"Crime-free" zone around new library?

KCPowercat · Post by **KCPowercat** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 9:28 pm

carfreekc wrote: That's ok Fang, fundamentalist Christians already do approach me downtown. ha

Oh god, Carrot Top is annoying enough to scare even the most in-your-face panhandler away! Either that or they'd just face assault charges.

Man does that guy talk to EVERYBODY? I always see him around 10th & Main....I told him I believed in God already and he pretty much left me alone....wasted a couple minutes till my bus came at least.....no harm, no foul i guess.

carfreekc · Post by **carfreekc** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 9:52 pm

FangKC wrote: You can't have a successful downtown business district or attract needed residents if people think they'll be harrassed all the time.

Again, I repeat my assertion that KC leaders must insist that police officers be walking the streets of downtown regularly, and be highly visible.

I lived on the Plaza for a year, and every night I was panhandled while walking home through the Plaza. Every freakin night. And that's our most successful district.

The current library is right by the police station. If they can't solve these problems at the current location within a stone's throw of police headquarters, what hope is there for a magic "zone" for the new one?

And the "zone" is what I have a problem with. I'm certainly not pro-panhandler. I don't like panhandlers, but I haven't particularly had any problems with them downtown, either. (And I haven't had any problems with them when I go to the downtown library.)

But why forbid certain criminals from a public facility and not others? And why in just this location? Why not ban the same petty criminals from the Plaza? Why not ban the aggressive religious people from both the Plaza and downtown who won't accept no as an answer from me when I don't want their propaganda? How is that different from a panhandler who won't listen to the first "no"? Panhandlers might deter people from downtown. Bad drivers might deter people from walking in the city more. Why not ban drivers from that public space?

Fang, your example of the overzealous security guard isn't the only one. I heard second-hand about a professional-type sitting down in front of the library to read during the day, only to get shooed away by a security guard.

And your example of NYC providing more housing in addition to cracking down on panhandling was good. It will be interesting to see what KC's business community comes up with. Mike Hendricks wrote in the Star a few weeks ago about a "compassion zone" for the homeless to consolidate services like the meals at Grace & Holy on Broadway so they're closer to the current shelters, which is not in and of itself a bad idea, necessarily. But what exactly will a "compassion zone" be? Another part of town to write off, like most of the East Side is now? How far will the Downtown Council really be willing to go? Or will that zone just be to shunt the "undesirables" out of sight and out of mind?

kcteen · Post by **kcteen** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 11:57 pm

I agree with Fang's statement about putting foot patrol cops on the streets in mass. That seems to be the best way to both control panhandlers (and other criminals for that matter) and make people feel safe.

kcteen

Post by **staubio** » Mon Apr 26, 2004 11:05 pm

FYI, this made NPR's Morning Edition. It puts an excellent spin on the state of our downtown.

http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1839786

scooterj · Post by **scooterj** » Tue Apr 27, 2004 8:50 am

101.1 was poking fun at the new library this morning for all of its rules for patrons that are a very thinly veiled attampt to keep the homeless out. Rules about offensive body odors, the number of bags you can bring in, cleanliness, maximum backpack size, no cooking on the premises, etc.

KCK · Post by **KCK** » Tue Apr 27, 2004 1:40 pm

Did anyone visit the old downtown library? The place was like a homeless shelter. Homeless were everywhere sleeping, eating and other shit I don't care to mention. This didn't deter me, but I could just see suburbanites faces at that crap.

LyRiCaL GanGsTa · Post by **LyRiCaL GanGsTa** » Tue Apr 27, 2004 4:26 pm

The old downtown library was the very worst block in ALL of KC. Librarys should be for everyone, the homeless don't allow for that with thier stink, their pan-handling and the other vagrants/criminals that stalked people there. We need to clean up downtown once and for all.