Fort Worth – A recent wave of violence in Fort Worth's West 7th Ward has put visitors and residents in crisis.
Last September, a TCU student was shot and killed in the cultural district. And just last month, a 29-year-old man was shot and killed after a fight.
The city will hire an outside group to look at how businesses and city organizations can work together to make entertainment districts across the city safer.
The city has implemented new safety policies, including increased lighting and increased police presence in the West 7 Cultural District, especially on weekends.
The city says crimes against people and property actually decreased from 2022 to 2023, but one local business owner says he's still feeling the effects.
Abby Slayton Tobin, owner of There's No Place Like Home, a furniture store in the heart of West 7th Ward, said her store has been open for 13 years, but she has noticed an increase in crime since the coronavirus outbreak. He said he noticed that he was there.
“The problem is that this area has a reputation for being a very dangerous area in the evening and at night,” Tobin said.
And that reputation is having a negative impact on business even during the day.
“For about the past two years, our sales have been down 60 percent,” Tobin said.
According to Fort Worth Police, between March 1, 2023 and February 2, 2024, West 7th actually had fewer violent crime reports than other entertainment districts in the city.
- Western District 7 – 28 violent crimes
- Stockyards – 30 violent crimes
- Downtown – 76 violent crimes
- Southside Neighborhoods – 59 violent crimes
The city has agreed to pay public safety consulting firm Safe Night more than $148,000 to study safety in the city's entertainment district and make recommendations on what the city can do to reduce crime.
“We're focused on intervening before something really bad happens,” said Dimitrios Mastras, SafeNite's executive vice president.
Safe Night examines how the city's police, fire, and other agencies work together and with local businesses to prevent crime. They also want to encourage police to build more trust with local residents and business owners.
“We will empower these agencies to follow our recommendations,” Mastras said.
SafeNite also plans to create a certification program that would require businesses such as bars to prove they are taking steps to improve safety.
“They'll get a sticker,” Mastras said. “In Dallas, for example, they have earned a medallion (the name of the program is The Copper Star Program). It's a symbol of why and how we're doing everything we can to stay where we are.'' Our staff and our customers are safe.
“While business owners like Tobin welcome the steps Fort Worth is taking to improve safety, they are concerned that too much emphasis is being placed on bars. It doesn't happen inside. Most crimes happen because people gather inside bars and drink alcohol and carry guns.”
Safe Night plans to make recommendations to the city of Fort Worth in August.