Were you at First Friday Last Night?
If you were you will know what I’m talking about. Simply put is was not good. I went out late to see how things were working out. It was unlike any other First Friday I’ve ever been to. Here are the bullet points.
- There were 1/2 dozen police cars parked on both sides of Broad sitting with their lights flashing.
- The sidewalks were crammed with people. At choke points people again were spilling out onto the streets.
- There were loudspeakers everywhere.
- The Skyline Lounge
- Harlem Cafe
- A hip hop performance at Adams and Broad
- Christian street preachers added to the din.
- Talk of the Town was quiet, at least while I was there, so was Turnstyle.
Large groups marched down the sidewalk like they owned it. All in all there was a bad vibe in the air that is hard to describe, but you know it when you feel it. It’s usually good to pay attention to those feelings. I ducked into one gallery just to shed some paranoia. The gallery owner was quite unhappy. One of her vendors almost wound up underneath a street fight. She’s about 5′ tall and weighs about 100 lbs. I spent most of my time helping them pack up their gear and get out in one piece.
As the evening got later it didn’t improve. Here’s a bit of what I saw on the walk home. A flash mob of sorts formed outside Harlem Cafe when someone started some street rap. The small crowd of 50 or so was broken up quickly. It would have mushroomed had the police not intervened. At the Empire Theatre a cruiser was blasting its pulse siren at full volume to clear the sidewalk so all patrons could get to their cars.
I’ve got a lot to say on this particular subject, but I’m not going to. I want to hear what you think, what you saw? I’ll only say that this was my worst First Friday experience ever and it pains me to say so. I hope this was a one time aberration, I really really do.
We walked down to First Friday, and enjoyed looking through the a few gallery’s, browsing the thrift shops, and discovering a couple of things on Broad, etc…
…but I agree that the vibe was bad.
We were there pretty early (7-8ish), and at that hour the “kids in groups” looking for something to do seemed to outnumber the “adults in pairs” looking to browse.
IMO kids in groups looking for something to do is never a good situation…and the source of the bad vibe.
Music: I enjoy a performance.
A DJ? Great!
A band? Great!
Plop a couple of speakers outside your shop and crank the stereo? No thanks!
ha – just my whiny take on it (I’d like no crowds and art I like in all the galleries too), but we also felt the vibe you describe.
I agree, the vibe was definitely bad. I have been going to the Art Walk for 8 years and always looked forward to what the galleries were showcasing and the energy of the crowd. Now, it’s a scene. And not a good one.
I feel like the galleries have let us down some, except for a few like Ghost Print and 1708. It almost feels like they are mailing it in. And don’t get me started on the crowd. Or should I just say crowded. I feel like half of the people that go don’t give a shit about art. They are there to fill up choke points, act like assholes, and act like they own the place.
We don’t need another re-hash of the Bottom taking over Broad Street. I feel like that area was starting to turn a corner, and if the city isn’t smart, it will recess back to what it was 10 years ago.
I was there and had a great time. I saw more people there than probably ever before, especially young people. The sidewalks were crowded at some places, but the crowd was having fun and didn’t keep me from getting around. I didn’t see any fights, though. The increase in police presence wasn’t bad either because it helped calm the traffic and keep the sidewalks moving. I love what this event has grown into.
Nick, what time were you there?
I can’t stop thinking about the horrible change I saw out on the streets during First Friday’s last night. The arists and gallery owners have worked so incredibly hard to bring the district to where it is today. Restaurants and shops have First Fridays Art Walk to thank for much of the renewal experienced along the Broad street corridor.
Last night, I watched a art patrons were jostled and pushed aside when they tried to stop and look at the gallery artwork placed on the sidewalk. Even older senior citizens who once found First Fridays an outlet for meeting with artist and friends were crowded off the sidewalks.
How can we find a way to make this event welcome to the youth who enjoy music and comraderie without discounting the folks who have come to depend on First Fridays as a staple for their culural appetite? Should art patrons have to carry a pass to an area cordoned off as the gallery area? Should all vendors be required to congregate in one area? I know of at least one fight and robbery that went unnoticed because there were som many vendor trucks outside of the gallery. The fight came in a mass of young kids egging on the fighters and continued until they landed in front of me, where one person pounded the other while I tried to make him stop, as the other kid was cowering over me just accepting the blows. When the fists stopped flying for a second, the fight and the mob continued down the block and across the street. I know that the police were around somewhere, but between the vendors and the crowds, I couldn’t find any. Needless to say, I won’t be setting up outside the gallery again.
