bman
New Albany
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cr0m wrote >>
howatzer wrote >>
And if that's too hard, move to Hilliard and just spew about it on the internet.....
Yeah! Hilliard people suck! Yeah!
crOm ... don't you know your kids are supposed to suffer so that you can help eradicate the homeless bums from the urban center? I applaud you for putting your family first.
Core_Models
Columbus
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I'm 100% in support of taking the mentally ill/dangerous/confrontational folks off the street as Bear mentioned. This thread, however, hasn't provided much anecdotal evidence of that. From the stray cat that wasn't properly cared for to the comparison to firefighters collecting for Jerry's Kids, I'm reading more of a "poor people are such a nuisance" vibe than a "threatening homeless people are laying siege to the Short North" one.
Coy
Discovery District
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bman wrote >>
Corey Aumiller wrote >>
This whole thread is obnoxious. A bunch of cry babies bitching about people less fortunate than them "bothering" and "harassing" them for help... and on the other end, people bitching about providing social justice with other people on the internet, which costs about $30 a month. Talk is cheap. Organize to do something positive or just stick to talking about local events.+1
So, bman, you +1 this, and then go on to explain that the way you "do something positive" is to give up and move away? I'm pretty sure the reason this tread took a nose dive is because of your snarky posts.
We're talking about a minority of vagrants that are getting pretty aggressive.
My 5ft tall fiancee works in the Short North and has had more than one of them walk in the store and expose himself to her. We're talking about folks droppin trow' and crapping in the alleys.
We're not talking about a cookie cutter suburb, none of us want that.
We actually love the inner city, and this is exactly how people get organized to figure out a decent solution. They start a conversation. And many folks on here have made a point to express that its not the homeless population as a whole, just a weird drugged out minority that is making it feel not so safe.
I believe that the recent history of the Short North becoming an arts district actually started with people taking back the neighborhood and making it what it is today.
And @Corey, I appreciate your passion, but you probably just took away from where this thread could have gone. You aren't really giving any actual solutions. The business my fiancee works at is Global Gallery, one of the few Fair Trade organizations in this city. They work to help decrease poverty across the world, indirectly helping people avoid homelessness. You could start by shopping there.
Or hit up Cafe Bella in Clintonville and talk to Vince about what he goes to help out food pantries.
My band, Billy Two Shoes, has given thousands of dollars to local food pantries, we don't keep anything at all, 100% non profit.
So, there are folks on here that are doing something... we're also just having a conversation, too, so chill.
Corey A
Clintonville
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Coy wrote >>
bman wrote >>
Corey Aumiller wrote >>
This whole thread is obnoxious. A bunch of cry babies bitching about people less fortunate than them "bothering" and "harassing" them for help... and on the other end, people bitching about providing social justice with other people on the internet, which costs about $30 a month. Talk is cheap. Organize to do something positive or just stick to talking about local events.+1
So, bman, you +1 this, and then go on to explain that the way you "do something positive" is to give up and move away? I'm pretty sure the reason this tread took a nose dive is because of your snarky posts.
We're talking about a minority of vagrants that are getting pretty aggressive.
My 5ft tall fiancee works in the Short North and has had more than one of them walk in the store and expose himself to her. We're talking about folks droppin trow' and crapping in the alleys.
We're not talking about a cookie cutter suburb, none of us want that.
We actually love the inner city, and this is exactly how people get organized to figure out a decent solution. They start a conversation. And many folks on here have made a point to express that its not the homeless population as a whole, just a weird drugged out minority that is making it feel not so safe.
I believe that the recent history of the Short North becoming an arts district actually started with people taking back the neighborhood and making it what it is today.
And @Corey, I appreciate your passion, but you probably just took away from where this thread could have gone. You aren't really giving any actual solutions. The business my fiancee works at is Global Gallery, one of the few Fair Trade organizations in this city. They work to help decrease poverty across the world, indirectly helping people avoid homelessness. You could start by shopping there.
Or hit up Cafe Bella in Clintonville and talk to Vince about what he goes to help out food pantries.
My band, Billy Two Shoes, has given thousands of dollars to local food pantries, we don't keep anything at all, 100% non profit.
