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[Table 5]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

I live in the beltline, walk, bike, and drive through Victoria Park (and the apparently treacherous Central Park) several times a week, and I've never seen a "gang".

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

I can honeslty say I have never, ever felt unsafe walking anywhere in Calgary

The thing is though that you guys are men (and undercoverbrother, i believe you have military experience as well), and I think for us guys it's a little different. Hell, I've walked through some of the shadiest parts of Brooklyn at 3am, and didn't think twice...even though they were statistically pretty dangerous places.

But when you're a woman, or mom with a child, or hell, dad with a child...it's a little different. Perception of safety, and not just safety, is just as important in building good neighborhoods. Whether a place is safe or not doesn't matter if everyone stays away due to a bad reputation.

I've noticed Central Memorial park get more full with transients over the last year as well. Go there at any time, and 3/4s of the people there are part of this demographic. My wife loves Central Memorial, but stopped going there after a while as she just felt uncomfortable being there with our young daughter, as she was sometimes the only non-homeless person there. And honestly, I don't really feel comfortable with them being there alone either. She never had any issues...but if you're always uncomfortable, it will drive you away.

Just because some 30 year old dude finds it safe, doesn't mean that everyone should. Inner-city people are always puzzled why some avoid coming downtown except to work. Well, this is one of the biggest reasons. This needs to be better addressed.

[strombad]

Originally Posted by Ryan Coke

Yeah, we should just accept gangs, drug dealers and prostitutes, because 'they are part of the community'.

They absolutely need help, just like more violent criminals who also commonly have mental illnesses. But doesn't negate the fact that they are taking part in illegal activities that are not part of societal norms.

I'm sorry, what do the above three groups have to do with the homeless community?

I think we can all agree that dangerous/violent criminals should not be accepted into society, but we're not taking about criminals, we're talking about the homeless community. Last I checked, dealing drugs and gang activity weren't activities exclusively involved in the homeless community. You're simply prejudiced. And prostitutes for that matter, are not breaking the law.

Perhaps educate yourself on who the criminals are before making such generalisations.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

Gangs?

I live in the beltline, walk, bike, and drive through Victoria Park (and the apparently treacherous Central Park) several times a week, and I've never seen a "gang".

You sound like a frightened old woman.

I have no issue with anything I have seen in the city, but my girlfriend has. Big difference, buddy.

[jammies]

I'm looking out from my office onto Central Memorial Park and I don't see any people, never mind homeless people. Where are these gangs - checking out books at the library?

Not that we should beat the homeless with night sticks, but the core is suited to foot patrols far better than car patrols. Visible police presence is a deterrent to all kinds of criminal behaviour, and mooching around in cars, while covering more ground, does not inspire the same feeling of safety. I understand why you can't have officers meandering about somewhere like Arbor Lake, but with the concentration of people in the core there is no reason why officers on foot should not be walking thru, say, Central Memorial Park several times a day/night.

Remembering my own career as a juvenile delinquent, you just shrink back into the dark when the cop car goes by, then go about your business. The very rare occasions when the police actually got out of the car and searched around were when you were in trouble.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by peter12

I have no issue with anything I have seen in the city, but my girlfriend has. Big difference, buddy.

...

Originally Posted by peter12

Central Memorial Park, for a brief time, was one of the most beautiful public spaces in the city. It is now rife with homeless gangs, and a drug dealers. The public building by the library is routinely broken into for use by prostitutes, and evidence of their liaisons strewn about the pavement afterwards. I do not like living with these people.

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by jammies

I'm looking out from my office onto Central Memorial Park and I don't see any people, never mind homeless people. Where are these gangs - checking out books at the library?

Waiting for the food trucks to show up in 15 minutes so they can get their grub on

[Bigtime]

Is the CPS still doing the beat cop thing in the core and Beltline?

[strombad]

Originally Posted by peter12

I have no issue with anything I have seen in the city, but my girlfriend has. Big difference, buddy.