We started the evening there following the new early start time but by dusk the overall vibe for a lack of a better term was clearly starting to turn sour. The numbers on the street had doubled, maybe tripled but clearly not people looking to take in art, culture, or community. It looked more like kids (13-18) who have targeted this as their thing to do for the night; hang out on the street. We left the area in fear of a repeat event of the last First Friday (Tear gas was used and the poisonous air we choked on for at least 20 minutes was NOT mace from a key chain type thing).
Friends who work or were still in the area after 8pm mentioned fights and that firecrackers thrown at police (which sounds a lot like gun fire if you don’t see it happening). I am not sure what the fix is but removing parked cars on Broad St, an over the top police presence, and creating an earlier curfew was not it. These things did not help to restore First Friday back to that good feeling cultural event we all were hoping for. Will I be going to any more warm weather First Fridays? I don’t think so.
How horrible! There were black people there! And the police broke up a crowd.
OMG!
What a town we live in. Y’all make me crazy.
I was there from about 8 until 9:30. I visited most of the galleries, and didn’t see any tear gas or fists flying or anything but people having a good time. I guess some people were “looking for something to do” but don’t we all go down to Broad Street looking for something to do?
I was in the crowd that attended Dirty Rotten Scoundrels last night at the Empire Theater. The show was incredibly good, soooooo funny and smart, maybe the best musical comedy I’ve seen in Richmond ever. We all felt like we were on Broadway. Until intermission, when we looked out on Broad Street and it seemed like a war zone. It was really scary and seemed like there was a riot going on or something. Police cars were everywhere with there lights blazing. And the crowds of teenagers seemed unruly and threatening. This is not a race issue. If the crowd had been dominated by white teenage boys screaming at the police, I would have been just as uneasy. You could really notice a difference in the audience reaction during Act II. The show was still great, and received a standing ovation, but so many of us were so troubled by what we saw at intermission, we were afraid to laugh. Things were a little better by 10:30. Thank God I used valet parking. I’ll go to the Empire again, for sure, cause its the best theater in town. But I’ll never go again on First Friday.
How dare you, all of you, especially some of these commenters.
I am shocked to see such blatant racism on a blog that I ,until now, used to loved to support.
We live in a city that is primarily African American, we must embrace that and not look down upon it.
“IMO kids in groups looking for something to do is never a good situation…and the source of the bad vibe.”
Really? First Fridays is a public city event where everyone has the right to attend, I support kids being there.
On First Fridays, the city of Richmond needs to close off those blocks (very easily done) and allow for people to freely roam in the streets and have performances going on. Much like what they did for Broad Appetite.
This would allow food carts, performers, and entertainment in the center of broad street while leaving the sidewalks open for those to enter galleries. This would fix the problem of crowded sidewalks by asking those who are not moving up and down the sidewalks to stand on the streets to leave room for the gallery attendees.
If I was in middle school and I saw fire breathers like the ones we commonly find near Gallery Five out on broad street, DJ’s and Poets (Rappers) performing, musicians, or even some skateboarders on a half-pipe (not a bad idea); I would be more inclined to watch that then be a little rascal.
Ultimately, if we brought in more things that entertained a younger crowd, they wouldn’t be loitering near the gallery entrances, they would be watching entertainers or eating great food.
I’d be more than willing to even help out with getting this done.
Lets be nice to our neighbors no matter who they are.
PS. I would agree with Nick that this First Fridays was much busier than any other that I had attended. Thats a positive thing, the city just needs to do a little work to make it all work smoothly.
@Siroblio Nice try, but race isn’t the issue. The issue is that it’s an art walk that has become something entirely different and counterproductive to what the goal is in the first place – breathing some life into to that area of Broad St. that is attempting to be revitalized. Having to place police cars and horse police on every block is not the kind of atmosphere that lends itself to an enjoyable time.
