GOP Mayoral Candidate Scott Stone Warns Uptown Violence is Not Isolated Incident

Scott Stone's campaign released the following early this afternoon:

Stone Warns that Uptown Violence is not Isolated Incident
Mayor more concerned about protecting city image than protecting Charlotte citizens

Charlotte, NC – Charlotte mayoral candidate Scott Stone called on the current mayor to take a stronger stance on the ongoing gang violence and the activities associated with the recent Uptown riot.

Stone’s comments follow the violent riot that occurred in Uptown Charlotte over the weekend, leaving one dead and 70 arrested.

“The current mayor is more concerned about protecting the city’s image than he is about protecting our citizens,” Stone said. “The DNC coming to town has nothing to do with the daily challenges we face. Ongoing gang crime in our commerce centers, such as Uptown, will dramatically impact economic recovery and kill jobs. People will not go to dinner and shows in Uptown if they do not feel safe walking down the street.”

Stone called on the mayor to get engaged in the issue. “Our current mayor has severely misjudged the situation and has been invisible. He believes that this weekend’s riots are an isolated incident which only needs investigation. However, this is an ongoing problem. We have gangs in Charlotte and we need a mayor who is willing to admit that if we are going to fix the problem.”

Stone called for aggressive pro-active enforcement of existing anti-loitering laws and curfews as a first step. “Our officers on the street are frustrated. They are held back from being proactive in on-the-street enforcement,” Stone said, citing direct discussions with CMPD officers. “Our officers are constantly worried about taking necessary and appropriate actions on their patrols because they are worried about the ‘political correctness’ environment which too often drives their actions and decisions.”