Shreveport’s Red River District Plans for Safer Gatherings
Shreveport leaders are looking for ways to strike a balance in the Red River District. They want people to come down and enjoy the area, but they want it to be safe.
What Will the Plan for the Red River District Include?
Police Chief Wayne Smith and his command staff are working on a plan to help improve public safety in the Red River District. They took a tour of the area to put together this plan that will include improvements to camera locations, lighting, public spaces, and ordinance updates, among other initiatives.
What Kinds of Problems Have Happened in the Red River District
This past weekend, there was a fight that left a woman with injuries that required a trip to the hospital. Police are still investigating this incident. Recent gatherings have drawn huge crowds to the area. Some reunion events for Booker T. Washington and Huntington High schools were recently held in the area and neither of those events got permits. There were no incidents reported to police stemming from those two reunion events. But police do urge organizers to get permits so police can plan to have extra patrols in the area.
Charles Hymes with SPAR tells the council because of the open container ordinance this area is now being used as a “a central meeting for all kinds of parties downtown.” He says it can be a gathering of five people up to a couple of hundred gathering. He says that can happen in just minutes with a text or a post on social media.
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Why Permits Are Needed for Red River District
Hymes says if a group applies for a permit, the city can provide things like tables, chairs, barricades, stage and electrical. He says “we do not turn on the power to the stage or the lights on the stage if you do not pull a permit.”
What Kind of Technology Exists in the District
Hymes says there are 12 to 16 cameras in the Red River District and that most of them are connected to the Real Time Crime Center. But Chief Wayne Smith told the Council some of those cameras were put in during the early days of the district and paid for by the casinos. He says they are not functioning or the city no longer has access to the feeds from those cameras. He says we need to correct that.
Councilman Gary Brooks says the current ordinance is obviously not working. He says by allowing open containers of alcohol in the area, people are bringing their own drinks and not buying anything from the businesses in the District. And he says “we don't know how old these people are” and they are out very late into the night and drinking and leaving a mess.