New Era Detroit group volunteers security for women, seniors outside city party stores

New Era Detroit community group volunteers to protect party store customers

A local group is working to make Detroit safer one liquor store at a time. Gas stations and party stores that stay open after dark can sometimes be dangerous but New Era Detroit is hoping to change that.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - A local group is working to make Detroit safer one liquor store at a time. Gas stations and party stores that stay open after dark can sometimes be dangerous but New Era Detroit is hoping to change that.

The community group was at The People's Store at Seven Mile Road and Asbury Park Friday night. They were out in force to help keep customers safe, and planned to be at a number of other party stores as well, tonight. The move is in response to the carjacking murder of Tracie Golden at a party store on Grand River near Outer Drive recently.

"To see that video of that sister and see her walk out the store unprotected and nobody was around, nobody to make sure she was okay, that did strike a nerve," said Isaiah 'Zeek' Williams.

Williams is one of a growing number of Detroiters saying, never again. The brutal murder of Golden is making many rethink security at neighborhood party stores in Detroit and business owners' obligations to their customers.

"The situation that happened, it was an eye-opener as a business owner," said Travis Brewer, owner of the People’s Store. "It made me want to step up to make sure that the people in my community are secure - no matter what."

Brewer was one of the first to answer New Era’s call to beef up security for customers -especially senior citizens and women.

Williams says he’s calling on a number of Black-owned liquor and party stores to step up and do their part.

Tracie Golden

"Our communities, our responsibilities," Williams said. "We've got to first set the bar and set the standard in our community. And then we expect those who do business in our community, who don't look like us or don't live in our community, to follow suit. This is about us holding ourselves accountable first."

Violence at party stores has been a longstanding issue in Detroit.

A week before Tracie Golden was murdered, Detroit police say two men assaulted someone inside the Mr. Cs Liquor Store on E. Warren and Bishop.

Nathaniel Stewart, owner of Inner City Liquor says that won’t happen on his watch.

"My security, what we're going to do, walk (them) to their car, heavier bags, heavier items, cases of water, we can help them," Stewart said. "And just secure the premises."

New Era Detroit says it is leading by example - they’ll spend the weekend patrolling neighborhood party stores and keeping watch over those going in and out of them.

"Safety in our community has to be top priority," Williams said. "We've been putting a band-aid on the situation for far too long, we've looked to one source to handle the situation for far too long. It's just about accountability and everybody stepping up to do what they can do."

If you have any information about the murder of Tracie Golden you are asked to call Detroit police's homicide division at 313-596-2260 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.