MEMPHIS, TN (abc24.com) - A longtime trouble spot on Beale Street is back in trouble again. A man was shot inside Club Crave on Beale early Sunday morning.
The victim will be ok, but there are no arrests and no suspects in this case.
There are plenty of headaches for business people on Beale who are working hard to get rid of the image of Beale Street being a place where you can get a shot and a beer and then get shot.
The crime rate on Beale Street and downtown is low. It is still one of the safest areas of Memphis. The perception, however, is that downtown Memphis is a southern-fried Dodge City with shoot 'em ups, stabbings, and no Marshall Dillon to take care of business.
That's why the Memphis police are stepping things up.
At first glance it looks like a bar and lounge called 'Police'. It is to be a working tourist attraction on Beale Street. The first floor will have a museum, and it will be the location of the Memphis Police Entertainment District Unit. Folks on Beale couldn't be happier.
"I think it's critical to have police presence down here because you're right, the perception is downtown is dangerous, when the reality is there are a lot of places in the city more dangerous than downtown," noted Ty Agee with the Beale Street Merchants Association. "Downtown is one of the safest places to be in the city of Memphis."
There is one exception to all that safety talk: Club Crave.
Last September a group of people were shot outside the club. Last December a man was stabbed. Over the weekend, a man was shot inside Club Crave.
The latest incident just adds to the frustration level of Ty Agee and other Beale Street merchants.
"I begrudge nobody that wants to try and do business down there, but you would hope that we wouldn't have as much trouble as we do down there."
Agee thinks something will be done. The mayor and district attorney know what's going on, he says.
"I feel like they'll do something about it in their way in their time. I've always felt they'll deal with it."
