We have a potcake problem, and, we also have a street vagrant problem.

I made a visit early last month, and was shocked at the amount of street beggars, and vagrants, that flood the downtown and the inner city areas.

It is a total turn off and disgusting. Will some politician, or, some agency of mercy, with authority to clean up some of those people, or at the very most, with the authority to take them off of the streets- please stand up and do so. This is totally sad.

Someone, show some mercy, and at the very least, ask them to move on or, build a place to store those people. I know there is little chance of doing that- but my goodness- that looks bad. REALLY bad!

Be humane. Those people, hanging on the streets, is a sign of inhumanity and looks terrible. I know they may have families. But, it is apparent that their families, have no love for those people. So because their families have no love for them, we should not let them provoke our emotions and, let our tourism product go to hell with it.

Tourists come here for beauty and scenery. Not to be side-stepping street vagrants and homeless people, every two or three paces. We are big enough, or rather, small enough, to get those people off of the streets.

It is a sign of community sickness, where you have so many people, looking on the streets like bums.

Do it for peace of mind. Do it for the Bahamian psyche. At least TRY to get them off of the streets- especially the ones who look crippled and are totally out of their mind. They are targets for violence and any other unspeakable acts- to themselves- and from others.

If anything, enforce the law and arrest people who loiter.

That what I saw, for this small country, was extremely sad. I don't know why it hit me, this time comming home, but, it looked really bad.
:tdown:

Some of these jonsers just need some serious help, like from social services, because of lack of housing, drug/alcohol addiction, etc.....
But many are satisified to just be jonsers....which I guess is ok as long as they don't harrass Bahamians and tourists and cause damage to the community.

There are lone jonsers along baystreet that everyday harrass tourists (and Bahamians) and damage our tourism image.
I've had to chase jonsers away from tourists and have called the police dozens of times on jonsers (recently stopped calling the police because they never do anything about it).

Social services and the police really need to develop a program to deal with these jonsers and work together to help those that need help and arrest the ones that are just out to cause trouble.

I give them money when they ask for it.

Some of these jonsers just need some serious help, like from social services, because of lack of housing, drug/alcohol addiction, etc.....
But many are satisified to just be jonsers....which I guess is ok as long as they don't harrass Bahamians and tourists and cause damage to the community.
There are lone jonsers along baystreet that everyday harrass tourists (and Bahamians) and damage our tourism image.
I've had to chase jonsers away from tourists and have called the police dozens of times on jonsers (recently stopped calling the police because they never do anything about it).
Social services and the police really need to develop a program to deal with these jonsers and work together to help those that need help and arrest the ones that are just out to cause trouble.

To me, if I was PM, I would have them arrested for vagrancy and loitering- up the penalty- have those who appear to be substance dependant, taken for evaluation and off of the streets, in some holding faccility, for a time determined that they can re-enter society.

That would be money well spent.
:hammer:

I give them money when they ask for it.

I take very special attention to who I give money to. If it was a man, then I think twice. If it is a woman,who seems healthy or, has a child, I always give.

I never give it to someone with an obvious drug habit. Nor do I give it to a man, who appears to be able to get out and at the very least, take on janitorial work.

I have seem handi-capped people, take on administrative and cleaning jobs; basic services. If they can do it, then, so can those "strong" looking street vagrants.

people have human rights...
you can't cart them away...
most of them have made a decision that they will not be ignored by society...

but i think most people living on the streets are suffering from emotional or psychological trauma...
or mental imbalance...

the experience itself is traumatizing...
but its not how you became homeless...that can happen to anyone...
its about why you remain homeless...

social services offers many options...
emergency housing is one...
several NGOs have emergency shelters...
and many churches offer emergency housing options...

don't know why it hit me, this time comming home, but, it looked really bad.
:tdown:

its becuase you have been living abroad. nothing new, soon your eyes wil be open to just how bad the streets are, how rude bahamians can be, how jacked up the tax system is............................................................

the have and the have nots will always be among us . in every metropoitan city that i have been to i have seen beggers and the rejects of society on the streets the bahamas is no differant . the tourist that come to our shores are not immune to seeing these things and like in there country they ignore them when they come this way. lets take of our blinders and realize that thes people will remain with us unti christ comes .
my best freind was a cocain addict for many years . i did all that i could for him even brining him to freeport when i got a job offer i thought the enviroment would change him but on the first night in town he found a crack house and i did not see him for almost one week. i realized then that change must take place from within and there was nothing that i could that would stop the craving years later he quit the stuff cold turkey the money his parents spent sending hime to rehab in texas and paying for local rehab could not overcome what self determination could not fix.
so when i see them on the streets i dont support there habits they need to come to a place in there life where the change must first begin in them. they make one step towards the door and i pull them in but they have to whant it.
thats my 3 cents

its becuase you have been living abroad. nothing new, soon your eyes wil be open to just how bad the streets are, how rude bahamians can be, how jacked up the tax system is............................................................

Mind you. I live in NY. I know what vagrants and bums, look like. Before Rudy, the streets were un-walkable and beyond repair- or so it seemed.

Rudy, God bless him, took people to task and cleaned up these streets. Took bums off of the streets, along with putting homeless people, in their place. Zero tolerance for every single thing- loitering was one of them.

If we have the will, we can take them off of the streets. To say otherwise, is a sign of either laziness, or, foolish pride, in citing every single human rights abuse known to man.

We can clean up these streets.
:hammer:

Mind you. I live in NY. I know what vagrants and bums, look like. Before Rudy, the streets were un-walkable and beyond repair- or so it seemed.
Rudy, God bless him, took people to task and cleaned up these streets. Took bums off of the streets, along with putting homeless people, in their place. Zero tolerance for every single thing- loitering was one of them.
If we have the will, we can take them off of the streets. To say otherwise, is a sign of either laziness, or, foolish pride, in citing every single human rights abuse known to man.
We can clean up these streets.
:hammer:
yes "zero tolerance" was the name he gave it.
guess what? back in the late 90s the commissioner of police and others went to new york to 'study' zero tolerance...