 
Sstashmoo
Member
Username: Sstashmoo
Post Number: 237
Registered: 02-2007
| | Posted on Friday, August 10, 2007 - 9:55 pm: |    |
All in all, had a great time.
But, they need to find a solution for the street people. There was one on Michigan that was so high (or something) He walked/wandered/stumbled right out in front of my car, I came within inches of hitting him. Looked away, looked back and there he was, must've emerged between two cars.
Didn't/doesn't New York have a solution for this?
And I gotta ask. What are these people so seemingly happy about? Or is that drug and alcohol induced? Dancing singing?
Definitely impressed with the improvements in the D. Lots going on down there. |
Paulmcall
Member
Username: Paulmcall
Post Number: 329
Registered: 05-2004
| | Posted on Friday, August 10, 2007 - 9:59 pm: | |
He's either on Kwame's staff or someone who voted for him. |
Detroit_stylin
Member
Username: Detroit_stylin
Post Number: 4663
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Friday, August 10, 2007 - 10:05 pm: | |
Possibly the mentally ill that Engler let loose on the streets of the city because suburbia didn't want them in their back yard?
Every homeless person in the city is not on drugs you know.... |
Ray1936
Member
Username: Ray1936
Post Number: 1779
Registered: 01-2005
| | Posted on Friday, August 10, 2007 - 10:12 pm: | |
Well, just made reservations for a trip to Detroit October 17-23. One goal will be to hit the riverwalk. How's the bums doing there? |
Detroit_stylin
Member
Username: Detroit_stylin
Post Number: 4665
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Friday, August 10, 2007 - 10:21 pm: | |
None there that I have seen most of the summer Ray...
Might be a little cool for you then being right off the river and you coming from the heat of Vegas yanno? |
Miss_cleo
Member
Username: Miss_cleo
Post Number: 783
Registered: 05-2005
| | Posted on Friday, August 10, 2007 - 11:35 pm: | |
Possibly the mentally ill that Engler let loose on the streets of the city because suburbia didn't want them in their back yard?
------------------------------ -----------
Will comments like this ever end? I suppose the city has welcomed them with open arms? |
Karl
Member
Username: Karl
Post Number: 9241
Registered: 09-2005
| | Posted on Friday, August 10, 2007 - 11:39 pm: | |
Ray, there were 6 sleeping in Hart Plaza on Thursday mid-morning, 2 more using the restroom to bathe. |
Urbanoutdoors
Member
Username: Urbanoutdoors
Post Number: 509
Registered: 11-2005
| | Posted on Friday, August 10, 2007 - 11:52 pm: | |
Toronto has some service where businesses have a paper for the homeless to sell as long as they stay clean or some incentive not quite sure. Anyone know more details about this? I was very intrigued when I saw it in 2005. |
Eric_c
Member
Username: Eric_c
Post Number: 1015
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Friday, August 10, 2007 - 11:56 pm: | |
Scoop 'em up with butterfly nets and drop 'em in the river. Done deal. |
Ray1936
Member
Username: Ray1936
Post Number: 1780
Registered: 01-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, August 11, 2007 - 12:12 am: | |
"Might be a little cool for you then being right off the river and you coming from the heat of Vegas yanno?"
Hey, I'm packing sweatshirts, no problem. Looking forward to the cool and to gentle falling leaves from real trees. |
Yelloweyes
Member
Username: Yelloweyes
Post Number: 170
Registered: 02-2007
| | Posted on Saturday, August 11, 2007 - 3:44 pm: | |
I think we should gather up all the homeless crazzies in a semi-truck and drop them off in downtown Birmingham, that should solve the problem. |
Karl
Member
Username: Karl
Post Number: 9250
Registered: 09-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, August 11, 2007 - 3:51 pm: | |
Perhaps dropping them off with food, water and shelter but far away from drugs & booze might at least allow 'em to sober up. |
Andylinn
Member
Username: Andylinn
Post Number: 507
Registered: 04-2006
| | Posted on Saturday, August 11, 2007 - 3:51 pm: | |
urbanoutdoors, that's a very interesting idea. i've never heard of that specific idea before, but read about a homeless "hotol" in new york, with nightly rates of like $3. however, you had to be clean, couldn't bring in booz or drugs... they gave you a TINY room with clean bedding, and a safe place to store your stuff and bathe. - andy |
6nois
Member
Username: 6nois
Post Number: 413
Registered: 11-2006
| | Posted on Saturday, August 11, 2007 - 5:18 pm: | |
SSM New Yorks solution was called putting the homeless on busses and shipping them to New Jersey. Most of New Yorks programs were deemed unconstitutional. |
E_hemingway
Member
Username: E_hemingway
Post Number: 1298
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, August 11, 2007 - 5:37 pm: | |
quote:Scoop 'em up with butterfly nets and drop 'em in the river. Done deal.
