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July 24, 2007
re: the weekly barricade of a block on Sycamore St.
A neighbor writes in: “I have never, ever seen a community that barricades its main street every Saturday night for the benefit of a local business owner. All of us are pleased by the good things happening in Petersburg. [cont.]
We all hope these good things benefit the majority of the residents who care about the old city and wish for mostly pleasant, prosperous and peaceful lives. But, I will not believe that Petersburg has truly turned the corner until I can drive on Sycamore in Petersburg one fine Saturday night and see no more that damned barricade.”
my understanding is that the “barricades” and police protection for alzeenas is currently costing the petersburg taxpayer around $50,000 per year. good thing that property taxes are on the increase so that the city will have plenty of funds to continue underwriting this particular expense.
What will it take to stop this nonsense?
Perhaps here we can follow the approach of other cities and simply prohibit parking along a targeted few blocks of this main thoroughfare after, say, 7pm on Saturdays? Then motorists could continue along their path and police could still have plenty of room to manage any crowd control issues that may arise.
Now I’m going to wax theoretical — as a student of economics, I believe in the power of ’signaling.’ It seems to me that if one shuts down a block, doing so is a signal to the youth that they are free to cut up, provided they do so within the indicated footprint. Or at least the increased space provides increased opportunity to do so. (I saw this effect at work when I worked in NYC — on floor one, the ceiling was low and so too was the noise/energy vibe; on floor two, the ceiling was quite a bit higher and the noise/energy level almost seemed to rise to fill the space). Ok, I’m off the pyschobabble now. :-)
Hey Roque— I’m not sure the appropriate contact in this regard. I’d imagine some combo of Council/City Manager/Police Chief? Perhaps your Council rep can provide direction in this regard. If you find out, please let us know.
the “barricades” are necessary for the protection of the surrounding neighborhoods. i know of folks who moved from their home on marshall street a couple years ago because they did not feel their children were safe after their house was hit by gunfire from a passing car one saturday night. police officers have also been shot at by folks possibly patronizing alzeenas. if you walk past alzeenas on a night the street is blocked off the scene is always the same, a huge line down sycamore and both men and women are being searched for weapons on the sidewalk outside before entering the club, all under the watchful eyes of 3-4 petersburg police officers.
See the HPLA post on a cat that got hit on Adams St. last Saturday night. Off the subject of the cat, but perhaps related to this thread, I will note that when I face the Sycamore St. detour on Saturdays, the route I take to get to Walnut Hill from Old Town is via Adams/Marshall back to Sycamore — I don’t bother with this circuitous route otherwise. I wonder if the Adams/Marshall folks who are working to get such thru-traffic out of their lives experience measurable upticks in traffic on Saturday evenings due to the barricade? (Of course others may choose to get from N to S Sycamore via Union/Harrison/Liberty or similar.)
Relax Folks. The owner of this establishment is the president of the Meanest, Badist black organization it Petersburg. Her own words at a recent civil law suit that cost her $200,000 and some change. The idea of pulling the law off on Saturday evenings has been discussed and it was deemed nessesary to keep things as they are. There are many bad things happening there, many of which go unreported. They just seem to fade away like an old soldier.
it would be intersting to get the entire story of the barricade. i’ve heard that it was erected because of local business owner complaints years ago. in response to the drive bys, and excessive traffic in front of alzenas after the coppermine incident. it seems that it was a good idea at the time because they wouldn’t actually stop the problem(alzenas) but now that she is in a weaker position maybe it’s time…
*sigh*
All that pontificating for nothing……
……The blockade is to eliminate the occurances of cruising down Sycamore Street by the club-goers at Alzeena’s. It was a HUGE problem back in the mid-90s with Coppermine being right up the street, and that was Petersburg’s answer to curb it.
Yes, it’s a pain in the rear,
but “livelier” communities do it all the time during peak party weekends for the same reason.
There is increased traffic there late Saturday night, early Sunday morning. Often they are simply running from the cops. Last year an underage drinker raced down Adams to the park, with the cops in pursuit. The chase ended at the Park where he demolished three cars plus his own. He had been drinking at Alzeena’s, one of the cops said, pleased that at last they may have nailed her. But no such luck. The notoriously lenient local prosecutor did little or nothing, Alzeena’s remained open. And of course, she wasn’t hauled away in handcuffs like poor Rigo when someone at Andrades happened to walk outside with a drink. This reflects the double standards of this town. The rules, like the taxes, only apply to those who try to do the right thing. All others get away scott free.
