Five Points Crackdown (Atlanta, Marietta, Jackson: contractor, fencing, bus)

[martarider]

FINALLY

Atlanta police barricade downtown 'jungle' | ajc.com (http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2008/08/06/atlanta_square_crackdown.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab _newstab - broken link)

"A normal person can walk through and get a negative impression of the city of Atlanta," said Lt. Wayne Whitmire

YA THINK?? But will it really bring results, or just another half-hearted temporary attempt that folds at the first hint of a play of THE RACE CARD?

[PeteyNice]

I don't think that is going to help much. Removing those planters was always one of the ideas floated but people don't go there just because it was convenient they go there because they know they can get away with whatever it is they want to do there. It had gotten marginally better at night once they stepped up the police and really that is what it is going to take strong and constant police presence. If people know they are going to get busted there they won't go back. It is a total eyesore and I am glad that the city is getting more proactive.

[Atlantasfinest]

I have to walk thru that filthy area to and from to work on daily basis and I'm soooo glad they put those barricades up to do something about the huge problem that those fools are causing in the square by acting a FOOL on a daily baiss. I feel really sorry for the tourists that come here and walk out of Five Points into that HELL HOLE! Sometimes I wish I could get a huge hose and spray all those filthy no good characters all the way down Marietta Street to get rid of them once and for all! The disgustingly hot stench of urine & marijuana and hollering street preachers and begging drug addicts fighting in the square will certainly not be missed! Good Riddance! But where will they go now?

[atlantagreg30127]

They think uglifying the area with chain link fencing will fix things. In the article it talks about how creative the vagrants were - with one simply going to sleep on the street in front of one of the fences, while another one sat ON TOP OF the fence. Why weren't they arrested the very moment they did this?

Sure, the fence will keep people out of that one particular area, but so what? They'll just move a block up the street, or to the Peachtree Center area. You have to discourage and arrest the vagrants and troublemakers and make them so uncomfortable in Atlanta they hop on the next bus out of here to Birmingham or Jacksonville.

Shuffling people around and putting up dog run fencing isn't going to do a thing to truly clean up that area. They will literally have to post a standing police officer every 50 feet in downtown Atlanta to do any good. Officers who stand in one place all day - not just passing through on bikes now and then. Officers who stop people from loitering (or sleeping or peeing), and who arrest those who panhandle the moment they try it. Sounds a bit like North Korea I guess, but drastic problems (of which Five Points is one), require drastic measures. Now all they need is a Mayor who will follow through with such a stern plan, and who won't mishandle City money so they can afford the "troops" needed for it.

[onemanarmy]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

They think uglifying the area with chain link fencing will fix things. In the article it talks about how creative the vagrants were - with one simply going to sleep on the street in front of one of the fences, while another one sat ON TOP OF the fence. Why weren't they arrested the very moment they did this?

Sure, the fence will keep people out of that one particular area, but so what? They'll just move a block up the street, or to the Peachtree Center area. You have to discourage and arrest the vagrants and troublemakers and make them so uncomfortable in Atlanta they hop on the next bus out of here to Birmingham or Jacksonville.

Shuffling people around and putting up dog run fencing isn't going to do a thing to truly clean up that area. They will literally have to post a standing police officer every 50 feet in downtown Atlanta to do any good. Officers who stand in one place all day - not just passing through on bikes now and then. Officers who stop people from loitering (or sleeping or peeing), and who arrest those who panhandle the moment they try it. Sounds a bit like North Korea I guess, but drastic problems (of which Five Points is one), require drastic measures. Now all they need is a Mayor who will follow through with such a stern plan, and who won't mishandle City money so they can afford the "troops" needed for it.

It's funny because there are police on every block from Five Points to Civic Center and they still allow these idiots to hang out. It's a policy issue and their is NO political will to stop this. If they can't enforce panhandling, they surely can enforce loitering without any group protesting.

On a side note, they city council is voting on a new vendor restricitions and tents, that will be handled by and outside contractor. This should also help Five Points.