Over the past few years, Elliot Street and the Harmony Parking Lot have developed the reputation of being places that are unsafe and filled with troublemakers.
Is it deserved? Brattleboro Police Chief Eugene Wrinn recently pointed out that the area constitutes about 3 percent of his department's calls.
“You can play the numbers however you want, but if people perceive it's a problem, then it's real. No one should have to feel that way [afraid],” he said.
There have been more incidents of violence in recent years - the worst being the stabbing death of David Snow on June 15, 2009.
And it's not new to have young people hanging out downtown. Most of them don't cause trouble, but the ones who do need to know that if they don't clean up their acts, there will be consequences.
People who live and work in the area say that a different crowd is congregating on Elliot Street and the Harmony Lot, and the more-or-less peaceful vibe that used to be found there has been replaced by an angrier, harder-edged attitude.
Area law enforcement agencies would agree.
They say rising unemployment, drug abuse and an influx of transients from southern New England are the main factors driving the recent increases in property crime and aggravated assault in Brattleboro and the rest of Windham County.
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One way to reduce more serious crimes is for the police to enforce less serious crimes, such as loitering and rude behavior downtown, more strictly.
In the aftermath of Snow's death, police cracked down on people hanging out in the Harmony Lot and in the doorways of Elliot Street. Police tried to maintain the delicate balance between law enforcement and harassment, but many complained that the enforcement of anti-loitering laws was too heavy-handed.
However, people who work, shop and play downtown expect to be able to do so in a safe and comfortable environment. Given this reality, police will usually err on the side of zero tolerance of misbehavior. Wrinn has said the recent increase in patrols this month have made a difference.
But it will take more than an increased police presence to keep the downtown area safe.
While we understand the privacy issues that surround the proposal to put video cameras on Elliot Street, we think that Ricky Davidson, the director of the Brattleboro Boys & Girls Club's Flat Street unit, is right when he recently said that cameras could help police identify the repeat offenders who are giving the peaceful kids in the neighborhood a bad name.
We also agree with Davidson that its time to rekindle the dialogue that began last year between the business community, the police, organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club, and downtown residents to figure out how to work together to address the problems.
That dialogue is important, because if all sides understand and see one another as allies instead of adversaries, we will see steps taken toward making downtown a safer place.
As Town Manager Barbara Sondag said at the June 15 Selectboard meeting, “I believe the residents have to reclaim the space.”
We believe Brattleboro is still a town that is safe, but it will take a lot of work to keep it that way.