Riverwalk removing more than benches

[thelakelander]

So what side of the fence do you fall on?  Should we eliminate public amenities to make downtown hostile for the homeless to enjoy them or is there a better way of dealing with this problem?

The Landing's owner says a lack of seating helps scatter homeless.

By Mary Kelli Palka, The Times-Union

Toney Sleiman noticed something interesting about a month ago after he removed a few benches from a gazebo near The Jacksonville Landing, which he owns.

The homeless people who frequently used the benches along the Northbank Riverwalk as makeshift cots to sleep on - day and night - had disappeared.

Well, not literally. But they were out of Sleiman's sight and the view of the people who visit his dining, retail and entertainment venue.

Then, the city started removing more benches from other parts of the Northbank Riverwalk, mostly under the Acosta Bridge, because of similar concerns.

But a call from City Councilman Bill Bishop put a stop to the removal. The benches were put back by the end of the next day, including the ones in the gazebo near the Landing.

Bishop doesn't know if homeless people sleeping on the Riverwalk is a problem. But if it is, the city should beef up police patrols, not remove amenities used by the general public, he said.

"The homeless aren't going to care," Bishop said. "They're going to camp in the bushes if there aren't benches."

full article: http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/031708/met_258519023.shtml

[Dapperdan]

I think a simple pair of cops on bikes constantly patrolling from one end of the riverwalk to the other end, plus the reconfigurment of all the benches to have the arm rest in the middle would do the trick.

[Driven1]

i'm with Bishop on this one.

[thelakelander]

I think a simple pair of cops on bikes constantly patrolling from one end of the riverwalk to the other end, plus the reconfigurment of all the benches to have the arm rest in the middle would do the trick.

Great suggestions.  That does should like an effective way of dealing with the situation.

[zoo]

My favorite part of the article is the last piece of info from Jerry Neal.

"...the homeless won't leave downtown because there are many places in the area for the homeless to eat. But, he said, it's more than just a convenience. 'I'd say it's more a tradition than anything,' he said."

There it is in black and white. Downtown Jacksonville provides the meals and beds, homeless provide the scenery.

[teresangel]

I go walking on the Northbank a lot at night.  Late night.  Probably early morning by most people's standards.  And yeah, there's homeless  sleeping on the benches.  Ironically enough, I never see them on the downtown side of the Haskell building. It's all in front of the St. Joe and Fidelity buildings.  For what it's worth, the homeless are act as if I'm not even there.

[JeffreyS]

I am not an expert but being homeless is a desperate situation. People in desperate situations need help not trust. Counting on homeless to ignore you only needs to go wrong once please be careful.

[teresangel]

Thank you, and I am.  Just one time do I need to appear a victim to the wrong transient.  A lot of times I'm not alone, so that helps.  Seriously, thank you for the concern 

[walter]

"Jerry Neal, 50, came to Jacksonville from Kansas a few years ago. He spent many nights out on the Northbank Riverwalk. He said he now sleeps at a nearby shelter and occasionally does labor work. He was on the Riverwalk on Wednesday to visit with a friend who brought his boat downtown."

Free food, clothes, sympathy....don't have to work, just panhandle for some "spare change" or hang out at the Shell Station on Main and then when your buddy shows up with his boat, you can just hang out, go for a little river cruise and enjoy the scenery.  What a deal, I wouldn't leave either.  No wonder he moved here from Kansas!

[Jerry Moran]

A simple solution for a complex problem...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLNhuUI0O9k

[thelakelander]

how about benches like these?

The hard curved surfaces of this stainless-steel bench, too hot in summer, too cold in winter, repels all but one visitor to Ikebukuro West Park.

more images:
Public Benches Turn 'Anti-Homeless'
http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?article_class=&no=321234&rel_no=1

[Jason]

Now that is Genious!!

[Steve]

I'm for the benches with armrests, but the tube thing seems like a disaster.

[Jason]

The tubes would be fun for the drunks leaving the Landing!

[raheem942]

well i say move the benches and bushes make them stand