Turning a Corner

As Downtown Raleigh looks to squash crime and disarray, we press local leaders, business owners and stakeholders for their solutions.

No matter how you spin it, Downtown Raleigh has fallen on hard times. Reported crimes have increased by 60% in the last eight months, compared to the same timespan last year. That rapid rise is starting to deter both Raleighites and visitors from venturing to the area, thus affecting businesses and our economy—and it could affect our status as one of the top five places to live in the country. 

Serious crimes—shootings, stabbings, robbings, assaults, harassment, vandalism, drug deals and the like, not to mention loitering and panhandling—combined with the city’s growing homelessness problem, substance abuse and fewer police on the streets, has created the perfect storm. In terms of the police presence, Raleigh Police Department is redistributing officers Downtown from all over the city, but it’s not sustainable—especially given there’s only 700 or so officers on the force right now (think ~80 vacancies). Though RPD Chief Estella Patterson acknowledges a city of this size should have closer to 1,100 officers, and hopes to ultimately get us there.

While Glenwood South has gotten much recent attention for disorder, crime has pervaded portions of Fayetteville and Davie streets and around the GoRaleigh bus station as well. “St. Roch is in a unique position, as we share an entrance with the transit center, so we are in the middle of the action and truly see it all,” says chef/owner Sunny Gerhart. “We have certainly felt the blowback of the unsavory activity Downtown for the last few months. Our business has seen a 17% reduction in sales over the last two months compared to the same time period last year.” 

Nevertheless, Gerhart and fellow business owners, along with City Council members, Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin, RPD and Downtown Raleigh Alliance, are committed to navigating and overcoming these challenges and working toward both short- and long-term solutions.

Already, RPD has increased its presence Downtown via bike and foot patrols, utility vehicles, and special motorbikes that can weave in and out of parking decks to look for drug deals and other crimes; while DRA has increased its ambassador and social worker presence for those who need further assistance. 

“In the last four weeks we have had 500 enforcement actions [arrests and citations] Downtown,” said Captain Jon Wood, Downtown District Commander of the Field Operations Division, during the Downtown Rundown Oct. 17. DRA also hired a private security firm to patrol areas of DTR from 10am to 10pm seven days a week, starting Oct. 31 and continuing through June 30, 2024.  

For its part, the City recently purchased a new security camera cloud network dubbed Fusus (also utilized in Atlanta) that knits together various public and private DTR cameras to help identify issues and collect evidence faster. It will also allow RPD to create a real-time crime center. The same camera system will be implemented in Glenwood South as well.

“I feel these efforts and our increased police presence are making a difference,” says Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin. But, “we can’t arrest our way out of this problem,” maintains Patterson. And it’s going to take many proponents and tactics to overcome this situation. To dig into what that may look like, we tapped local leaders and stakeholders for their solutions. 

Panhandling/Loitering Laws

Nowhere is Raleigh’s homelessness problem more apparent than Downtown. Aggressive loitering and panhandling have increased, especially near the GoRaleigh station. While panhandling is unlawful by the city municipal code without a permit (violation results in a misdemeanor), it’s rarely enforced. 

Loitering is not currently against the law, with the exception of ordinances in specific locations, but many of the individuals we tapped believe that could help resolve DTR’s ongoing issues. However, “some of the challenges are between the city and state roads on how those laws are enforced,” says Council member Corey Branch, who represents District C, which includes parts of Downtown. 

In the short-term, RPD is establishing measures to prevent loitering and trespassing after hours at the GoRaleigh bus station. “Our officers are strategically deployed during times when loitering is problematic,” maintains RPD Public Information Officer Lt. Jason Borneo. “This includes highly visible patrols throughout those areas after hours and enforcing city and state ordinances when applicable.”

Reduced Bus Fare

“While the bus station’s location has caused issues for nearby businesses lately, this wasn’t the case before the pandemic,” says The Davie owner Matt Coleman. GoRaleigh has been fare-free since March 2020, and in June, City Council voted to extend the policy through June 30, 2024. But some business owners and stakeholders believe the suspended fares have unintentionally resulted in the bus station becoming unsafe (case in point: RPD recently implemented a “zero tolerance approach” around the GoRaleigh bus station, which resulted in 274 charges in its first two weeks for crimes like trespassing, disorderly conduct, and illegal firearm and drug/drug paraphernalia possession)—and have proposed rolling back free fare. 

“This is a really tough one because I was one of the champions of fare-free transit,” says stakeholder and DRA Economic Development Strategy committee member David Meeker, also the co-owner of Young Hearts Distilling on South Wilmington Street. “It’s painful because it feels like a couple hundred folks have ruined it for all the other riders who were really benefiting from free fare, but the system only works if it’s safe and it’s not always safe right now.” 

Coleman agrees, but notes it’s important to recognize the transit system affects many parts of our city and nearby towns. “By offering a lower fare, we can discourage those who misuse the bus system and harm the community while still providing a useful service to those who are struggling financially,” he says. Patterson also recommends putting a system in place in which individuals would have to use an email address to access the Wi-Fi at the transit center, in hopes it would deter people from hanging around in the area.

City Council member Jane Harrison—who represents District D, which includes parts of Glenwood South—expects City Council to address the bus fare issue this month. But bringing back fares won’t solve everything. RPD is also working to expand the transit unit by assigning additional officers, as long as sufficient staffing in other areas of the city allows. In the meantime, increased private security around the transit center is a short-term fix. 

Mental Health Services

In some cases, the root of these ongoing issues is poor mental health and a lack of immediate resources. According to Harrison, City Council has requested development of an independent crisis unit for nonviolent incidents, which will connect social workers with those in need. “I ask residents to stay tuned as this program will be discussed in a November Council meeting, and we will need significant community engagement to ensure its success,” she says.

Harrison also advocates for partnerships between Wake County and state government to strengthen social and public health services, including community violence intervention programs, substance use disorder support, increased shelter capacity and permanent housing for homeless individuals. “The first step is offering [programs] for those who truly need assistance,” echoes Branch.

City Council member-at-large Jonathan Melton has also asked the city manager about implementing a similar initiative to one in Wilmington in which signs are posted throughout Downtown encouraging folks to contribute money via QR codes to nonprofit providers who offer assistance to people experiencing homelessness, rather than giving money to panhandlers directly. 

Moore Square Development

A longer-term solution to assist with the Downtown disarray includes the proposed development between the City of Raleigh and real estate developer Loden Properties on city-owned land to the south and east of Moore Square. 

The project includes two new hotels, an apartment building with ~160 units designated for affordable housing, a grocery store, art studios, co-working space and more—as well as the rebuilding of homeless shelter Raleigh Rescue Mission near Moore Square on Hargett Street. Upon approval, Melton called it a “win-win-win for the city.”

In October, City Council voted to include three smaller parcels into the project, and in the next few months, Loden will begin negotiating with the city to buy the land before breaking ground.