THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 8, 1994 TAG: 9409080511
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Short : 37 lines
By surpassing in early September a murder record it took Richmond 12 months to set two years ago, the city is ruining its reputation as a good place to do business, corporate executives said.
The shooting death Tuesday of Orlandus C. Smith, 32, near a city playground pushed Richmond's 1994 homicide total to 121, one more than the one-year record set in 1992.
This summer's killing pace gives Richmond the second highest rate of homicides per 100,000 residents of any city in the nation.
For people outside Richmond, ``one of the first things they hear is, `You're the murder capital of the country, or close to it,' '' said Brenton S. Halsey, president of Richmond Riverfront Development Corp.
``It's a significant negative.''
J. Carter Fox, president of Chesapeake Corp., said he recently interviewed a prospective employee - a Richmond native - who ``said he was concerned whether he should return to Richmond because of the crime.''
Said Fox, ``It really is a serious matter, and it is adversely affecting the reputation of the community. In terms of attracting business headquarters, I think it's a severe problem.''
Phyllis L. Cothran, president of Trigon Blue Cross Blue Shield, said job applicants frequently ask about the city's crime problem. But nobody has turned down a job because of it, she said.
KEYWORDS: MURDER by CNB