NEWPORT, Ky. — Newport city leaders say the purchase of nine Monmouth Street properties — including the Brass Ass, the Brass Mule and the Brass Bull — is a public safety investment as the city looks toward future redevelopment.
Police were called to the area more than 1,200 times from 2021 to 2025, according to statistics from the city of Newport. Calls for shots fired came in roughly three times a year, and calls for fights came in every other month on average over those five years.
Brian Steffen, assistant city manager for Newport, said the properties have a long history of public safety concerns…