Feel free to point out any racism you see. I personally haven’t seen it and won’t allow it. As far as I’m concerned these actions don’t represent African Americans, they represent irresponsible kids out too late in the city.
Rooney, you don’t think life was breathed into Broad Street last night? I saw a lot of people who were having a good time. I ran into a man on Broad Street today who said he had lived in Richmond a long time and had never heard of first Fridays until last night, and now feels like Richmond is “coming back.” I’m thrilled to be part of a city where arts events attract all kinds of people from the entire city seeking all kinds of arts. If that isn’t the mission of first Friday, what is?
It feels like some of the issues could be solved with the city enforcing the new noise ordinance once it’s in place. The businesses that are bringing speakers out side are most likely violating an existing ordinance. I think would need a permit from the city to blast music outside of their storefront. The city should enforce the code and the problem goes away.
Grant,
In thinking back to the best First Fridays I can remember it was also very crowded, and there was a flow of people almost like a parade…going down the middle of Broad Street. It was the Illumination night over a year ago and they had blocked off Broad street to allow for the party.
I think you may be on to something with your suggestion.
But folks, lets please not make this a race issue. This was about the actions, not the age or race of the people there. I am a public high school teacher who loves to include today’s youth in the art scene offered at First Fridays. On this past Friday, I had very well behaved students (of different races) with me. They were the same kids who helped me re-group back inside of the gallery after I tried to break up the fight that landed on top of my table.
You also have a good point in suggesting that certain areas should be used for focus points for entertainment. Everyone need a place to go and have fun. We just need to figure out how to make it enjoyable and safe for everyone.
Positive, constructive and reflective thoughts will make for changes that will help to build our community and provide more cultural outlets for that community.
The City better figure this out or First Fridays, as a legitimate event, will soon be dead. Broad Street will turn from a promising spot that is starting to thrive into a nighttime wasteland like Shockoe Bottom. Packs of kids lording over and blocking the side-walk, smoking blunts (amongst other drug use observed) and making ridiculous amounts of noise for no reason will destroy First Fridays. No-one will travel from other parts of Richmond to endure this misery. The galleries and restaurants will be hurt because visitors buy food and drink and look at, and sometimes buy, art. Unfortunately, the teenagers who have overtaken First Fridays do not eat in the restaurants. For that matter, they don’t even go into the galleries to look at art. Hopeful arguments that the event is a great cultural opportunity for these kids ignore reality — they have absolutely no interest in the galleries and were not in the galleries this past Friday, despite free admission.
The near “riot like” feel of the night was so disturbing. Anyone who didn’t sense pending trouble was detached from the reality of the situation. The vision of hundreds of these kids flash mobbing at that “restaurant” near the Hess station was horrifying (a restaurant btw with a long history of drugs, gun play and murder). Police cars blaring lights and sirens and cops on horseback utterly destroyed the chance to visit galleries or walk the streets and enjoy a civilized conversation. Worse yet, the kids seemed unfazed and didn’t care about their outrageous behavior. Sad really. And, a serious threat to First Fridays. We better have a real conversation about how to fix this problem or this event will stagnate and then die.
I was there and agree that it’s seriously problematic and something the community needs to address. I completely disagree with the people on this blog who’ve suggested that those of us who are unhappy all feel this way because of race. It’s a problem of age. When you have hundreds of young teenagers – 14,15,16 year olds – with no parental supervision, it’s going to eventually end up in chaos regardless of what color the crowd is. And, there were no parents at all that I could see with these kids! So the young people had no one telling them to pay attention and behave. As a result, they were running into each other and other pedestrians (I got hit twice just trying to walk up the sidewalk), stepping out in front of cars, starting fights, blatantly smoking marijuana on the sidewalk (the air at Broad and Adams reeked). As a result, something that starts as a bunch of young people out enjoying themselves quickly becomes a situation that no one else can enjoy – and was dangerous. And, I think we owe it to the good folks who’ve planned the art walk all these years to try to find a solution fast. They worked too hard to foster an atmosphere where people want to come see art to have it ruined by kids who didn’t even appear interested in the art to begin with.
