Hundreds of people rely on the entertainment sector for a living and need people to feel safe. Despite the bloodshed on New Year’s Eve, employees remain optimistic after the city’s final deadly gunshot of 2022. On Sunday morning, a massive mound of glass fragments and traces of a gunshot went through the front window outside the Urban Emporium. The business manager expressed her affection for downtown and her desire for it to prosper.
The 2023 New year starts with a shootout
“It saddens me, it frustrates me because our downtown is so lovely and fantastic, and for anything like this to happen is awful and I despise it,” manager Nicole Moore said. The Brickyard restaurant next door has a gunshot hole in one glass and spiderweb fractures in another panel, proving the late-night brawl.
“People were yelling, stepping over one other, it was insane, and then the cops came and you could hear the whistles and everyone was being escorted this way,” said Cat Stevanus, a waiter at Debris restaurant. Many individuals who work downtown say it was a long night from New Year’s Eve to New Year’s Day, and they hope something can be done to prevent anything like this from happening again.
Police are investigating
“Gone down here and appreciate our lovely city; we’ve come a long way, and it would be amazing if things like this didn’t happen,” said Nicole Moore of the Urban Emporium. Mike Piercy is preparing his usual New Year’s feast across the street. He owns Pat’s, a restaurant close to where the shootings occurred. He said he made sure his customers and workers were secure, thanked the police for their rapid reaction, and believes anything like this should not happen in the entertainment zone.
“It’s a bit disappointing, but I hope it was an unusual incident and not something that’s the norm, individuals who come out who don’t generally come out,” Piercy said. Most of the employees we spoke with expressed optimism that this incident would not detract from what people enjoy about downtown.
Read Also: Modest Mouse Drummer, Jeremiah Green, Dies at 45