Shelters in Heartside

[GR_Urbanist]

I'm still blown away by comments about this from people that are hacked off over the fence.

 

Still NONE of them have offered to go down to Heartside, find these homeless persons, and offer to take them home with them to feed, wash, and house. Not ONE! But they are all fire and brimstone about how evil Grand Rapids is and how evil the people going to the new market are for maybe not really wanting to walk past homeless guys wedged under an over pass, littering all over the sidewalk. That is NOT their home, and they were fortunate that people generally looked the other way far past when this should have been cleaned up.

 

http://therapidian.org/fenced-abutment-doesnt-solve-anything-says-local-homeless-advocate

"...There is plenty of space in this city that can be donated to help these people."

 

"In my opinion this is all about the Downtown Market. Evidently the marketers of the Market think people who can pay $29.99 a pound for meat or fish shouldn't be burdened with reality."

 

 

Maybe we ought to shut down the market, bulldoze it under and turn it into a shanty town? Or maybe we can make a squatter camp in front of the art museum! Because the horrid practice of fixing up and redeveloping the area has obviously been a terrible injustice. Obviously the pit that it was 10 years ago was when it was "real". When all of the people championing the homeless over the development didnt even drive through that part of town after 5pm. 

 

If you really see these people, whom refuse to get into a shelter, as anything other than props in some urban theme park to frolic in when you fancy some city grit, or as a tool to rail against development and capitalism, then make a space at your table today and fix up the spare room. Other than that, they take their chances out on the streets. And if moving them along from a place they aren't even supposed to be trespassing in improves the perception of an important commercial/residential thoroughfare for the benefit of far more people, then so be it. They are adults.

[Veloise]

I'm still blown away by comments about this from people that are hacked off over the fence.

 

Still NONE of them have offered to go down to Heartside, find these homeless persons, and offer to take them home with them to feed, wash, and house. Not ONE! But they are all fire and brimstone about how evil Grand Rapids is and how evil the people going to the new market are for maybe not really wanting to walk past homeless guys wedged under an over pass, littering all over the sidewalk. That is NOT their home, and they were fortunate that people generally looked the other way far past when this should have been cleaned up. .... then make a space at your table today and fix up the spare room....

Partial disclosure: my spare room is in use by someone who was homeless.

 

Allowing folks in need to sleep and hang out "wherever" is somewhat akin to permitting graffiti "because it's artistic," or other anti-social behaviors so as to not impede on others' perceived "rights" or personal beliefs.

[John E]

It's only senseless if you don't have a good argument.

Okay I'll go one round with you.

I lived around the corner at the Herkimer for over a decade and never had a problem with the people under the overpass. The trash on the sidewalk was not from them. There was just as much trash there as there was South of the overpass. The People were friendly and never bothered anybody. They kept to themselves.

It was not a problem before they built the Downtown Market. The complaints are unfounded, as are the complaints about Heartside Park.

The only problem is with the complainers lack of understanding.

I will also add that where there is fear, faith is absent. Where there is faith, fear is absent.

[gvsusean]

Okay I'll go one round with you.

I lived around the corner at the Herkimer for over a decade and never had a problem with the people under the overpass. The trash on the sidewalk was not from them. There was just as much trash there as there was South of the overpass. The People were friendly and never bothered anybody. They kept to themselves.

It was not a problem before they built the Downtown Market. The complaints are unfounded, as are the complaints about Heartside Park.

The only problem is with the complainers lack of understanding.

I will also add that where there is fear, faith is absent. Where there is faith, fear is absent.

I too lived near there in metropark apartments.. I never felt in danger but to say the homeless in the area are of no bother is just plain false. Ive seen people passed out on the sidewalks, urinating in the park in plain view, people coming to my door asking for cash, and i have personally witnessed homeless people under the overpass smashing bottles... 

[GRDadof3]

Okay I'll go one round with you.

I lived around the corner at the Herkimer for over a decade and never had a problem with the people under the overpass. The trash on the sidewalk was not from them. There was just as much trash there as there was South of the overpass. The People were friendly and never bothered anybody. They kept to themselves.

It was not a problem before they built the Downtown Market. The complaints are unfounded, as are the complaints about Heartside Park.

The only problem is with the complainers lack of understanding.

I will also add that where there is fear, faith is absent. Where there is faith, fear is absent.

It was not a problem before August of this year? You sure about that? People haven't been making complaints and the police haven't tried to move the homeless people out from under that overpass before? No one has been setting fires and raining trash down onto the street from there? It's all people's imaginations?

Oh right, it's all part of a conspiracy of the evil capitalists of Ada LLC...

[TheLonesomeHobo]

Okay I'll go one round with you.

I lived around the corner at the Herkimer for over a decade and never had a problem with the people under the overpass. The trash on the sidewalk was not from them. There was just as much trash there as there was South of the overpass. The People were friendly and never bothered anybody. They kept to themselves.

It was not a problem before they built the Downtown Market. The complaints are unfounded, as are the complaints about Heartside Park.

The only problem is with the complainers lack of understanding.

I will also add that where there is fear, faith is absent. Where there is faith, fear is absent.

 

It says a lot I feel that after being a mere onlooker to this board for years this is the thread that drags me into posting.

 

Since 2006 i've lived in The Globe, Kelsey Apartments (Williams & Division), Metro Park Aparments and most recently The Lofts. Back in 2006 people still felt like it was unsafe to walk up to the Shell station after dark due to the rampant criminal activity most of which took place from Heartside park to the south and up along Division by Herkimer, to place that blame solely on the homeless community would be exaggerated but to say they didn't play a roll would be naive.

 

Soon after I moved into Kelsey Apartments in 2009 (right after the remodel) in when The Heartside redevelopment kicked into full swing with the RHD Tire building renovations, the closing of the french quarter, etc. While living in that apartment I on numerous occasions witnessed homeless people defecating, urinating, and even dying on the sidewalk next to my building. 

 

Sorry for rambling i'll jump right into my point, for you to compare the homeless problem of 2003 to the one of 2013 is the same as comparing the number of people / demographic of people living in the neighborhood over the last decade. As for going as far to state who the trash came from and if they bothered anyone would imply you spent 24/7 for years watching every move any of them made, on top of the fact that the people living under that bridge a decade ago are most likely not the same. 

 

I'm sorry it bothers you that it took building a market for someone to finally stand up and say if we want this neighborhood to become what we envision it being we can't pick and choose what problems we tend to. Just last week I witnessed a (homeless) man urinating onto Metro Park, another attempting to break into the Klingmans building and even one deficating near the pavilion in the park. So, by all means please continue attempting to say these wen't problems before the market and the homeless made sure to find a bathroom before tending to their business before the market existed. 

 

This isn't about fear, this isn't about faith, this is about sanitation, public safety, and common sense.