Race Matters, Friends to address downtown Columbia safety and Reign Bar scrutiny
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Race Matters, Friends (RMF) will address downtown public safety governance, municipal accountability, and recent state and local scrutiny facing Reign Bar at a Monday press conference.
The briefing is scheduled for 1 p.m. via Zoom. According to a press release, the conference will focus on two main topics: commercial boundaries and public safety standards, and historical context and systemic erasure.
RMF Vice President Traci Wilson-Kleekamp said the group plans to address what she describes as a misdirected focus on businesses near Eighth, Ninth, and Walnut streets.
“I think a big part of it will be to bring up the false narrative about Ninth and Walnut and Eighth and Walnut,” said Wilson-Kleekamp. “They’re still targeting that area where there are Black businesses, and so businesses haven’t gotten any complaints or anything like that. They haven’t been cited by the police for any, you know, for doing anything wrong.”
Wilson-Kleekamp expressed concern that focus on specific downtown establishments is connected to broader economic goals for the area.
“We think that they’re targeting this business. It’s a distraction while they work on their own economic development plans to redevelop downtown, which is to us that’s really the question and that’s really the thing that we should be talking about and we’re not,” said Wilson-Kleekamp.
Wilson-Kleekamp also questioned the involvement of University of Missouri System President Mun Choi and state officials in local downtown safety conversations.
“Like Mun Choi, they have their own agenda about public safety that isn’t coming to the public. They’re doing whatever they want,” said Wilson-Kleekamp.
While the virtual briefing is open to the public via Zoom, Wilson-Kleekamp noted that Choi was not formally invited by the organization.
In response to a recent letter from the Missouri Attorney General’s office sent to Reign Bar, Wilson-Kleekamp criticized the lack of supporting documentation provided.
“If she were a good attorney, she would come with receipts, and I see none,” said Wilson-Kleekamp. “This is an abuse of power in my mind.”
The press release states that private venues manage internal operations and immediate property lines, while the City of Columbia governs public streets, sidewalks, and parking lots.
RMF advocates for universal public safety standards applied equally across all downtown establishments, based on transparent police call logs and incident reports.
The press release said that other downtown bars like Harpo’s, Field House/Willie’s, and the Blue Note are being treated as “general downtown nightlife activity” by officials when they generate “significant police calls and incidents” in their respective locations.
Wilson-Kleekamp also called for clearer communication and action from city leadership regarding public safety oversight.
“Those are all part of a larger part of the conversation about public safety, but they’re not having that conversation with us,” said Wilson-Kleekamp. “They may talk to us and tell us what they want to know, but they’re not having a two-way, community-oriented conversation with us about public safety.”
According to the press release, RMF is asking the Columbia City Council and City Manager De’Carlon Seewood to pause selective nuisance declarations, establish uniform public safety policies, and refuse to cooperate with selective state nuisance proceedings.
Christopher Ave, spokesperson with the City of Columbia, said in a statement that “the city is not conducting ‘nuisance actions’ and treats all bars fairly.”
ABC 17 News reached out to representatives for University of Missouri System President Mun Choi and Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway for comment ahead of Monday’s press conference.
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