Can this be done on the west side of the ambassador bridge, please? I don't want them cluttering up the river by the river walk. |
Mackinaw
Member
Username: Mackinaw
Post Number: 3555
Registered: 02-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, August 11, 2007 - 5:48 pm: | |
These are human being, ya'know?
Detroit does not have an obnoxious level of homeless/panhandlers. I average two run-ins per visit, but I normally walk 4-12 blocks on average. Panhandlers per capita is much much higher in Ann Arbor. Does that city have a problem sustaining its downtown? I think not. The city should not focus on bums, it should focus on active ways to make itself better. |
Dialh4hipster
Member
Username: Dialh4hipster
Post Number: 2131
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, August 11, 2007 - 7:06 pm: | |
The number of homeless/panhandlers in Ann Arbor is absolutely not higher per capita than Detroit (whether you are looking at overall population or just downtowns). They are also very closely monitored by the police in A2, unlike in Detroit. And they have the Taj Mahal of homeless shelters over on W. Huron. If they are cracked out or acting overtly insane, the A2 police get them out of town. I don't know where they take them and I never really asked.
Downtown Detroit does have a pretty obnoxious panhandler problem, and they are much more aggressive here than in A2.
A 4-12 block walk in the city is impressive and I am sure gives you a good sense of the whole scene. Averaging only two run-ins makes me wonder where you are walking, or when. I average two run-ins walking from my car to the door of my business each day. |
Mackinaw
Member
Username: Mackinaw
Post Number: 3558
Registered: 02-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, August 11, 2007 - 9:56 pm: | |
The walks are generally between the stadia/Fox and Jefferson/Bricktown, the last mile of Woodward, through Brush Park, Wayne State...
I think that around Main St. the A2 police do take active measures. But closer to campus bums set up shop and get really well established at certain posts. Then you have random under-the-bridge people always asking you for money-- normally they're up front, telling you its for pizza or beer. I get a lot of far-fetched stories in both cities on why I should give $$, but I've heard the most desperate ones in Ann Arbor.
I guess the per capita thing would be hard to prove, but in terms of downtown coverage I think A2 has the D beat. Can't tell you how many times they visit our trash cans outside the back of our apartment every day...
And it's hard to say where they are more aggressive. An A2 bum once stole pizza off my friends' plate in a restaurant. Now that's aggressive.
The bottom line, regardless of how Detroit ranks, is that the C of D has more constructive things to worry about than where to put the homeless. I've tried to argue this on threads before, to the dismay of many. |
Andylinn
Member
Username: Andylinn
Post Number: 509
Registered: 04-2006
| | Posted on Sunday, August 12, 2007 - 12:37 am: | |
i've lived for long periods of time in detroit and ann arbor... i'd say they EACH have, say, TWO "charming" homeless men.
A2: Jake the guitarist (of pick with jake, and i brake for jake fame), and... Ronnie, that dude that says "spare any change my good good friend... have a nice day"
Detroit: Larry the drummer by Avalon and Majestic & that very friendly and earnest guy who hangs out around the CVS on warren in midtown...
other than that, the homeless can be SOMEWHAT charming (why you riding that bike, you mormon? [no, i just prefer a bike to a car] but you're WHITE!)
to a little bit of a nuisance (can i have some change? [i don't carry cash] come on, how about $5 [i don't carry cash] ok, why don't you go to that liquor store and use your credit card and get me a 40oz)
to OCCASIONALLY downright scary (i went to jail, but now i'm better... otherwise i'd cut you with this knife [as he pulls out a box cutter]) OR (get out of here whitey, this is our town, you don't belong here - [as he follows me])
on the standard walk from house/hangout to liquor store in A2, I get asked maybe once, MAYBE twice... but normally NEVER...
in Detroit I get asked at LEAST once, up to FIVE times... we're talking a 3 block walk down Second Ave. in Detroit compared to a 8 block walk or more in Ann Arbor...
