New year, old problems downtown

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Downtown Wilmington safety is back in the spotlight, as the start of the new year saw several fights as bars closed their doors. Police say numerous fights broke out around closing time early Saturday morning.

Today we talked with several people connected with downtown to see what they think is the key to solving the downtown safety issue. From local leaders to bar staff it seems like everyone has their own solution to the problem.

John Hinnant with Wilmington Downtown Inc says the number of bars in one area is a big concern. He thinks focusing on the density issue will disperse the number of people in one given area.

We also talked with a bouncer from a downtown bar, who thinks the key is more law enforcement.

“What we need is more officers riding around, walking around actually will be better,” Craig Shepherd said. “The city needs to redirect their monies more toward public safety and concern especially when we’re generating the type of revenue we are downtown.”

Shepard said he has seen a lot of arguments downtown that have been stopped before an actual fight just by an officer stepping in and telling people to go home.