Downtown bar-hoppers still feel safe

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - Despite violence that erupted Thursday night , those who frequent downtown Grand Rapids say the arena district of the city is a perfectly safe environment.

From families, to students, to couples, you can find just about anyone in the arena district on a Friday evening. Those that have talked to 24 Hour News 8 say they have never felt threatened.

"I feel fine here," said student Jason Cameron. "You can tell there's a lot of people out here right now. It's completely fine."

Lindsay McAdams said she has felt uncomfortable around pan-handlers, but never unsafe.

"There are bar fights, but that's the extent of it," said McAdams.

Calder City Taxi Company does a lot of busines in the area. Drivers say the crowds are pretty well-mannered overall.

"The worst problem we have is we have to watch them because they like to run across the street," said Manager John Cisco.

About six years ago, 12 downtown bars and restaurants in the area banded together and created an organization called The Arena District. Garry Boyd is the vice-president of the group. He also manages HopCat. That's where a Tap House bar fight ultimately came to an end Thursday night, resulting in the death of a 19-year old woman bystander.

"When you increase [the number of] people in an area, there's always going to be an increased possibility of something going wrong," said Boyd. "I don't think that's a bad thing. I think just everyone has to work harder."

Boyd says the Grand Rapids Police Department has stepped up, keeping the area safe as traffic has increased over the years.