2/19/2008

Chattanooga, Tennessee – The City of Chattanooga and Hamilton County officials held a press conference today to discuss actions being taken as a result of seven people receiving injuries over the weekend in three shooting incidents.  Three of the seven victims were under 18 years of age.  Six of the seven shootings took place at, near, or as a result of venues that had been rented for an event.  “We understand that not all promoted events in the city lead to this type of activity but, as a community, we must deal with the trouble spawned by some events that negatively reflect upon everyone and we must take the appropriate measures to ensure that this type of criminal activity will not be tolerated in the City of Chattanooga,” said Mayor Ron Littlefield.

In an effort to address the increasing amount of violence that seems to be taking place as a result of these events, the City of Chattanooga will immediately begin to focus additional law enforcement resources to help reduce this criminal behavior.  As well, the City of Chattanooga will look into additional measures to make certain that promoters of these events are held responsible for supplying adequate security to ensure crowd control and are obtaining the required permits to hold such events.

The owners of the venues where the events are taking place must also be held responsible for making sure that all reasonable safety precautions have been taken and all policies and procedures will be abided by once the venue is rented.  The responsibility for dealing with the issues that arise as a result of these events must be shared by those who are promoting the events and those who own the venues.  The City of Chattanooga needs support as it begins to move forward and deal with these issues.

Finally, a more aggressive approach to the application of the existing curfew ordinance must take place immediately.  The City Council must scrutinize the current city ordinance pertaining to curfew and take the appropriate steps to ensure that it is enforceable and equitable.  We must begin to hold parents responsible for the actions of their minor children.

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