Midtown had a small surge in robberies last month – due mainly to one bad Saturday night. That led to news stories on whether the neighborhood has a crime problem. The police department says no – after 11 robberies in July, there’s only been one so far this month. And the business community is pushing back too.
Kerth: “We absolutely do not have a crime problem here.”
Rob Kerth with the Midtown Business Association says perception is key.
Kerth: “People make their decisions on where they go and what they do based not on their sense of security but based on their fear that an unlikely event might happen to them.”
Business owners would like to install new streetlights, but Kerth says that’s too expensive to do quickly. So Kerth expects businesses to unveil Christmas-style lights in trees sometime this fall. Owners are also looking at hiring street guides by the end of the year.