Shockoe Bottom firms urge action to stop violence

You could say there are two Shockoe Bottoms.

By day, it's a historic district where people work, shop, dine and perhaps grab a few drinks.

But by midnight many weekends, the clubs are in full swing. Police stand on street corners. Public fights are not uncommon. An ambulance often is stationed at 18th and East Main streets near Have a Nice Day Café.

In the wake of three shootings -- two fatal -- this two-worlds place that has survived floods and crime waves faces another threat.

Business owners are urging action to stop the violence, and they're hoping the killings do not stain the area's reputation.

Some also are concerned about the large crowds that might show up to a party -- called "Shockoe Bottom Shutdown" -- tomorrow night after R&B singer Chris Brown's concert at the Siegel Center.

"During the day, it's not a problem, but at night, it's keeping people away," said Garrett Berry, owner of Café Gutenberg at 17th and East Main streets. "As a business owner, I find it frustrating and disappointing, really, because this area has a potential to be the heartbeat of the city."

On April 24, Petersburg resident Jeremy Uzzle was shot and killed outside Have a Nice Day Café. Early this past Sunday, Uzzle's friend Reshawn Devon Thurman was found shot to death in the 1600 block of East Grace Street. Another shooting victim also was discovered near Have a Nice Day.

None of the crimes has been solved, and police say they are not related.

"We're all talking about it," said Negash Shifraw, a partner at Sheba Ethiopian Res taurant and Lounge on 17th Street. "I don't know what we have to do, what needs to change, what the city has to do."

Shockoe Bottom hadn't seen a homicide in about six years, but this string of violence is giving even staunch supporters pause.

"I told my son who lives downtown to stay away from Shockoe Bottom for his own safety," Venture Richmond Executive Director Jack Berry said. "That's pretty bad when the guy who's promoting downtown feels that way."

Many business owners say the club scene is causing most of the problems. But it's a tough conversation to have, because race comes into play. Most of the clubs in the area attract African-American patrons.

The Shockoe Bottom Neighborhood Association has been talking quietly with club owners to come up with ways to keep trouble out of the area, association President David Napier said.

"That's the club owners' defense -- you're picking on us because we are a hip-hop club," Napier said.

The association wants clubs to cut nights that allow entree to 18to 20-year-olds. It also wants the city to license the establishments, a request dating back five years.

"I think it's about time it gets finished and put on the books," he said.

Attempts to reach officials at the clubs, Have a Nice Day, Posh and Vision Ultra Lounge, were unsuccessful.

A letter is being circulated among business owners urging the mayor's office to support a dance-hall ordinance that would require licensure and special-use permits, which could be revoked. The proposal would not permit a teen dance hall within 500 feet of an establishment serving alcohol.

Second District Councilman Charles R. Samuels said during a meeting Wednesday that he would propose an ordinance that requires nightclubs and dance halls to be licensed separately from restaurants.

"On the weekend, we have a real crisis situation," said Brian White, president of Main Street Realty, which has developed 668 rental units in the area. "I think we really risk losing everything."

Napier, also owner of White House Catering, said he plans to talk to the city about using a portion of the city's meal tax to fund a specific police force to monitor the area on weekends.

"The issue now is, how do you stop it?" said Paul Keevil, a co-owner of Millie's and Lulu's restaurants.

The "Shockoe Bottom Shutdown" party tomorrow night will be at Have a Nice Day Café, Posh and Vision.

"When bar owners are promoting a night of mayhem and a lockdown of the neighborhood, the community should be extremely concerned," Venture Richmond's Berry said. "After two murders in two weeks, we can't stand any more mayhem in Shockoe Bottom."

It's not unanimous that clubs are causing all the problems.

"It's really hard to point a finger at one specific party or one specific person," Café Gutenberg's Berry said. "I think it's all of our jobs to find a solution."

And some owners say the crimes need to be put into perspective. They have happened on weekends and after midnight -- not during regular dining hours.

"I believe it's a misconception that these acts are random," said Bistro 104 restaurateur Doug Fowler.

"I can't think that anybody goes out to a restaurant with the intention of getting into a fight and actually killing someone, unless there is some prior history of bad blood that has nothing to do with Shockoe Bottom and the nightclubs that are being frequented."

Contact Emily C. Dooley at (804) 649-6016 or edooley@timesdispatch.com.