LAWRENCE, Kan.- Massachusettes St. is a unique area full of locally owned restaurants, bars, and shops. It is common to see street performers, families and students during the day but deep into the night downtown Lawrence has become a less welcoming place.
“I moved to 17th and Tennessee so recently I’ve been walking home from work but I don’t always feel safe. I get off (from work) at around 2:30 a.m. and you never know who you’re going to encounter. Last week I was chased all the way to Ohio St. by people threatening me for no apparent reason,” says Quinton’s door manager Andrew Alldredge.
“I’m from Lawrence and it bothers me that I no longer feel safe in the town I grew up in.”
Alldredge’s co-worker Matt Herrington has had a similar experience, “I used to live above Chipotle. One night I was chased down an ally when I was walking home from work. It seems to be getting worse I’ve noticed more and more creeps out there, I’m a big guy but it still makes me uncomfortable (leaving work). I always walk the girls (that he works with) to their cars.”
While working at a popular bar Herrington deals with his fair share of police officers but wishes they would spend their time focusing on the safety of Massachusetts St. “The cops are usually here two times a week checking ID’s and what not. They should spend more time making sure that people aren’t getting attacked when they try to walk home.”