Posted on 06/13/2007 2:56:18 PM PDT by DogByte6RER
BERKELEY
Council passes plan to stop bad street behavior
Carolyn Jones, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Berkeley's City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to pass most of a sweeping plan to clear the streets of aggressive and disruptive behavior.
The Public Commons for Everyone Initiative passed 9-0 after months of debate among the council, homeless advocates, merchants and residents. The council instructed City Manager Phil Kamlarz to develop details of the implementation, which he will bring back to the council for further approval.
"This is a tolerant and caring community, but we do have our boundaries,'' said Mayor Tom Bates, the legislation's sponsor. "As a small city, we can never solve the drug and alcohol problems that play out on our streets, but this is one thing we can do."
The initiative cracks down on a wide range of behavior that some say make Berkeley's streets inhospitable to residents and visitors alike. Among the activities that will be banned are smoking near buildings in commercial areas, lying on the sidewalk, public urination and defecation, drinking in public, possessing a shopping cart and shouting in public.
The initiative is expected to go into effect late this year.
It is meant to expand portions of Bates' Telegraph Avenue revitalization plan across the city, especially downtown and the northern end of Shattuck Avenue, where merchants, residents and visitors have been complaining for years about disruptive street behavior.
While Berkeley has an array of services for its 800 or so homeless people, many refuse to participate or are not reached by social workers. The initiative is meant to force this group into counseling and rehabilitation through the criminal justice and social service systems.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
When I first saw this headline, I immediately thought that the "bad street behavior" that Berkeley is trying to stop would include waving the American flag, rendering salutes among Boy Scouts and parades featuring veterans from the VFW and the American Legion.
Berkeley is a warped town. It is so warped that it acts as a sinking anchor tied around the neck of a California that is treading water.
I wonder if Berkeley’s new ordinance would ban any of the “bad street behavior” that has been documented in Berkeley by zombietime?
Check out:
I wonder if Berkeley’s new ordinance would ban any of the “bad street behavior” that has been documented in Berkeley by zombietime?
Check out:
Now I've heard it all...
I’m glad they are doing to stop their bad behavior, but if they were behaving badly in the streets, then why did the voters elect them in the first place.
I thought these, other than smoking, would be fine with the tolerant, rights-loving folks of Berkeley. Now it looks as if they are a bunch of Nazis compared to how they used to be. Let's all chip in and hire the ACLU to go after them.
Presumably, public shooting up and copulating would be OK.
probably hetero activity would be frowned upon. but public homosexual behavior would be ok.
Mario Savio is deeply saddened today.
I think we can officially declare that today is the end of the Free Speech movement in Berkeley.
ok, first of all, i can’t believe they are only now banning public urination, considering it is illegal everywhere else in America. And, also, I don’t get the point of shopping carts being banned.
“The initiative cracks down on a wide range of behavior that some say make Berkeley’s streets inhospitable to residents and visitors alike. Among the activities that will be banned are smoking near buildings in commercial areas, lying on the sidewalk, public urination and defecation, drinking in public, possessing a shopping cart and shouting in public. “
Except for the defecation, I experienced all of these in about a 15 minutes time span walking around a single block in Berkeley. I was also treated to an assault by a homeless person who hadn’t bathed in a good 6 months and various forms of drug use, including someone shooting up with a needle between 2 buildings.
For a place that considers itself to be the center of the civilized world and progressive thinking, it was as if I was at the gates of hell. What sad, pathetic lives these people live. No wonder they are so angry at the world and all the normal people who in it.
There’s plenty of “bad street behavior”, here in Houston.
On many of the main intersections, there are homeless persons “working” the corners. They approach autos stopped in traffic and at traffic lights. They are either bummin’ for money, wanting to “clean” your windshield, sell bottled water, sell flowers, etc. etc. Some hand out printed notes, telling you how much they need money. Some carry signs like “God Bless You”. It is disgusting.
Here’s what I do. On my printer, in very large print, I printed these 4 appropriate remarks: No, Back Off, Calling Cops, Stop.
I pasted these words on the 4 sides of an empty Kleenix box. And I keep the box/4-sided side in my front seat.
Whenever one of the bums approach my car, I flash an appropriate NO or STOP. Most of them laugh, some do not. But they get the idea.
It gives me something to do; some way to fight back. Otherwise, I could get depressed, feel victimized, overrun, etc. etc.
It has been a very liberating exercise.
It seems to want to violate the civil rights of the homeless.
“Among the activities that will be banned are smoking near buildings in commercial areas, lying on the sidewalk, public urination and defecation, drinking in public, possessing a shopping cart and shouting in public.”
This from the same people who lie to themselves at night when they get ready to go to bed?
No doubt public urination and defecation were considered “political speech” by these folks when they were younger. Now, it is just considered smelly and messy. Old folks tend to get more ‘conservative’.
They will probably need an amendment that allow it as long as it is aimed at a picture of President Bush.
I bet you could sell these “No, Back Off, Calling Cops, Stop” boxes. For the high-tech folks, an electronic version would be good.
You said:
I bet you could sell these No, Back Off, Calling Cops, Stop boxes. For the high-tech folks, an electronic version would be good.
Yes, I’ve made some for my friends. Just LOVE ‘em.
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