Replies

I'm not a huge sports fan, but I went to two Indians games in Cleveland a few weeks ago, largely because the tickets were free.

Both times, between the parking garage and the stadium, I was hit up for money by beggars.

For many people, this is probably not a big deal and the draw of the Indians is enough to get them downtown.

However, the stadium wasn't full, and experiences like this are enough to turn away those incremental customers who might have filled those extra seats, extra spaces in the parking garages, and might have had dinner at one of the local restaurants or bars.

Not saying its the only factor, but it is a factor that keeps people from coming downtown. As a single guy who makes a decent income and owns a home in the city, I pay plenty in taxes to the city of Cleveland, and most gets redirected to "social services", bureaucracy, and 'rat graft. I shouldn't be getting hit up for more "contributions" from the same groups the few times I try to enjoy an event in the city.

We live on the edge of an Indian Reservation in MT and when you walk downtown Hardin you will be accosted by beggars about a half dozen times each day. If you are a local Indian coming to work or just to get groceries they’ll swarm you like a pack of dogs until you cough something up.
Its killing the downtown economy and a building that would sell for 150 to 250,000 in Billings MT will sell for 10 to 25,000 in Hardin MT.