Leaders express confidence in security on Beale Street
A shooting on Beale Street last weekend provoked a familiar response – more security and the return of the Beale Street security fee, a cover charge designed to reduce the number of people congregating on a public street.
Little further details are available about the firefight that left one dead and reportedly had three Memphis police officers involved. An attorney representing the family of Tacquan Smith, the 26-year-old man killed, has questioned why the Shelby County District Attorney General’s Office hasn’t handed over evidence related to the shooting. The Memphis Police Department had not released any footage of the incident as of Friday evening.
With the details of what happened on Beale last weekend still ambiguous, Memphis leaders have expressed concern about safety on the street and how the shooting will affect the perception of a crucial tourism draw.
The return of a Beale Street cover charge and enhanced wanding for weapons until 3 a.m. was announced this week ahead of the national spotlight being on Memphis. The Memphis Grizzlies are scheduled to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves at 2:30 p.m. Saturday for the first game of their first-round playoff series.
The enhancements coming before the Grizzlies’ game prompted Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland to tell WMC Action News 5 that he was pleased with the security measures.
“We have a concerted effort going on and we’re one of the few entertainment districts that take these kinds of precautions. We’ve seen these kinds of incidents all over the country in entertainment districts and it doesn’t make us feel any better but it makes us all the more determined to do the best we can,” Strickland said to WMC.
Paul Morris, the former head of the Downtown Memphis Commission,
said in an interview this week that during his tenure Beale was among the safest areas of Memphis and what was then known as Beale Street Bucks, the cover charge he first instituted, makes the street safer when it is in effect.
“Beale, I’d say, generally speaking, demonstrates a much safer place to be than most other places. It’s just two of the most secure two blocks in our city. And the fact that big news event happened and that’s a very bad thing. And I’d like to know the facts of that,” Morris said.
The larger safety problem on Beale when he led the DMC, Morris said, is not gun violence but what happens when the street becomes too crowded.
“And the problem mostly was crowd density that would lead to surges and fights and and even just general lawlessness. And we were able to address those concerns with the institution of Beale Street Bucks, which thinned the crowd out and made the crowd manageable. The police could actually have a chance to provide the security they’re designed to provide. Before Beale Street Bucks, the police’s hands were tied in their ability to provide security in a densely populated area,” Morris said.
Some, including members of the city council, have believe the security fee unfairly curtails access to a public street and is exclusionary.
Councilman Chase Carlisle says the security fee and wanding will help the situation but he is also looking for another, tougher response.
“I think it’s tragic that we have incidences like this recurring all across the city. I think it’s tragic that people are hurting the perception of some of our crown jewels of why people love Memphis and want to come to travel to Memphis and want to invest in Memphis and they’re in there putting people in danger, in harm’s way,” Carlisle said.
“The real question is, what can we do to send a message that this stuff won’t be tolerated and the people are safe? And I think again, it just goes to a show of force, that when you’re in and along and around our tourism zones, you’re going to be safe and protected.”
Micaela Watts contributed reporting. Samuel Hardiman covers Memphis city government and politics for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at samuel.hardiman@commercialappeal.com.