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Washington Park. This is the topic. Not gun laws, not 2nd amendment. We have separate forums for discussions like that, here please stick to the original topic.
Yac.
Been to Washington Park quite a few times since it opened, both during events and during a regular old weekdays. Yes, there are a few homeless there. Yes, I have run into somewhat strange people in the bathroom. Why? Because it is a CITY PARK! You are in the CITY!! None of these encounters have been threatening to myself or my family. Honestly, I'm always more worried about my kids getting run over in the fountain by older kids not watching where they are going when we are down there. Do I leave my stuff unattended? No. Do I keep an eye out? Yes. These are standard precautions you take in any city (and really, you should take anywhere). Is it worth taking these small steps to enjoy one of the gems of Cincinnati? Absolutely.
Been to Washington Park quite a few times since it opened, both during events and during a regular old weekdays. Yes, there are a few homeless there. Yes, I have run into somewhat strange people in the bathroom. Why? Because it is a CITY PARK! You are in the CITY!! None of these encounters have been threatening to myself or my family. Honestly, I'm always more worried about my kids getting run over in the fountain by older kids not watching where they are going when we are down there. Do I leave my stuff unattended? No. Do I keep an eye out? Yes. These are standard precautions you take in any city (and really, you should take anywhere). Is it worth taking these small steps to enjoy one of the gems of Cincinnati? Absolutely.
Careful, you using common sense and speaking the truth. Expect a scathing rebuttal from one of several people who know better than you.
Been to Washington Park quite a few times since it opened, both during events and during a regular old weekdays. Yes, there are a few homeless there. Yes, I have run into somewhat strange people in the bathroom. Why? Because it is a CITY PARK! You are in the CITY!! None of these encounters have been threatening to myself or my family. Honestly, I'm always more worried about my kids getting run over in the fountain by older kids not watching where they are going when we are down there. Do I leave my stuff unattended? No. Do I keep an eye out? Yes. These are standard precautions you take in any city (and really, you should take anywhere). Is it worth taking these small steps to enjoy one of the gems of Cincinnati? Absolutely.
^^^ This and "local knowledge" will keep you safe in OTR and just about any other area of Cincinnati and elsewhere.
These postings sound eminently reasonable, although as a 60-something, 5' tall woman, I REALLY REALLY try to avoid places and situations where I get panhandled or where I think I can expect to be. For example, I even avoid gas stations where panhandling is routine. Admitting that it bothers me has caused me to be thoroughly flamed on this forum a couple of times. Other posters--I presume all male--have insisted that all panhandlers are harmless, that I'm a racist, and that I want downtown to fail. Plenty of these panhandlers have finely honed the technique of getting right up in your face and acting intimidating. And they know a small-framed, older woman is probably a prime target.
Seriously, whether it's purely a perception problem or not, it's a problem for downtown. I'm betting I'm not the only one who feels this way.
These postings sound eminently reasonable, although as a 60-something, 5' tall woman, I REALLY REALLY try to avoid places and situations where I get panhandled or where I think I can expect to be. For example, I even avoid gas stations where panhandling is routine. Admitting that it bothers me has caused me to be thoroughly flamed on this forum a couple of times. Other posters--I presume all male--have insisted that all panhandlers are harmless, that I'm a racist, and that I want downtown to fail. Plenty of these panhandlers have finely honed the technique of getting right up in your face and acting intimidating. And they know a small-framed, older woman is probably a prime target.
Seriously, whether it's purely a perception problem or not, it's a problem for downtown. I'm betting I'm not the only one who feels this way.
I understand. I'm not one who is naive enough to think that all homeless are harmless. Some of them are downright mean and criminal. It's a problem anywhere there is a concentration of homeless, and OTR/downtown still has that concentration. This is one reason I am in favor of moving the Drop Inn Center away from SCPA. As Ohiogirl has noted, that's def. fodder for another thread.
I guess I need to admit that personally I just don't feel comfortable around alot of panhandlers, and I am definitely not the common city boy as I was raised and still live in the suburbs. It'll take some getting used to as my new job requires me to go from road construction site to road construction site to see that things are going according to plan and other duties.
