LETTER- Clubs aren't the culprits for hip-hop violence

As a 28-year-old who enjoys hip-hop music, [November 6 cover story: "Encore: Did a violence-free Jay-Z show just save local hip-hop?"], I find it pretty sad there is nowhere in town that caters to this genre.

I have been a part of parties that went well and those which have not, but I think we need to point out all the culprits.

It begins with personal responsibility, and it saddens me to see that some of my peers are unable to go out to the club scene without getting into some type of confrontation.

With that said, there are other culprits including some owners of these venues who only see dollar signs and rent out their places to any individual who is willing to pay without mandating the proper security measures in place for the event. Just having bouncers in place does nothing to prevent incidents, since many bouncers have not been trained properly how to defuse a situation and often end up flaring tempers and making situations worse.

The next culprit would be media outlets that amplify the name of any venue where a hip-hop event takes place after an incident occurs. Even if the incident took place nowhere near the club, media outlets will make mention the fact they were leaving a particular club, putting that business' reputation at risk.

This takes me to my final culprit. The Charlottesville Police Department. Is it fair they intimidate already struggling businesses by threatening to take away liqueur licenses after an instance of violence? Why must we blame violence in this area on hip-hop parties?

Of all the recent shootings in the city, only one happened in a club environment.

Natasha Crawford
Charlottesville
[email protected]

#