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Saturday, May 18, 2013
Gun violence 'not the norm' in Midtown, businesses say
by Melissa Corker, published on August 21, 2012 at 8:26 AM
Storyline: Community
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The fatal shooting of a man walking near 28th and J streets in Midtown early Saturday morning has nearby residents concerned about a perceived connection between violence and the local bar scene, but Sutter District business owners say there is no cause for alarm.
“Midtown is a safe district,” Midtown Business Association Executive Director Elizabeth Studebaker said Monday. “It’s not the kind of place where we’re accustomed to this kind of violence. It’s definitely not the norm for us.”
The Sutter District is a popular destination and draws thousands of people each week, according to Studebaker. That concentration of people can create occasional problems, she said, but not unlike any other place with a similar concentration of people.
“The businesses operating in the district are doing so in the right place: a commercially zoned area,” she said. “They are all compliant with city and state regulations, and in many cases we see the business going above and beyond what’s required to invest in safety measures for the well-being of neighbors.”
Some neighbors, however, say they don’t feel safe and point the blame at the number of bars and restaurants near their homes and are taking steps to change the area by blocking liquor licenses and pushing for more parking restrictions on residential streets.
Harlow’s Restaurant & Nightclub, 2708 J St., is one business targeted for a protest of the club’s alcohol license transfer by Midtown residents in the wake of Friday’s shooting.
The alcohol license, which was originally held as Harlow’s, is in the process of being transferred to Harlow’s Momo Lounge to include the newer upstairs portion of the nightclub.
The resident filing the protest listed “increased crime, recently murder, and the over concentration of alcohol licenses ... at this location, 28th and 27th and J Streets,” as reasons for blocking the alcohol license transfer.
According to online records at the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, Harlow’s has had at least one license infraction: In January 2010, the nightclub owners were cited for serving alcohol to a minor. After an ABC investigation and hearing, they received a 15-day suspension of the license and a $3,000 fine.
Harlow’s owners Danny and Peter Torza did not return calls for comment.
Studebaker said she is aware of the challenge to Harlow’s, but Friday’s shooting has no correlation to the protest of the license transfer – and the incident is not a “true reflection” of Midtown or the Sutter District overall.
“Something like this – a random shooting – is something beyond our control,” she said. “It was sudden, there was no forewarning and there were at least seven security people within one block of the incident when it occurred.”
Comments on the Sacramento Press Facebook page about the shooting also indicate a general sense that the problem is not as simple as it looks.
“It's sad that an innocent bystander was killed but this incident should not be the catalyst for putting Midtown on lockdown," wrote Scott Bellisario in one story comment.
Bellisario questioned the situation behind the shooting: Were any of the involved parties inside any of the nearby bars/restaurants before the shooting? Which one? Did the bar security not wand them for weapons before entering? Could these groups have just been cruising around looking for trouble and not been in any of the bars?
“Before jumping to paranoia, we should get all the facts,” Bellisario wrote.
A commenter on a related Sac Press article who identified himself only as “Mark,” suggested problems in Midtown and downtown could be due to the number of empty lots in the area.
“It may sound strange, but could our built environment encourage violence as much as the concentration of late-night drinking establishments and lack of police presence?” he said. “It’s been known to behaviorists that empty spaces and ill-kept property in an urban environment encourage bad behavior.”
The mayor’s office reacted to news of the shooting with concern for the family of the victim and a reassurance that the incident is not reflective of the area as a whole.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victim and his family – anytime you have loss of young, innocent life it’s tragic,” Joaquin McPeek, spokesman for Mayor Kevin Johnson, said Monday. “We must do everything we can to ensure that our downtown is a safe place and a place people want to be to enjoy the quality of life Sacramento has to offer.”
For Studebaker and the Midtown businesses that her association represents, Friday’s shooting is unnerving, she said, and the business community will continue to be supportive and responsive to residents’ concerns.
“At the same time,” she said, “there’s no fair way to blame the shooting on the business activity in the Sutter District.”
According to police, an investigation is ongoing and there have been no arrests in the case yet. Police are asking anyone with any information about the crime to come forward by calling the tip line at 443-HELP. Callers can remain anonymous.
Melissa Corker is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Facebook and on Twitter @MelissaCorker.
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The assault listed below happened on Monday afternoon, 8/13. There is public safety issue to address in Sutter District. It gets solved by businesses and residents working together as neighbors, not tearing at each other.
Daily Activity Log
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Incidents are from shifts that start on August 13, 2012
Media Relations Office
916 808.0808/ F: 916 808.0829
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Central Command
12-223505, Assault, J St / 28th St, 1702,
Police were dispatched to a report of a robbery. The victim was approached by Sean Patrick Trussell, 31. Trussell asked the victim for a soda then proceeded to hit the victim with a metal pole when he was denied the drink. Trussell was taken into custody by foot beat officers. The victim sustained minor injuries.
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http://www.sacpd.org/dailyactivity/view.aspx?publish_date=20120814
Who are the residents who are linking murder to Harlow's operation? These liquor license protests should be public documents, so lets name names SacPress.
If a group of residents are going to link a local business to murder, that seems like a pretty big statement, and a newsworthy one as well.
http://sacramentopress.com/headline/72513/Midtown_shooting_death_sparks_response_from_neighbors
Mr. Sgromo does not specifically link Harlow's to the murder, rather (as quoted in this article) he said he is protesting the alcohol license because of "increased crime, recently murder, and the over concentration of alcohol licenses" at 28th and 27th and J streets location.
