The suspects in the shooting near Liquid Lounge are black so instead of mourning the tragic loss of life, I know some readers (read comments on my previous post) see this incident as an example of why uptown clubs shouldn't be more diverse. I don't. I stand by my call for uptown's clubs, bars and restaurants to more fully reflect this ethnically rich city.
I was at Liquid Lounge on Saturday night, and I can't believe four days later Norman Antoine Gilmore was shot dead after leaving the same club. My heart goes out to his family. And city leaders offer their condolences as well. Charlotte Center City Partners President Michael Smith says "We offer our sympathies to the family and friends of the victim. This is a senseless loss of life."
This slaying won't deter me from hanging at liquid or quiet my call for diversity uptown.
I still plan to go to Liquid Lounge and other uptown clubs, not because I'm Paid to Party, but because I won't let a bunch of gun-toting punks scare me away from the places I like to go.
My question though is what about you?
One of the things I repeatedly heard from patrons regarding CJ's lounge before it closed was that it was a safe place to go. That got me to wondering, long before this shooting, whether people feel safe going out in Charlotte, whether its uptown or anywhere else.
Do you? And how will this shooting near Liquid affect where you party? Post your replies below.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Slaying near Liquid Lounge
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13 comments:
The only night good at Liquid is Thursday night...because those class of people know how to act! I feel safe going anywhere in charlotte as long as its not thug ghetto night! This is EXACTLY why club/bar owners DO NOT WANT blacks around!
Again, what's with all the "anonymous" hate? Come on, folks, own your opinions like Tonya does. Put your name, your face and your email address on your opinions, again like Tonya does. Or are you afraid to?
Moving from Boston to Charlotte a little over a year ago, I must say that I feel less safe in a new city than I did when I moved here. Sure, race tensions and socio-economics are part of the issue here as they are in any other city, but I feel that Charlotte has put themselves behind the 8 ball from a city-planning and police-staffing perspective.
In my view, you don't see the proactive sweeping that authorities do in other cities to crack down on the elements that are making the city unsafe. There's been some noticeable improvement in police visibility, but the behind-the-scenes sweeping needs to be driven from the highest levels and demanded by the community.
A zero-tolerance gang stance along with community partnering to get these kids under control are the only way to make these senseless crimes truly senseless in the mind of the perpetrator.
Without this, not only do the citizens of Charlotte suffer with unsafe streets, but the business owners we all collectively depend on are not going to stick around this "up and coming" city and sink their money into a sinking ship.
Spencer...took the words right out of my mouth!
Jennifer Davis
White or Black...neither matters to safety. What matters is that a club is FINANCIALLY stable before they open. I am a gay white man that has had black boyfriends, therefore my comments are no way racist. It comes down to finances. I have been to Liquid, Crush, Buckhead, Velocity, Hartigans, Tuttos, etc. I have to say that Liquid Lounge on the weekend does NOT have enough security compared to other clubs on the weekend. Liquid is jeopardizing our safety by cutting cost by not employing enough security. Try walking into Velocity or Tuttos....Huge guards at the door, they are inside everywhere. Liquid needs to committ to safety vs committing to making a dollar. Without patrons, there is no Liquid. I say that everyone who visit Liquid again needs to inform the bartenders, and doorman they feel there needs to be more guards or they will NOT return. I bet Liquid would listen then. Once again, sexuality nor color matters, safety is my concern. I even want the straight folks in Charlotte to feel safe! Ever body deserves such.
I hadn't thought of this as a racial issue at all before reading this post. It bothers me that you chose to frame it in this light, instead of a crime of an individual against another, and in so doing, gave racist folks a forum to voice ignorance.
Let me say this first, crime is not related to Blacks or Latinos, it’s related to poverty. It just turns out that we have way more poor minorities then whites. So stop calling me an angry black man.
Second, like the other guy said, security was a big factor. The people I hold most responsible for the killing is the owner and the promoter of Wednesday night at liquid. First thing first, liquid only does good business two nights out the week. That’s Wednesday and Thursday. On Wednesday, the owner hires a promoter to bring in a crowd for him. The promoter is a promoter who does not care about anything else but making money, so in return he lets any and everyone in the club. He has his personal security at the door, mainly to make sure that no one tries to jump on him because he talks a lot of smack. The owner does not care, he is just happy that he is making some money.
On Thursday night, he has a crowd because he is letting a bunch of under age white girls come in and drink beer and liquor. Yup, that’s correct. But does the owner care if one of them has sex with a 25 year old guy, nope, because he is getting paid.
So, my point is, stop pointing the finger at all black people. Yeah, there may have been a few ignorant people at the club that night, but in no way does that reflect the actions of all people. So if you have a problem with black people in charlotte, then leave; because as long as I got a job paying me 80k a year, I will go and hang out where ever I please.
Tanya, be easy and keep up the good work.
Here come CIAA. I bet those business owners will not show how much they dont want minorities in their clubs when they see all the $$$$$$$$.
It is disheartning to see that there are still ignorant individuals who will label or define an entire race of people because of the act(s) of individuals.
During the last two months, a Caucasian mother burned her children and a Caucasian father stabbed his children. Let's add the incidents in Texas and South Carolina, where Caucasian mothers killed their children. Should these individual acts be used to label all Caucasians as having a propensity to kill their children? Of course not, they are INDIVIDUAL acts.
As far as the incarceration rate of black men, while I don't excuse the behavior of criminals, the relationship between punishment, race, and socio-economic background is well docummented. A poor black man (or white man) is unable to afford the type of representation that will keep him from obtaining a prison sentence that someone with economic means can avoid. This, of course, skews the conclusion that can be reached when comparing the prison population versus the percentage of blacks in the general population. Again, I am not making excuses for CRIMINAL behavior. I want all criminals in prison, regardless of their race or economic circumstances.
I am certain the focus on race keeps everyone from addressing the real issue(s) behind the killing at Liquid Lounge. It is a shame there are always some knuckleheads, idiots, savages, etc., who don't mind ruining things for everyone else. The focus should be on criminal behavior, not the race of the criminals.
I completely agree. Crime does not have a color and there are crimes committed everyday by every race, gender, and creed of people. If anyone looks at the statistics, the majority of crime is commited by poor people and young people--reguardless of color.
Amen. Someone finally said it clearly. Poverty, NOT race is a huge factor is crime stats. A poor white man is just as likely as a poor blakc man to committ a crime. It's poverty that pushes folks to extreme actions...not color.
Hummm, let me clarify that my comment about the relationship between punishment, race, and socio-economic background was aimed at the statement about the apparent disparity in the incarceration rate of black males, when compared to the general population. I was not providing an explanation for criminal behavior and I don't entirely agree with the statement that "poverty pushes folks to extreme action." The killing at Liquid Lounge was a savage act. The killers were not driven to kill someone because of their poverty/
I am responding to the 1:42pm Posting that stated The killing at Liquid Lounge was a savage act. The killers were not driven to kill someone because of their poverty"
I feel that the killers prob grew up dirt poor or in the projects, therefore POVERTY, not their color, did have a MAJOR influence on the values they have as adults!
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