SAVANNAH, Ga. () — Business owners along West Congress Street and in the downtown tourist district are frustrated with the streak of violence they say seems to keep happening right outside their doors.

Now some are looking to make changes to their operations to keep customers and employees safe.  

“This is a beautiful city, you know, but it is becoming more and more dangerous every single day,” said Troy Moxley, the general manager of Lady and Sons.

The shooting that left 4 injured early Saturday morning isn’t the first incident businesses in the area say has inspired changes to their operations. The Ellis Square mass shooting in May of 2024, the two shootings in one week last August and a recent shooting in March are all still at the top of mind.

“I’ve literally been in our office, and heard our windows crashing, and I heard gunshots.  And it’s pretty scary for us as business operators and for our employees, because, you know, we want to be safe in our own streets and we want to feel like, you know, we don’t have to dodge bullets just to go home every single day,” said Moxley.

Moxley said they changed their closing hours from 11pm to 9pm on the weekends and on weekdays they shut their doors at 8pm. The restaurant hours have been in effect for the last couple of years.

“We like to allow our staff to finish up, get the building ready for the next day and to get home safely, because there’s been instances even before midnight of violence downtown.”

Moxley said physical altercations and stabbings are also an issue in the area.

Several other businesses declined to interview but said they agree. Many are also considering to shut down operations earlier to keep their employees safe from any future incidents.