Keep the Conversation Going: What Do You Think About Public Safety in Birmingham?

Last week, we heard a lot of of thoughts on public safety in Birmingham as part of Patch's week-long series, A Community Discusses Public Safety in Downtown Birmingham.

From outrage at various bars around town, to suggestions about teen curfews, Birmingham Patch readers had a lot to say about a string of recent police incidents downtown, including:

• .
• .
• A credit card theft April 8 at , followed by .
• .

But we don't want the conversation to end there. Downtown safety, especially as the weather warms, is on a lot of residents' minds these days, so we still want to hear what you have to say.'

Residents talk about what makes sense for Birmingham, note crime is concerning

Check out what readers and residents had to say last week when we asked them about bars in downtown Birmingham, curfews and how safe they felt walking around at night.

• "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."

• "This kind of (crime-related) behavior is concerning, of course, but not enough for me to drastically change my behaviors. I'll still go downtown during the weekend, but I'll feel more on guard. If public safety officials allow this to become a lasting trend, I would have to rethink my decisions there. (But) it's great to see kids out and about downtown. It's generally a safe place to spend time. I'd like to see more businesses cater to these kids to provide constructive, safe night-time entertainment."

(co-owner of )

• "I'm worried as a resident and a business owner. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't. It's a real concern. ... The city has to decide on its direction and what they want to be. How important is it that we're a destination if our own residents don't feel safe coming downtown after dark on weekends? And what kind of a destination should we be? I want people to feel safe shopping, dining and walking."

• "In its quest to keep downtown vibrant, the City Commission has allowed certain types of bars and clubs to exist, which are a recipe for trouble. The mixture of alcohol, drinking, music and large crowds has led to these violent "incidents." If a business has to hire "bouncers" to keep order, should it be allowed in Birmingham in the first place?"

• "Forcing business out of Birmingham isn't good for the city, unless we can quickly fill those spaces. Gunshots in the air isn't good for the image either. But if we want Birmingham to be an entertainment destination, we have to find a hybrid approach. Focus on the type of entertainment we choose to offer."

(downtown landlord)

• "We've got to focus on the problems at hand and the one that's most serious is certainly . They have not shown themselves to be good corporate citizens. They don't appear to want to change their position on what they're doing. They don't seem to care."

• "Is Birmingham being built by community members? Because if it is, then the downtown area should be in line with the values of the community. What has happened is that the developer interests and an interest in making Birmingham a destination have begun to overshadow the values of the community."

Keep the conversation going

This isn't the end of the discussion, though. We're still looking for more opinions, more insights and more ideas.

Want to submit your own thoughts? Leave a comment on this story, or if you have a lot to say, send it in as a Letter to the Editor. Send all letters to Laura.Houser@patch.com.

For all the stories in Birmingham Patch's series on public safety, make sure to check out A Community Discusses Public Safety in Downtown Birmingham.