So, there are folks on here that are doing something... we're also just having a conversation, too, so chill.
There are also a lot of folks who make assumptions about others and then spout off about those assumptions as though they are truths. How do you know I've never patronized the businesses you mentioned? How do you know that I haven't asked Vince for advice in starting a Giving Garden at the high school where I teach?
My objection to the way folks are using CU.com is that we often fall into an Us v. Them mentality when we should really be offering support to one another. That said, my initial post in this thread wasn't really meeting that spirit, either. I'll blame that on Elevator's 13% brew :)
bman
New Albany
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@Coy
So this thread went south with my +1 of Corey's post that people should do something other than bitch about it. My snarky posts caused this is funny, my posts did not get snarky until I was called a prick. I am sure you and your fiance do great things for the community where you live, I applaud that man. My point was to not bitch about the homeless when you live downtown in a major city. There are things you should expect where you live, for me I have problems with skunks and coyotes, SN and near DT dwellers have other issues. I have never turned and ran from a community where I lived. I just have never lived in a near DT area for the reason I mention. I love to visit the SN but it is just not some place I want to live, I appreciate those that do though.
I will put up with my skunks and coyotes out here in New Albany. BTW, my neighbors aren't pricks. LOL
cr0m
"Lower" Hilliard
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Core_Models wrote >>
I'm 100% in support of taking the mentally ill/dangerous/confrontational folks off the street as Bear mentioned. This thread, however, hasn't provided much anecdotal evidence of that. From the stray cat that wasn't properly cared for to the comparison to firefighters collecting for Jerry's Kids, I'm reading more of a "poor people are such a nuisance" vibe than a "threatening homeless people are laying siege to the Short North" one.
Well said.
Howatzer, I yield to you. My Internet entrails are yours to shred.:-)
Out of respect for the board (and people I care about) I'd rather get back on topic...
So, you clean up one area only to move the issue to another don't you? There is the argument that the Short North is a residential/commercial area now rather than an arts district. Don't you need more enforcement in areas where having homeless on the streets can affect business and the security of the residents? I think you do. I still say shuffling the issue from one part of town to another solves absolutely nothing though. Metal illness coupled with poverty blows all around and I can't help but feel for these people, I admit it. How many incidents of violence by the homeless have occurred in the Short North? Does that data even exist?
atalou
ShoNo
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Corey Aumiller wrote >>
@ atalou: In my own neighborhood of Clintonville we recently watched a group of transients take up residence in the Glen Echo Ravine where we walk our dog. They littered the place with bottles, cans, tents and obscenities. My spouse was harassed by them on her afternoon walks and neither of us felt comfortable going over there anymore.
I called the non-emergency police line and made them aware of the situation. Within a day, the camp was broken up. Was it the most helpful or humane thing I could do for the individuals living in the park? No, It was self serving, but it was pro-active. Much more so than logging into CU.com and railing against homeless people, and other Columbusites in other parts of town.
My initial response to this post simply implied that the tone of this thread had become unnecessarily derogatory towards the homeless, and towards one another. I'm truly sorry that you've had trouble with homeless people in your neighborhood. I'm flattered that you think your area of town is the only place where anecdotes like this are made, but the truth is it's a bigger problem than that.
I think we're on facing pages in the same book. I was actually ignoring the off-topic homeless haters and was really trying to stay on task with the initial question posed - Is it just me or are there way more bums around the Short North this summer? I in no way meant that the solution was to transport them to the 'burbs nor did I mean to insinuate that the problem did not exist elsewhere. And, I certainly did not want to turn it into a battle between inner city dwellers and suburbanites...geesh, people.
Like core, I've had several positive experiences with the regular neighborhood bums. In fact, there are a few I am kind of grateful that they're around because I know they are the eyes and ears of the 'hood. I kind of consider a few bums, homeless wanderers, drifters, hobos, street junkies and the like a part of the city fabric. However, yes, there are way more bums this summer and I am actually glad someone noticed. And, I think - along with my fellow neighbors - there are more positive ways to handle the situation than ranting online...but without such ranting I would have continued to walk around in a funk asking MYSELF, "Is it just me or are there way more bums in the Short North this summer."
