Description
I walk in the park on a daily basis and it appears that I continue to see more and more people sleeping on the benches, under the benches, and they have bedding and bags all over place.
Reporter
I walk in the park on a daily basis and it appears that I continue to see more and more people sleeping on the benches, under the benches, and they have bedding and bags all over place.
23 Comments
Acknowledged City of Raleigh 3 (Verified Official)
BiggityBoo (Guest)
Skeeter (Guest)
DTR Rocks! (Registered User)
Hey, a quick comment. I live across the street from Nash Square and the vagrants are really more of a nuisance than a danger. I walk through it all the time and have never felt unsafe..
But it does seem like we have had a sharp increase in the homeless hanging out in the park, particularly after dark. Maybe they have been run out of somewhere else? Would be nice if officers could do a quick walk through at night, especially in the wee hours.
All this being said, it looks like there has been an increase in attention to the area. Saw a mounted Raleigh PD officer patrolling and interacting with a possible homeless guy this morning. Thanks for all you all do! :)
Captain Sarcasm (Guest)
BTLS (Guest)
BTLS (Guest)
DTR Rocks,
The main reason that there has been a sharp increase as of late is because they get free food delivered to them... if I was homeless, I would live in Nash Square... three squares a day free... and I don't have to go anywhere, the food comes to me.
Thank the Raleigh Rescue Mission and the Salvation Army.
If I had the means, I would totally start a soup kitchen in front of the homes of the people responsible for this.
MCC (Guest)
Bill Crosby (Guest)
Glenn (Guest)
Display Name Blocked (14837) (Registered User)
Epps Esquire (Guest)
"so if there was anyone sleeping there they would get caught in quick order"
NEGATIVE. Obviously you have not been to Nash Square anytime lately. I live close by in a condo, and it has become a problem. It wasn't a problem in past summers, but most evenings now there are people sleeping there with all their belongings. It's a sad situation, but Nash Square is NOT a place for people to live, sleep, and urinate.
Short Bus Russ (Guest)
Just sayin (Guest)
Raykwon (Guest)
Marketman (Guest)
I am sure these people who go to the park and feed people regularly do it with good intentions, but it's kind of like feeding feral cats. They are taking away the ability of regular people who pay for this park to enjoy it.
I agree with some of these other posts. If you're so keen on regularly feeding the homeless in the squares, invite them over to your own house each day to do it.
OldeRaleigh (Guest)
Display Name Blocked (14837) (Registered User)
Display Name Blocked (14837) (Registered User)
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–noun
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libel ( http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/libel )
–noun
1. Law .
a. defamation by written or printed words, pictures, or in any form other than by spoken words or gestures.
b. the act or crime of publishing it.
c. a formal written declaration or statement, as one containing the allegations of a plaintiff or the grounds of a charge.
2. anything that is defamatory or that maliciously or damagingly misrepresents.
Display Name Blocked (14837) (Registered User)
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What is an Employer(s) responsibility for employee(s) misconduct ?
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Ike (Guest)
NSW (Guest)
Closed City of Raleigh 3 (Verified Official)
Last year we worked closely with the City Attorney’s office and City Council to support/craft a new begging and panhandling ordinance designed to address this growing problem in Raleigh; especially downtown. When the ordinance was passed earlier this year we conducted an education campaign giving numerous warnings and handing out several hundred flyers to potential violators. After more than a month of warnings, we moved to enforcement of the new ordinance. During the Spring and Summer months of 2011 we have charged more than 120 violators with the new begging ordinance. Roughly half of those were physically arrested. The feedback from the business owners and those who work in downtown Raleigh has been very favorable thus far and our goal is to sustain this progress by maintaining assertive enforcement and high visibility.
Additionally, we have assigned Officer Bruno, our Community Bike officer, the task of checking both parks every shift. We have instructed him to strictly enforce the ordinances related to sleeping/camping/begging/alcohol consumption, etc. This effort has resulted in numerous documented encounters as well as a good number of enforcement actions taken in both Nash and Moore Square. Officer Bruno has also partnered with the “Raleigh Ambassadors” personnel to quickly identify and address overt criminal activity.
Our supervisors on each shift are encouraged to have their officers conduct foot patrols in Nash Square, Moore Square, the Transit Mall area as well as many other hot spots within our area of responsibility. The DTD Officers have embraced this assignment and are being proactive. In fact, just yesterday, the squad that was working conducted a project in Moore Square utilizing a confidential informant to help them locate and arrest a suspect who was selling marijuana in the area. This suspect was a repeat offender and will likely qualify for prosecution as a habitual felon netting him 7 years in prison if convicted.
We have sent community officers and supervisors to attend meetings with residents of the Hue where they fielded similar concerns about Nash Square. RPD has met with David Diaz with the Downtown Raleigh Alliance and discussed similar issues specifically related to Moore Square. We all agree that having a “soup kitchen” in proximity to the park coupled with regular feedings and hand-outs by the local churches makes it very difficult to keep the park from looking like a campground. I’m sure this issue will get further attention if and when the City moves forward with the proposed architectural changes to Moore Square Park.
For now, DTD Officers will continue to emphasize high visibility and enforcement of the applicable ordinances in these areas, while being mindful to protect the basic rights granted every citizen .
We are going to close this issue at this point, though please be assured this is an ongoing priority for RPD and the City Council and we will continue to work on what is a very sensitive issue.