East Village toilets now closed

[Envitro]

Maybe they thought, if you build it they will "come" ??

[habernac]

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

The DIC is a massive boondoggle that continues to rear it's ugly head. I do have hope for the East Village though, the plan is sound. You just need a big push of initial momentum, which appears to be happening. You fill the area with enough residents, and no problem. I bet most people feel a lot safer walking by the Mustard Seed, because they are in a fairly developed neighborhood with lots of eyes on the street.

The Riverwalk by the time you hit Langevin is like a homeless zombie apocalypse as of last year. I doubt many people are going to grab a seat on a bench when there is a circle of 10 homeless guys hanging out. I also wish they'd do something to discourage people from hanging out under Langevin itself.

For awhile, they had regular police mountain bike patrols, no one was hanging around up to no good in those areas. I remember riding that stretch 7 or 8 years ago, some dealer was counting a mountain of 20's right on the busy bikepath. A toothless addict was wandering down the same path with no pants on. It's devolving back to that again.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by Envitro

Maybe they thought, if you build it they will "come" ??

And the homeless will go?

[peter12]

Originally Posted by habernac

For awhile, they had regular police mountain bike patrols, no one was hanging around up to no good in those areas. I remember riding that stretch 7 or 8 years ago, some dealer was counting a mountain of 20's right on the busy bikepath. A toothless addict was wandering down the same path with no pants on. It's devolving back to that again.

Exactly the same thing is happening in the Beltline now.

[Bill Bumface]

I don't think they ever went anywhere. The police pick their flavor of the year, and they either give the guys downtown a hard time, so they go out to the surrounding communities. Or the communities are complaining, so they go after them, and back downtown they go. I have seen way less homeless across the river this year, so it wouldn't surprise me if that was what was going on.

Again, multiple, smaller shelters sure would've been nice. Instead, they might as well just put up a giant neon sign that says "Dealers wait out here" beside the DI.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

I don't think they ever went anywhere. The police pick their flavor of the year, and they either give the guys downtown a hard time, so they go out to the surrounding communities. Or the communities are complaining, so they go after them, and back downtown they go. I have seen way less homeless across the river this year, so it wouldn't surprise me if that was what was going on.

Again, multiple, smaller shelters sure would've been nice. Instead, they might as well just put up a giant neon sign that says "Dealers wait out here" beside the DI.

Very reasonable point. The Drop-Inn Hotel/Centre was basically the worst thing to happen to the downtown.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by peter12

Exactly the same thing is happening in the Beltline now.

Yeah, it's getting a little out of control there too. A couple months ago a dude actually opened my moms car while she was sitting in it, and asked her for change. Talk about ballsy.

I feel like the homeless/transient problem has only grown over the last few years (or at least since I've been back to Calgary). It should not be normal or ok, and it should not be accepted as something we all just have to deal with...I really don't want Calgary to turn into SF in this way.

I do wonder what the long-term plan for the city/police is on this front...I emailed my alderman once, but have yet to hear back. Maybe something to ask Bunk in the Mayor thread!

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Table 5

Yeah, it's getting a little out of control there too. A couple months ago a dude actually opened my moms car while she was sitting in it, and asked her for change. Talk about ballsy.

I feel like the homeless/transient problem has only grown over the last few years (or at least since I've been back to Calgary). It should not be normal or ok, and it should not be accepted as something we all just have to deal with...I really don't want Calgary to turn into SF in this way.

I do wonder what the long-term plan for the city/police is on this front...I emailed my alderman once, but have yet to hear back. Maybe something to ask Bunk in the Mayor thread!

Maybe Ralph has the right idea.

[strombad]

Everyone knows they're just people without homes right? Who cares where they hang out?

Fix the fact that they're homeless, not where they're hanging out or where high police presence happens to be.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by strombad

Everyone knows they're just people without homes right? Who cares where they hang out?

Fix the fact that they're homeless, not where they're hanging out or where high police presence happens to be.

Never mind that they aren't infants, and are partially responsible for their predicaments.

[northcrunk]

Originally Posted by peter12

Never mind that they aren't infants, and are partially responsible for their predicaments.

Speaking to a person who works with a charity in the city that helps low income people out they said it is astounding how many people come to Calgary from other parts of canada and ask how they get their "ralf bucks". They all expect it is easy to just show up in Calgary and two days later you will be working in oil and gas on a rig.

[strombad]

Originally Posted by peter12

Never mind that they aren't infants, and are partially responsible for their predicaments.

Well sure, just like how many people who get cancer are partially responsible for their cancer, and we still give them all the help they need, don't we?

[peter12]

Originally Posted by strombad

Well sure, just like how many people who get cancer are partially responsible for their cancer, and we still give them all the help they need, don't we?

Kind of a leap between cancer and homelessness. Obviously there are other factors that should be considered.

[Hockeyguy15]

Originally Posted by strombad

Well sure, just like how many people who get cancer are partially responsible for their cancer, and we still give them all the help they need, don't we?

Not really the same though. A lot of the homeless population has some sort of addiction or mental illness or combination of both. You can offer all the programs and help you want, but they have to actually want it and continue to use them to get out of their situation.

You would think people with cancer for the most part would do whatever they could to get better.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Hockeyguy15

Not really the same though. A lot of the homeless population has some sort of addiction or mental illness or combination of both. You can offer all the programs and help you want, but they have to actually want it and continue to use them to get out of their situation.

You would think people with cancer for the most part would do whatever they could to get better.

Smokers strongly agree with you post.

[sketchyt]

Originally Posted by peter12

Never mind that they aren't infants, and are partially responsible for their predicaments.

In my time spent with the homeless, it was pretty shocking to me how many of them had (or what I thought had) some form of mental illness. Educate people who see them simply as listerine sipping bums, get these people the mental health support they need, and the homeless "problem" is reduced dramatically.

Arresting heroin users does nothing. Arresting dealers is a temporary fix. Building a drop-in centre elsewhere only displaces the problem. The people who actually need help are typically the ones we don't see. But hey, shame about those toilets.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by Hockeyguy15

Not really the same though. A lot of the homeless population has some sort of addiction or mental illness or combination of both. You can offer all the programs and help you want, but they have to actually want it and continue to use them to get out of their situation.

You would think people with cancer for the most part would do whatever they could to get better.

Well, this is a whole different ballgame, but addiction is not an illness.

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by peter12

Never mind that they aren't infants, and are partially responsible for their predicaments.

So, you don't like homeless people and are concerned they "are the worst thing to happen to downtown". Your suggested solution to this problem is not for us to try and make them not to be homeless, but instead just be mad at them for being homeless because they did something (or many things) wrong in their life?

You can't yell at someone into not being homeless. You can't fix mental illness by being concerned that they are sleeping on a deck chair. You can't fix drug addiction by locking the bathroom they are shooting up in.

[Hockeyguy15]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

Smokers strongly agree with you post.

If you want to isolate 'people with cancer' to people who have cancer from smoking. If that is what strombad was going for then maybe he should have been more specific.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by Rathji

So, you don't like homeless people and are concerned they "are the worst thing to happen to downtown". Your suggested solution to this problem is not for us to try and make them not to be homeless, but instead just be mad at them for being homeless because they did something (or many things) wrong in their life?

You can't yell at someone into not being homeless. You can't fix mental illness by being concerned that they are sleeping on a deck chair. You can't fix drug addiction by locking the bathroom they are shooting up in.

No, I think the drop-in centre was the worst thing to happen to the downtown.