CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It’s an exciting night Tuesday as Charlotte's minor league baseball team kicks off its season in Uptown.
As thousands of people are expected at the Knights game, law enforcement and community members are hopeful the night ends peacefully.
Over the past year, safety in the Uptown area of Charlotte has been a big concern. There have been several shootings at right across the street from Truist Field near Romare Bearden Park.
Many people are on edge after a shooting on New Year's Eve injured five people and caused mass chaos after the clock struck midnight.
Clara Hayes, who works in Uptown, told WCNC Charlotte she's starting to park closer to where she is going when she's out and about in Uptown during the evening.
According to crime mapping data, there have been nearly 100 crimes reported in Uptown over just the past week. But the numbers aren’t steering people away from the area all together.
"With all the police and security around, I don't feel, you know, like I'm gonna get hurt or anything," Grayson Edwards told WCNC Charlotte. "I don't feel unsafe."
“I've never felt uncomfortable in Uptown," Annabelle John said.
The hope from many is the Uptown area can be an attraction for all.
“I love this area born and raised, probably will stay or the rest of my life," Edwards said. "Charlotte's a great place. Very clean. Very modern city. Yeah, [I] feel safe here.”
WCNC Charlotte reached out to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department to discuss the violent trends in Uptown. The organization released the following statement:
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is committed to providing a safe and enjoyable atmosphere for all events in Uptown, including Charlotte Knights’ games. The CMPD devotes significant resources to ensure a large presence of both on-duty and off-duty officers during events. We encourage residents to approach our officers with any safety concerns and to report any suspicious behavior. The CMPD has several strategic initiatives in Uptown that have been proven to deter violent crime incidents including TRIO (Targeted Response for Intervention and Outreach), CPCRT (Community Policing and Crisis Response) and the work of our Crime Reduction Units. We will continue to leverage all our resources and partnerships to make Uptown as safe as possible for residents and visitors.
Contact Myles Harris at mharris5@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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