Why the white outrage over CIAA gunfire?

But banishing the CIAA tournament from our city would not so much as put a dent in it. The calls to do so over the past week feel like selective outrage when white Charlotte believes its turf has been infringed upon.

On the final day of the historically black collegiate basketball tournament, about 100 gunshots were reported in an incident Uptown.

Luckily, no one was injured. But in the week since the incident, social media has been flooded with calls for the CIAA to go away for good.

The Observer letters to the editor were filled with more of the same. “Still, our blindly politically correct city leaders embrace the CIAA tournament and its history of violence,” read one letter from a guy who definitely was not at the Young Dolph concert.

“Charlotte hosts another CIAA tournament, and it’s another year of gun violence in uptown. Just like clockwork,” wrote another.

Observer columnist Tom Sorensen wrote that, “Charlotte has put on many events without gunfire. It can’t be passive about the violence. If Charlotte can’t find a way to curb it, it needs to let the CIAA go.”

Local reporters asked both Mayor Jennifer Roberts and City Manager Marcus Jones to defend why Charlotte should host the historically black collegiate event in the future.

The popular sentiment among white Charlotte appears to be that the CIAA has outlasted its welcome.

That’s unfair.

It doesn’t help that this was the fourth year in a row that something bad happened during CIAA week. There was a similar round of gunfire last year (again, no one was injured). There were also non-fatal shootings at CIAA-related parties in 2014 and 2015.

But the fixation on this feels hypocritical when gunfire is such a horrifyingly common part of life in some of Charlotte’s troubled neighborhoods.

Homicides have increased each of the last two years, the 67 homicides last year marking a seven-year high.

So far in 2017, four people were killed in the first five days. Ten other homicides have been reported in the city since then.

One of the main differences? These killings have been concentrated in north, east and west Charlotte.

Charlotte is a large and growing city, and people visit here from all over the country. Sometimes, they bring trouble with them. Sometimes we inflict it on ourselves.

NASCAR driver Mike Wallace was brutally assaulted outside PNC Music Pavillion last year. The alleged assailants were in town for the Rascal Flatts concert. There’s been no groundswell against pop country crossover bands.

This guy was charged with shooting at the Connelly’s bar on Fifth Street without condemnation of Charlotte’s Irish pub scene.

We should respond with love and compassion for all of the victims and their families. But let’s also turn our outrage to more pressing matters.

Why is it OK that the killing of a 7-year-old boy during a birthday party is still unsolved? Why is it acceptable for there to be regular gunfire in parts of Charlotte where white faces are less common?

I’m not calling anyone racist. The CIAA tournament is subsidized with city tourism tax dollars, so scrutiny is absolutely warranted. There are also several compelling arguments for change when it comes to CIAA week.

Should there be more of an emphasis on the history of the CIAA and the basketball games themselves, and less on the parties? Probably.

Should the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department communicate a plan to crack down on bad actors during CIAA week? Yes.

Should late-night events pony up for more security? Certainly.

But the conversation we’re having doesn’t feel like it’s about the most efficient use of tax money. Few large events or popular destinations are judged by the small criminal element that happens to stop by. I think the CIAA tournament should get the same courtesy. So much good is generated by the annual event.

And all gunfire should be judged unacceptable, no matter where it occurs.