One problem, according the N&O article is folks showing up to hand out food. Some days no one comes, some days more than one group comes. They are considering a permit system to hand out food to the homeless.
Have a better idea: STOP HANDING OUT FOOD PERIOD!!!
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OH YEAH, thatād be a great look for the cityā¦ lmao, come on dudeā¦
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You DO NOT have to hand it out at a park where taxpayer spent millions to rehab just a few years ago. There are plenty of shelters (well maybe not āplentyā). Point is there are locations outside of core downtown where food can be distributed in a manner that doesnāt ruin the park. If the homeless are just going to throw trash everywhere why the hell should we allow them to eat there?
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because theyā¦ need to eat
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I will bet you $1 Billion US dollars and 50 cents that the homeless are not the only ones throwing their trash everywhere.
You now owe me $1 Billion US dollars (you can keep the 0.50).
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Thanks, another fellow human being - no, the homeless situation around Moore Sq is not ideal. However, having a group of good Samaritans (or ābleeding heartsā as Uncle Jesse so lovingly puts it) VOLUNTEER their time and money to come help these folks with a hot meal every once in a while is not going to āruin the parkā - however, sure, I can get behind a required permit for groups wanting to do so, if only to make it more organized and have more oversight. Letās all (@UncleJesse) show a little more humility, eh?
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Perhaps the process of providing food to the homeless and hungry proves to be causing litter and āruiningā the park (and Iām not saying that it is, but letās humor those who think it is), the permits and organization of the services who do so should include assurance that the their efforts donāt result in contributing to litter, etc.
Or, maybe we should realize that dollars spent to feed the homeless by charitable organizations are dollars that donāt need to be spent out of pubic coffers, and that regular maintenance scheduling should be accommodating these events by emptying trash bins more frequently, etc.
Orā¦maybe this a good location to test the Moloks since thereās at least a perception that taking care of the poor, homeless and hungry is āruiningā our parks and downtown?
A Christmas market would be successful at Moore Square. I guess we just need an organization to get it started.
You can fence in part of the park with a Christmas tree centerpiece and on the other end host a temporary ice rink.
Wooden cabins for vendors serving mulled wine and snacks and other people selling holiday items/presents, etc.
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Great idea but Iād go even further and say that Iād like to see a weeks long Christmas Market on a stretch of Fayetteville Street that could include a small Winter carnival, ice skating, and lights displays.
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This is my incredibly uneducated opinion. Food handouts need to be give and take. Of course, we want to feed the homeless if theyāre hungry utilizing good programs. But, we also should use food to guide them towards resources they need to take advantage of. You provide constant access to food in the park, and theyāre going to frequent the park because theyāre having their needs met.
We should have food handout areas in front of the Raleigh Rescue Mission and the Salvation Army. Iāll add that, from my interaction with the homeless, there is some negative association with those resources (Iāve been yelled at suggesting them to assist with their requests while walking).
If littering is a problem (Iām not super aware of it being an issue since Moore Square gets cleaned up often by the city), then the permitting could potentially have a cost associated directly with the additional added (not replaced) clean up expenses of the park.
Iāll add that, if folks are concerned about with individuals loitering in the park at all hours of the day, there is a curfew in the park for 11:00 PM. If people are sleeping in the park, then enforcement would need to be discussed (hopefully with compassion and in partnership with appropriate resources).
I donāt personally have any issue with homeless people using the park. āAggressive Panhandlingā is against the written rules of the park, and I donāt believe Iāve actually ever been panhandled directly in the park. Iād just ask that our council is considerate of all parties here. Iām sure there have been plenty of people with negative experiences with issues around here, I just havenāt personally experienced any.
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A balanced, nuanced take. Excellent! Hard to disagree with much, here.
Why donāt you watch this video of todayās City Council meetingā¦& then letās talk about how much you want to wager.
NOT in taxpayer funded parks
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Moore Square is within my viewshed from diagonally across the intersection. Community food events were always rare (once a month or so?) and occurred in the southern linear plaza area, at the Person/Martin corner, not within the park property. Have not seen one for many months now.
Some meals eaten while sitting on the wall. Some taken away. Extra trash bags/bins provided. No mess left behind by participants or volunteers.
Daytime social club convenes in the linear plaza area under the overhanging oak limbs around the tables and chairs provided there. No real notice of anyone hanging out within the park as they did before the makeover. Just kids and their adult keepers there.
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I would love a Christmas Market. I went to the one in Bryant Park in NYC and loved it.
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Quick chime in here. The salvation army moved out of downtown years ago.
Back to the discussion.
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Tough watch, seemingly different meetings from the police chief and transpo leader and the business leaders speaking at this meeting. Iām not sure what the answer is, but these stories are not great, I hope something productive and permanent can be implemented. IMO, increased presence has to be a minimum.
Someone posted, I think it may have been here, that theyāve been to much larger cities with much larger homeless populations that they donāt feel as threatened by those homeless population as the brazen ones here.
Just finished watching. I want to go out and spend more money at these places now to support. I do think that was a pretty big showing there and I do hope the council responds in a big way.
More police funding would be the āeasyā response. Itāll probably lead to the desired change that we want. However, itās not equal and more police presence may lead negative outcomes for some groups.
Right now, I donāt feel thereās time to study and explore. I say give the police what they need to get us back to normal. At the same time, continue advocating for proper policing against marginalized groups.
Maybe the slowing of increased police funding, as a result of protests in 21 and 22, has led to this. At the same time, it was hard to predict the housing situation weāre in right now as well as high inflation.
Itāll take time unfortunately. Really interested to read/hear articles on this topic.
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Yeah that a great idea I think New York has one in the village district. It also a good place to relocate the ice rink.