The rules, like the taxes, only apply to those who try to do the right thing. All others get away scott free.
Amen, truer words were never spoken!
Anon and grolsch2 — thanks for the background; many of us are relatively new to Petersburg and the above helps us understand the history of why the barricades came about. The question of whether circumstances are such that they are still necessary is I suppose a separate question, but perhaps better directed toward the police or one’s Council reps.
‘during peak party weekends” is not the same as perpetual nor does the argument that others do it justify the act. Closing the main street of town to benefit a public nuisance is bad government. Blocking a principal traffic artery to protect the citizens of a community from a nuisance rather than simply eliminating the nuisance demonstrates to all that the nuisance is more powerful that the government.
Perhaps some of us should show up at city council and ask for an explanation and that something be done about this? (For that matter, perhaps some of us should show up at city council meetings, period.)
I absolutely agree with the suggestion that more people should turn out at city council meetings.
I’ve noticed that on the street, if you will, people will say some variation of ‘has the City thought of…’ or ‘the City should do…’ — when I attend council meetings, I discover that, indeed, the City has thought of and is doing… the thing is people are sometimes unaware of developments in the works.
When I can, I try to attend council meetings and to relay more information about what was decided or discussed than what can be found in news coverage (which often has limits to the length of a story) or in the minutes (which, I presume for very practical reasons, are extremely abbreviated). However, I cannot always make it.
It would be nice if others were to start showing up more regularly, a) to stay informed themselves, b) to help keep the rest of the community informed.
I will also note that during this spring’s challenging budget process, Mayor Mickens noted [my paraphrase] that it was shocking that most of those present when it came time to discuss taxes — the raising of them and the allocation of them — were not residents of Petersburg. Folks, if you have specific notions as to what should be a priority in the eyes of the city management, show up and provide your city management the benefit of learning what those notions may be.
Michael Writes,
Blocking a principal traffic artery to protect the citizens of a community from a nuisance rather than simply eliminating the nuisance demonstrates to all that the nuisance is more powerful that the government.
Good post Micheal except for the fact that it is more than a nuisance that we are talking about! Last year several people were robbed at gunpoint at this event, another was shot (Ft. Lee Soldier). Two days later a small blub somewhere in the middle of the paper metioned it. Nothing was ever brought up again! However if you happend to be watching channel 8 on the same night that this occured, you would have seen the whole story plus a photo of Alzenas as a plus. Some business owners have left that particular area because they got tired of having their windows broken and their stores and shops broken into. That is not what I would call a small nuinance……….
AMEN to Michael!!
So I figured I’d drop a link to this discussion into some police department email box to at least let them know this is being discussed and perhaps get some response (like happens over at CHPN). Would you believe that there is NO contact information listed on the city web site for the police?!
No non-emergency number, no “Crime Solvers” type hot line, no access numbers for the various bureaus.
One wonders how tough it’s going to be to bring the city kicking and screaming into at least the present much less the future.
It can’t even be about resources either. Takes no more effort or resources to have a contact page than what they have available now.
I think a phone call or visit is in order…..
To clarify: when I speak of a public nuisance I do not intend that it be taken that I refer to a small matter. This is a large problem for Petersburg & a symptom of a serious civic disease. Government tolerance for notorious public nuisances are signs of weak government or political corruption. It is often both.
to commensensedude: the police dept’s telephone number is available on the city’s site, here. Or to get to the chase, the non-emergency general number is 804.732.4222.
Though I agree that it would make sense to also provide a list of police dept-related telephones AND emails on the police dept’s webpage.
Also re: commonsensedude’s comment –
I will note here that maybe a month or two ago I introduced this site to all the local police leadership from Lt. on up, inviting them to use this site to get word out to the community in relation to things such as enforcement successes (e.g., arrests), enforcement priorities (e.g., top most wanted - name, DOB, photo; top most-called in addresses; any uptick in crime activity, e.g., copper theft), community police training events, etc. For an example of what I’m talking about, check this link.
