These are not unfortunate, truly homeless, down on their luck people who need a hand. They are "street people" who choose this as a lifestyle. Make no mistake, they will foul the community with their drugs, alcohol, and filth, and when the city is no longer fit for decent people to visit they will move on to more lucrative communities that will sustain their lifestyle.
A
Anonymous
8 years ago
My ancestral home town has been a place I have always promoted to friends and acquaintances. In the past few months that has changed. I have cancelled my plans on returning for vacation and discourage other from visiting due to the vagrants over running the city. I spend my money on gifts, food, entertainment, cottage rentals elsewhere until the city is cleaned up.
F
Florence Reams
8 years ago
Please help us get our town back without all these vagrants! I feel like we can't go down town to enjoy it anymore, Theses people are everywhere.
R
Ronnie May
8 years ago
We need to clean up our beautiful city before it's too late and the tourists and schools stop coming. I think it's already happening.
A
Angela S
8 years ago
It is horrible to walk down the streets stepping over and/or going around people sitting and laying on the ground, or as someone else mentioned the public benches that should be for shoppers to take a rest, not all day seating. Walking through their clouds of cigarette smoke is disgusting. The youth on field trips witnessing this is also unfortunate. Perfect example, Caucasian PREGNANT woman sitting on the ground with a sign, her dog and cat on leashes smoking a cigarette. Their presence and actions are truly a turn off to anyone wanting to visit downtown. Recently I went to George Street to buy a Christmas gift, passed a man sitting with a sign stating "vision impaired anything helps". A week or so later driving south on San Marco closer to the old jail, I see the same man on the sidewalk with his sign. Without sounding callous, I honestly feel a good bit of these people are more capable than they portray. These people come here to beg for money. It is their job. And riddle me this, how is it that homeless people have cell phones? Cigarettes? Clean clothes?
This is definitely out of control and something needs to happen to fix what is now an epidemic.
D
Dave Cornelison
8 years ago
The panhandling has to stop!!!
A
Amy
8 years ago
I work downtown and see this everyday. It is disgusting to see them laying on St George St as School field trips walk past them trying to enjoy and learn the history of our beautiful city. I don't give money.. I give job applications and I can personally garentee that not one of them get returned. This needs to end, or our beautiful city will become JUST ANOTHER CITY.
A
Anonymous
8 years ago
We have had 2 cars vandalized. Multiple vagrants peeing by our back door during business hours for customers and staff to witness. This is terrible and unsafe.
A
Anonymous
8 years ago
Please stop panhandling,etc., etc.
C
Catherine
8 years ago
City leaders, please get on-board with this! Are you even paying attention? Have you walked downtown at all? Please try it.....there are bums and beggars everywhere. Drugs/booze/human waste! is this what you want the tourists to see?
J
Jay Graham
· petition starter
8 years ago
Albert, I am happy to discuss this with you. Contact John Adams on Facebook. Its very complicated. There is a group of us who are VERY involved in this situation. We are on the streets everyday. We know these people by name. Many of us ARE homeless. The situation is come complicated than being homeless. I'm sure you will understand what this is about when we chat. My profile photo is the constitution. Come meet me there. I completely understand what you were saying and your feelings. I felt the same way before I got involved months ago. There are so many factors here including not having adequate support for the truly homeless that the only way to go into it would be a lengthy conversation and this isn't suited to it. Please look me up and meet me there to chat.
A
Anonymous
8 years ago
The homeless need help—the panhandling, drug-abusing vagrants need to move on.
A
Albert Josovich
8 years ago
So my comment is deleted because it doesn't flow with the petition?
M
Michael Miles
8 years ago
Long overdue!
T
tim ramsey
8 years ago
Orlando allows begging only in “panhandling zones,” demarcated by blue boxes painted on the sidewalks in several locations. A more common response has been to educate the public about panhandling and to offer alternative ways to help those who really need it. The Nashville Downtown Partnership, for instance, has launched a publicity campaign, “Please Help, Don’t Give,” which explains through posters that money given to panhandlers often supports drug and alcohol addictions. The partnership asks people to donate instead to organizations that provide local services.
T
tracey
8 years ago
I just moved here after visiting for years and love it so much but I see the homeless and pan handlers becoming more aggressive and ruining what was once a great and safe place to go to
S
Sharon A Bendix
8 years ago
You cannot help someone who doesn't wish to be helped. And many who are panhandling (and arrived via a bus) are content to be where they are.
J
Jay Graham
· petition starter
8 years ago
Andrew, while everyone has the right to their own opinion I definitely disagree. I and many others are on St. George every day walking and talking with business owners, residents, tourists, homeless, and vagrants. We ARE involved in the homeless community and the issues dealing with homelessness. We have many homeless and homeless advocates among our ranks. We are compassionate people that have given the shirts off our backs to help others. If you really do have a business downtown please go and speak to other business owners as we have. Go get to know the people down there by name as we have. You will see exactly what we are talking about. I'm sure you are busy in your shop so there may be a lot you aren't aware of. Are you aware that the vast majority of these people aren't from here? Did you know they actually come because they have heard it's easy picking? Do you know there is a huge drug problem going on in the middle of town? Go talk to the business owners around Hypolita, the ones around the restrooms. I believe that if you have spent the hundreds of hours researching the issue as we have, you will find that it's different than you think. This petition is NOT about the homeless, it is NOT about the mentally ill. We FULLY support more services for them and that is part of our mission. But we will NOT sit idly by while the city allows this to happen downtown.
