NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A man picked up a scooter and attacked a person experiencing homelessness in downtown Nashville.
"It’s disturbing," Colby Barrett said.
Colby works downtown. The victim was sleeping on the steps of the Ryman Auditorium according to police.
The attacker's motive is not clear as it was unprovoked. Barrett said. "We need to look out for each other, keep an eye on things, hopefully, nothing like this happens again. It's terrible."
At Open Table Nashville, Lindsey Krinks works with people experiencing homelessness.
"Our friends on the streets are some of the most vulnerable members of our community, and we all have to be doing more to make sure they have the care and housing and services that they need so that this doesn’t keep happening," Krinks said.
She said this sheds light on the need for affordable housing. "It’s really discouraging to hear about continued violence with people experiencing homelessness in Nashville,” Krinks said. “Right now there’s so many people who want to be out of the streets, they want to be in housing, but there’s simply not enough housing for them."
Sadly, she said this is not the first time something like this has happened.
"In Nashville, we’ve seen so many folks experiencing homelessness be the victims of violent attacks whether they were shot, or rolled into the river, or beaten unprovoked."
Lindsey didn't know the victim personally, but she hopes they've recovered.
"Something clearly is wrong with the person who would choose to beat someone who was so vulnerable, and we need to not only find justice for this situation, but that person also needs to find help so that person doesn’t continue to perpetuate such violence," Krinks said.
Again, the attacker is still out there. If you recognize him, call Metro Police at 615-742-7463.
