Littlepage: We need to clear downtown of hobos

[thelakelander]

Sheriff John Rutherford is pushing an aggressive plan to rid downtown of the undesirable elements that are stifling revitalization efforts.

He didn't pull punches when speaking to a group of downtown business owners, merchants and residents Wednesday afternoon.

Rutherford began by recalling patrolling downtown two decades ago.

"That's the exact same problem we had back then," he said. "The response has been the same for the last 20 years. And guess what? It's not working."

The downtown troublemakers are often broad brushed as "the homeless," but Rutherford said those without homes who are down on their luck, looking for work and in need of services from such agencies as Sulzbacher aren't the problem.

This is the problem as he sees it.

"I'm going to call them what they are," Rutherford said. "They are hoboes.

Full article: http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/400601/ron-littlepage/2011-10-14/we-need-clear-downtown-hoboes

[peestandingup]

God, some of these people are clueless. They really can't see beyond what's right in front of them can they? Can we all pitch in & buy the good Sheriff a plane ticket so he can fly to other cities that have thriving cores so he can see that they have just as many panhandlers, homeless, etc (if not more) than what's in our measly Hemming Plaza??

Nah, it's not shitty planning, lack of vision, uncontrolled sprawl, or lack of a decent transit network. It's those damn hoboes! Clean them out & watch your downtown just take right off.

P.S. I'm not saying just let homeless people take over your city, but to say that they're the direct cause of "stifling revitalization" is just idiotic.

[Garden guy]

He can't help it....he's a republican who like his fellow republicans could care less about the homeless or downtrodden...i wonder when first baptist is going to open a help shelter?...is'nt that what a good christian is supposed to do?...Help...Has FBC ever had a homeless outreach program?...i wonder what good ole jesus would say about this?

[peestandingup]

He can't help it....he's a republican who like his fellow republicans could care less about the homeless or downtrodden...i wonder when first baptist is going to open a help shelter?...is'nt that what a good christian is supposed to do?...Help...Has FBC ever had a homeless outreach program?...i wonder what good ole jesus would say about this?

Or better yet, what would THEIR version of Jesus do?

[Garden guy]

HE'd probably merry the leader of the NRA and start a cult...same as always.

[vicupstate]

Part of the problem is that the non-homeless don't go DT generally, so the homeless basically have the place to themselves. 

However, you are kidding yourself if you think this issue is not having a negative affect on revitilization efforts.  Perception is realty and the perception is bad.  I'm not saying that the homeless should be rounded up and put on a bus, but the reality of the situation and the perceptions both have to be addressed.     

[Garden guy]

Reality...perception...hmm...so the reality that many many of jacksonville's families have lost thier homes and jobs is'nt understandable by the leadership of this city.....i'd love to see our sheriff spend a week homeless...he would last a night...most of those that make these decisions about the homeless and helpless have very little hands on actual experience being homeless so they really are'nt qualified to make any decisions about that issue....i wish a few of our leaders could see thier mom out there on the streets....or thier sister or brother...the cold hearted leaders we have in this city are just lost and unknowing....hmm...sounds like FBC....they close their eyes to the world around them...I bring food every week to the shelter..i wonder how much time and money and food our sheriff puts in at the homeless shelters?

[fsujax]

GG, you have no clue as to what you are talking about. The members of FBC do more than you will ever know to help the homeless and other people who have fallen on hard times. I speak from experience. I happen to be a member there and know what the church does. I have made the case in other threads before, so not going to rehash here. What about Bethel, the Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church, the Luthern Church, the AME church, the Catholic church?? FBC isnt the only church in Downtown.

[Garden guy]

Great..please explain exactly how many of the millions that fbc is sitting on goes to help the city and it's homeless and destitute?....how many drug programs..job programs...how many homeless are now being employeed by FBC...you guys are the richest in the city...you should have programs...are those programs known to the homeless?...i go down 2 days a week to deliver food and i've never met anyone from FBC on the streets...are they there?

[north miami]

' Homeless' camps within a few hundred yards from Ron Littlepage's office alongside McCoys creek are a proven debilitating effect on Downtown Urban Waterway Recreation and Restoration.

