Subscriber Comments for
Downtown Dangers

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COMMENT 378639P	2013-02-25 05:43 PM
After 40 years here, the biggest change in DT, other than the loss of a lot of great places, is the # of young people hanging out, probably not homeless. Don't know why - lack of jobs, cost of education, general societal decay resulting in apathy & depression, maybe? I guess the only panhandlers we need to support are the cops - POA will always be begging at cc meetings, trying to pry every last nickel out of the city budget as well as out of each resident & tourist for bogus tickets, etc. Of course city employees like Sanchez who've lived in SB for years should be given free houses. Those of us living below the federal very low income limit can pay the debt service.
SCEPTIC	2013-02-25 05:21 PM
Actually, folks, Jesus & friends gave money to beggars frequently, and accepted alms to support their ministry, according to the bible, but then, Jesus & friends were transients - itinerant preachers & fisherman, who didn't get on so well with chamber of commerce types and probably smelled more like dead fish & sweat than roses. Why was Simon Peter accused of being drunk at 9 am on Pentecost? - seems odd that anyone would think that of someone who wasn't known to be seen drunk in public. "Give strong drink to the one who is perishing, and wine to those in bitter distress; let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more". Proverbs 31:6-7.
COMMENT 326309	2012-09-30 01:41 PM
You all want to be informed on this issue ? Go to Mobile Loaves & Fishes web site. This is the BEST program in America that I have found. Look under homeless facts for panhandling solutions. Taking someone off the streets ,putting a roof over his head and a cup of soup in his stomach will not change the status of a homeless person. To no longer be homeless, a person must think of a home as a community,that home is about belonging, connectedness , and shared memory and that home involves relationships of trust."Beyond Homelessness" Please take the time to look at the web site .
COMMENT 325695P	2012-09-28 10:44 PM
It seems as if postings about the downtown scene, homelessness, and food are popular topics for Edhat responses.
COMMENT 324586	2012-09-26 07:12 PM
I like to give them a couple of beers and a sandwich laced with exlax.
COMMENT 324246	2012-09-26 09:57 AM
091P, a little instruction in backdoor policy implementation. You make speeches about helping the homeless in public. Behind the scenes, you have Rob Pearson construct Housing Authority projects for the homeless, and stand down any neighborhood that objects. You funnel RDA monies into that venture. You give federal Capital Development Block Grant monies, that were originally supposed to be for improving blighted neighborhoods, to Homeless, Inc. to plonk inmates just out of jail into those shelters. Gotta keep those client numbers up! You implement restorative policing to turn cops into social workers. The ACLU sues you every time you try to implement laws to deal with the homeless, and you have cocktails with them at fundraisers for Planned Parenthood, Micky Flacks, and the Environmental Defense Council, while you groom future progressive Democrats to run for office to continue these programs. That's how it's done.
COMMENT 324193	2012-09-26 07:57 AM
I agree with the other people on this board who contend that the economy is not to blame for the worsening of the homeless problem. Most of the homeless around town are addicts, mentally ill, or young freeloaders, and all of them would be homeless even in a good economy. So if the economy is not to blame, then what's making the problem worse? The pro-homeless policies supported by the likes of Mayor Schneider, Cathy Murrillo, and Grant House? The free housing and food given away by Homeless, Inc.? The good weather?
COMMENT 324144	2012-09-25 08:21 PM
091P: How many beggars on State Street do you REALLY think are victims of bank foreclosures? I mean really. 99.9% of those people have never owned a home in their lives.
SPARKEY	2012-09-25 08:05 PM
I group the homeless and kiosks at Paseo Nuevo together. I rarely go down town but the homeless, kiosk workers and panhandlers make it less desirable. If they weren't there, I'd probably go that way more often.
COMMENT 324134	2012-09-25 07:43 PM
Just get a boat and sail away!
COMMENT 324132	2012-09-25 07:36 PM
I got verbally accosted by a slacker while walking by the SB museum. I stopped an confronted this loser and would not leave until he apologized - just waiting for him to put a finger on me. The museum security guard came out - I told him he better call the police because this would get worse before it gets better. He did. 10 minutes later police came by and the loser immediately took off. Police knew the guy and told me he has a history of bothering people and that was that. I asked the policeman if I was allowed to knock him out in self defense if he got in my face. Policeman said go for it. Sometimes violence is the answer.
COMMENT 324144	2012-09-25 07:02 PM
When someone asks me for spare change, i say "Excuse me?" They become meek and awkwardly re-state their request. Then i say, "I don't do that." They ask, "You don't do what?" I say, "I don't give free money to total strangers." Usually works.
COMMENT 324111	2012-09-25 06:30 PM
These are the Occupoo crowd that want us to give them change so they can burn a tight one and kick it. I have lived DT for 25 years and in the last 4 -5 years the group of boneheads has grown - I have been accosted - so has my wife and daughters... Clean it up or the locals will not shop DT .......
COMMENT 324096P	2012-09-25 05:48 PM
The hoards of young louts who now populate so much of State Street do not strike me as people whose homes were foreclosed and, no, they're not veterans either. Sure, the economy is a factor to some extent,but so is the indisputable fact that SB has now become a prime and well-known stopping point on the vagrant "circuit."
COMMENT 324091P	2012-09-25 05:33 PM
323962 - am I missing something here, but is it not the job of the city council to decide on policy. One person does not have that kind of power - that is why we live in a democracy. I would really like some information on the bad policies concerning the homeless - a) describe the policy b) when was it enacted c) who approved it? Those general statement could be totally wrong, and there is no proof either way. Just fact-free smearing. And BTW, the homeless problem has more to do with the economy, and the fact that because of the bad behavior by the banks, thousands of people were foreclosed on that should not have been. That has nothing to do with the mayor, but I see no mention of the REAL causes of homelessness.
