SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, the police department and other community partners are set to announce the creation of a brand new position to make nighttime in the city more safe.
It comes as the city marks six months since the deadly mass shooting on K Street in April, and businesses continue to feel the impact.
“Nobody feels safe around here,” Daniel Martin with the Coin-Op Room said. “I’ve been working on K street for almost 10 years, and it’s gotten progressively worse and the city is always promising some plan to make it better and it never pans out. I would love for someone to come in and make it better for a change.”
Martin hopes the new position will bring more investment to the downtown area and fill empty storefronts.
“This is our tourist attraction. Folks want to keep this vibrant, and we need this," Berry Accius, with Voice of the Youth, said. “This is definitely an economic base for Sacramento, so we want to keep it safe.”
Accius pointed out that ensuring safety and reducing gun violence are easier said than done, yet he remains optimistic that April’s mass shooting was a turning point for the city.
“It’s unfortunate that that moment happened in our city but it’s also a defining moment in our city that will eventually create change,” Accius said.
While the new appointment cannot prevent all crime, visitors of Sacramento’s downtown say it’s a start.
“I definitely think it’s a good idea,” Joel Guevarra said. “It’s something that’s needed. Any more security for safety is good for people.”
A press conference is scheduled for Monday at 10 a.m. outside of Sacramento City Hall with more details on the new position and the safety plan.
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