MU students have mixed opinions on downtown Columbia at night after Choi’s warnings

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

It's been nearly one year since a Stephens College student was shot and killed in downtown Columbia, and MU students differ on their feelings about warnings from the University of Missouri to avoid certain areas of downtown at night.

"Walking downtown at night, it can definitely vary based on the time of day," said Aiden Howson-Lewis, a junior at MU. "I definitely see unhoused people around downtown no matter what. At night, I'm more aware."

Howson-Lewis said he's had a couple of negative interactions with homeless people that made him feel unsafe. One night, a person followed him down the street, and on a different night, he said another person ran after him yelling.

But those interactions don't stop him from going downtown.

"If I'm going downtown, I prefer to be with a group, or I prefer to just make sure that if there's like a girl in the group that I'm hanging out with, I'm walking with her if she's going anywhere by herself," Howson-Lewis said.

MU President Mun Choi is an advocate for an urban camping ordinance to reduce these interactions.

The downtown Columbia Community Improvement District, with the backing of nearly 80 businesses, asked the Columbia City Council to consider and research an urban camping ordinance that would outlaw sleeping in public. However, the council has not expressed interest in picking it up.

Choi has also publicly said that downtown is unsafe, especially in the area of East Walnut Street between Eighth and Tenth streets, which he calls the "danger zone."

That area has been the scene of high-profile crimes. In late July, a large street brawl resulted in seven arrests. About two weeks later, in August, shots were fired in the same area. In September, a man assaulted a security guard in the same area as well.

Howson-Lewis said he doesn't visit that area.

Raevynn Smith is a sophomore at MU who grew up nearby, and she said downtown crime is typical.

"It's not too scary for me. It's kind of just normal," Smith said. "There's nothing that really freaks me out about it besides the dark."

When asked about the "danger zone," she said avoiding an area won't solve the problem, and that Columbia needs to focus on the homeless population.

"I think we have an issue here with our system when it comes to caring for unhoused people. I don't see why adding to that fear of it will help them out any. It just makes it something to avoid rather than solve," Smith said.

CID Executive Director Nickie Davis said she waited to submit the proposal until the Opportunity Campus, a homeless shelter at 1300 Bowling St., opened. Supporters hope unhoused people who are blocking the area in front of a downtown business will be referred to the Opportunity Campus.

MU sophomore Jocelyn Setley said she doesn't go downtown often, but she doesn't feel like she's in danger.

"I've never felt super unsafe or anything. Obviously, there are people around, more homeless people around and stuff -- but my interactions have always felt safe. I don't know, I've never had to think twice about being super unsafe," Setley said.

She said she has heard stories about shootings, but it's not frequent enough to deter her from going downtown, especially since that's not a place she goes often. Setley also said her friends don't talk about feeling unsafe either.

Watch a special report on downtown crime Thursday on ABC 17 News at 6.