State attorney general spotlights downtown safety near East Walnut
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway has taken formal action regarding public-safety concerns in a concentrated downtown area, sending a letter to Reign Bar on East Walnut Street asking the business to address what her office described as “nuisance conditions.” The bar is located between Eighth and Ninth streets in the heart of Columbia’s commercial corridor.
The letter, announced Tuesday, follows several reported incidents in the immediate vicinity since late July and signals increased state involvement in a neighborhood that city officials, university leaders and business groups have already flagged as a problem spot. Hanaway’s office gave Reign Bar 14 days to respond to the letter.
Incidents draw scrutiny from multiple officials
Local leaders have been monitoring a cluster of events on East Walnut that community members said interfered with public safety and comfort. University of Missouri System President Mun Choi previously warned students to avoid the area, and Columbia Police and city spokespeople have noted heightened activity around early morning gatherings in the blocks near Reign Bar.
Public reports and law enforcement statements reference a string of incidents near the bar since July, including a large street fight that led to multiple arrests and a separate episode in which shots were fired. Another reported event involved an assault on a security guard in the same stretch of Walnut Street.
“In just the past several months, the corner of Ninth and Walnut Streets where Reign Bar operates has been the site of numerous disturbing events,” the Attorney General’s Office wrote in its letter.
Timeline of reported episodes
| Month | Reported event near East Walnut |
|---|---|
| Late July | A large street brawl resulting in seven arrests |
| August | Shots fired in the same area |
| September | Assault on a security guard |
Reign Bar opened in October 2025, according to business filings with the Missouri Secretary of State. City officials have said some early-morning gatherings occurred in the area before the bar began operating, but the attorney general’s letter links the rise in disturbances to the period since the bar’s opening.
What the letter says and what it could mean
State attorneys characterized the behavior around the business as interfering with public safety, peace and comfort. The letter asks the establishment to respond about actions it will take to abate the conditions described. If the business does not adequately address the concerns, the attorney general’s office may pursue further legal remedies under state law relating to nuisances.
- Key actors: Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway; Reign Bar (East Walnut Street); University of Missouri System President Mun Choi; Columbia Police and city officials.
- Immediate step: Reign Bar has 14 days to respond to the attorney general’s letter.
- Community concern: Multiple incidents in the vicinity since July have prompted calls for action from university and city leaders.
The move by the state’s top legal officer underscores the level of concern among public officials about concentrated disorder in a downtown block that draws students, residents and visitors. Columbia Police Chief Jill Schlude had previously noted a shift in a local gun-violence hot spot to the 800 block of Walnut Street in 2025, a change from the prior year’s focus on East Broadway.
Business owners and neighborhood stakeholders have debated responses to downtown safety. University leaders have urged students to avoid parts of East Walnut between Eighth and Tenth streets — a section President Choi has referred to as a “danger zone” — while city representatives and the downtown Community Improvement District have explored policy options to reduce conflicts, including ordinances related to urban camping, though the city council has not advanced that measure.
The attorney general’s letter makes clear the state is watching conditions on East Walnut closely and expects the bar to outline steps it will take to mitigate disturbances. How Reign Bar, local law enforcement and city officials respond in the coming weeks will shape whether the area’s recent pattern of incidents abates or prompts further legal action.
Reign Bar, the Attorney General’s Office and Columbia Police did not immediately provide additional comment beyond the letter and previously reported accounts.