J
Jeanne Maron
8 years ago
Featured
Two of my employees had their cars broken into last weekend at 10:30pm on a Saturday. The cameras that used to monitor our parking lot were collected by the local government all be focused on the statues in the center park area. When do monuments supersede human life and safety?
A
Anonymous
8 years ago
It's completely gotten out of hand. It's time for them to go.
These are not unfortunate, truly homeless, down on their luck people who need a hand. They are "street people" who choose this as a lifestyle. Make no mistake, they will foul the community with their drugs, alcohol, and filth, and when the city is no longer fit for decent people to visit they will move on to more lucrative communities that will sustain their lifestyle.
My ancestral home town has been a place I have always promoted to friends and acquaintances. In the past few months that has changed. I have cancelled my plans on returning for vacation and discourage other from visiting due to the vagrants over running the city. I spend my money on gifts, food, entertainment, cottage rentals elsewhere until the city is cleaned up.
Please help us get our town back without all these vagrants! I feel like we can't go down town to enjoy it anymore, Theses people are everywhere.
We need to clean up our beautiful city before it's too late and the tourists and schools stop coming. I think it's already happening.
It is horrible to walk down the streets stepping over and/or going around people sitting and laying on the ground, or as someone else mentioned the public benches that should be for shoppers to take a rest, not all day seating. Walking through their clouds of cigarette smoke is disgusting. The youth on field trips witnessing this is also unfortunate. Perfect example, Caucasian PREGNANT woman sitting on the ground with a sign, her dog and cat on leashes smoking a cigarette. Their presence and actions are truly a turn off to anyone wanting to visit downtown. Recently I went to George Street to buy a Christmas gift, passed a man sitting with a sign stating "vision impaired anything helps". A week or so later driving south on San Marco closer to the old jail, I see the same man on the sidewalk with his sign. Without sounding callous, I honestly feel a good bit of these people are more capable than they portray. These people come here to beg for money. It is their job. And riddle me this, how is it that homeless people have cell phones? Cigarettes? Clean clothes? This is definitely out of control and something needs to happen to fix what is now an epidemic.
The panhandling has to stop!!!
I work downtown and see this everyday. It is disgusting to see them laying on St George St as School field trips walk past them trying to enjoy and learn the history of our beautiful city. I don't give money.. I give job applications and I can personally garentee that not one of them get returned. This needs to end, or our beautiful city will become JUST ANOTHER CITY.
We have had 2 cars vandalized. Multiple vagrants peeing by our back door during business hours for customers and staff to witness. This is terrible and unsafe.
Please stop panhandling,etc., etc.
City leaders, please get on-board with this! Are you even paying attention? Have you walked downtown at all? Please try it.....there are bums and beggars everywhere. Drugs/booze/human waste! is this what you want the tourists to see?
Albert, I am happy to discuss this with you. Contact John Adams on Facebook. Its very complicated. There is a group of us who are VERY involved in this situation. We are on the streets everyday. We know these people by name. Many of us ARE homeless. The situation is come complicated than being homeless. I'm sure you will understand what this is about when we chat. My profile photo is the constitution. Come meet me there. I completely understand what you were saying and your feelings. I felt the same way before I got involved months ago. There are so many factors here including not having adequate support for the truly homeless that the only way to go into it would be a lengthy conversation and this isn't suited to it. Please look me up and meet me there to chat.
The homeless need help—the panhandling, drug-abusing vagrants need to move on.
So my comment is deleted because it doesn't flow with the petition?
Long overdue!
Orlando allows begging only in “panhandling zones,” demarcated by blue boxes painted on the sidewalks in several locations. A more common response has been to educate the public about panhandling and to offer alternative ways to help those who really need it. The Nashville Downtown Partnership, for instance, has launched a publicity campaign, “Please Help, Don’t Give,” which explains through posters that money given to panhandlers often supports drug and alcohol addictions. The partnership asks people to donate instead to organizations that provide local services.
I just moved here after visiting for years and love it so much but I see the homeless and pan handlers becoming more aggressive and ruining what was once a great and safe place to go to
You cannot help someone who doesn't wish to be helped. And many who are panhandling (and arrived via a bus) are content to be where they are.
Andrew, while everyone has the right to their own opinion I definitely disagree. I and many others are on St. George every day walking and talking with business owners, residents, tourists, homeless, and vagrants. We ARE involved in the homeless community and the issues dealing with homelessness. We have many homeless and homeless advocates among our ranks. We are compassionate people that have given the shirts off our backs to help others. If you really do have a business downtown please go and speak to other business owners as we have. Go get to know the people down there by name as we have. You will see exactly what we are talking about. I'm sure you are busy in your shop so there may be a lot you aren't aware of. Are you aware that the vast majority of these people aren't from here? Did you know they actually come because they have heard it's easy picking? Do you know there is a huge drug problem going on in the middle of town? Go talk to the business owners around Hypolita, the ones around the restrooms. I believe that if you have spent the hundreds of hours researching the issue as we have, you will find that it's different than you think. This petition is NOT about the homeless, it is NOT about the mentally ill. We FULLY support more services for them and that is part of our mission. But we will NOT sit idly by while the city allows this to happen downtown.
Two of my employees had their cars broken into last weekend at 10:30pm on a Saturday. The cameras that used to monitor our parking lot were collected by the local government all be focused on the statues in the center park area. When do monuments supersede human life and safety?
It's completely gotten out of hand. It's time for them to go.