[Sportcat]

http://www.wltx.com/news/news19.aspx?storyid=31809

Columbia Leaders Consider Closing Store

Columbia Leaders Consider Closing Store - Jocelyn Maner Reports

(Columbia) - Davon Stack said, "If they have to close the place down, that's what they have to do. People's lives are more important than getting gas."

Stack has been a Hot Spot customer for more than ten years.

News that the city may pursue having the Farrow Road store closed doesn't upset him. The same goes for dozens of residents in the Booker Washington Heights community and members of St. John's Baptist Church, located across from the store.

Columbia City Manager, Charles Austin said, "They've expressed an interest in seeking to permanently close the "Hot Spot."

Austin says the community is tired of the laundry list of crimes that have occurred there.

Austin said, "We believe because we have a body of citizens concerned, it becomes our responsibility to assist them in pursuing these concerns."

Columbia Police reports show in the last
eighteen months: 54 major offenses have occurred at the Hot Spot, including homicide, robbery, and aggravated assaults.

Sixty-two other offenses were also reported, including destruction of property, weapon violations and disorderly conduct.

But some worry if the "Hot Spot" goes, people in the community who depend on the store for food and gas will suffer the greater loss.

Napoleon Wiley said, "I think closing it would hurt us because we don't need to see the place closed down. It would hurt us."

The city manager says a judge would have to declare the "Hot Spot" a public nuisance and make a ruling to have the store closed.

No one from "Hot Spot" would comment for this story.

There is also a video at the above link. Won't there still be problems when scum hang out around the abandoned building?

[Preacherman]

If you think about it, this is exactly the same mentality exhibited by those who want to ban guns. "Violence is a problem, so let's ban the instrument used by the violent - the gun - and then the problem will go away!" As we all know, violence is committed by the violent, and a gun is simply one of many instruments they use: so banning the instrument won't stop violence as such.

In this case, crime is centered around a particular location. The blissninnies want to ban the location, believing that by doing so, they'll get rid of the crime. Instead, the crime will simply migrate to the nearest convenient location, and continue unabated. The problem is crime, not the store: but blissninnies won't take the strong action needed to deal with crime, and are trying to find a quick, easy, convenient solution.

"Clean up the neighborhood? Oh, no, we couldn't do that..."

:fire:

[Sportcat]

BTW... the City Manager, Charles Austin, used to the Police Chief for the City of Columbia.

If I remember correctly, he was a good chief who was concerned about the city and citizens. Perhaps the new position of city manager is just too political.

Edit: Charles Austin is a tool. Yes, gangs were/are a problem in Columbia. I've been gone too long and ScottsGT is the man.

[Hawkmoon]

If you think about it, this is exactly the same mentality exhibited by those who want to ban guns. "Violence is a problem, so let's ban the instrument used by the violent - the gun - and then the problem will go away!" As we all know, violence is committed by the violent, and a gun is simply one of many instruments they use: so banning the instrument won't stop violence as such.

In this case, crime is centered around a particular location. The blissninnies want to ban the location, believing that by doing so, they'll get rid of the crime. Instead, the crime will simply migrate to the nearest convenient location, and continue unabated. The problem is crime, not the store: but blissninnies won't take the strong action needed to deal with crime, and are trying to find a quick, easy, convenient solution.

"Clean up the neighborhood? Oh, no, we couldn't do that..."
You beat me to it. This is attacking the symptom rather than the disease. Closing the store will not remove a single one of the criminals from the street so what good can possibly come of it?

[Futuristic]

In this case, crime is centered around a particular location. The blissninnies want to ban the location, believing that by doing so, they'll get rid of the crime. Instead, the crime will simply migrate to the nearest convenient location, and continue unabated.:fire:

I believe that may be exactly what they expect to happen. But, if they can get the crime to move elsewhere then the people in THIS neighborhood will stop harassing the public officials and maybe vote for them in the next election. Then next year they can do the same for the people in the neighborhood where the crime moved to.

And in another couple of years, the people of this neighborhood will say:"We have no crime, but we have no stores. We need economic development." Start cycle over. Happens in all Urban areas in the U.S., regardless of race, creed, or color.

And it's all far easier than actually fighting crime. That's tough work!

Futuristic

[ScottsGT]

BTW... the City Manager, Charles Austin, used to the Police Chief for the City of Columbia.

If I remember correctly, he was a good chief who was concerned about the city and citizens. Perhaps the new position of city manager is just too political.
__________________


WRONG!!! He was NEVER a good chief. He denied for YEARS that there was a gang problem in Columbia, even with tagging on the side of the police dept buildings! Even with the Sheriff's Gang Task Force making him look like the fool he is, he still denied it. Finally after a year or two of embarrasment to the City Council, he resigned his position to take the City Manager after they ran off the previous manager. Now that he is City Manager, he turned in his original car, since it was "unroadworthy" with over 50,000 miles on it. BTW, he got a Dodge 300 Hemi. Gotta have those toys...
Chris, you've been away from Columbia for too long!! :D

BTW, the Hot Spot is in a REAL bad secton of town. The first time I carried during the day was when I had to take my kids to a swim meet in the neighborhood that the hot spot is in. All they really need to do is open a police sub station there like they have done in every other rough spots around town. The crime will continue there even with the store closed.

[Sportcat]

Scott,

I am SO happy to be out of Columbia.

