Patrol officers were walking around the area when they saw Mandy Blair Dixon, 36, Jamie Jean Furr, 39, and Franklin Hairr, 37, with some of the businesss property. The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. It will be quite (humorous/tragic/surprising/expected?) WebWLOS News 13 provides local news, weather forecasts, traffic updates, notices of events and items of interest in the community, sports and entertainment programming for From Asheville Watchdog: Fox News reports Asheville is crime-ridden, dangerous, Q&A: Regions top principal discusses her lifes devotion to education, Workers tell city leaders about fear and frustration over downtown crime, violence, From Asheville Watchdog: Merchants describe downtown Ashevilles descent into squalor and lawlessness, Fellowship to expand number of lawyers versed in evictions, housing issues, Safety, transit concerns raised at first Asheville budget meeting, Development roundup: Urgent care clinic, workforce housing proposed forCharlotte Highway. Youre not safe in your own home. Asheville's growth in violent crime is nearly double that of the national average and ranks among the highest in North Carolina, where violent crime has Also reacting to FOX is a crazy place to try to launch into the reality of anything at all serious where ethics and folks lives are on the table. The Asheville Police Department is excited to announce a new free tool to help the public stay informed about crime in Asheville. Asheville was rated among the top 10 U.S. travel destinations according to Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards in 2016, and the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority recently spent $1.3million in local tax dollars to advertise at the 2022 U.S. Open. Neither the Asheville City Council nor the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners responded to Fox News Digital's request for comment. WebASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) New data from the Asheville Police Department (APD) shows the city's violent crimes are up 34% this year compared to 2021. You can choose from several pre-selected date ranges and define the radius of your search parameter from an eighth of a mile to a mile. Aggravated assaults are up 44 percent over the same period last year, and domestic-related aggravated assaults are up 64 percent, Davis said. Lets Eat at Waynes Lunchbox in Spindale, N.C. 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Do the people involved have criminal histories for violence or drugs? Since the beginning of this year, violent crime is increasing, Davis said. And its not typically random., Asheville Watchdogmade three requests over two days to interview Asheville Police Chief David Zack about crime trends, but Davis said he has a very busy schedule., Zack did find time totalk to Fox Newsand said the exodus of more than 100 officers since May 2020 had limited the departments ability to be proactive and visible. Zack told Fox News that Asheville is operating with nearly 42 percent fewer officers every single day. The department has 61 vacancies out of 238 sworn officers and another 26 in training or on leave, Davis said. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. In 2021, while Ashevilles police force was drastically reduced, violent crimedecreased. More people today are armed with weapons and guns, said Miller, an Asheville native. While canvassing the area, officers located three shell casings along with damaged property. Asheville is nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Buncombe County, North Carolina, and has seen a 31% surge in violent crime per 100,000 people from 2016 to 2020. Asheville saw a 21 percent increase in the homeless, or unhoused population, in 2022 over 2021, leading to the belief by some residents and visitors that downtown has become dangerous. Placing Asheville's situation within the context of trends present in police departments across the U.S., he said the loss of officers accelerated following the protests that took place in the wake of George Floyd's death in 2020. Box 7148 Asheville, NC 28802 828-251-1122 Have any assaults been random, aimed at residents or tourists? Hes not alone. According to the police department, evidence showed that another suspect was involved in the robbery. The citys crime Firestorm Bookstore Co-op in West Asheville, which has faced allegations of being a front for extremist Antifa activity. The officer claimed Williams' office often doesn't charge criminals at all or reduces felony charges to misdemeanors. An Asheville Police Department vehicle parked in downtown Asheville, North Carolina. WOMAN ROBBED AT KNIFEPOINT IN DOWNTOWN ASHEVILLE The first armed robbery happened Saturday, Aug. 20, on the 300th block of South French Broad Avenue, where a woman was held at knifepoint. He also said Antifa and activists were active in Asheville and described the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 as riots.. How did they try to intimidate you? We share your inclination to get the whole story. Its primarily attributable to the rise in aggravated assaults.. WHY do they have NO ability to run a safe city ? Elected democrats DESTROY cities. Tucker