JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Gold Rush Inn has been a hotspot of crime and violence in the city's northside. The latest involved a 20-year-old man, who was shot at the hospital Sunday night.
Reacting to the violence at the motel on Harts Road, City Councilman Reggie Gaffney said something must be done.
“Eight murders, and if this kid don’t survive last night, that would be nine. And that’s to many," Gaffney said. “Enough is a enough. I've done cried to the sheriff, I’ve done cried out to the mayor. What I’m doing now actually I’m writing a letter to the governor today."
Back-to-back disturbances in the area are leaving the community on edge.
“This is what they had to come home to everyday," Gaffney said. "Last night, you had about 20 cops out here, and my heart went down because people couldn’t get home."
Gaffney says after talking with JSO, he found out that in a year, police responded 800 times to the area around the Gold Rush Inn.
“You see prostitution, you see a bunch of young guys. And anybody who lives on the northside will tell you that if you want to buy drugs, [go] to the Gold Rush," Gaffney said. "So everybody knows it’s a drug infested area."
To put an end to it, Gaffney is in the process of writing an ordinance. He also has the department of professional regulation involved. His goal is to have the Gold Rush Inn completely shut down.
“This is something the state can do when they look at problems like that in your community that become a nuisance," Gaffney explained. "They do have the authority to shut it down."
Gaffney says the city has given the motel many chances to clean up the crime in the area.
“I can assure you not just me but my colleagues are frustrated," Gaffney said. "The city of Jacksonville is frustrated, and we will shut you down."