run Jack Beagle’s.
However, he’s just as upset over street vending in NoDa.
If you walk along North Davidson Street in the heart of the neighborhood, you’ll see vendors them out on the sidewalks – sometimes blocking pedestrians.
Other times, Ladish said he’s seen street vendors setting up and blocking the windows of businesses. Some have even limited access to the entryways of other business, he said.
He also showed Channel 9 pictures of a DJ set up on the sidewalk outside his business with a crowd gathered around it.
“Crowds get around him, 30, 40 people -- you know things get rowdy, ruckus. You don’t know what’s going to happen,” Ladish said.
He and other business owners want the city of Charlotte to do something about it.
They also want the city to help reduce crime in the area, especially after a violent week.
On Saturday, a gun was fired following a fight near a vendor’s operations. Nobody was hurt, but a man was arrested for firing the gun, among other charges.
Then, on Tuesday, a CMPD officer was shot in the leg while responding to another disturbance at The Blind Pig just about half away. The officer is expected to recover. A suspect was arrested and charged with the shooting.
“It’s got to be fixed quickly,” said Ladish, who is concerned about the crime.
Channel 9 pulled the number of violent crimes in the neighborhood. A database showed more than 40 violent crimes reported so far in 2022 within a half-mile of NoDa. Those crimes included assaults with guns or knives, robberies and burglaries.
“We need that sense of security,” said Joe Kuhlmann, who works at The Evening Muse across the street from The Blind Pig.
“This needs to be a place and a district where joy and fun and excitement -- and being able to be together in our neighborhood and city, and feel safe,” Kuhlmann said.
He and other NoDa longtime residents want action, as they hope police patrols will go up and the violence will go down.
“We can learn from this and move forward,” Kuhlmann said.
Ladish said there weren’t many solutions that came out of the meeting with CMPD, but they are looking into hiring off-duty officers to patrol the area on foot.
(Watch the video below: Man facing more charges in connection with NoDa shooting that left officer hurt, arrest warrants say)
©2022 Cox Media Group
