[analog_kid86]

Urban Panning: The 10 Meanest Cities In America? : NPR

Apparently Kalamazoo isn't too kind to their homeless population. I've only visited the city a few times (and loved it) and didn't notice a real homeless problem. Is it really a problem or is the problem small but dealt with very poorly?

[northstar22]

Yes, there is a real homeless problem.

[YAZ]

Not to worry.

They will all be out here come Halloween....

[leadsquirter]

So the city kept them from camping overnight in Bronson Park (which is NOT a campground) and sleeping and panhandling in the train/bus station. Oh...Kalamazoo is so mean. What a joke!

[YAZ]

Originally Posted by leadsquirter

So the city kept them from camping overnight in Bronson Park (which is NOT a campground) and sleeping and panhandling in the train/bus station. Oh...Kalamazoo is so mean. What a joke!

You have the coolest "handle" on this board.

Had a big problem here in Phoenix.

Ya see, our pleasant 'lil city has a gazillion parks throughout where kids can play, follks can walk their dogs, etc.

Of course, that's where all of the transients, homeless, etc. liked to hang out too. Syringes on the ground, tweekers, crack heads, you name it, they were in the parks.

I wouldn't want my children to see some drunk guy urinating on a tree, that's fer shurrrr....

The police keep it as clean as they can, and it makes me happy.

[analog_kid86]

I agree. Here in South Bend you can't walk around downtown without being hit up by panhandlers. It really turns people off to exploring some of the best places in town just because they don't want to be threatened by a possible crazy homeless dude wanting cash.

[ladyblue09]

It sounds like they made the rankings based on laws against panhandling and such. To me, it would be more meaningful to rank cities on their number of homeless shelters or soup kitchens or something like that.
Panhandling does affect the quality of life for residents. When a homeless person comes up to you while you're pumping your gas to request money (something that happened to me once while in Florida), it can be a little scary because you don't know for sure if they will react badly if you don't give them something. I think it's fine if Kalamazoo tries to keep panhandling and camping out to a minimum as long as the homeless have other places to go for help.

[todd00]

i understand the logic in wanting to keep the parks clean, the city tourist areas free from pan handlers, but really arresting these pple for minor offenses isnt solving the problem. its just a pathetic bandaid of sorts. i remember when one of the presidents came to omaha, nebraska, they shuttled all the homeless out of the core downtown area rather than let pple see things as they truly were. as there is more unemployment, a continued recession or depression type economy, there will be more displaced people. it could be a neighbor, a family member or a friend. laws dealing with the homeless should be tempered with logic and compassion. a number of homeless pple have had mental health and or alcohol or substance problems. arresting these pple in a kind of revolving door manner does nothing to solve the real problems.

[YAZ]

I got approached by panhandlers while pumping gas many times. Kinda puts you in a bad position, as you really can't go anywhere right NOW. You're stuck , in other words. Smart on their part, eh?

Not a good idea to whip out your wallet or rummage through your purse either.

It got to the point where I would make sure I had some change in my pocket to give them. 3 people asked me at one fill up last year....

Now, I'm just careful about where I go to gas up.

When the DNC held their convention in Denver last year, they rounded up many homeless folks and put 'em in shelters with big TV's, 3 hots and a cot, etc. Wouldn't want folks from around the country seein' that stuff on their TV, eh?

Hmmmm.

Wonder if those "shelters" still exist?