Photo Credit:  Bennian // Shutterstock

Recently a statement was released on Monday by Greenville Major P.J. Connelly in response to recent violence in Greenville, including a fatal stabbing at the corner of Evans and Fifth Streets Saturday night.

He says, “I am deeply disturbed by the recent acts of violence that have taken place in downtown Greenville, the heart of our great city.” In the statement, he also said the culture in the downtown area has become one that promotes violence.

P.J. Connelly also says, ” The loss of life due to these senseless acts is not normal, and we as a city cannot allow this behavior to be normalized. We must have increased accountability for those who choose to commit violence, as well as a broader community effort to decrease violence.”

Effectively immediately Connelly said those downtowns can expect the following:

Increased police presence in parking lots, entrances and exits to the downtown area and an established police command post downtown every weekend
Increased use of police blue lights
A comprehensive review of current City ordinances pertaining to downtown nightlife
City partnership with Uptown Greenville to create a Nighttime Economy Safety Team (NEST) comprised of City representatives, as well as Uptown business owners and stakeholders
Increased participation and presence of partner agencies downtown to include the Fire Marshall, Alcohol Law Enforcement, Probation and Parole, East Carolina University Police, Code Enforcement, and Planning and Zoning
Additional public safety measures that cannot be announced at this time to the general public.
“Greenville is better than this. We are better than this. We must stand together to send a strong message to those committing violence: enough is enough,” said Connelly.

Source: WNCT

Written By: Fantasia Harvey