I’ve been around this kind of situation thru my college years @ VCU and I stopped going to dances because EVERY ONE STARTED ENDING IN FIGHTS!!!
First Fridays is for the entire city to enjoy, but last months First Friday was bad and this month’s was even worse! The fight that broke out could have turned into property damage for a gallery owner who can’t take the financial hit for kids being stupid. And I’ve seen situations like this escalate into gun fire multiple times…LET’S BE FREAKIN’REAL ABOUT THIS!!
Some disrespectful a-holes coming down there have destroyed what things they had to do on friday nights because of their attitudes and behaviors…Now they’re bringing it to FFAW!
BE REAL… they are not there to see art or enjoy culture, some are there specifically because some kids they have beef with are going to be there and that’s bringing the bad vib.
You don’t have to imagine to hard that next month a fight would break out…this time bigger.
A 9mm gets pulled out and someone shoots into the crowd.
Someone coming from dinner, or the theater, or the coffee shop or a gallery, it might be you…it might be me who gets shot….gets killed.
What happens then? We loose all that has progressed for downtown Richmond over the past 10+ years. All because some thug kids want to be hard asses and not understand OR appreciate what has been built for the community they have the propensity to “f” up.
The police, the city, the businesses and the organizers need to see what can be done to slow the roll of whats happening now….maybe run FFAW in the fall-spring and not have it in the summer to get it back to the way it was meant to be for the art appreciating public before we loose much more than just the event.
As far as the race thing….that’s a bigger issue to tackle, but tiptoeing around it helps noone.
First Friday has little to do with art currently. Is more of an ill defined, free-for-all street fair…..without the street blocked off. I love a lot of the restaurants and businesses but visit them on really any other night. If I want to truly look at art I’ll go to the museum, ArtWorks, Main St. galleries and Broad st galleries during the day.
To call First Friday an art walk is a joke.
The city and the event organizers need to hash this thing out……doesn’t take much imagination to envision some coward, teenage thug firing off a round or two at one of these events.
The situation is fixable, though. Make it like Broad Appetite except replace the food vendors with art and craft vendors, block off the street and control the music….no more of this random speaker on the street stuff, which is embarrassing. Richmond has wonderful artists and musicians; let’s allow them to show their goods in an organized, well thought out event.
Where are you Mayor Jones?
If anybody thought I implied “black kids” in my comment, that is your own racist belief…your own racist assumption that, “If it’s bad, it must be blacks”.
Don’t assume I’m racist just because you are.
Hi Paul, thanks for writing this. I hope people keep documenting their First Friday experiences.
Here is mine: http://www.alixbryan.com/2011/07/does-first-fridays-art-walk-face-sketchy-future/
(this is like the 3rd time I’ve tried to leave a comment)!
Alix: nice write-up. I work on Broad on one of the FF blocks. The one thing that i noticed was how suddenly the make-up of the crowd changed over the last few months. Like you said: not long ago only four police officers were needed, and they were always on foot. No one has addressed “why” there’s a sudden change in the crowd (age, numbers, and yes, race). Was there a place that everyone went that is no longer there? And I don’t think that the changing nature of FF is a bad thing – it’s just gotten out of control. Fights, unrulyness, etc. I saw on several occaisons groups of 20+ kids running full speed down the streets and sidewalks. Only a matter of time before one gets hit by a car, or knocks over and injures another spectator. The vibe has changed: it’s no longer an ‘art walk’ – now it’s an out door teen party without enough supervision.
There’s no reason to overcomplicate this. Violence is unaccpetable. Completely. I am far from alone in my feeling that I will not attend any event at which I have reason to believe there may be violence. Call it “kids being kids” if you like, but it’s violence. I don’t go where violence is, period. I don’t care who’s doing it and I don’t care whose job it is to make it stop. You say there were fistfights at this event…then I’m done going to this event until I feel reassured it will never happen again. It’s not about blame or tolerance. It’s about violence, which is one hundred percent unaccpetable every time.
I have lived in Jackson Ward for about 9 years and remember when this was a small and very welcome event. Sometimes you couldn’t even tell it was occuring by driving by. When events like this grow, they can get out of hand and that is what has happened. Since it is an open event, there is no way to control the crowd and cops, while very important to safety, only increase the intensity of the event when it gets too big. I think the best solution is to hold it from September to May and leave the summer alone.
