East Village toilets now closed

[Regulator75]

Transient drug addicts and other undesirables appear to be using those shiny toilets and deck chairs in the East Village as an anything goes area.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgar...suse-1.2633462

Some public amenities in Calgary’s up-and-coming East Village have been scaled back because they were being used for what officials call “inappropriate behaviour.”

Two automated public toilets at River Walk Plaza that used to be open 24/7 are now only available on special occasions, and 10 lounge chairs that were scattered around the riverside patios have been put in storage.

[undercoverbrother]

This is why we can't have nice things.

[northcrunk]

I don't know what they expected. Why the hell would you put this stuff out when there isnt even any development finished in the east village. Of course the only people hanging out there are addicts.

[Tyler]

Probably won't be an issue so much once more people start moving into the East Village, but if all you have over there are transients and Drop In users, I can see how this could be an issue

[Wormius]

I liked those lounge chairs! Who cares if people sleep on them overnight? Are they going to get rid of park benches too then?

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Tyler

Probably won't be an issue so much once more people start moving into the East Village,

Good point, it is the Latte Sippers fault.

[Temporary_User]

The timing seems odd. I don't get though is you would think they would have given this summer another try. When were they first installed? Last summer because of the flood, and this winter because it was winter, weren't really good opportunities to test them out and get people down to the East Village.

They will open the bathrooms when events are on, so that is good.

[corporatejay]

Maybe this makes me an insensitive jerk but this comment really pissed me off. Like we should just accept transients and drug users as "part of the community".

But Deb Newman, executive director with the Calgary Drop-In Centre, said the East Village needs to work harder at including the homeless in the community because they are part of it.
“The intention of these public facilities was that it would be for the use of all members of this community.”

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/ca...944/story.html

[peter12]

The tags for this thread are wonderful.

[Hockeyguy15]

I could see if they were banning homeless from using the bathroom for what it's intended for but come on, they are using it for illegal activity. Give your head a shake Deb Newman.

[peter12]

To say that these facilities are being abused is to put it lightly. The permanent underclass that inhabits the area surrounding the East Village cannot be expected to integrate into the greater community of middle and upper-middle class yuppies slowly gentrifying the neighbourhood. Injection drug use is a criminal offence. Instead of closing down the facilities entirely, and punishing the entire community, I would expect there to be more police patrols.

What is, in reality, a matter of social degeneracy is turned into another crusade for the victim's rights industry.

[troutman]

Is it better or worse that they use these toilets or the bushes along the banks of the Bow River?

[peter12]

Originally Posted by troutman

Is it better or worse that they use these toilets or the bushes along the banks of the Bow River?

Why should either be accepted? Both practices are anti-social, illegal, and disgusting.

Is it better or worse that more arrests are made or more are allowed to continue this activity?

[SportsJunky]

Originally Posted by peter12

Why should either be accepted? Both practices are anti-social, illegal, and disgusting.

Everyone poops Peter.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by SportsJunky

Everyone poops Peter.

I believe we are talking about the injection of heroin.

[Voodooman]

Indeed, what a shocking development this turned out to be...people sleeping in the lounge chairs and using the washrooms for unsavoury activities, 2 blocks from the drop-in centre. Who could have seen this coming?

This whole East Village revitalization/gentrification idea seems ill fated from the beginning. Firstly, who in their right mind is going to buy a condo for upwards of $350K down there? The drop-in centre isn't going anywhere, nor are the low-income housing towers closer to 9th Ave. The neighbourhood will never fully gentrify, as there will always be the element that the drop-in centre brings along with it in the area. You can add all the lighting and police patrols you want to the area, but the bottom line is, many people will be uncomfortable walking around that area, especially at night. I for one know that I won't be comfortable letting my wife go down there to meet the girls for drinks when restaurants and bars are opened.

I think that it would be better to focus the area on better servicing the population that is already in the area. Add more low-income housing, relocate social services to the neighbourhood, etc. Of course, when I propose this, my NDP voting friends accuse me of creating a ghetto, and ask if I want to put up electrified fences to keep the population contained. I don't think that's necessary at all. Razor wire has the same effect at much less of a cost.

[Hack&Lube]

I'm not sure how gentrification of the neighbourhood would stop transients and addicts from misusing the facilities. They would probably care less that there are yuppies around and continue to use the bathrooms, bushes, etc. around the area.

Calgary has been able to gentrify other notorious neighbourhoods and streets but none of them have had a large permanent fixture like the drop-in-centre in them. What were the original reasons for placing it there? The East Village project and the Drop-In-Centre are going to butt heads and neither is going to go away. I have no idea how to solve this.

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by Voodooman

This whole East Village revitalization/gentrification idea seems ill fated from the beginning. Firstly, who in their right mind is going to buy a condo for upwards of $350K down there? The drop-in centre isn't going anywhere, nor are the low-income housing towers closer to 9th Ave. The neighbourhood will never fully gentrify, as there will always be the element that the drop-in centre brings along with it in the area. You can add all the lighting and police patrols you want to the area, but the bottom line is, many people will be uncomfortable walking around that area, especially at night. I for one know that I won't be comfortable letting my wife go down there to meet the girls for drinks when restaurants and bars are opened.

Enough that 3 towers are already under construction (First, Fuse, and Pulse), and almost all the other available parcels of land have been sold to developers.

[Bill Bumface]

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.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by peter12

Why should either be accepted? Both practices are anti-social, illegal, and disgusting.

Is it better or worse that more arrests are made or more are allowed to continue this activity?

Would more arrests reduce the activity? I'm not sure users are deterred by arrests, or off the streets for long if they are arrested. It is a complicated problem.