I believe they are or sonn will no longer be the owners.
Records on file at the county's recorder office show the new owners on the Notice of Sale & Bulk Transfer docs to be JIMBOCO Presents LLC.....their contact info should be available on the CA SOS business portal search.
Whenever there is a change in ownership of an ABC License, an appeal can be put forward.
Mr Sogromo is citing "recent murder" as a reason for the non-lransfer of Harlow's liquor license. How is that not a link?
I am quite perplexed that Vito Sgromo has not taken the time to determine the correct process for filing a valid legal objection with ABC. It would seem an exercise in futility to continue to file invalid protests that are contrary to ABC's legal procedures. I just don't understand what is gained by wasting tax dollars and the time of ABC personnel on processing an invalid objection.
I hope this information provides Vito Sgromo with some additional insight and understanding as to how to be effective and submit a proper, legally valid objection with ABC.
City Management was crystal clear on balancing this year's budget, represented groups not stepping up to paying their CalPERs employee contribution, would solely face the music.
SPOA Laid their own brothers & sisters-in-arms, Off!
Ask any Laid Off Officer.
How many of those officers would have been laid off if SPOA had agreed to start paying last year and culminating their 9% this year?
ZERO
Results? More junior officers thrown to the curb while senior officers maintain their cherished gold plated benefits.
The annual budget vote in 2011.....6-3...Cohn, Ashby and the mayor....voted against the lay-offs, yet provided no means to pay for the cost. They took a pretty good pounding for being fiscally irresponsible!
The annual budget vote for 2012, having learned from the previous year experience....everyone but Ashby....voted for the proposed budget.....including the mayor. Layoffs and all!
Your list seems to be short a few names.....along with you credibility.
You also seem to forget a couple of campaign promises....1 kept....1 not
2008, KJ made a big issue about Fargo's security detail and the 60K it was costing, promising to pay for his own if elected. Right up until he got elected....then it became $135,000+ per year expense borne by the city.....that will be well over a million dollars after is 2nd term, should he complete it.
Has he ever repaid that non-city business security detail use bill yet?
Promise Broken....Big Time!
2010 Darrell Fong states he will not accept his annual $60,000 city council salary.
"“It is my intention to annually decline the City Council salary and benefits until the local economy improves and we are able to balance the budget without unnecessary cuts to city services or employees,” Darrell Fong
http://www.scribd.com/doc/44625872/Fong-salary
Promise Kept...Big Time...by an honorable public servant!
Go Fill your own "rabbit holes"
Listen: http://forumtownsquare.com/
True enough. It isn't fair that late-night businesses have to take greater security precautions because of crimes that happened nearby. But it isn't fair that an innocent bystander was killed in a crossfire either. Life isn't fair--but we have to deal with the consequences of an unfair world anyhow. Joseph Long's family has to deal with the consequences of his death, just as Victor Zavala's did two years ago in the wake of the Second Saturday shooting.
Now, as then, the business community will have to deal with the consequences of the shooting, especially if large numbers of their customers stop coming to Midtown because they fear it isn't safe. They will also have to deal with the consequences if people don't want to live in Midtown out of the same fear, and either decide against moving there, or current residents move out. The economic consequences of that shift in perception is a lot more successful at shutting down businesses than a couple of neighbors filing protests. The number of short-lived bars and clubs in the central city, especially on the 2700 block of J Street, should be proof enough of what happens when not enough customers come in the door.
Two years ago, MBA and neighborhood groups responded to the Second Saturday shooting by restarting a series of meetings and initiatives that followed the "Responsible Hospitality Institute" report provided to MBA the previous year, paid for by MBA and the city of Sacramento. The result was a series of program improvements, including the "Lavender Angels" volunteer security patrols, a text message based alert system for bars to spread the word about problem patrons, and an award-winning series of trainings called "Pubs Clubs & Bars," intended to teach business owners how to address problem patrons and be better neighbors. The beginning of a "good neighbor agreement" for late-night businesses was underway. That series of projects ended temporarily when MBA had a major personnel shift. The staff in charge of that project left MBA, and new MBA staff had to concentrate on the year-long process of renewing their PBID (Property and Business Improvement District.) Some of the initiatives, like the Lavender Angels, survived, but others were put on hold.
Yes, this shooting was a tragedy, and no, it's not fair to anyone involved. But this isn't about assigning blame or finding fault--it is about taking steps to reduce the risk for residents of the central city and business patrons. Most major cities deal with these issues, and find various ways to accommodate the business community while keeping neighborhoods livable. Proactive steps can help restore the sense of well-being for late-night patrons and ease neighbors' peace of mind--and, ideally, make the ones who would come to the central city to start fights and hurt others so uncomfortable that they decide Midtown isn't for them.
Now that the PBID renewal process is over (it was completed earlier this year) hopefully MBA will restart some of the programs it put on hold. They have been very proactive in connecting with neighbors to find solutions--and we have seen some positive improvements, like the new streetlights along J Street or the proliferation of red and black MBA trashcans. Hopefully all the work that went into the RHI report (three years ago now) can prove useful once again--and neighbors and business can work together to make Midtown both a safer place to live and a more interesting place to visit.
Here's one from last year, published here on sacpress...
http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/48481/Opinion_Open_letter_to_Midtown_Business_Association_Mayor_Johnson_City_Council_Members_and_the_Gene