As Dominique Dansby was discussing the effects of recent violence in Columbus’ Short North with The Dispatch, her phone chimed with a Citizens app alert of yet another shooting, this one just blocks away from “Out of the Closet Thrift Store,” where she is manager.
As medics loaded the victim for transport to a hospital, she paused. “This just confirms that things are getting out of control,” Dansby said.
Her store at the northeast corner of 5th Avenue and North High Street has seen a decline in business in recent months, she said.
“Our sales have not been what they typically are. We’re not reaching our projections,” Dansby said. “I think the violence is contributing to that.”
Sunday’s early morning mass shooting. A triple homicide last month a few blocks away. A stabbing. A man with a machete. Dansby can cite a list of incidents, many of which go unreported.
“It’s supposed to be a peaceful place where you can walk and go to a boutique. But it’s quickly declining,” she said.
A pervasive problem with panhandlers, prostitutes, squealing tires and revving motorcycles creates the perception of insecurity and danger, she and other shop owners say.
“I don’t want to have to feel like I’m on the defensive when I’m just walking down the street,” Dansby said.
Fresh bullet holes pock doorways and wood trim just south of 4th Avenue where police say someone opened fire on a crowd early Sunday morning. At least two windows were shattered and covered with boards.
“It’s sad that it’s becoming commonplace in this country,” said Joe Wolf, of Atlanta, who was attending the American Society of Virology conference at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. His colleague, Carolin Lieber, said organizers told the attendees earlier in the week “not to be outside after midnight.”
Carrie Cisco and Danni Ortega ate lunch on the patio of Michael’s Goody Boy diner, oblivious to the weekend violence and a spray of bullets the day before.
“It makes you afraid to go out and do stuff,” Cisco said.
“Especially in crowded places,” added Ortega.
Justin Nowell, a security guard at The Bluestone, who lives above the vacant storefront where the shootings occurred, cautioned that the violence may get worse as the city continues to grow.
“A lot of it is random,” he said. “Overall, it’s pretty safe here.
“It comes with city life. To me, with Columbus growing, it invites crime. It’s only going to get worse.”
Business owners and managers noted that the shootings have nearly all happened after the bars close at 2 a.m.
The shooting over the weekend happened around 2:30 a.m. and a mass shooting that left three dead in May on East 5th Avenue near the Short North happened around 2:45 a.m. A shooting a year ago in the 600 block of North High St. that injured at least 10 people also happened around 2:30 a.m.
“These shootings generally happen late at night after theater hours so we have not found them a deterrent for our patrons,” said Edward Carignan, artistic director of the Short North Stage.
Down the street, Magnolia Thunderpussy owner Chuck Kubat said he closes his store at 7 p.m. before “the stupids and the drunks are out.”
The music store has been in business for more than half a century, always on North High Street, but times have changed, Kubat said.
“I’ve been on this street since 1971,” Kubat added. “People used to have problems, they’d fight. Now there are so many guns around, the first thing they do is reach for their guns.”
Betsy Pandora, executive director of the Short North Alliance, which represents businesses in the strip, expressed gratitude toward the police but frustration at the recent crime.
“The safety and security of everyone in the Short North Arts District is our top priority, and any violence in our community is unacceptable,” she said in a statement to The Dispatch. “Harmful behavior, like what occurred early Sunday morning, does not reflect the values of those who live, work, and play in our neighborhood.”
Pandora said the organization is “working with the Columbus Police Department to understand how and why this incident occurred to better prevent future threats and further enhance the safety and security of our dynamic community.”
Despite the high-profile shootings, Kubat and Carignan say the Short North remains safe.
“I live and work in the Short North and find it to be a very safe neighborhood,” Carignan said. “Incidents like these are rare and the SNA (Short North Alliance) works closely with Columbus police to ensure it stays that way.”
Others aren’t so sure.
Outside Bodega, head chef Kelcey Jones was bringing in supplies. “It’s a little rough lately,” Jones said. “The violence seems to becoming a weekly thing.”
Jones said her restaurant staff is trained to go into lockdown and hide with each incident. That happens almost once a week, she said.
During the day, the neighborhood is calm and mostly quiet. But after about 10 p.m., “it turns into a whole different world. It’s intimidating and scary. It’s definitely hard to deal with,” she said.
Kubat agreed that the area is peaceful and that it’s a small minority of people causing trouble after hours.
“It’s still a great neighborhood besides the occasional stupid people,” he said.
Kubat said he isn’t sure what the answer is to the shootings. ShotSpotter speakers detect gunfire, and pole-mounted surveillance cameras, one across the street from Sunday’s shooting, monitor what police can’t see.
“You can’t blame the cops,” he said. “But then again, maybe there should be more cops when the bars close up.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Shorth North businesses concerned with violence, mass shooting
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