GW_Justice
Grandview Hts.
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I understand the people who have been saying "stop bitching about homeless and do something for those in your neighborhood". There has been lots of talk, and not enough action.
But there is a reason that people in the suburbs like Grandview don't have to deal with homeless in our parks and streets, they have all been shooed away, and there is little help from social agencies that can help them afford to live here. So Campus and the short north gets all the problems of this group funneled onto your streets. And we sit in our backyards and swap stories about how we were inconvenienced by the homeless on a visit to the SN, and wonder if we will ever return.
I don't see this problem being solved on the local level. It is like this all over the country. There is only one of the national political parties that has any interest in solving the problem.
Red Sun Rising
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I've noticed the increase as well. It is sad. I'm happy to see that people here are concerned with the issue and are having a dialog on what it means and a desire to take actions to remedy this troubling social dilemma. Thank you for that.
Although this event doesn't necessarily solve the dilemma, it may be good for the soul to participate in and connect with the homeless if you are interested:
http://www.goodneighborspicnic.org/volunteer
Perhaps it would be a good place to meet others concerned about the homeless, start a think tank and discuss and implement solutions.
We are a world, and it is certainly a complicated one.
Peace through kindness to all beings.
cyclist II
Short North & Peach District
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there too many people on this forum this summer
KingLincolnUrbanEnthusiast
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I heard there is a camp for these folks in Hilliards! My suggestion is give them the bus fare to head out West/way West. The bottom line is that CPD and Law enforcement is not enforcing the laws as aggressively as they should across all spectrums. We have become way too lenient of lawlessness by enabling all sorts of deviant behaviors - law says no panhandlers these folks should spend the night in jail. If you steal where is the public prosecutor. Unfortunately when you live in an urban environment the only thing that keeps the pot from boiling over is the law, police, codes and other citizens screaming and aggressively hounding non-compliance - I'm getting off this shtick!
howatzer
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This thread isn't about the homeless. It's about BUMS. These are the winos that spend the day drinking 40's in your park/alley/stoop/etc., with the occasional shit or piss on/in your trash can or next to your garage door. They're the guys that like to throw their trash around your neighborhood because putting it the trashcans is too much effort. They'll ask for change, and if you say no but you'll be happy to help them find food or shelter, they tell you to fuck off. If you give them money, 5 more will be there the next day to ask you too.
They have zero respect for anything but getting wasted. I have no concern for them other than having them go elsewhere.
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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Just a few quick thoughts...
cr0m wrote >>
This is an issue in any downtown area of a big city. What about King Lincoln, OTE, Franklinton? Do they have the same homeless issue?
I've lived in the KLD for nearly three years now and I don't recall ever once being asked for spare change while walking around. I think someone pointed out earlier that "bums" go where there is money (ie: a commercial district like the Short North) so there's really not much reason to hang around in a mostly residential area like the KLD.
I work Downtown and get asked for change maybe once or twice a week. It's never been "aggressive" and I politely say no. It's really a non-issue, although I can see why it would bother some people if they're unfamiliar in handling that type of interaction.
When visiting the Short North or the campus areas, the amount of "bums" is noticeably higher, but again, I've never felt that any interactions with anyone have been hostile or aggressive. Maybe I've just lucked out.
Corey Aumiller wrote >>
My initial response to this post simply implied that the tone of this thread had become unnecessarily derogatory towards the homeless, and towards one another.
Thanks to everyone who tried to steer it back on track.
bman wrote >>
And I will take my New Albany pricks over people shitting, pissing, puking and sleeping in my landscaping.
This is quite the over-exaggeration. I'm sure it's something that some people have dealt with on a pretty infrequent basis, but I highly doubt it's a regular issue for anyone. I've lived in German Village, Merion Village, the Brewery District and the King Lincoln District and the only time I've ever encountered the shit-piss-puke problem you describe is when I lived next to OSU. ;) And it wasn't due to bums or the homeless. ;) And it was generally only an occasional thing on football weekends. ;)
Last night, I put my kiddo to bed, in this most unholy of urban places, and we fell asleep listening to the crickets chirping outside and the occasional car going by (I hear they have cars in the suburbs too). I'd hope that everyone lives where they live because they enjoy it, and can continue to talk about the things they enjoy rather than the judgmental reasons why other people shouldn't be living where they choose to live.
cc
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Walker wrote I'd hope that everyone lives where they live because they enjoy it, and can continue to talk about the things they enjoy rather than the judgmental reasons why other people shouldn't be living where they choose to live.
