September 14, 2023

RE: Public Safety and the State of Asheville

Dear Mayor Esther Manheimer, City Manager Debra Campbell, and Asheville City Council Members,

Today we are reaching out as a united voice of concerned citizens, employers, and business owners, to
discuss and address the short-term need for additional public safety in our City of Asheville. Once again,
as Fall approaches, Asheville is confronted with the inadequacy of our efforts to address the issues of
violent crime, open drug use, public harassment, and the safety of our citizens and customers in our
community.

In the absence of significant progress, the City has fallen short in its duty and responsibility to its
residents and neighborhoods. This requires rededication and realignment of proper appropriations to
fund an increased public safety presence and urgent need to help protect our community.

We need your immediate action to protect the livelihood of our workforce, neighborhoods and
businesses that generate a significant tax base that provides funds for vital City services. Our asks are
concise and clear:

1. Provide an increased public safety presence. There was a visible difference during the City’s 60-
day initiative that has since become less effective or has diminished significantly. Fully reinstate
or increase community service programs to aid in addressing crime, drug use and addiction, and
removal of vagrants from public property and on our City streets. For example, have police
officers actively walking our streets, not sitting idle in cars. We are asking for safe, clean, and
activated neighborhoods, including downtown, for our workforce, our citizens (housed and
unhoused), and our customers for the livelihood of our community and sustainability of our
businesses.
2. Work Immediately with the Buncombe County Commission now to re-engage the County
Sheriff’s Department to aid in patrol and equal enforcement of the law of Asheville starting
October 1, 2023.
3. Work with the Asheville Police Department to provide further appropriations of funding to allow
for more police to patrol our City’s neighborhoods, divert crime, and enforce violations that are
routinely overlooked.
4. Consistent and Clear communication on progress for short term (1 month), midterm (3 and 6
months), and long-term goals (1 year).
5. Focus resources on our citizens experiencing chronic homelessness, mental illness and/or drug
addiction.

We understand, respect, and support the long-term initiatives underway to address some of the
complicated root causes such as mental illness, drug addiction and places for people to go. However,
our community cannot afford to ignore the negative impacts of crime, vagrancy and harassment.

We are all being pushed to a point of despair in a community we have all worked so hard to build into a
beautiful and wonderful place to live, work, and visit. Please help us to move quickly to regain the
safety of our City to make it a great place for everyone to be.

It’s time to get to work!

Signed:
William Dissen
The Market Place Restaurant
Billy D’s Fried Chicken
Little Gem

Michel Baudouin
Bouchon Restaurant
Rendezvous Restaurant

John Fleer
Rhubarb Restaurant
The Rhu

Vanessa Salomo, Joe Scully, Kevin Westmoreland

Chestnut Restaurant
The Corner Kitchen

Sherrye & Anthony Coggiola

The Cantina At Historic Biltmore Village

Katie Button
Curate Restaurant
La Bodega By Curate

Drew Wallace
The Admiral Restaurant
Bull & Beggar Restaurant
Baby Bull Restaurant
Leo’s House Of Thirst

Anthony Cerrato
Strada Italiano
The Social Lounge
Gemelli Restaurant

Chris Faber
The Times Bar & Coffee Shop

Molly & Meherwan Irani

Chai Pani Restaurant
Botiwalla Restaurant
Buxton Hall Restaurant
Spicewalla
Eric Scheffer
Vinnie’s Neighborhood Italian
Jettie Rae’s Oyster House
Cielo Catering

Joe Eckert
The Laughing Seed
Jack Of the Wood

Aimee Diaz
Diaz Restaurant Group

Hugo Ramirez & Amy Cavanaugh

Limones Restaurant

Mike McCarty
The Lobster Trap

Brendan Reusing
All Souls Pizza

Steve Frabitore
Lori Hilyer
Tupelo Honey Cafe

Adam Bannasch
Zambra Restaurant
Copper Crown Restaurant

Jacob & Alicia Sessoms

Table Restaurant
All Day Darling Café
The Radical Hotel

Billy Velvet
Yacht Club

JR Anderson & Nikki Stewart

The Restoration Hotel

Philip Woolcott
The Flat Iron Hotel
Michael Lusik
FIRC Group

Himanshu Karvir
Virtelle Hotels

HP Patel
BCA Hotels

Shaunak Patel
Parks Hotels

Monark Patel
Milan Hotel Group

Pratik Bhatka
PMHB Hotels LLC

JB McKibbon
McKibbon Hotels

Liz Button
Independent

Historic Biltmore Village Partnership

on behalf of its 37 member businesses