Carlson is sending us busloads of extra people? Duncan said in the segment that crime started to climb as those leftist politicians set an agenda that included reducing the jail population. Skyline of downtown Asheville, North Carolina. On July 4, a day after receiving a threatening email signed "ANTIFA," the APD arrested two suspects for allegedly attempting to bomb the former site of the Vance Monument, an obelisk dedicated to North Carolina's Civil War-time governor. The Omni Grove Park Inn, built in 1913, is a historic resort hotel in Asheville, North Carolina, that has hosted several presidents. Fox News recently told a national audience that Asheville has seen a 31 percent increase in violent crime in the last five years. Another chyron proclaimed TOWN BECOMING HUB OF ANTIFA. Black residents make up 11% of Ashevilles population but account for 31% of violent crime victims. Youre not safe walking down the sidewalk. And thats not the case in Asheville., Fox News host Tucker Carlson last week took aim at Manheimer, whom he described as wearing complicated eyeglasses that all the girl bosses now wear. Under her leadership, Carlson claimed, Asheville as a beautiful place should have no crime, but it has a lot now. And he said Asheville had a lot of carjackings.. Market data provided by Factset. A dawn view of the skyline in Asheville, North Carolina, which has seen rising trends of violent crime in recent years. But as far as Asheville being safe, I think its safe.. The 31 percent increase is not current. Arrest 02/28/2023 11:00 PM 100 BLOCK OF DAVIDSON Duncan, who retired as sheriff in 2018, ran the department for 12 years, replacing Bobby Lee Medford. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. He told Fox News Digital that police who do wrong must be held accountable, but also said officers both locally and around the country have become hesitant to do their jobs "because they can be right, but it can be the wrong set of facts, and they can still wind up in trouble. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Legal Statement. APD Chief David Zack told Fox News Digital that the reasons behind the steady flood of resignations in his department are complicated and multi-faceted. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. I dont know if thats true or not, the mayor said. And the reference to Asheville being among the most violent cities came from an analysis, also based on 2020 data, that combined all violent crimes a potentially misleading way to view the statistics, said Christopher Herrmann, an assistant professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. Nesbitt maintained that local Antifa has worked its way into colleges and universities throughout western North Carolina, and that figures sympathetic to Antifa have risen to positions of power on the city council, which did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment on his allegation. Trends Analytics. We want everyone to have access to our stories. Of 17 murders in Asheville in 2019 and 2020, 14 of the perpetrators and 12 of the victims were Black. (George Rose via Getty Images), "I certainly think that with the losses that we have, our ability to be proactive and also our ability to be visible are partly causing some of the increases," the chief said of rising violent crime. The monument stood in the center of downtown Asheville for 123 years before the city dismantled it in 2021. Asheville's growth in violent crime is nearly double that of the national average and ranks among the highest in North Carolina, where violent crime has increased 13% statewide. CRIME SOARS IN DEM-RUN TOURIST TOWN, said the chyron. They see people who are mentally unwell walking down the center of the street, talking to themselves, and they are fearful, Manheimer said. KW you know the answer to thatwhite and maleand likely monied. Herrmann reviewed Ashevilles crime statistics for Asheville Watchdog. Chief Zack, through Davis, answered one question: There are loosely-organized, neighborhood-specific groups that could fall under a broad definition of gangs here in Asheville. But within those groups, the chief said it was doubtful that police could build a case to prosecute members under the federal racketeering law designed to combat organized crime. Dixon was charged with felony possession of stolen property. The new violent crime numbers, which include a 59% year-to-date spike in armed robberies compared to 2021, come as two suspects made local headlines this week, allegedly beating a man with a baseball bat and robbing him along a heavily trafficked avenue that runs north from downtown Asheville. Asheville, North Carolina Multiple local law enforcement sources who spoke to Fox News Digital laid partial blame for the deteriorating condition of a North Carolina tourist town on the city's liberal political leadership and on left-wing activists who undermine police. APD Officers responded to 41 reports of break-ins When Justin Wilson, who served a decade as an APD community resource officer, resigned in August 2020 to begin a new career, he sent a letter to the community he served, apologizing to them and explaining that the job had "taken a toll on my personal life."