Downtown Asheville business owners call for more police after pepperball crowd dispersal

Downtown Asheville business owners are pressing for more police presence, better crowd control and tighter enforcement around closing time after Asheville police used pepperballs to break up a large crowd on Banks Avenue around 2 a.m. near several nightlife businesses.

The confrontation landed in one of downtown’s most active entertainment blocks, where business owners say safety affects whether visitors stay out, spend money and come back. Their ask is not just for a bigger police footprint after trouble starts, but for earlier patrol timing, stronger crowd management, better lighting, street closures when needed and a more visible response as bars let out.

That demand comes against a longer effort by Asheville to shore up downtown safety. The city launched a 60-day Downtown Safety Initiative in May 2023, then kept many of those changes going as ongoing safety and cleanliness work. In 2025, the Asheville Downtown Improvement District began rolling out services on June 2, with community ambassadors visible seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. The district’s work was shaped by community input focused on safety and hospitality, and it is funded through a special tax assessment on property owners in the service area.

City materials also say the Asheville Police Department prioritizes downtown coverage with bike and foot patrols when possible and supplements patrols based on crime data. APD also reviews event applications for law enforcement requirements, professional security recommendations, crowd control and pedestrian safety devices, and traffic control support, showing that the city already has a framework for managing dense late-night gatherings before they spill into the street.

The stakes are economic as much as public safety. Explore Asheville says travel and hospitality employed 18,377 people in Buncombe County in 2024, accounting for 8% of the state’s tourism workforce. Any sign that downtown is harder to navigate at closing time can ripple through restaurants, bars and hotels that depend on steady foot traffic and a sense of order.

Asheville is also still investing in downtown infrastructure. Its 2024 bond package includes $4.5 million for sidewalk and other pedestrian safety improvements on corridors including Haywood Street, Lexington Avenue, Eagle/Market Street and London Road. For Banks Avenue business owners, the immediate question is whether any of that attention can translate into more visible patrols and better crowd management before the next busy weekend.