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Southside Social owner says Chattanooga needs to tackle violence

Two women were shot early Sunday in the 1800 block of Chestnut St. One of the women died at the hospital. The Southside Social will be closed until further notice as police continue investigating.
Two women were shot early Sunday in the 1800 block of Chestnut St. One of the women died at the hospital. The Southside Social will be closed until further notice as police continue investigating.

By Emmett Gienapp 8 min read

The Southside Social remains closed after a woman was fatally shot near the location in an apparent drive-by, and now its owner said he wants city officials to step up safety and security efforts in the area.

In addition to the restaurant/bar, Chattanooga developer John Wise owns a number of properties around the city, including a nearby apartment building set to open in the next two to three months. He said he’s made significant investments in the area and ongoing violence threatens the burgeoning business district along Chestnut Street near Finley Stadium.

“This is a major issue for me. Major,” he told the Times Free Press on Monday. “I cannot have this kind of stuff going on, and the city’s going to have to get involved and help monitor it or a guy like me is going to quit developing over there.

“Three of the largest apartment developments in the city going on are on Chestnut Street. You would think that the city would want to get involved and help manage that,” he added. “Just the property taxes on my [apartment] building alone would pay for a full-time police officer, two of them, year-round, to do nothing but patrol that street.”