And yes, when I was offered drugs, I wasn't as scared as the panhandlers. I work in Orlando and there are plenty of druggies and this hasn't been the first, second, or third time this year. Man, I must look like part of the Asian Mafia in my suit.
When I was working WCG last summer, I would occasionally run into panhandlers. I'm male, but certainly not big by any means (5'7" and 180lbs.) so I typically can be bothered by people pestering me. Of course, I have only had two instances of being really bothered by panhandlers. One was when I was walking back to our offices on Walnut and Seventh (walking down Seventh) and a guy, with a bottle (water bottle, but it smelled of alcohol), comes up asking for drugs. Sorry, I don't just carry w**d with me, or ever. Anyways, the guy kept pestering before I said we had to be somewhere.
Granted, it was about 6-7pm on Seventh, so there are people out, but it is still unsettling to have a guy smelling of alcohol walk up and pester you for drugs. I'd have felt the same way if it happened in the parking lot at Kenwood or in an upscale suburban Kroger shopping center. Maybe more so. You just cannot tell what could set someone off, especially in that state. That is what I think most everyone finds unsettling, even those that live inside a major city (trust me, DC has a much worse problem than Cincy). Still, my times in DC have been fine. Panhandlers aren't intrusive, and if someone is, they are typically looking for something (like to size you up for something more sinister). Just FYI, that someone isn't usually a panhandler.
Btw, the other incident was at night in Toronto, just off of downtown at 1am. We weren't the targets, but two couples across the street were being pursued by a panhandler (I assume). She was blowing a whistle, which is what caught my attention. They disappeared around a corner, the two couples running.
As for Washington Park, I am sure it is still much better than it has been in a long time, and with the momentum in parts of OTR, it should be fine. Most city parks here (including places like Washington Circle and Farragut Square) have more homeless people in them. I wouldn't wander into them at night (they aren't lit well), but they are fine during the day. I am sure Washington Park is perfectly fine every day and most nights with events and concerts. Though I am sure on some nights it might be more sketchy after dark. Anyone have knowledge of that?
Final word? Common sense and vigilance and just some common courtesy to most folks.
I was just in the park last Friday night around 9pm. A great and beautiful busy park. What a fountain. Then caught the bus on Main and 14th. What a wild wait on Main. It was nice to be in such an active great city for a week. Some people perhaps are more afraid of what they do not know or hear about than they need to be. A mix of people now can be found to some degree even north of Liberty now. The park is very safe even at night, at least it certainly seemed to me that way, and in fact, I did not feel unsafe walking a good chunk of OTR even at night. (Not that something bad cannot happen, just like your car back to the burbs could break down on the side of the freeway)
You're still way more likely to get injured or die in a car accident. Being in a car on a suburban street is more dangerous than walking on a city sidewalk.
I don't have any experience being a woman, but I've encountered panhandlers in many cities (DC and San Francisco perhaps being the worst). I just give them a polite "no" or "no, sorry" and tell them to have a nice day. If they persist, I repeat but firmer. If they were to keep going, I'd briskly walk away. If they still were after me, I'd run to the most populated place I could, and/or duck into a shop or whatever was nearby. Never had to go past the firm "No. Have a nice day," though.
The thing is, panhandling works because it makes people feel bad that they're not in a position to have to beg for money. The "have a nice day" thing works similarly: if you say something nice to someone, they're put in the position where they're clearly in the wrong if they go on to be rude to you (by ignoring that you said no). That's my thinking, anyway, and it seems to work. Anyone who panhandles is used to hearing "no" 100+ times a day, so they are usually ready to just move onto the next person. No sense in wasting time on someone who's made it clear they won't be giving you anything.
There is a city ordinance against aggressive panhandling, so I suggest reporting any incidents you have where you feel someone was overly aggressive. Chances are the police know all the regular panhandlers, so I don't think they can get away with anything that's way over-the-top, assuming it's reported. But it's not illegal to ask someone for money (you know, that pesky First Amendment and all). There have been beggars since there has been civilization. They are in the Bible, they are in historic novels. As long as there is poverty, there will be panhandlers. Fact of the world, fact of life.
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