Asheville experienced a spree of violent/forced crime in the wee hours Friday. Offenses reported included four armed robberies and a rape within a 90-minute timeframe. Asheville averages three armed robberies a week.
Asheville City Council has begun to prioritize crime suppression more than it has in the past, though they continue to spend more time fussing over architectural design. The crime spree began with an armed robbery on Westover. Councilwoman Holly Jones lives on this street with her young daughter. Councilman Brownie Newman, the proud father of two young children, lives just a couple houses away from the place where gunshots were fired into a crowd of an estimated 200 12-13-year-olds leaving a party in the wee hours September 30. One lad was critically injured.
Both councilors advocate “a more holistic” approach to fighting crime that would address social ills with, for example, government-provided jobs and daycare.
