Hijack--the new political buzzword.
Downtown Lake Worth business owner, Michele Sylvester, used it the other night at the commission meeting when she was talking about the Ordinance to scoot out the Homeless from our public spaces. She said that the Ordinance and it's true intent had been hijacked.
“It’s not about outlawing homelessness or putting people in jail,” Michelle Sylvester said. “It’s about making our parks and public spaces safe. It’s scary to be in the Cultural Plaza at 10, 11, or 12 o’clock at night.” Commissioner Amoroso was upset about children being exposed from those who apparently expose. We’re looking at the drug dealers and pedophiles in the park who are there while children are there," said Amoroso.
My question to that is, who is walking in the Cultural Plaza at midnight? Why are children there? And to be perfectly frank, it is hard to believe all those wanting to kick out the homeless from our city have witnessed so much criminal activity.
I want to tell you that this ordinance #2016-06, has everything to do with the Homeless and all those the commission deems undesirable to rid them from our public spaces. They can't kick them out legally as they haven't been convicted of a crime or PBSO has not witnessed any crime. Now the commission is pulling a cool fast one by voting on a 3/2 to have opening and closing hours.
On WPTV this morning it was stated that the City of Lake Worth has passed a city ordinance that all parks and all public property will be closed after certain hours..."in order to cut down on the crime rate and the homeless." The Palm Beach Post, PR arm for City Hall, took a different approach by saying it was an attempt to curb crime.
Last night at the Royal Poinciana neighborhood meeting, Scott Maxwell used the word twice--hijack, hijack. It's another cool, shiny political doublespeak, sort of like "shiny objects" that he also likes to use.
It would be smart for our city to hire a few private security or off-duty deputies and have them stationed permanently at these hot spots--Cultural Plaza and Bryant Park.
10 comments:
I like the idea of private security. We probably have no money for that but educational seminars, no problem.
It would be great if more would join the C.O.P. program. Just having them hang around would be a deterrent.
Next, get all of the cameras working at the Cultural Plaza. Let's get one in front of Andy's store. I want to see that guy who gets up from the bench every 1/2 hour and urinates. :(
Yea, I heard that on this morning's news, Channel 5 NBC. I was surprised at that wording but there it was talking about the new Lake Worth ordinance: "to cut down on crime and the homeless." I just finished watching a documentary on HBO on homeless school kids in Chicago. Really heartbreaking, one girl sleeping under cars "and you just hope no one starts the car before morning."
We need better answers. If we halted putting so much $$ into their beloved Park of Commerce for a while, couldn't we use that money to hire a private force to patrol these areas? I'm very concerned for several reasons. 1. It's getting much worse. 2. Crime is spreading out into Lake Osborne area. 3. We have no idea how much of this is just throw away people used, abused, and discarded by fly-by-night sober homes for profit. 4. There is a rapidly growing epidemic of heroin nationwide, apparently it's cheap and it's deadly. Documented by another HBO show on rich white kids in suburbia getting hooked.
My dog and I walked the park by Lake Osborne drive this morning and there was someone sleeping on the bench where we usually stop, with a car nearby on the road with another middle aged man sleeping. I don't understand why this seems to be happening so much and so fast right now. Are we just collecting the dregs that these unregulated Sober Homes discard everyday?
There has got to be some sort of better answer. This present administration is being exposed doing just exactly what they said they would not do--on the news yet! All the while proclaiming how much they have reduced crime way down--remember that at the neighborhood forum?
And there is now a petition on change.org for citizens to sign asking the City to do something about all the rising crime here. Now how do you reasonably answer for this if you're one of the incumbents?
Tell us again how much we pay PBSO and who in their
right mind would pay for a job to be performed and
when they fail to perform - it's suggested we help
do that job - for free?
4:19--are you talking about our C.O.P. program? Have any better ideas as it doesn't seem like we have solved our problem after paying PBSO over $15 mil this year?
I agree that PBSO has, in recent years, been a disappointment. They don't see the crimes being committed in the plaza b/c they won't get out of their cars. I would have preferred the City to put more pressure on PBSO before taking this step. But, on the other hand this step will force PBSO's hand.
The plaza is completely out of hand, I've been staying away from the library and from downtown b/c of it, but even the few times I'm down there I've witnessed fighting, drug use, alcohol consumption, and yes peeing, I've also called the police to report these activities. if I see it I'm not sure why the police don't.
But, as far as I'm concerned this is a step in the right direction. WE cannot solve this problem so I'm all for pushing it somewhere else.
Bryant Park is scary now, my spouse and I went for a walk there a week ago Sunday at 5pm, there were a group of young boys drinking beer there who seemed dangerous, we were scared walking by them. The parks are filled with people drinking openly and smoking pot in our streets, they just walk down the street smoking pot, they could care less.
This city just keeps getting worse and worse. PBSO are never around to address issues, nor seem like they want to be bothered, they are more afraid of the problems than most of us it seems. It is easier to hide from or avoid the problems.
The sad thing about the homeless is that instead of just arresting them, we should have homeless centers here and programs to address addictions, etc. to help people get back on their feet, instead we are making matters ever worse, it won't be the solution at all.
Unfortunately, our society is plagued with so many addition problems today, drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling, etc. Yet, our laws seem to only promote more addiction problems, it is just crazy times we are living in now. We all need to pray more, unite, and have faith and hope that things can get better for our world as a whole.
Please pray for the homeless and addicts.
I do pray for the truly homeless, and that they go find the help that IS ABAILABLE TO THEM this morning between 9am-1pm at the Palm Besch County Homeless Coalition event called Homeless Conmect going on TODAY at the church at Federal and S 2nd.
The addicts, I pray they will retuned safety home to their loving parents up in the northeast taking with them their dirty needles and habits.
For the rest of us I pray for our state and federal legislatures (who actually make the laws of the land) can find the brass balls to not listen to the addiction lobby anymore, remove addiction from the 'list' that gives this losers class of dregs protections in the ADA and HUD regulations, that protection at the expense of not protecting our children's and families.
I pray that my tax dollars can help find cures to treat cancer and other deadly diseases instead of lining the pockets of insutance companies and the nasty sober home operatives with their abuse and waste of daily pee tests and 'rent' arrangements being paid by the lab testing people. It's called fee splitting in the medical world and it is illegal.
Lastly, I pray for the FBI and Federal prosecutors for diligent crushing blows to the recovered druggies (that where they learn about all the money they can make running these organized criminal organizations under federal protection) in the sober businesses.
Amen.
Private security guard are not the solution - as they have no arrest powers.
C.O.P.s program is great and all interested should definitely commit themselves, I will.
At least with more sheriff cars, even if it's filled with mere observers - they are observers with radios to dispatch!
This ordinance is about the criminals in our midst... It has never been about the homeless. Yes there is confusion sometimes in identifying both because the criminals are clever and disguise by blending I with the homeless and preying on he homeless, but they are not the homeless. The recovery addicts all came from somewhere - a home somewhere - a family somewhere - and thy should be return to their sender. Now let's find some money to buy them a bus ticket.
Why can't we have foot patrols in the areas of danger? That WOULD make a huge difference. If you're standing in front of a cop with a loaded gun--I'll bet the drug use would cut to zero. I see cops everyday just hanging out at the Library--the Lantana Library. It would seem a simple solution to just initiate some foot patrols in these identified high crime areas. Anybody listening?? Even for $15 million?
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