To date, Cprl. Richardson has started forwarding copies of McGruff Speaks for posting. I have requested that he consider including more information of the kind above in future editions of his publication.
I suggest you drop a link to this discussion into the email box of the city manager and of the city attorney.
Trickle down is much better than trickle up. Newton’s 1st law, you know.
Cprl. Richardson is a good guy. but there is only so much he can do. the higher ups have no wish to change the status quo. why do we not have a police chief yet? WTF? without proper leadership the department will flounder and will lean towards a hopewell type situation. the current temp chief can not even fire officers. king dave has a list of at least four officers to get canned on his desk for months. i know the officer who arrested the person who shot(through the hand) the patron outside of alzena’s last year. actually in the parking lot. no one wants to go after alzena. she cancelled her own NAACP meeting just last week. she knows her time has come. we have to keep up the chatter and let our council memebers know the things we care about.
Re: police chief — the City is currently interviewing candidates.
For the benefit of those who are new in town or are not familiar with the trouble spot which is the topic of this dicussion.
The police are well informed of what is going on and are just as frustrated as anyone else. Their hands are tied for more than one reason. Before a business like the afore mentioned can be shut down or closed, there has to be documented proof that it is guilty of something. It has only been recently that documentation has started to be gathered. Another problem is that the owner of the establishment wields a bigger club than anyone else in the city. When the owner is confronted with a complaint they threaten anyone with a promise that they will have a visit by the NAACP, and in case you are not aware, the owner is the president of the local chapter of the NAACP! This may change in the near future (we hope) since her bad display recently in court.
She claims that her son runs the business and that he says everything is alright! So it must be alright, right?!
Guns have been going off, drugs and booze have been sold from the cars that used to run up and down Sycamore St. for several years. That is the reason the street is blocked off on Saturday evenings. Now they have to go to the surrounding parking lots and streets to pick up their goodies. It was because of the close supervision or alertness of the PD that those who were responsible for the armed robberies and shooting of a Ft. Lee soldier that they were apprehended in short order. The problem is that this place attracts undesirables from not only Petersburg, but also from the surrounding areas including Richmond.
Granted, these people need some place to hang out, so why not Petersburg where anything goes and people are afraid to say anything for fear of retaliation.
I do believe that things will change in time, it has to change!
There is more to this story, much more…
Today’s RTD has an article about a spike in assaults in Charlottesville. The C-ville police’s response to this particular variety of nuissance:
An interesting idea. Cameras have deterrent effects, and they also help provide documentation of goings on, should a need for same arise.
Just blocking off the street causes what police call the balloon effect. You squeeze the bad elements here…… they pop out there.
If the crime is only being pushed out to the outer parking lots and streets, that’s no solution.
I’d say leave the street open and provide a heavy police presence. Some may scream racism about this but the fact is, if you know you have a trouble spot, that’s where you put your resources. If they don’t want the attention then they themselves (the people attending and running the event/location) have to start cleaning up their act.
It’s not racist to enforce the public law just because a majority of the crowd within which the problems are occurring happens to be a minority.
Cameras would be a good start. Civil libertarians will scream to high heavens that it is an “invasion of privacy” but the fact is that whether the eye on the street is human or electronic makes no difference. You don’t gain some “shield of privacy” just because the police officer has physically stepped out of eyesight.
Petersburg reminds me of The Seven Samurai. We almost need to buy outside protection, hired guns, to clean things up once and for all. But a simpler solution is possible. Why not “gang” together and simply buy the building? The place is not owned, but rented. Buy the building, throw the rascals out and then have the Samurai spread the word that it would be “unwise” to lease to this person anywhere. In any event, I’m sure this is what will happen before too long.
More coverage on the use of cameras in public spaces in VA [via RTD]
The City Manager, my council rep, and the City Attorney have now all received an email from myself about this conversation.
Re: the comment above that any complaints are met with a threat of a visit by the NAACP — that doesn’t quite wash. I don’t imagine that the NAACP would advocate lawlessness, as that would undermine their mission.
I encourage those who are familiar with some of the more recent history associated with this institution to attend one of the next few council meetings to share their views on this matter.