There’s very little that’s healthy and stimulating for teens and young adults to do at night in Richmond. So the head to where the action is. Let’s take this as an opportunity to explore what can be done that appeals to kids need for excitement and their better instincts at the same time. I’m raising my third teenager and it’s been the same for as long as I’ve been in Richmond. Kids want to be out at night and they like excitement and testing the limits. Let’s take some of the energy we’re using to make sure we adults are entertained and create something that provides healthy excitement for the next generation of adults.
Chris Rock speaks the truth…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzFTLKWvfE0
I went out this past First Friday and it was a very lively crowd, full of an incredible mixture of people (young, old, rich, poor, ect). There were street vendors and performers as usual. There was an AMAZING hip-hop show happening in front of the newly painted mural on the corner of Adams and Broad. It absolutely did not seem dangerous but there was twice as much police presence due to what I feel was severe racial profiling (there were other street performers with no police presence and equal crowding). It wasn’t any more difficult to navigate down the sidewalk that night, than during any other festival/city event. Broad Appetite was MUCH more difficult to navigate and they had the whole street blocked off… Regardless, I never felt “unsafe” and did not see any arguments or fights on the street (nor have I in the past).
Instead of trying to water down First Fridays, or hinder participation, maybe the focus should be on how do we make it BETTER and SAFER for a new demographic of young people. The presence of youth should be celebrated! Instead, there is a vilification of elements that are symptomatic of every urban setting. And no, unlike many of the articles written recently, I do not mean people of color when I say “urban”. When I say “urban elements,” I mean things that every growing and developed city has to deal with. Crime, homelessness, and drug use have always been present in Richmond and we cannot expect those things to dissipate as soon as a cultural event moves into new pastures. First Friday only sheds light on difficulties that have always existed in our city. Perhaps we should be saying, “Now that we have established a successful event, how do we respond to larger social issues that will unavoidably it, and strive to improve those conditions.”
I agree that speakers probably should not be brought onto the sidewalks (for obvious reasons, especially handicap accessibility) unless there is appropriate space, or the street is also closed off. Also, gallery openings/closings should maybe be scheduled earlier to offer the opportunity for families and young people to come out before the nightlife/bar-culture butts heads with First Friday (which I feel is the real problem). I think this would help the galleries too, since the more “serious” art-goers would show up before the onslaught of larger crowds. Also, if the galleries opened/closed up earlier, then maybe everyone would go off to spend money at local restaurants/bars (since getting people to spend their money is apparently what First Fridays are all about… *cough* that’s another can of worms though). In any case, canceling the event next month (as some have suggested) is unnecessary and retrogressive. The crowds will probably show up regardless.
Also, I feel that the city has a hand in the mismanagement of First Fridays by failing to take it seriously. They will gladly put up superficial signage labeling it an “Arts District.” They will hire a handful of police officers. But they will not offer tangible support or subsidies for an area that would aid in Richmond’s economic development and would secure one of Richmond’s most consistently populated and increasingly diverse events. The city apparently offers 20 police officers for First Fridays. Perhaps that number should be increased during the summer months when more kids are out, and the road should be blocked off if crowds are estimated to be over 2000. Increasing numbers of people should naturally warrant increased protections, so if 4000 people show up, there should probably be at least one police officer for every 100 people (meaning at least 40 during the “high season”).
In any case, I feel that the crime and vandalism are being over-dramatized. The local media is feeding on it. The city is too ignorant to realize that First Fridays are and asset. And the well-to-dos are venting their grievances with severe social and economic bias… Welcome to Richmond!
There were quadruple the number of police officers at this event compared to previous ones and the number grew as the evening wore on.. Curated Culture reports there were 17 fights and one of the venues was robbed. Reporting what you have seen is not overdramatizing.
I’m ending comments on this thread now. Please continue the discussion here.
http://www.gjwn.net/news/2011/07/07/it-was-worse-than-we-thought/
[...] at least as bad as we feared. I reported last week of the general mayhem that occurred at First Friday last week. I didn’t get there till after [...]
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