Madison Leaders Say Downtown Is Safe

MADISON, Wis. -- City of Madison leaders gathered Thursday to assure the public that downtown Madison is a safe place despite the violence that has occurred in the last few months.

VIDEO: Watch The Report

City and downtown Madison leaders held a news conference Thursday to address concerns many have raised about the safety of the downtown area.

Business owners said they understand the public's heightened level of fear in light of the recent slayings. City leaders said they're concerned that high-profile crimes will have an adverse effect on businesses.

Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said that a more aggressive approach will be taken when dealing with Madison's homeless community and those who cause disturbances.

"We want to encourage and actually expect specific standards of behavior and communicate that very clearly and enforce that. And also work at some of those root causes that make people homeless in the first place," Cieslewicz said.

Downtown Madison Inc. said that restaurants and shops have not yet seen a drop in business and that the city's plan is a preventative approach to make sure the public knows the downtown area is still a safe place to visit.

"When these kinds of things happen, it raises the fear level in people. So, they're afraid of what could happen, and we have to address that. That's very, very important because it's very real, and that's how people feel," said Susan Schmitz, president of Downtown Madison Inc.

City leaders said that despite recent high-profile crimes, Madison is relatively safe compared to other similar-sized communities. But they admitted that Madison is a growing community, and with that comes changing trends.

While downtown Madison businesses said they haven't seen a drop in sales, businesses and residents said that safety is always on their minds.

Tony Azad, who has worked at his business in downtown Madison for nearly 10 years, said that has customers have been on alert.

"Some people were even (asking) if it was safe around here -- or even at after-hours time," Azad said.

But he said that for the most part, business has remained the same.

"There's not a big difference, at least we didn't feel it," Azad said.

Shoppers like Susan Fruth said that the recent violence hasn't directly affected her visits to the downtown area.

"I haven't felt threatened. Again, it's knowing where to go and what to do if you are here," Fruth said.

Downtown resident Heidi Tiefenthaler said that safety is still a huge issue.

"I don't know if it's that the mayor feels that he needs to be politically correct, but we have a lot of vagrants downtown and it doesn't seem like he's doing anything about them," Tiefenthaler said.

Residents said that the climate of downtown is changing.

"Honestly it is kind of scary, especially as a young female. I never walk anywhere alone. I always have somebody go with me," Tiefenthaler said.

WISC-TV called nearly two dozen businesses around the State Street and Capitol Square areas Thursday. The majority said their sales have been up this year compared to last spring. The few that saw their business plateau said they think the economy is playing a bigger role in their sales than the public's concerns about safety.