LOWNDES COUNTY, Ga. (WTXL) — After two years of deadly shootings near Remerton's bar strip, new closing time restrictions have brought peace of mind to residents and a dramatic drop in violent incidents.
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Carla Leader lived just steps away from chaos for years. Her home sits directly behind Remerton's bar strip, the same stretch tied to multiple deadly shootings over the last two years, including the killing of VSU student Brianna Long and the July 4th weekend shooting that claimed the life of 16-year-old Jaykavion Gary.
When gunfire broke out, it wasn't just a headline for Leader. It was happening in her backyard.
"At first it was a little bit of apprehension and anxiety because you know of the incident that happened the year before," Leader said. "We do have businesses right behind us, and that presents a safety issue if it carries over into our own backyards."
That fear pushed city leaders to act. They first ordered bars to close by midnight temporarily, then permanently moved last call from 2 a.m. to 1 a.m.
Police say the results have been immediate.
Remerton Police Investigator Derrick Sinclair says the city paired the earlier closing time with physical safety upgrades.
"So we've added cameras. The cameras were there before, and we've also added brighter lights with Georgia Power," Sinclair said. "The area is more lit up at nighttime, and of course, the extra patrols."
Since the change, police say there have been nearly no incidents on the strip in six months—just one call for a physical altercation.
For neighbors like Leader, it's about more than crime stats. It's about peace of mind. She says knowing there's a hard stop makes a real difference.
"I feel a lot safer knowing that they know partying is going to stop after a certain time, and that it's peacefully brought to an end," Leader said.
The violence that prompted these changes began in 2023 around Halloween, when 21-year-old VSU student Brianna Long was killed by a stray bullet while cleaning up at a bar.
Exactly one year later, two people died in an officer-involved shooting on Nov. 1.
The latest shooting that sparked the permanent change happened July 4th weekend. Jaykavion Gary, 16, of Valdosta was shot and killed just after midnight Saturday near the 1900 block of Baytree Place. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said a dispute between multiple people led to the gunshots.
In July, the Remerton Police Department asked the GBI to assist in what became the third violent crime case in under two years.
The city temporarily amended the Alcoholic Beverage Ordinance, requiring bars to close by midnight for 30 days from July 10 through Aug. 10. The city council then voted to permanently change the closing time to 1 a.m., a compromise from the previous 2 a.m. closing time and the temporary midnight restriction.
"I think all of that has helped. We had lights before, but these new lights are really bright, and they light up the area," Sinclair said. "The officers are always up and down the strip anyway, so they are on foot walking to make sure there are no large gatherings going on so I believe all of that has helped with the decrease."
City leaders and police say they have not received much pushback since the new rule and have not had to issue any citations to bar owners.
"That one hour has made a huge difference for us. Again, we've had one service call in the bar in that six month time period," Sinclair said. "Now we'll always be that way. I'm not sure but for the six months that we have to look at the data, it's worked out."
City leaders say with the data backing it up, there are no plans to roll the ordinance back, signaling a shift toward safety first for the people who call Remerton home.
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