It might be a worthy venture to organize a people’s partnership revolving fund to purchase buildings in Petersburg, rehabilitate them and resell. Reinvest the returns in acquiring additional properties to rehab & resell. Tax credits make this a viable option to consider.
So I walked past the location in question the other day and took a moment to look inside. Being that you cannot have a true “bar” or “night club” in Virginia due to ABC laws, I find it strange that there are no tables set up as a dining room when you look into the front of the place. I suppose there are tables set in the rear where I could not see but one wonders how they can have food be a large percentage of sales with such a large area apparently devoted to something other than food sales. There might also be a dining room up stairs.
A call to the ABC might be in order. Itíd be interesting to see how the sales are being reported.
brenda writes;
Re: the comment above that any complaints are met with a threat of a visit by the NAACP ó that doesnít quite wash. I donít imagine that the NAACP would advocate lawlessness, as that would undermine their mission.
No the NAACP would advocate lawlessness and it’s doubtful that they would get involved. The threats themselves come from the current president of the local chapter. That person uses the word NAACP to intimidate or squelch anyone who would dare to badmouth her place of business and cast it in a bad light. Remember what she said in court? ” I am president of the biggest, baddest, meanist black organization in Petersburg”. She lost!!
Precisely my point… there would likely be no such conversation.
If anyone wants to contact Michael about the idea of forming a revolving fund to purchase/rehab area properties (see comment 31), send me a note via the ‘contact’ page and I’ll put you in touch.
Thank God for this conversation. It has included the problem and the solution. A place of nuisance is the problem, the solution includes, Calls to the state NAACP office to make them aware of the way that the local chapter is being run, a call to ABC board to request their inspection and assessment, and continuous request to our city council to do something about the public nuisance in our community. I am currentl.y here at the Petersburg City Council retreat here in Smithfield, VA and I will certainly put a bug in the ear of a couple of folk.
I agree that this is a definite problem that has for some reason been swept under the rug every time it’s addressed. As a business owner on Sycamore St.,I see this as a HUGE problem! As stated, the closed street keeps all the trouble in other areas, our entryways, the parking lots, etc. And the “Club Goers” know where the Police are… They’re busy barricading the street! So, how easy does that make it??? I think if the crowd there is bad enough to need police protection, the establishment should have to pay for and provide it’s own security! Free up the the police to patrol the area! And… what is going to happen when other businesses in that area start to be open on Saturday nights? Re: The comedy club in the old Bluebird Theater. Should their business be intruded on because “That’s just how it is”? And…. I won’t even get into the filth and trash in that area after the club has been open!!! Which, BTW is now on Thursday nights, Saturday nights, and Sunday nights!
I think it needs to be submitted to city council that it’s in everyoneís best interest that the street be NOT barricaded. Stopping up the entrance to your main entertainment district on one of the biggest revenue nights is not going to assist the business owners at all and the lost sales mean lost tax revenue to the city.
Perhaps there should be an ordinance that states that under certain conditions (such as a recurring line to enter a restaurant/night club) that there must be security in place paid for by the owner or promoter. These security personnel could be private security guards or off duty police officers. (Is it at all possible that the police officers manning the barricade currently are off duty and being paid by the location in question?)
Here are a few questions Iíll submit to our little group here for possible request for information from the City Council and Police chief:
What was the original reason for the barricade?
Are the Police officers on normal patrol duty or are they off duty and working a special detail?
Are they being paid for by any outside entity?
What plans are being made to eliminate the need for the barricade? (and if not why not?)
I want to write this up and send it to the above folks as a fact finding effort that will lead to a presentation to council during the public comment portion of a city council meeting. I think that having a few facts on hand plus the sense of the policeís position on this matter would be better than just going in cold and asking why it is being done. This way perhaps we can ask the why question and at the same time propose some solutions.
If anyone has suggestions for other questions I should include please post them here.
As stated earlier in this thread, the city pays around $50,000/year to provide security to this joint by on-duty police officers. It is a public nuisance, it is a magnet for criminal activity and it needs to be closed down just as the Copper Mine was closed a couple of years ago. The very best way to get the barricades down is to shut this place down.