Weighing all of this, it is IMPORTANT to realize that these are people we are talking about... you can't just dump them somewhere... we need to help them.
they are mentally ill... no sane person would choose to live under a freeway bridge. much of this IS due to englar's cuts of mental health facilities. if we have another conservative governor (which I think we will after granholm) I will puke...
we need a long term solution to help those that find that society has dumped them and rejected them. no city or state has done this yet. we only find short term, sometimes unethical solutions. bussing them qualifies as VERY inhumane. we need to help these folks.
I was thinking today that if I had a shit ton of money, i'd find the first 100 homeless I could and hire them for a few months to do a study and find out what solutions THEY could think of to help themselves... What could society offer them to help them get a foot up?... shelter alone won't work. maybe something as simple as JOBS would be a good start. who wants to whip up a few thousand jobs in metrodetroit? let's get going with this. (the whipping up jobs remark was a joke - i wish i could do it) |
Detroitbill
Member
Username: Detroitbill
Post Number: 283
Registered: 09-2006
| | Posted on Sunday, August 12, 2007 - 1:41 am: | |
I have to agree with the last comments, there seems to be more and more in the last several months,, and there is little control over the situation,, this is not good for any city as most people dont know how to react other than to not come back,,Someone needs to address this situation for the good of all involved,, these people need help but the city is in big trouble if it continues to allow this to over run the streets. I walk everyday and usually get approached by no less that 10-15 people,, of all various types of behaviour,, it would be very scary for someone not used to it, |
Lilpup
Member
Username: Lilpup
Post Number: 2581
Registered: 06-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, August 12, 2007 - 1:56 am: | |
quote:If they are cracked out or acting overtly insane, the A2 police get them out of town. I don't know where they take them and I never really asked. They take them to the hospital to get put back on their meds. Many of Ann Arbor's homeless are well-known to the PD because of the revolving door that is typical of the United States mental health 'care.'
And Jake isn't homeless, just retired.
And not all of Detroit's panhandlers are homeless, either. |
Sstashmoo
Member
Username: Sstashmoo
Post Number: 242
Registered: 02-2007
| | Posted on Sunday, August 12, 2007 - 1:57 am: | |
Panhandlers ply their trade for the same reason the Ginsu people ran 44,000 (guess) Ginsu commercials, someone was giving them what they asked for.
Stop giving them money and they'll go away. They only stay because it's working for them. Seriously, it's heartbreaking to see someone like that, if they are truly destitute, but for those few, giving them 5 dollars for another 40 oz isn't helping them, if anything you're contributing to their demise.
Detroit is moving in a positive direction, but these folks are a true pain in the ass. There is nothing charming about them and they add nothing to the city. If anything, it's a reminder that although the changes look great, not much has changed.
Citizens have a right to walk down the street and not be harassed and intimidated to give up money to anyone.
Baltimore/Inner harbor area is a great place, they have the same problem. You can't walk 20 feet without some girl telling you her car broke down or some guy lost his wallet. It's total BS and destroys the experience. I never give them money. I tell them (if I feel like it) I already gave you money, it's at the welfare office. They get pissed, you know why? because that essentially says "I see through your scam".
And as far as setting up some system to help these folks, I think the majority of them wouldn't live any other way. I seen a study years back and they interviewed a group of these people and it was deemed the majority of them could get a job if they wanted to. They don't want one, they are scammers and cons, why work when people will just hand me money? They choose to live like they do. Same reason people hobo trains as a hobby.
Just a theory, if they were rounded up and dropped at the county line like they used to do vagrants that are breaking the law, many of them would find jobs. Just a hunch. |