[Chronamut]

yep. Not sure what has changed, but the downtown has become noticeably worse in the past few weeks. Drug addicts literally everywhere all the time. The area around the Hamilton GO Centre is particularly bad. They're going to have a very hard time selling this one.

drug addicts are attracted to places with money - so yeah any new development is gonna attract them, because if you can afford to live there, in their minds you can afford to help them too.

Everyone wanted the downtown to fill up - well that's gonna fill it up with ALL kinds.

 

[Chronamut]

It might be due to the YMCA fire that displayed something like 200+ people.

You mean it displaced the village people?

 

[TheHonestMaple]

drug addicts are attracted to places with money - so yeah any new development is gonna attract them, because if you can afford to live there, in their minds you can afford to help them too.

Everyone wanted the downtown to fill up - well that's gonna fill it up with ALL kinds.

Disagree on that point. Quite the opposite in fact.

 

[Chronamut]

Disagree on that point. Quite the opposite in fact.

you can disagree all you like - I've SEEN it happen before my very eyes. I've seen them gravitate to every place with money - King William, Hess, etc. - they know where to go to beg. Put that rich clientele right in the middle of the core? Yeah they're gonna put 2 and 2 together.

If you think building rich places is going to make them all magically disappear I got some swamp land in Mexico I'd love to sell you..

Increased security is all that will keep them at bay, and not remove them - removing their services and relocating it will deal with it somewhat too - right now there is very poor security, and places that cater to them all in the downtown - everything is just a breeding ground for these types of people - alleyways for them to shoot up - methadone clinics, shelters, encampments etc. The problem is Hamilton has lost its pride and resigned itself as the dirty grungy city everyone else thinks it is, and this has boiled down to the people too, esp. the security aspect. Everyone's just tired of the rot, and it only seems to be getting worse. They'll come out of every hidey hole once there are more people to harass.

And I'm not trying to dehumanize these people - we've beat that topic to death. I juts feel putting more people in the downtown will = more of these people - esp. since rich people themselves aren't immune to having their lives ruined with drugs - got to have money to start a drug habit after all.

it will be DECADES before we turn that image of downtown back to what it was in the 40s and beyond.