See Metro Jacksonville forum; Downtown.  Started by North Miami  Noone Hogans,McCoys,Fishweir creek trifecta

McCoys creek section

[JHAT76]

Reality...perception...hmm...so the reality that many many of jacksonville's families have lost thier homes and jobs is'nt understandable by the leadership of this city.....i'd love to see our sheriff spend a week homeless...he would last a night...most of those that make these decisions about the homeless and helpless have very little hands on actual experience being homeless so they really are'nt qualified to make any decisions about that issue....i wish a few of our leaders could see thier mom out there on the streets....or thier sister or brother...the cold hearted leaders we have in this city are just lost and unknowing....hmm...sounds like FBC....they close their eyes to the world around them...I bring food every week to the shelter..i wonder how much time and money and food our sheriff puts in at the homeless shelters?

I do think there is a difference between families who have lost their homes and what the sheriff calls hoboes (hobos?).  By that I mean down on their luck versus the people urinating in bushes and/or masturbating in the library and generally leaving a mess wherever they camp.  Now what percentage is one or the other I don't know.  Also a lot of the ones doing the "hobo" stuff are mentally ill and unfortunately just left on the streets, but its clear there are those that are not just looking for a help.

So back to perception.  People who are looking to go out to dinner, buy/rent a condo, or relocate a business and step off the Skyway into Hemming Plaza and smell the urine and see people sleeping on benches in the small park behind the library might think to themselves that this is not where I want to be.  Combine that with the lack of crowds and you get a downtown that many people simply don't want to visit. 

[Captain Zissou]

Garden Guy, I'd learn to spell before making such uninformed sweeping generalizations.

Just an FYI, it is fact that on a per capita basis Republicans give a larger percentage of their income to charity than your hallowed Dems.

I'd like to think you're smarter than you sound, but it's tough to tell by reading some of your posts.

[Ocklawaha]

GG, you have no clue as to what you are talking about. The members of FBC do more than you will ever know to help the homeless and other people who have fallen on hard times. I speak from experience. I happen to be a member there and know what the church does. I have made the case in other threads before, so not going to rehash here. What about Bethel, the Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church, the Luthern Church, the AME church, the Catholic church?? FBC isnt the only church in Downtown.

Consider the military sage that teaches us, the largest targets will always draw the poorest shots.

OCKLAWAHA

[SaraD]

Stephen,

on this point

'In fact, in some ways they do more than others.  For example (and Chris can back me up here) our system isnt really set up for people who have no chance of working long term.  Once you 'exhaust' a preset allotted share of services, you can't get them again---so many days allowed at the Salvation Army, so many days allowed at Sulzbacher, so many rent assistances, so many food bank trips etc..  Its really only set up for people who are having temporary problems.'

Actually, there is no limit to the services at the Sulzbacher Center in regards to how long you can stay. The SC does not have limits on that. The average length of stay is two months but if an individual needs longer they can have it as long as they are actively working on their case plan. The center holds people accountable and requires them to be actively participating in their own rehabilitation. The Sulzbacher Center has over the years been successful in helping people from all walks of life get back on their feet and back into housing. This includes people who are homeless for the first time and also people who are chronically homeless (1+ years on the street). So I would disagree with the statement that the Sulzbacher Center is only a solution for people with temporary problems.

Thanks,

Sara D.

[Tacachale]

I don't think a day center away from downtown (NOT the landfill) is a bad idea. The current system of catch-and-release at the downtown jail doesn't do anyone any good. At this point we're arresting drunks, panhandlers, drug addicts, and others all across Duval County and bringing them downtown, where we just release them to the streets when they've done their time. For those who don't have inclination to leave and a way to do it, where else are they going to go? Why not have a day facility, and why not have it away from downtown?

I also have absolutely no objection to cracking down on certain undesirable behaviors such as panhandling, which is also engaged in by people who are neither homeless nor "hoboes", and is the kind of thing most people are really talking about when they complain about the "homeless". But the Sheriff could do that now under the current system if he made it a priority.