Once-charming mountain escape now battling homelessness homeowners say turned postcard city into no-go zone

For years, Asheville, North Carolina, marketed itself as a mountain escape known for breweries, boutique hotels and Blue Ridge views.

But residents and critics say a different reality has taken shape in the wake of Hurricane Helene: panhandling at intersections, public intoxication, encampments and an unsafe downtown.

Carl Mumpower, a private practice clinical psychologist, lifelong Asheville resident and former City Council member who served from 2001 until 2009, said the city’s current challenges stem from decisions made over decades.

"That plan was ill advised but passed with a super-majority.

At the time, I suggested to the council that any plan that removed personal accountability from the helping equation was doomed to fail."
Mumpower said the city has continued down the same path ever since.

He also argued that city leaders relied on ideas that were not grounded in practical solutions.

These "fantasize interventions," Mumpower said, were accompanied by the city’s pursuit of defunding the police department.

"The council’s political dismantling of the police department — resulting in a 40% reduction due to retirements and resignations — has had a dramatic impact on crime in Asheville," he said.

"Most ‘smaller’ crimes are no longer enforced or realistically tracked, and return on investment costs have skyrocketed.

We have officers who earned over $150,000 in overtime last year due to manpower shortages.

Enforcement is not possible without adequate, motivated personnel."
"The direct impact on residents is increased and unenforced crime, direct exposure to intoxication and violent street behaviors, and burdensome taxes and fees to chase the recycled program pretenses."
GOT A TIP?
Mumpower said many local residents have simply stopped going downtown.

"The single most common phrase uttered by county and surrounding area residents is ‘I don’t go downtown anymore - it’s nasty, crazy, and scary,’" he said.

FOLLOW US ON X
He said tourism also suffers when disorder becomes more visible in the city center.

"Tourism is impacted, and those we attract are often coming here not as families, but as partiers seeking to join the fray."
GET BREAKING NEWS BY EMAIL
The issue has taken on added urgency in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which devastated parts of western North Carolina in September 2024.

Michael Whatley, a Republican candidate for U.S.

Senate in North Carolina, said the storm worsened hardship in the region and exposed failures in the government response.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE US NEWS
"The biggest issue set that we’ve been dealing with, obviously, is the hurricane relief coming on the heels of Hurricane Helene and the fact that the Biden administration and Roy Cooper, when he was governor, failed miserably to help that situation in terms of following the hurricane," Whatley told Fox News Digital.

Whatley said that the administration’s clearance of relief funds will assist residents to get back on their feet.

"We’re certainly not ready to hang up a mission accomplished sign by any stretch of the imagination.

But federal relief that has been put into Western North Carolina is substantially more than has ever been given into North Carolina as a result of any storm by the federal government."
In a statement to Fox News Digital, the City of Asheville said that officials continue to focus on public safety.

A city spokesperson also noted that officials expanded their panhandling ordinance and continue working with community partners like the Asheville Downtown Association and its ADID program.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Cooper's campaign, the Asheville's mayor office and the police department for comment.