(TheDesign/Getty Images)
City-County-Councilman John Barth issued a series of tweets this week in which he called for a crackdown on crime along the 38th Street corridor, between Capitol Avenue and Meridian Street, calling it a ‘hot spot’ of violent crime in the area after a string of incidents at a McDonalds/BP location in the area.
Customers and residents in the area have regularly witnessed shootings, stabbings, fights and an attack on the franchise owner at the McDonald’s located at 37 West 38th Street.
“Annually, there are hundreds of [police] runs to this area,” city-county council member John Barth said Sunday night in a Tweet. “Historically, many runs have been attributed to the BP/McDonald’s.”
Barth detailed plans to hold monthly neighborhood meetings, review data-driven crime research and combat addiction-related issues.
The Councilman shared conversations with community leaders and police officers, which led him to believe substance abuse and addiction were significant contributing factors to violent crime along 38th Street.
“I did a ride-along with the IMPD and spent eight hours driving all around this area,” Barth told WIBC newsgathering partner WISH-TV Wednesday. “And what I hear, over and over, is an increasing concern about substance abuse and the need for enhanced treatment options.”
Barth said he’s grateful for members of the community who want to be proactive with combatting the problems in the area.
“I am thankful that there are so many people in my district who want to focus on these issues and work together at the grass-roots level,” Barth Tweeted Sunday.
WIBC host Tony Katz discussed the challenges in the 38th Street corridor and extended an invitation to Councilman Barth to appear on his show. Click the link below to hear Tony’s full commentary.