Someone should go down to Sycamore Street one night and wait for the police or whoever to show up and start barricading the street. Whip out a camcorder and capture video and audio of this happening. Make sure and ask these guys if they are on duty and if not, who is paying them to do this. Get pertinent information regarding who gave them the orders, why, how long will the barricade be up.
Post this stuff on YouTube and make sure the media in Richmond sees it, along with a copy of this message thread.
A good way to get this issue resolved is to get the press to start asking questions again. Make sure they are aware of this issue. Send them this thread. Send you council representative this thread. Send the thread to a House of Delegates and State Senate representative. Don’t send it to Congressman Forbes as it’s not a federal issue… yet. Keep bugging these people until you get an answer as to why this is necessary. Send them the video. Turn up the heat.
The next Council meeting is Sept 4.
Take the barricade down. Our town is ready for MOUNTED police as implemented in Richmond. ALL of our late night restaurants have the usual few customers that over indulge and can’t handle themselves appropriately. I have a full view of 8 businesses with ABC licenses. The characteristics of the Old Towne nuisances are white, business attire or formal wear, vomiting or urinating by their vehicle, smoking pot while sitting on the hood of their vehicle and running the stop signs and flashing red lights. I worry about the patrons coming out of the restaurants at Bank & Syc. They cross in the middle of the intersection to “bar hop” (is this term still used?) We have those flashing red and yellow lights and someone is going to get hit by a car.
Mounted police can see over the crowd and can quickly maneuver through parking lots, alleys, down sidewalks, etc. They can monitor the panhandlers and street people rumaging through the trash containers and throwing it on the ground. BRING IN THE CALVARY.
In reference to litter and urination in the doorways downtown, our jail trustees could pick up litter and powerwash the sidewalks and doorways after 1 p.m. on Friday and Sat. night. This will give them some outdoor time. Also, the risk exposure is reduced and they won’t be so humiliated about wearing the black and white stripes, because the town will be less active. Many cities use the inmates to keep their cities clean.
A lot of excellent ideas and suggestions here. The most promising aspect of this entire discussion however, is the discussion itself. The fact that like- minded and well-intended people can assemble (even if only cyberly [is that a word?])is a tremendous step forward. This news service may very well be the future of this city. The PI has never accepted its role as the newspaper of Petersburg and chooses to completely ignore this and all such matters relating to the decay of city government and the absolute corruption of its politics. Case in point– I recently had occasion to report a theft in our neighborhood to the PPD and was told that no police response was possible due to an armed robbery that had just taken place in the city. Did this outrageous event, so large as to completely disable the PPD in the middle of a weekday, escape the attention of the Progress Index completely? I think not–and I am convinced by personal experience that the PI has long suppressed news of such events at the bidding of the old guard C of C who felt that bad news was bad for business. The video proposal for the barricade issue is a great idea and it should be taken to the next step. Count me in!
Pat, have you seen the bike police… bright yellow t-shirts…. Albeit, it’s not the same as mounted patrol, but bikes offer the increased mobility benefit; plus, cops in bike shorts are far more approachable looking, which I suspect has further benefits.
Rudy, did the police not follow up with you after the armed robbery incident was wrapped up?
Two interesting observations about this conversation come to mind: 1) not one person has argued in favor of maintaining the barricade - I can’t say as though I’ve ever seen a series of comments that doesn’t offer both a for and an against therein, which is quite telling about how united this community is in its desire to have the barricade removed, and 2) as far as I can tell all persons who have commented on this thread are Petersburg homeowners and/or business owners, i.e., taxpayers.
The answer is no. The police here don’t follow up–it’s up to you. The situation was resolved by a neighbor who apprehended to culprit (bike thief) and negotiated their own punishment. That’s what it is coming too.
I understand that the PD is working towards accreditation. If this comes to pass (and even during the run up to getting accredited) things like this will not be allowed to fall through the cracks anymore.
It’ll be interesting to see what happens when the new Chief shows up.
The irony of this situation is that the woman who owns the place is the head of the NAACP, who collectively did a lot to help afro-americans once.
But this woman brings shame on black people, for the whole community to see. Her abusive use of her office weakens the cred. of the whole national organization, while her promiscuous charges of racism dilute real and pressing charges of racism.
