I can't believe there would be such a violent act in that part of town.

Amazing isn't it! I walked from the Achillion to Steve & Sons to drop a pair of boots off for repair...it was very depressing, dirty and just plain scummy w/ people screaming "hey" down the street to their scuzzy friends going into the croft, it was like being in East Vancouver. Like I've said before, tear the croft down and the PG Hotel and put nice hotels there and perhaps we can clean up downtown some.

You don't like the Ramada? Why wouldn't the bums just go there instead?
There is an open coffee pot at the TD Bank and the bums have no hesitation to walk right in and take the pot from the TD customers and employees.
One burnt building after another the downtown is slowly coming down and the bums aren't leaving.

These people need help not condemnation. You don't know what has happened to them to cause them to live like this. One woman I believe that is living on the street was sitting beside her Mother on the stairs of their house and her father came and shot the Mother right beside her. So the Uncle and Aunt came and took her to their place, and the same night the Uncle repeatedly raped her. She was 8 yrs. old. So don't be so harsh in judging these street people, they all have stories of their pastl

Scorpio, then she needs counciling.
Doent mean we have to spend so much money
on homes and needle exchanges. Most these people are capable of doing jobs. But if
you can buy drugs with welfare money, and
live in a home downtown, have food, needles,all free.Why would they want to help theirselves ? We enable most to self
destruck. Its so sad to see businesse in the downtown not be able to operate properly because of the filth and danger that is there now. Sadder yet, is when the city suggest that businesse downtown should pay for revitalizing downtown, which
is pretty much impossible as long as we keep turning buildings into flop houses.

The bums will be somewhere. If downtown was cleaned up they would have to move somewhere else.
There is no easy answer to homelessness, addiction etc. However lots of people have bad childhoods, but at some point they have to take responsiblity for their own lives. The question is how to get them to do that. I don't know what the answer is, but if you have any suggestions scorpio - step up!
Not all are like that either - I heard one street lady interviewed on the news a while back and her comment was that most of them on the streets are there on the street because they choose to be.

It's time to try other means to curb this problem. Those with mental problems should be put back into group homes, or institutions, whichever works for them.

The heroin addicts should be housed in an apartment building or rooming house, and given their fixes everyday or twice a day, or whatever it takes. These addicts can function very well as long as they have their stuff. You'd be surprised at who really are addicts, and hold down good jobs or careers as long as they can afford their drugs. If they didn't spend all their time bumming or stealing to buy the drugs, they may even become productive members of society.

Maybe it wouldn't work, but it's worth a try. What we're doing now, certainly isn't working. It's past time to change tactics.

Maybe the young couple involved are getting frustrated waiting for the "Backpacker Palace" to open. Could happen.

There needs to be police presence in the downtown area...you hardly ever seen police there. that is one of the problems!