+1 I agree with Walker 100% on this issue. Who are we to judge? The 'homeless' deserve to live their lives also.
suziwest
787 N High Street
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I was once told, point blank, that the Mayor does not support the efforts of the Short North, because they have "already established themselves. It is up to the business owners and property owners to continue the vibrancy of the area."
As I returned from my tax paying business last night en route to my tax paying residence, all located in the Short North...I was verbally assaulted by a jerk flying down the sidewalk on a bike (at 8:30 PM after the biggest OSU game of the season) who yelled at me to "Get the F*ck Out of the way, B*tch." I moved, but another guy waiting for the bus told him to shut up. His quick and witty response for me to "S*** His ****". This is a lot of astericks for a typical blog and a crowded Saturday night. He was ultimately heading to one of the posts, to check up on his "employee" just south of Buttles.
I tire of endlessly calling the police to report panhandling in front of the Mac's Lot. These are not homeless, dear readers. These folks are running an internal operation and they are opportunists. They litter our sidewalks with tin foil discards and beer cans. They intimidate our patrons and make residents like myself embarrassed at our city's inability to control the situation. We had the payroll and ability to police the hell out of Comfest, but when you are looking for armed assistance, you need to call the station and select 3 to report a disturbance, then press 5 to speak to a dispatcher. All this to no avail, as you will find a squad car unable to handle the situation, even though the same "parking lot attendants" are masking cocktails behind the guise of brown bags.
I am infuriated. As an early resident, I was fooled by the situation, until I experienced it day after day. The faces get familiar and the rotations get predictable. The same guy who was baring his hind parts and exploiting our patrons was arrested for the vandalism of several of our store fronts, but the city didn't have enough to hold him in custody.
The only solution, as it was relayed to me by Officer Smith is to continually call the police (note: This is a 3 minute commitment unless you call 911) and stay noisy about the issues of the SN. From waste removal to vandalism to panhandling.
I am no lightweight and can handle my own, but wouldn't it be nice if the attentions that are paid to the overdue meters were appropriately distributed to our police force. And certainly would appreciate Mr.Coleman asserting himself more so to the area north of the Cap.
To my knowledge and experience, there is one guy that suffers from a mental illness between Goodale and 2nd Avenue. If you pay attention, you will occasionally witness him being "coached" by such an opportunist as I have previously noted. The police, the residents and the SNBA are aware of the situation and are doing their best to help this gentlemen. But again it raises the issue of how best to help and who are you helping by depositing coins into the outreach of a cup? And how would an average passerby know who is who?
And if you are looking to avoid the situation, choose Park Street for your commute. No panhandling, just occasional drunks staggering back from the bars south of the Short North.
drew
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Since the weather's been cooler, I've been spending time on my front porch on Highland (in Victorian Village) quite a bit. I get hit up for money at least two or three times a week just sitting there... and this is a good 8 blocks west of High St.
What concerns me is that I don't think these people are just panhandlers. I often watch them before they come up to me, and often I can tell that they're casing the street... looking into cars, peeking around gates and into garages. Pretty ballsy to then ask someone sitting out for money!
Unsurprisingly, theft has been an increasing problem in the area. I was told that an officer attends the SNBA meetings, and that he explained that the redistricting has meant a loss of 27 police in the greater SN area. He apparently also suggested that he thought the criminals were testing the limits of the new realignment. What I didn't hear was whether or not he thought this 'testing' was something that required a police response.
somertimeoh
Harrison West
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Saturday when I was checking ID's at PBR party some dude came up (drunk, but not sure if he was a "bum" or not) asked to buy a smoke. I apologized and said I was low and stuck there so if I ran out I was screwed. Said I was sorry again and turned back around to what I was doing. His angry response, "Sorry? You're a sorry bitch!". Well, OK then. Sigh.
vestanpance
Harrison West/at work OSU
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