Two recent attacks have left a black eye on the nightlife scene in Downtown Lafayette, but restoring safety to the area is doable, it’ll just take a commitment from the City-Parish Council to provide the necessary funds.
The recent assault on local graphic designer André Broussard in the early morning hours of Dec. 26 made for big headlines last week, but it wasn’t a first. Just two days before, local musician Tyler Harper also was attacked while walking down Jefferson Street, jumped by a group of men near City Bar.
“They just ran up and started swinging,” the 27-year-old Harper tells The Advocate. According to the Advocate’s report, Harper was left with two black eyes and a swollen cheek.
The two attacks have since sparked an effort by Downtown business owners to remedy the issue. That effort is being spearheaded by Robert Guercio, vice president of the Downtown Lafayette Restaurant and Bar Association and owner of the Jefferson Street bar The Greenroom.
Guercio, using surveillance footage obtained from Jefferson Street businesses, helped identify a suspect in Broussard’s attack. But due to most of the footage from the privately-owned cameras having a seven-day shelf life, that, unfortunately, wasn’t the case for Harper.
“It’s a problem indicative of any urban area of a decent size ... It just comes with the territory,” Guercio tells The Advocate, commenting on the recent assaults.
A new type of neighborhood watch, however, is now in the making, according to Guercio.
From the Advocate's report:
Guercio and the DLRBA are working to create a “virtual surveillance network” — a new generation of neighborhood watch, he explained — that includes private surveillance systems and social media outreach to help identify troublemakers disrupting the downtown scene.
“The goal is to enhance our collaborations so that when we do have these isolated incidents, that we are able to work together to achieve swift justice and help the police in their investigation in whatever way we can and is appropriate,” Guercio said.
The recent slate of attacks have also prompted calls from Guercio and the DLRBA for the installation of a public-owned surveillance system in the Downtown area. Yet, money could prove problematic. And making things more troublesome is the City-Parish Council’s recent decision to slash funding by 50 percent for off-duty officers patrolling the nightlife scene. The reduced police presence only increases the need for a public surveillance system of the Downtown area.
But as the Advocate reports:
[N]o funding has been approved yet.
In the meantime, Guercio said, the DLRBA intends to increase its collaboration with private property owners and other downtown-based associations, such as the Downtown Development Authority and Downtown Lafayette Unlimited, to organize its own security efforts should they be needed in the future.
A push for the new camera system is in the works, and the DLRBA is working to make obtaining private footage an easier task. The aim, Guercio said, is “to help minimize any negative issues so we can focus on the fun stuff.”
Click here for the Advocate’s full report, and here for more on Broussard’s attack and the search for his assailant.