Council Quickies: Residents Speak Out About Harassment, Displacement

Charlotte City Council held an action review, public forum and business meeting on Monday night. Beginning with a presentation from CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings on public safety and ending with a slew of business items, the meat of the meeting happened when residents were able to address council during the public forum to discuss the harassment of east Charlotte resident Jay Walker and displacement at Lamplighter Inn.

On the Agenda:

• Public Safety Report
• Public Forum
• Affordable Housing and Other Business Items

Public Safety Report

CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings presented a number of crime graphs during his presentation on public safety. In discussing violent crime, people often talk about totals, which were included in Jennings’ presentation, but he also presented a graph depicting violent crime rates per capita between 1990 to the present. 

The second graph showed that violent crime rates have steadily fallen over the last 34 years. Despite a spike again during COVID, this year to date has seen the lowest crime rate since 2014, which saw slightly lower violent crime rates per capita than this year.  

A look at homicide totals per capita since 1990 showed a large decrease in the mid-’90s, with another smaller dip around 2010 followed by a recent return to the numbers the city saw around 2000.

Dimple Ajmera said that, despite seeing the lowest per capita crime rate in 10 years, the perception is that things haven’t gotten any better, from crime in Uptown to street racing throughout the city. CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings said perception has been half the battle for the department.

Ajmera thanked Jennings for CMPD’s work cracking down on arcade establishments that she called “crime magnets.” CMPD raided Galaxy 1 Arcade on North Tryon Street last week, confiscating a firearm, cash and illegal gaming equipment in response to community complaints. The manager is now facing 17 charges related to illegal gambling. 

“If you don’t feel safe, you’re not safe,” said Malcolm Graham. “There are too many people in this community that do not feel safe. And for some people it’s not just a perception it’s the reality.”

Graham said he’d like to see ABC crack down on establishments illegally selling spirits as well as more CMPD crackdowns ranging from CBD shops selling questionable cannabis products to open-air drug markets along the Beatties Ford Road corridor.

“I lived in New York during a very bad time in the city,” said Ed Driggs, adding that when he lived there he knew certain parts of the city were safe and others should be avoided at night. He said Uptown is currently the latter for many Charlotte residents and fixing that needs to be a priority.

Public Forum

Continuing a topic discussed in the city manager’s report, a resident of the Catalyst apartments addressed council during the public forum to say that she and her neighbors have concerns about safety in the area surrounding Romare Bearden Park. She said police promised a more constant presence following a murder nearby, but it has remained sporadic.

Jay Walker was the first to address council about the harassment he has dealt with at his home at the hands of neighbor Richard Eury, which we reported on in depth in September. “The police and community is enabling this white racist” who has allegedly told Walker that Grove Park is “a white neighborhood” and they will run him out.

Read more: Community Rallies Behind Retired Couple Facing Harassment From Neighbor

The next speaker cited our reporting quoting Eury telling a 911 dispatcher that he has a gun and will not hesitate to use it against Walker. Eury has called police on Walker more than 65 times and takes hundreds of photos of Walker and his wife every day. He can often be seen standing on his property with his gun out. 

Pastor Kate Murphy of The Grove Charlotte said the city has an obligation to act in this case as the current inaction only sends the message that it is OK to harass and weaponize police against your neighbors and there will be no consequences.

“Black homeowners in Charlotte have a history of being ignored and displaced and not treated with respect,” said another speaker, adding that the city’s commitments to equity and social justice are moot if they can’t address this one issue. “Don’t wait for this to escalate.”

“The unimpeded harassment that the Walkers face set a dangerous precedent for anyone who lives in the area,” said another of the couple’s neighbors. “Imagine working hard to build your dream life and home and in your twilight years not being able to enjoy it because of a petty, racist, antagonistic little man.” 

A resident at Lamplighter Inn addressed council about the impending displacement there. Residents have been dealing with the discontinuation of essential utilities such as water and power for a month now and the owner is now saying all residents must be out by Dec. 11.

The speaker said she and others who live at Lamplighter Inn are working people but some have fallen behind and they need help with supportive housing as they risk being made homeless before Christmas.

Another speaker said the people of Lamplighter Inn and Tanglewood Apartments, who also face displacement this week, are in the situation they’re in due to council actions including the criminalization of homelessness in Charlotte and over-investment in stadium renovations for “Daddy Tepper.”

“We are not people who don’t want nothing in life,” said one resident of Lamplighter Inn. “I would like to see that narrative change from the way this city, this county, this nation and this world looks at homelessness. We need help.”

One of the airport workers who carried out a 24-hour strike on Monday addressed council. He helps kids who travel unattended. He says Prospect has threatened to fire any employee who takes part in any strike. “I love this job, I want to keep this job, but I can’t live off $14 an hour,” he said.

Affordable Housing and Other Business Items

Council annexed a parcel on Steele Creek Road north of Hunting Birds Lane to allow for the development of 85 attached multi-family units there. 

Council approved a petition to make the Marion R. and Lavonne Marsh House in Myers Park a historic landmark. Marion Marsh (1893-1977) was one of the most influential and successful architects in Charlotte. His career spanned 1922-64 during a major boom in Charlotte’s development. The home is located at 1642 Hertford Road. 

Council approved a $2,502.96-per-month lease for Kostas Kitchen to open in the space currently occupied by Showmars in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center. The transition will take place over Christmas. Kostas Kitchen is an independent establishment owned by the same franchisee who had owned the Showmars.

Renee Johnson and Tiawana Brown voted no on the Kostas Kitchen deal. Johnson said she would have liked more transparency regarding how the owner of the current Showmars just happened to win the RFP to continue running a new restaurant in the space. She doesn’t believe other people were given an equal opportunity in the bidding process.

Council approved a $1.1-million allocation from the Housing Trust Fund for Arrowhawk NOAH, LLC, to acquire and renovate the Shelton Knoll Apartments on East Arrowood Road into a new affordable housing complex. The 45 units at the site will remain affordable for at least the next 20 years, with 13 units reserved for households making less than 30% of the average median income (AMI), 22 units at below 60% AMI, and nine at below 80% AMI.

In the last vote of the night, council approved allocate $25.4 million, its last bit of funding from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, to meet the deadline mandating that all money be allocated by Dec. 31, 2024, and spent by Dec. 31, 2026. 

The allocation breakdown is as follows: $5.95 million for anti-displacement programs, $4.5 million for a multi-family affordable housing project developed by DreamKey, $3 million tentatively planned for workforce development, $2.71 million for digital inclusion, $1.5 million for the faith-based affordable housing initiative, and $2.38 million for economic development projects.

Council will meet again for committee meetings followed by council discussions of said meetings on Monday, Dec. 2.