Charlotte, North Carolina skyline
A proposal from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and Charlotte City Council is raising eyebrows and causing controversy. From the
Charlotte Observer:
Under the controversial proposal, Chief Kerr Putney could designate a high-crime area as a safety zone in response to crimes such as drug sales or discharging guns that were committed on public property.
Someone who has been arrested for crimes in the area could be issued a notice that they are no longer allowed to enter, for as long as the safety zone is in effect. Entering the zone after being prohibited would be a misdemeanor.
The bans could be appealed for reasons that include entering the area to go to work or to pick up a child from school.
This idea seems like it would not only be extremely difficult to enforce, it could force people to move from one part of the city to another like nomads. And if the Chief designates their new home with the same "public safety zone" designation? Time to move again.
City Council member Claire Fallon is opposing the plan:
Fallon also said she’s worried the safety zones would simply move crime from one part of the city to another.
“We would take it off the plate of one community and then put them on another community,” she said.
This seems like a dangerous game of crime Whack-A-Mole and the Charlotte Police and City Council probably need to head back to the drawing board to figure out a more effective way to combat high crime.