District 3 City Councilmember and President of Downtown Greensboro Inc. (DGI) Zack Matheny has been pushing for a solution to problems caused by the increasing homeless population in downtown Greensboro.
Matheny has held several meetings to discuss possible solutions to issues involving the homeless people living downtown particularly in Center City Park.
Mayor Nancy Vaughan said she was well aware of the issues before they were publicized by Matheny and has been working toward solutions.
Vaughan said that officials from the City of Greensboro, Guilford County and the City of High Point have been meeting to discuss ordinances that could be passed by all three jurisdictions, so there could be uniformity in enforcement throughout the county.
Vaughan said that the meetings are continuing and that she expected some ordinances to be proposed for City Council approval in the near future.
Vaughan said one ordinance that was being considered would make it illegal to block doorways. An issue that downtown business owners have is people camping out in their doorways overnight. This ordinance would make that illegal whether the business was open or not.
Another initiative that Vaughan said District 5 City Councilmember Tammi Thurm has suggested is making retailers responsible for their shopping carts. She said the idea was to require retailers to go out and retrieve their shopping carts.
Vaughan also said that some of the problems in Center City Park are the result of organizations providing meals for the homeless population in the park.
Vaughan said, “We’re looking for alternate locations.” She said that the city was looking at several possible locations that would be better suited for delivering meals to the homeless and was in the process determining if the city could acquire a suitable alternate site.
Vaughan also said that the Greensboro Library system was in the process of hiring social workers to provide services to the homeless and was working with the High Point library system the best way to implement the program.
God help Greensboro.
There is nothing here that will solve or mitigate this problem. I have nothing to suggest, other than make the city hostile to bums – which is not positive.
With retailers understaffed, they simply don’t have the time to go out for cart roundups. Thurm needs to go back to the drawing board.
City should make it illegal for organizations to hand out food anywhere other than designated areas (to be determined).
I have heard, from several sources, that some libraries have bedbug infestations due to homeless folks camping out inside.
I’m betting that 2022 will end without any new ordinances; thus the problems will continue.
I was aware that in 2020 the Greensboro Central Library had an infestation of bedbugs in the upstairs area of their facility. However, I’ve been in there recently and it appears that this has been dealt with to good results. I also use the Glenwood and Benjamin branches and I’m not aware of any other problems in these branches.i would cordially recommend that you contact the Executive Director of the Greensboro Public Library system if you desire any system of record. Thank you.
THANK YOU Amanda C Miller – I do not “desire any system of record.” GSO libraries may or may not now have bedbugs, but you don’t know that by visiting only 3 libraries.
I love the democrats’ mantra whenever the question of unsolved problems arise, some of which have existed for years; “We’re acutely aware of the problem- we’re working on it….”
Sorta like the answer I used to got from my kids when I queried them about their chores!
Vagrancy. Why a new doorway ordinance isn’t vagrancy already on the books.
Let me see if I am reading this correctly. The city is floating the idea of making retailers responsible for retrieving stolen carts from a people who are possibly mentally ill, high, armed, or all three? What kind of crap is that?! Somehow I don’t think shopping carts cause homelessness.
Great idea Nancy. Finding alternate locations for organizations to provide meals for the homeless is a brilliant solution. Here are a few great sites, Sedgefield Country Club, Starmount Country Club, Greensboro Country Club and The Cardinal Country Club. They could even go inside and dine.
Uh, she’s had years to address this issue. Now she is being called out by a fellow council member. What takes so long in the city bureaucracy? This council is maddening (and yes I voted, but did not vote for any of these clowns). And Thurm is an idiot. Always finding a way to penalize the business owner. What are you going to do, send the part time Target worker downtown to collect carts?
Why not hire the homeless? True many would NOT pass the sobriety test ( drug & alcohol), however I bet many would be good, hard workers. Not everyone wants handouts.
The suggestion of retailers being responsible for their shop carts by Tami, here is an idea- have the stores do away with the shopping carts! Europe and South America countries have shoppers bring their own bags to carry purchases out of the store.If one has no paper or plastic bag then the customer will have to purchase same or carry the product in their arms. Why should a store be responsible for the customers actions?
Obviously, you didn’t think through the idea of eliminating shopping carts . I guess you’re expecting shoppers to make numerous trips to the checkout, with groceries in hand.
I should have explained further- shopping carts are used in the store. They are not taken outside the respected stores perimeter.
That’s NOT what you initially said, but glad that you have taken the time to think it through!
Correct Ed- thank you for pointing out my lack of full explanation. As I get older sometimes the mind wonders. The thought was there but due to the wondering mind the thought was not transferred to print. Same is now in print.
You are right, but they are taken (stolen) anyway.
How many homeless people will it take to get hit and killed by vehicles at these intersections before the ordinance prohibiting sitting and standing in the media is enforced? Go by Hoden and I-85 and you will see an elderly man sitting in a wheelchair all day long soliciting money. This is just one example. Not one policeman will move this man out of the median. Go figure. What is the mayor doing to help this homeless person? I wonder how she will feel if this man is hit and killed while sitting in the median.
Police do not have time to deal with beggars. They are 100-130 officers down. Plus anytime they take an action against a protected group in Greensboro (yes mentally ill homeless people seem to be protected along with any person deemed oppressed minority on the chosen whims of council) the individual officer gets spanked. A single council member will call the chief (like how they ran off Brian James) for their petty issues. I wouldn’t deal with the beggars and homeless right now either. Let council get off their ass, support enforcement of current laws, and do something. Maybe the next time a homeless person s$&?s in public near a business the business owner should bag it up like dog crap and hand deliver to the mayors house.
Just saw on local TV that the City has now installed signs on some medians advising that it is illegal to stand or sit; that’s a start for solving that problem.
Have no fear our inept queen has it under control Just like the new signs proposed for the park I’ve started to see new ones on the median post that say “ No standing or sitting “. Then it has a city ordinance number at the bottom so there the problem is solved
Mandate Mayor wants to remove the security and warmth from under thresholds of doors from folks that sleep on concrete? Remove the god given right to feed others in need? Just because it is unsightly? Mandate Mayor how about unlocking the public restrooms overnight, donating all the food waste from the coliseum and Performance Arts Palace instead of threatening charities and people that are actually on the streets feeding our fellow humans. For shame on Mandate Mayor trying to criminalize and demonize the very least among us.
Alex. How many homeless are living with
you today
Rebel – That’s a good one!
Have the shop workers retrieve the missing carts. You folks are simply brilliant. Like all dems, lay the problem on someone else. I’m surprised you didn’t find a way to blame cartgate on reps. Useless
Why should “shop workers” have to locate missing carts? Have you not seen shopping carts several blocks from a store, at a bus stop, in a ditch, in the street, etc..?
Question- What is “cartgate”?
Why do they have to take the good carts and leave me with the broken wheel units?
C’est la vie.