People like her make americans, even some afro-americans, roll their eyes when someone cries racism. Sometimes when those eyes should be narrowing.
I have lived in Cities (Richmond and DC)that have a less than desirable police force, or lack of funds to make it possible. I am not claiming to be up to date on the issues at hand. BUT… I will say, there is a HUGE lack of reporting. I just want to be informed. I am and have always been a believer of being aware of your surroundings. The reports that are available are grossly under reported, if we had as little crime as the reports say we have, we would be living in a story book neighborhood. Lets not forget what this town is.. it is a town in revitilazation, the act or an instance of bringing something back to life, public attention, or vigorous activity. None of this is going to happen overnight, most importantly we as citizens can only support and stay! dont flee! Embrace your decisions and work as a community! SUPPORT your town. I hear more negative comments from Petersburg Natives than anyone! this does not help the “View” of Petersburg!
Think about what you say and how you say it. How are we to “sell” our town when we speak negatively of it?
Regardless of the crime and schools. I still love it and we (my family) are still VERY happen with our decision to leave the Fan District of Richmond and move here. With all of this said..
I STILL WANT ACCURATE reports : )
I have been vERY upset with the police in Petersburg, but I try to remember that it is not ALL bad.. it just might have some bad eggs.. and it is more apparent due to the small force. On a side note.. ALZEENAS needs to be shut down…. there is no doubt in my mind that it is almost ALL illegal activity. Has ABC investigaged??
The Virginia ABC has an online complaint form at
http://www.abc.state.va.us/complaint/controller.jsp?task=Complaint
and you can also email them at
enforcement@abc.virginia.gov
Maybe all those concerned should send these people an email and maybe they will take notice. I know I am.
For those who might care:
I’ve sent a letter to Chief Crowell asking about the barricade with the idea that we propose some solutions to city council.
I’ll keep everyone posted on what the response is.
I got a response letter from Major Rohde on behave of Chief Crowell.
He states in part that the barricades were instituted due to “…traffic gridlock caused by “Cruising” on N. Sycamore Street.”
He states that the street and surrounding intersections were blocked by cars and pedestrians who were wandering through traffic talking to people causing the occasional disturbance.
As for the source of funding and cost of officers, Rohde stated that some officers on this detail are on extra duty and paid overtime from the police overtime budget and that the average is about 50 hours a month. That this is not always a special detail means that at times, beat officers are being used which takes them away from normal patrol.
I propose that City Council be approached about adopting an anti-cruising ordinance.
In addition, the blocks surrounding the troubled area could be posted as no parking zones during the time needed. Richmond city had a problem in Shockoe Bottom and for a time had several blocks of Main Street marked as no parking approximately between 9pm and 6am on Friday and Saturday nights. They recently removed the parking restriction as the problems diminished.
Yes it took some man power to enforce but the end result was a more orderly flow of traffic and less problems in that area for Richmond.
The combination of a cruising ordinance and a no parking zone coupled with enforcement of jaywalking or obstruction of traffic law would allow the street to remain open.
I am going to do a little legal research on cruising ordinances so that we can have a draft in hand to turn in to Council when this problem is presented.
I want to not only bring up the problem to them but also a proposed solution.
Did Shockoe Bottom really pull down the no-parking signs? I seem to recall a big hoo-ha about Richmond eliminating any free parking in the area, and trying to force paid parking… indeed, one person pointed out that a benefit of coming to Petersburg from Richmond was that there was free parking. Further, just last Sunday the RTD noted that the police have been receiving noise and other complaints, and hence WILL BE ALLOCATING RESOURCES to the problem.
Off that tangent though, a blockade is only one possible solution to a cruising problem. I think it is clear this community does not like this solution. I’d be interested in a no cruising ordinance and good enforcement of that and loitering in the streets/jaywalking.
On that last note — on a late Thurs a few weeks back, I had to stop hard to avoid any chance of making contact with guys flapping gums in the street, some standing and one on a bicycle; was the latter that was sort of wobbling here and there and caused concern. Totally presents a hazard to themselves and motorists that they put in jeopardy of an accident. (And to be clear, this was on the block in question.)