So do you just start doing the passive aggressive "buddy" thing when the pseudo intellectualism runs it's course? Or do you save it for just special people? Is it your girlfriend who is the pseudointellectual that occasionally uses your account, because that may speak to why you originally went from the pseudointellectual that did not like leaving near such things, to the passive aggressive Dane Cook punch line that has no issue at all.

I'm still waiting to see the omnipresent gang activity you've spoken of. Surely one other poster here must be able confirm this assertion.

Wait, you and your girlfriend know that people who wear backwards hats are not officially "gang" members right? They just make illogical fashion choices. It's not yet a crime.

[rubecube]

For someone who claims the academic credentials that you do, peter, you would think you'd be much better at backing up your arguments with credible sources and evidence.

[Wormius]

I don't get it. Our kids used to go to Haultain and Central Memorial Park almost daily when they were in daycare near there. The all female daycare staff didn't seem to have any issue with the area.

Has anything happened against women that would make them feel less safe in that area? I think all the crime has all been male-on-male stuff.

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by rubecube

For someone who claims the academic credentials that you do, peter, you would think you'd be much better at backing up your arguments with credible sources and evidence.

There is a reason his arguments contain lots of weasel words.

[jammies]

Originally Posted by Rathji

Waiting for the food trucks to show up in 15 minutes so they can get their grub on

Noodle Bus ftw! I don't care if there's a gang war going on by the water fountain, I'm eating these delicious noodles!

[irrevocable]

Never felt unsafe in Calgary? Yeah.. I guess you haven't walked around a whole lot. Oy.

[Johnny199r]

People seem to want homeless people to just disappear, because they make others feel uncomfortable by existing on the streets. But of course, we all know that they can't disappear into thin air.

I think this is a good opportunity for the city to try to come up with a new strategy to get more homeless into apartments and on their feet. This exposure could have a positive effect.

It costs far more to a city to have people living on the streets (police resources, hospital visits, shelters etc) than it does for a city to provide them an apartment and resources.

[jammies]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

Is the CPS still doing the beat cop thing in the core and Beltline?

Not that anecdotal absence of evidence is evidence of absence, but I never see foot patrols, and since I both live and work downtown, I find it unlikely. Occasionally I see police talking to someone, but invariably there is a cop car nearby. So, if there are such patrols, they are not as prevalent as they should be, since I'm not deterred from my life of crime at all.

Doesn't the core pay more than half the city's tax revenues? Where's my disproportionate share of the services?!? Rabble rabble!

PS: I do see the bike patrols sometimes. Maybe with the new bike lanes, it'll be feasible to have police cycling around the neighborhood all the time, which is even better than foot patrols.

[irrevocable]

Originally Posted by Johnny199r

People seem to want homeless people to just disappear, because they make others feel uncomfortable by existing on the streets. But of course, we all know that they can't disappear into thin air.

I think this is a good opportunity for the city to try to come up with a new strategy to get more homeless into apartments and on their feet. This exposure could have a positive effect.

It costs far more to a city to have people living on the streets (police resources, hospital visits, shelters etc) than it does for a city to provide them an apartment and resources.

Yeah I get the whole "there are good, decent, homeless folk" I do, believe me. I do, however, see a multitude of homeless on a daily basis.. regular interaction.. and to be quite clear: There are a MASSIVE amount of them abusing certain agencies. CUPS, home placement, etc. They don't change behavior patterns and continue to use street drugs and alcohol.

I'm sick of them.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by irrevocable

Never felt unsafe in Calgary? Yeah.. I guess you haven't walked around a whole lot. Oy.

you guess wrong

[Wormius]

^^ Wow. You lived to talk about it. Must have been pretty harrowing.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Wormius

I don't get it. Our kids used to go to Haultain and Central Memorial Park almost daily when they were in daycare near there. The all female daycare staff didn't seem to have any issue with the area.

Has anything happened against women that would make them feel less safe in that area? I think all the crime has all been male-on-male stuff.

ermmm what?

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

ermmm what?

In response to some of the previous comments that guys feel safe around Central Memorial Park, but don't think that woman do. Despite that most of the assaults are actually against other men, there is little reason for women to feel unsafe there.

Edit: As an aside, people using Tapatalk cannot see the special text formatting.