Days after a Dollar General location abruptly closed its glass doors on Lafayette Street, the neighborhood store became a flashpoint for disagreements on crime and policing still lingering between Metro Council colleagues. Tensions escalated when several councilmembers decided to publicly add their two cents.
Councilmember Terry Vo, whose District 17 includes the Lafayette store, initially told NewsChannel 5 that the closure would worsen the area’s insufficient access to food and goods, a crisis Vo referred to as “resource apartheid.” While wealthy Wedgewood-Houston sits less than a mile away, the Dollar General is nestled between MDHA-managed J.C. Napier and Tony Sudekum Apartments. The area endures a high concentration of gun violence and reported violent crime.
Councilmember Courtney Johnston — a second-term member whose District 26 begins in Berry Hill and runs to the southern edge of Davidson County, and who recently lost a Republican primary bid to U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles — flamed Vo for her comments with a widely shared Facebook post.
“It’s rich for one of the most anti police and public safety council members to rant about ‘food apartheid’ when she refuses to support measures that could ensure a safe environment for businesses to operate,” reads Johnston’s post in part.
The direct words about business in another member’s district violated unspoken etiquette often observed between district councilmembers. It also elevated the conversation to be about more than just one store.
A recently shuttered Dollar General location on Lafayette Street
“It really has nothing to do with the Dollar General closing at all — it was about the hypocrisy of the councilmember of that district to publicly shame the business for closing,” Johnston tells the Scene. “We have good Democrats that do good work on council. But we also have activists who are not loyal to their constituents but to their own ideology.”
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While Dollar General has not publicly stated why it closed the Lafayette store, Johnston pinned it on high crime, a problem she blames on colleagues’ lack of support for police. The debate follows the council’s narrow recent rejection of Fusus, a video integration tool used by police, which Johnston supported and Vo opposed.
Soon after Johnston’s post, District 30 Councilmember Sandra Sepulveda pushed back on her neighboring councilmember’s analysis. In between posts about holiday movies, Sepulveda penned her own statement.
“DG’s cameras did not work," Sepulveda wrote in part. "I hear they have quite a bit of money. They could have installed new ones. Public safety is more than just one thing. CM Vo and her community have been pushing hard for a grocery store for a long time. This comes down to more than just public safety but [Johnston is] not really trying to understand.”
The multi-post thread invited vicious, personal backlash from several X accounts, including at least one call for a candidate to run for Sepulveda’s seat in the next election. Sepulveda is term-limited. She declined the Scene's request for comment.
Vo tells the Scene she was at a conference for much of the week and chose to stay out of the fray on social media.
"I have consistently advocated for comprehensive public safety solutions that address root causes like poverty, inequities and a lack of access to essential resources," Vo tells the Scene in a statement. "My commitment remains to serve all residents of District 17 with integrity and a focus on equity, safety and progress."
Johnston’s Facebook post prompted a direct appeal from Vice Mayor Angie Henderson requesting that Johnston consider editing her wording. Johnston declined.
"I encourage councilmembers not to make their frustrations over certain votes accusatory or personal," Henderson tells the Scene. "It is important as elected officials that we bring our most collegial and constructive selves to the floor of the council chamber as well as to online platforms."
The Metro Council reconvenes for a regularly scheduled meeting on Dec. 17.
