NASHVILLE, Tenn (WTVF) — Robbed, beaten and harassed - it's what some musicians say they are experiencing on lower Broadway and now they're asking for changes before things get worse.
Sasha McVeigh has started a Change.Org petitionto help create better security measures for musicians and employees on Broadway. The petition has a goal of 15,000 signatures and by Friday several people have signed it already.
McVeigh is asking the Mayor and other city officials for safer and affordable parking and to stop taxi cabs from using the loading zones.
Originally from England, McVeigh moved to the one place she believed was worth singing about but today she is singing a different tune about Music City.
"Musicians have been robbed at gun point or knife point, they've been approached by the homeless people," said McVeigh.
McVeigh says as much as she loves this city she believes it's important to point out the need for changes to make Nashville better and safer.
"Since 2018, for me personally that’s when I started to become aware that there were issues down here and they weren’t being resolved," she said.
McVeigh says musicians are being forced to park far while carrying expensive instruments down dark streets.
"People are being ticketed by metro for using the loading zones, the musicians are, when you got cabs parking in the loading zones that aren’t meant to be here," said McVeigh.
Musician unions and McVeigh met with officials in the Mayor's office to discuss the petition and the need for changes.
in an email from the Mayor's spokesperson, he says, "The safety and well-being of our local musicians and other Lower Broadway employees are critically important to Mayor Cooper. The Mayor’s Senior Advisor of Transportation and Infrastructure, Faye DiMassimo, and Coordinator of Economic Opportunity and Empowerment, Eric Brown, met with several local musicians on the topic of safety, parking, and loading zones. The conversation was very productive and served as another opportunity for the Mayor’s Office to listen to and discuss their concerns."
McVeigh says she is confident they will start seeing the results in just a few months.
