Rico Johnson, owner of Kornna Kitchen restaurant, spoke to the Martinsville City Council following an early morning brawl in Uptown that left one police officer injured and two people jailed.
“You have been a tremendous help to Kornna Kitchen,” Rico Johnson told City Council members on August 13. “Since we received our ABC license, our business volume has increased significantly.”
According to witnesses, around 12:30 a.m. on August 10, up to 150 people gathered on the street between Kornna Kitchen and the old Globman building when a fight broke out.
Michael Antwon Pritchett and Coy Markeis Grant fell through a glass pane of the Globman building during a fight and continued the fight inside the store.
“We had a couple of officers in the area because there was a large group of people there; they like to hang out on the street, so the officers were trying to get the situation under control,” Martinsville Police Chief Rob Fincher said two days after the incident. “A couple of people got into a fight and were standing at one of the storefronts. As officers and a private citizen were trying to break up the fight, the glass broke and some of the falling glass injured the officer as well as some of the other individuals.”
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Pritchett and Grant were arrested and placed in the Martinsville City Jail, but the following night the Kornna Kitchen was busy again, this time with a live band.
Fincher said his department increased security the following night by closing Main Street at 11 p.m.
“There was a crowd going on having fun and there were no problems inside,” Fincher said. “Just after 11 p.m., a group of people we had observed at a car wash in Henry County with over 20 cars approached us trying to get in. We told them the road was closed.”
Johnson disagreed with Fincher’s approach to the problem.
“Closing the road is cutting off my business,” Johnson said. “I’m stuck as they reroute people who can’t come in.”
Johnson said the loitering problem needed to be addressed, but closing the only road to his store was not a solution.
“I have at least seven tactical guys with me,” said Johnson. “We keep order in the Kornna Kitchen. I haven’t had a single incident yet.”
Council members did not address Johnson’s concerns but thanked him for bringing the matter to their attention.
“I wouldn’t do anything that would harm the city,” Johnson said. “I just need a little help getting these people out of here.”
