The Dangers of Dickson Street (Editorial)

When compared to other entertainment destinations such as Beale Street in Memphis, or the River Market in Little Rock, Fayetteville’s Dickson Street doesn’t exactly look like an episode of “COPS.”

Which was why it was surprising to many when a news report from KHBS, Channels 40/29 sought to expose “the darker side” of Dickson Street.

The three-minute segment included footage of three or four young men being arrested for disorderly conduct on a recent Thursday night, not quite evidence of a dark side.

While the sensational report failed to expose the evils lurking in the shadows of Dickson Street, it did elicit some criticism from citizens and business owners.  

And it certainly won’t aid in Fayetteville’s fight to keep the Walton Arts Center where it is.

Exacerbating the issue, Pat Gazolla, the chairman of the city’s advertising and promotion commission, questioned the safety of the area at a recent A&P meeting.

“There are safety factors when it comes to parking, huge party problems with people drinking alcohol, and there is no doubt the Walton Arts Center would be much safer if it was moved somewhere along Interstate 540,” he told KNWA-TV in a follow-up story.

Gazolla, who owns the Catfish Hole restaurant in Fayetteville, said the city should do what it can to keep the WAC in Fayetteville, just not near the alcohol-drinking patrons of Dickson Street.

But as Benton County positions itself to lure the WAC north, concerns over public safety are the last thing Fayetteville needs, particularly when such concerns are unwarranted.

In the same KNWA news report, Police Chief Greg Tabor said there are “very few serious or violent crimes that happen in the Dickson Street area.”

“I think just because we have a lot of calls and make a lot of arrests for alcohol related things, doesn’t make it an unsafe place,” Tabor said.  

If anything, the bars and restaurants on Dickson Street complement the WAC, not to mention their hefty contribution to the city’s tax base.

The bars and restaurants located on or adjacent to Dickson Street contributed over $44,000 in HMR taxes from December 2008 through March of this year.

For its part, 40/29 said it didn’t mean for the report to become artillery in the ongoing WAC battle.

News Director Mike Courington said the report was not meant to stir up a debate over the location of the WAC but to show viewers what the police are doing on a regular basis to prevent problems in the area.

We doubt many business owners will see it that way.