[Old NFO]

WRONG!!! He was NEVER a good chief. He denied for YEARS that there was a gang problem in Columbia, even with tagging on the side of the police dept buildings! Even with the Sheriff's Gang Task Force making him look like the fool he is, he still denied it. Finally after a year or two of embarrasment to the City Council, he resigned his position to take the City Manager after they ran off the previous manager. Now that he is City Manager, he turned in his original car, since it was "unroadworthy" with over 50,000 miles on it. BTW, he got a Dodge 300 Hemi. Gotta have those toys...
Chris, you've been away from Columbia for too long!! :D

BTW, the Hot Spot is in a REAL bad secton of town. The first time I carried during the day was when I had to take my kids to a swim meet in the neighborhood that the hot spot is in. All they really need to do is open a police sub station there like they have done in every other rough spots around town. The crime will continue there even with the store closed.

You beat me to it Scott- Austin was NOT well respected as an LEO- Another "shining" incident was the gang shooting at Benedict, remember that one? Bloods vs. Crips in gang colors, but there were no gangs in Columbia... yeah, right... Then he became a preacher for a while too... may still be; but I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him.:banghead:

[jamz]

This situation seems almost ideal for a police force. Why close down a place where you know crime is going to be? Keep the hot spot open, and you know where the crime is. Close it, then the crime will move to parts unknown, and you gotta be chasing it down all the time.


I think these guys are just looking for a bigger challenge in catching the bad guys.


:p



-James

[svtruth]

And if I were a Columbia resident elsewhere, I would be thinking, what, and send the criminals over to my nabe?

[ScottsGT]

I'll go one further. This is not meant to be racist though, just based of facts of living in the area..

About 6 years back, there was a housing project in downtown Columbia. It was your typical run down crime ridden housing project. The Mayor and his cronies decided to bulldoze the property, but first they had to move the tennants. They went 20 miles away to my side of town, nice area, one of the best high schools in SC, country club neighborhoods and highend apartments. Well, they petitioned the owners of the apartments to make them govt. subsidized, along with all the small trailer park communities in the area and moved them all over to the North East side of town. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not a "Not in my backyard" type. My problem is the crime that came with it. A friend and neighbor owned the local hardware store for the past 13 years. Never had a breakin in that time. After the move in, he has had 12 breakins in 2 years. He had to relocate all of the highend chainsaws, etc. to the rear of the store. He finally just sold the store. I think it was Columbia's way of just lowering their crime statistics. Move the crime to the county.
BTW, they are starting to rebuild the housing project finally, mixed with high end homes and a free fitness center so they can run faster and longer carrying stolen chainsaws and weed eaters. They should turn the fitness center into a Columbia PD Substation.
Two years ago, we had two thugs with the typical gang attitude pull up beside a neighbor as he was walking his dog in their ghetto cruiser. Told the guy to "Get in the car, Old man!" Needless to say the though old bird beat the hell out of passenger thug and when driver thug got out Old Man asked him if he would like some of the same thing, or is he coming to pick the remains up off the ground. Needless to say, he was there for the remains!
Bought said "Old Man" a beer at the bar after I heard that one :D

[Sportcat]

BTW, they are starting to rebuild the housing project finally, mixed with high end homes and a free fitness center so they can run faster and longer carrying stolen chainsaws and weed eaters.

:D :D :D

[HighVelocity]

Convert The Hot Spot to a Sheriffs dept storefront and see if the criminals still hang out there. :D

[outfieldjack]

I was in that Hot Spot about 10 years ago... before I had my CWP. I was in line to pay for gas and the guy behind me kept bumping into the back of me almost pushing me thru the line.

they can burn the place down for all I care.

[Standing Wolf]

Won't there still be problems when scum hang out around the abandoned building?

Oh, fine! Think ahead! Think rationally, even! Show up all your friends from the old neighborhood!

[scbair]

The old housing development Scotts GT referenced (the one that was razed) was almost directly across the street from a Columbia PD substation. At least, I think that's the one he refers to; there were two that were razed, now that I think about it!

When I was assigned to that substation, I really hated to park my personal vehicle there and patrol!

I left the PD years before Austin arrived. He had an easy act to follow, as the previous chain of chiefs left lots to be desired!

(Sportcat & ScottsGT: remember Chief Hess??? :D :D )

This "close 'em down & stop the crime" idea is so inane that I really have difficulty even ridiculing it! :scrutiny:

[Joejojoba111]

Preacherman, it's also offensive frome the 'tyranny of the majority' standpoint.

Then you also have the extreme potential for abuse as a precedent. Really, if they succeed in this, it's the easiest precedent to abuse ever. Well, asking if you had 'sickle-cell anemia' on job applications might have been easier to abuse... But people are still going to take advantage of this precedent, for financial gain, and other personal motives.

Hell, you could vandalize someone's store, and then petition them to be closed down because they are the target of vandalism.

[Old NFO]

The old housing development Scotts GT referenced (the one that was razed) was almost directly across the street from a Columbia PD substation. At least, I think that's the one he refers to; there were two that were razed, now that I think about it!

When I was assigned to that substation, I really hated to park my personal vehicle there and patrol!

I left the PD years before Austin arrived. He had an easy act to follow, as the previous chain of chiefs left lots to be desired!

(Sportcat & ScottsGT: remember Chief Hess??? :D :D )

This "close 'em down & stop the crime" idea is so inane that I really have difficulty even ridiculing it! :scrutiny:

You're right! I had forgotten that... I heard about Chief Hess, and what I heard wasn't pretty:banghead: The "other" problem was that housing development was close to the University, when it was razed, crime on campus went down significantly if I remember correctly.... not that you can tie those together in the pc world of today:neener:

[ScottsGT]

(Sportcat & ScottsGT: remember Chief Hess??? )


That was before my time in Columbia. I came here in '90, and didn't pay much attention to my "political surroundings" until Clinton was elected. I then became politically active after he was elected.

[Zach S]

I think its because of the dirty bathrooms found in Hot Spot stores. Makes them crime magnets.

They should replace it with a BP or something. They have clean restrooms. Crime will decline.

[Langenator]

Makes me so glad my time at Ft Jackson is done.