One block from Bryant Park
Poverty persists and with that comes crime. For a poor city, we pay an incredible amount of money to remain safe--2/3rds of our operating budget goes towards public safety. We have the poor jammed into small rental houses, prostitution on the streets right out in the open as well as in residential properties right next door to where we live. Drug addicts hang out behind abandoned and boarded up buildings doing their thing. There are drugs galore and we even have crime on the other spectrum, white collar crime, contributing to the dregs of society bringing our city down, an attorney who absconded with a bunch of other people's money. Crime is one thing that will never end in this city unless we get serious about all the things that are bringing us down.
The commission wonders why no developer wants to come here unless they are getting a federal grant or two to build affordable housing or us paying for the infrastructure or the CRA is not doling out tons of cash. We, by the decisions that we make, are helping to exacerbate the problems that we have.
You can't live near any city park without seeing the homeless. You can't go to our downtown without witnessing it either as they sleep on our city benches. Many of them are homeless because they are drug addicts and/or alcoholics. Drug and alcohol abuse ''is the nasty little secret" of the homeless. Even though there is a program now that will bring them to the new facility on 45th street, the Sheriff needs their permission--and for the most part, they don't want the help. With consistent drug use, these people are left on the streets to support their habit and even ask us for money now and then. They steal from you and from me. In the meantime, most of us look past this growing problem and have no idea what to do, so instead, we have fun with raft races and fireworks and other things. We expect our city officials to solve the problem but just like everything else, it is totally out of control. The Sheriff wants a raise and all we see is crime getting worse.
Crime is out of control, that is true. It goes non-reported but we see all these undesirables in the neighborhoods along with horrible conditions. A lot of them come out at night. We continue to allow more bars and package stores. Amoroso likes this as it is business for Lake wroth.
ReplyDeleteLynn, we find these needles in the alley ways all the time here just west of City Hall. Crime is out of control, the police ignore and avoid the problems, the prostitutes and drug dealers/users are all allowed to just hang out on the corner of Lucerne and North D Street any time of the day or night. The blighted and boarded up buildings owned by a wealthy famous person are allowed to attract and harbor a lot of this crime,as they all hang and trespass on these boarded up, abandoned, overgrown, blighted deplorable properties at 1320 and 1306 Lucerne, it looks horrible and causes so many problems for our neighborhood, but what do the rich care about us common folks? Crime is bad in Lake Worth and the city leaders, PBSO, and rich do nothing about it. Just 4 blocks west of City Hall on either Lake or Lucerne is out of control with crime and chaos and the city leaders do nothing about it. Thanks for writing about it Lynn and exposing all these problems, maybe the city leadership will take heed some day and clean it all up God willing.
ReplyDeletePoor LW City leadership it to blame for all this crime and blight, it is so bad now. They just are not taking it seriously.
ReplyDelete10am you have a point. Until crimes start to become overwhelming in the more affluent neighborhoods, the poorer side of town will have to endure all the drug addicts and drunks walking around and breaking into our cars and house to support their habit. They need to be removed from our city parks and our downtown for a starter.
ReplyDeleteRight, but what we really also need to do is develop programs and support to get these people off the streets, help with their addictions and problems, we need programs in this city to support drug dealers, users, prostitutes, alcoholics, until we get them help, we will always have all the other problems. I think Susan Stanton always knew this and understood that we need to get to the root of the problem and address it more systemically. WE just never do, so we always have the problems or they always return. These people need the support of sound people like us, they also need our prayers, love, and compassion too. We need to do things in a more systematic sustainable way, consistent and problem-based, addressing root causes, providing real support and programs that are proven to work.
ReplyDelete"Anonymous said...
10am you have a point. Until crimes start to become overwhelming in the more affluent neighborhoods, the poorer side of town will have to endure all the drug addicts and drunks walking around and breaking into our cars and house to support their habit. They need to be removed from our city parks and our downtown for a starter."
Have you ever been on So. Federal Hwy. The alley between Federal and Palmway has always been full of needles and used condoms.
ReplyDelete