As many of you know, in September two attempted rapes happened in parking garages Downtown, both within a block of the University of Memphis law school. These crimes have received a lot of coverage in the media, leading people to ask, “Is Downtown safe?” As someone who’s recognized as being a voice of Downtown, and someone who’s down here living it every day, I want to weigh in with my honest opinion.
Before I start, though, a little about me, though, to clear up any misconceptions. I am not a paid blogger. I do not receive any money from the city, or any civic organization or business for writing the things I write. I don’t mean to knock those who do by saying that; I’m just pointing out that no one censors what I say on this blog. This is my personal blog, and I’m free to write whatever I want about Downtown, positive or negative.
In summer 2006 I did indeed go negative. It was horrible down here. Three people I knew were knocked out and robbed in parking garages and alleys. Aggressive panhandlers – not the homeless, but professional scammers – were earning good incomes hustling and intimidating innocent people on the streets. A co-worker of mine got followed down an alley by one of the “pros” who proposed they do all sorts of lewd acts. On the weekends, bands of teenagers roamed the Downtown streets, harassing people, blocking traffic, breaking into cars. It was out of control and I absolutely blew up about it on this blog. In 8 1/2 years it’s the one time I considered moving out of Downtown. Thank goodness I never did.
Since then, many steps have been taken to clean up the area. The Center City Commission hired a safety coordinator, Larry Bloom, a highly experienced former police officer, to come up with a plan. I first met Larry three years ago and immediately had hope. He was a no-nonsense guy with the knowledge to get to the root of the crime issues Downtown.
A year later, the CCC created a Downtown safety patrol – two safety officers who ride around the core during peak hours and respond to complaints of aggressive panhandling, disorderly conduct and the like. Earlier this year, MPD announced that they were creating a special detail of officers who would patrol Downtown streets – not in cars, as has been done previously, but on foot and bike. It has made a difference. A lot of our “regulars” who used to be out here every day intimidating people have not been seen in months, or in some cases even years now – either because they realized it wasn’t being tolerated anymore and gave up, or because they kept getting thrown back in jail every time they got out.
There is also a system of cameras that has been installed Downtown, and more are coming thus year… when it’s all said and done, there will be a network of about 100 cameras tied into the Blue Crush system. Most of the 2006 trouble spots – alleys, for example – are now covered by these cameras or will be soon. I can tell you that the one in Court Square has made a tremendous difference. That park has gone from being a hotbed for the troublemakers to a place where you can enjoy a nice lunch outside.
I personally feel totally safe being out by myself in Downtown Memphis in 2010, be it day or night. I frequently walk home from the bars, sometimes as far away as from G.E. Patterson, sometimes as late as 3 AM. In my entire eight and a half years down here, I have never been robbed or assaulted.
That’s not to say a problem doesn’t exist. Two young women will be haunted for the rest of their lives by what happened. That’s inexcusable. I may claim that I feel safe down here, but I haven’t walked in the shoes of a 110-pound woman who is not all that familiar with the area.
Could anything have been done to prevent these attempted rapes? Well, right after the first article came out about the second one, which happened around 3 AM on a Saturday, I made note of the perpetrator’s name and looked up his criminal record. He was arrested for robbery in 2007, and was sentenced to six years. 2007 plus 6… are you getting 2010? I’m not. If this individual had been made to serve his full sentence, he’d not have been on the streets to panhandle and attempt to rape that woman. His record revealed a lot of robbery and assault charges going back to the ’80s… I can’t understand why anyone would think he was the type of individual that deserves parole. I wonder how recently he was paroled. I’d bet less than a week before the attempted rape occurred.
The garages themselves need to step up security. Parking garages have, over the years, been seen by the criminals as good places to commit crimes, where nobody is watching and there are lots of hiding spaces. That said, I think the Metro 67 garage did a fairly good job protecting the young woman who was almost raped there. There was a security guard on duty at 3 AM, which is not the case for some garages Downtown. The entire garage was covered by security camera, and when the guard saw what was happening and heard the woman’s screams, he ran to her defense. I hate to say it, but in a lot of garages Downtown this would have gone farther than “attempted” rape.
Another problem is that the criminals and hustlers have learned what hours the Downtown patrols work, and have changed their schedules accordingly. Some of our “regulars” who used to be active in the daytime now don’t come out until 10, 11 at night. Patrol hours need to be varied, so that criminals cannot operate at any hour without fear that an officer is going to roll up on them.
I want to express my deepest sympathy to the two women who were assaulted – as I said earlier, there is absolutely no excuse. However, I want to say that I don’t think Downtown is as unsafe as it’s been made out to be recently in the media – it in fact is much, much safer than it was four years ago. Had the steps taken 2007-10 not been put in place, I have a feeling we would have heard about many more than two assaults/attempted rapes/robberies in the area of the law school since it opened.
Anyway, that’s my two cents. Y’all be safe out there, and thanks to the CCC and MPD for all the recent steps they have taken to protect us.