Talking About Safety in Birmingham: Reader Says Club Scene Doesn't Fit in Birmingham
Reader notes that some of Birmingham's nightclubs and certain bars are "square pegs in a round hole"; wonders how Royal Oak and Ferndale handle problems.
This story is part of a series on downtown Birmingham that explores issues raised by recent incidents, as well as the city's response to them.
All week, Birmingham Patch has been discussing the issue of public safety in downtown Birmingham, a hot topic of conversation across dinner tables and keyboards due to several recent incidents:
- Two shots in the air April 1 by a departing South Bar patron.
- Fights outside Chen Chow Brasserie on March 31 and inside The Hamilton Room on April 1.
- A credit card theft April 8 at The Corner Bar, followed by a cab driver assault by the same suspect.
- The April 13 arrest of a teen with a loaded rifle on Merrill Street during a busy Friday night.
Knowing conversations involved many voices, Patch asked for readers' opinions on public safety on Twitter, Facebook and on the site. Several readers responded and this is what one had to say
Paul Dorset: A town hall on public safety would be an 'empty gesture'
Dorset, 29, is a lifelong resident of Birmingham. After graduating from Seaholm High School in 2001, he now owns a home in Sheffield Estates with his wife and is the social media manager for Entertainment Productions in Troy.
There has always been tension and disdain towards crowded streets and youths loitering in Birmingham. When I was growing up here, we loitered on those same street corners, near the theaters and in coffee houses. Places like South Bar and Chen Chow weren’t around back then so the public scorn was heaped upon the street urchins.
We have created and cultivated an attractive destination for southeast Michigan. As a resident, I fully understand wanting to foster an environment of safety, but you must also reconcile those concerns with a desire of keeping Birmingham that attractive destination. Our unique shops, restaurants, and movie theaters are going to draw people of all walks of life here.
At this point, the idea of a Town Hall would be an empty gesture. Frankly, what is there left to discuss? A Town Hall would be a further airing of grievances.
I don’t feel these complaints represent a vocal minority; I think it unfortunately reflects the feelings of the community. I say unfortunate because I have discussed with staff members and management at South about these incidents. They were regretful that these problems have arisen and sincere when they’ve said they are trying to improve the environment to avoid future problems.
What I have wondered throughout this entire serialization of these incidents is how do surrounding communities with a vibrant night life (Royal Oak, Ferndale) compare as far as crime statistics. Are they having the same problems that we are now experiencing?
What now seems clear from the citizens’ responses is they don’t want to emulate Royal Oak. It looks like these restaurants have been the pilot program that we have decided to reject. Ultimately, the club scene for Birmingham is a square peg.
About the Series
Residents, business owners and visitors to Birmingham have an interest in feeling safe in the city. This Patch series explores the voices of those who live, work and run the city of Birmingham. We hope it fosters a dialogue that illustrates issues and explores possible solutions.
Monday:
Tuesday:
- Talking About Safety in Birmingham: Residents React to Downtown Incidents
- Letter to the Editor: Educator 'Concerned That Birmingham is Becoming More of a Destination'
Wednesday:
- Talking About Safety in Birmingham: Nightclubs Aren't Appropriate, Landlord Ted Fuller Says
- Cultural Mix in Downtown Tests Birmingham's Tolerance, Some Feel
Thursday:
- Talking About Safety in Birmingham: 'We Don't Need Large Clubs,' Tech Consultant Says
- Talking About Safety in Birmingham: Bars With Bouncers May Not Belong in Birmingham, Homeowner Suggests
- Guest Commentary: 'This is Not the Birmingham of 1962; This is 2012'
Friday:
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The Corner
100 Townsend St, Birmingham, MI -
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Chen Chow Brasserie
260 N Old Woodward Ave, Birmingham, MI
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South Bar
210 S Old Woodward Ave, Birmingham, MI
Alan Stamm
11:34 am on Saturday, April 28, 2012
Birmingham had 1.3 violent crimes per 1,000 residents in 2010, FBI data shows. That put us in the top half of Oakland's safest cities.
R Jeppostol
2:02 pm on Saturday, April 28, 2012
Unfortunately, That same 2010 FBI data also showed an alarming 4 hate crimes in the comparatively smaller birmingham area. When you take into account that in 2010 there were only roughly 6000+ hate crimes in all of the united states, that number becomes pretty substantial.
Blog Post
2:14 pm on Saturday, April 28, 2012
http://birmingham.patch.com/articles/fbi-report-4-hate-crimes-in-birmingham-in-2010
R Jeppostol
9:58 am on Sunday, April 29, 2012
@Blog Post
I hate to burst your bubble, but it is not uncommon for government officials to backtrack or attempt to obfuscate data when it reflects their city in a poor manner. A more pervasive example would be detroit police underreporting homicides, because it made the city look bad.
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20090618/METRO/906180406
Blog Post
9:47 pm on Sunday, April 29, 2012
If government officials commonly obfuscate and manipulate data - then it follows that the government officials in Berkley (1), Warren (6), Birmingham (4), Royal Oak (5) , Ferndale (2), Clawson(1), Sterling Heights (3). Bloomfield Hills (1) etc quite possibly obfuscated and manipulated the data as well.
It then follows that all such data should be ignored, as perhaps Royal Oak had 9 such incidents that year, but then manipulated it down to 5. Perhaps Ferndale had 6 and fudged it to 2. Certainly no two sets of government officials can be expected to fudge data the same way or at the same rate - being the squirrelly creatures they are.
So there is nothing to be concerned about with regards to 4 incidents in Birmingham in 2010 - since the data is manipulated, it cannot be trusted, as neither can that from all the other cities, as making judgments from flawed data is to make flawed judgments.