COMMENT 324021	2012-09-25 02:53 PM
017 - yes! When I see people walking ahead of me getting rousted by the lazy punk kids, I just look at them straight (I'm a fairly big guy) and give them one of those "don't even try" looks. I do this especially when walking with my kids because, if one of those punks cussed or anything at me or my kids, it would be over...
COMMENT 324017	2012-09-25 02:40 PM
You have to develop a particular look...one that exudes "I'm pissed off and just might snap if you talk to me", and use it when walking past these vermin. And never make eye contact. They leave you alone.
COMMENT 324193	2012-09-25 02:30 PM
@323975, are you seriously arguing that the homeless problem 30 years ago was the same or as bad as it is now?! If so, then you must be an SB newbie. Sure, the homeless problem existed 30 years ago, but it was never as bad as it is today. Heck, even 10 years ago the homeless problem wasn't this bad. The fact is, the homeless problem has gotten worse in 3-4 years, about as long as Helene Schneider has been mayor. And in those 3-4 years, Mayor Schneider has been a big proponent of free housing for the chronically homeless, hundreds of thousands of tax dollars going to homeless sheleters each year, and other free services. Could there be a connection? So yes, Mayor Schneider did not create the homeless problem, but her policies have sure made it worse.
COMMENT 324010	2012-09-25 02:27 PM
Wow someone sure likes the word "myopic".
COMMENT 324006	2012-09-25 02:04 PM
If those who complain the most about the homeless want fewer homeless, then they shouldn't vote for unempathic people like themselves, whose policies lead to more homeless people.
ROGER DODGER	2012-09-25 01:31 PM
@935 I have an Elmo doll that talks..
COMMENT 323988	2012-09-25 01:26 PM
Thats what happens when you kick them out of the other areas. You will never eliminate homeless, you just move it from the train tracks to the boulevards.
COMMENT 323975	2012-09-25 01:16 PM
962 is right. Before Schneider was mayor we didn't see any panhandlers on our streets. Nor homeless. They certainly weren't here 30 plus years ago. No way. It's all Schnieder's fault. (This has been a message from the Myopic Thinkers Society.)
COMMENT 324021	2012-09-25 01:12 PM
I agree that there needs to be a distinction. There are people who are truly homeless (due to mental or other issues) and then there are the aggressive, lazy punks who just don't want to work. For those who truly need help, we should make an effort to help. For those lazy punks (like the one who asked me for weed money), we should ignore them like the plague that they are.
COMMENT 323965	2012-09-25 01:05 PM
Don't assume that you know anything about the homeless people you encounter. Many of them struggle with serious mental illness that make it difficult for them to obtain jobs or accomplish life tasks that you or I would find simple. Imagine trying to apply for job if you heard voices...I understand that there are some "vagrants" that travel from town to town and could easily live a better life if they wanted to, but that is only a small subset of the homeless population. Second, what if - instead of shipping our homeless somewhere else for someone else to deal with, what if Santa Barbara could be the place that the homeless (especially mentally ill homeless) can actually get the support they need to be successful? ALL the support? Just a thought.
COMMENT 324193	2012-09-25 01:01 PM
Welcome to Mayor Schneider's Santa Barbara.
RHS	2012-09-25 11:39 AM
First we had greedy landlords raise rents on State Street properties to the point that they drove out interesting and local businesses. Then the economy tanked and these spaces became mainly occupied by "boutique" and trashy tourist stuff and rug merchants and import shops that took over the spaces for a few months at a time. No reason for locals to visit the street. In fact the only businesses that can profit on this desolate strip are the adult fun zone bars and they are pretty dispiriting to observe in the light of day. So as trash businesses appeared and customers not interested in either gawking at tee shirt shops or getting drunk left the area it naturally became seedier. The "homeless" didn't create this mess, profiteers and city planners are a lot more responsible.
COMMENT 323936	2012-09-25 11:34 AM
I live and work downtown too. I don't think it's quite as bad as you and others are making it out to be.
COMMENT 323935	2012-09-25 11:33 AM
323880P - "Our faith????" Speak for yourself. Jesus has nothing to do with my faith. WWJD is equivalent in my book to WWED...What Would Elmo Do?
COMMENT 323933	2012-09-25 11:29 AM
I've lived and worked downtown for twenty years. Those who claim they've lived here for decades and don't see a problem with the transients and homeless on State Street can't possibly be walking the same Street at the same times as I. That lady who plays the piano is so frantic and pressured that her music makes me anxious and gives me a head ache. That's not talent. That's abuse of everyone forced to hear it. There are bums on State Street. There always have been but it's gotten a lot worse and visible and in your face the past ten years or so. Anyone who claims differently is not spending much time downtown. First we lose the tourists, then the locals avoid downtwon shops and restaurants. That's happening now.
COMMENT 323932	2012-09-25 11:27 AM
What's worse is the solicitors and pettition gatherers in front of supermarkets, especially Lazy Acres. I don't want to be stopped when I'm trying to get in and out with groceries, please!
COMMENT 325695P	2012-09-25 11:16 AM
The OP: " Is it a challenge to avoid panhandlers and vagrants while walking downtown? " Some of the responses are off topic. Sometimes, people do find it a challenge to avoid the panhandlers and vagrants while walking downtown; sometimes it isn't a problem. When feeling unsafe downtown, aren't there options, including contacting the SB Police Dept or Downtown Organization?
COMMENT 325695P	2012-09-25 11:05 AM
Santa Barbara may seem like paradise, but it's not. It's has the flaws of a real city. They're hard to take sometimes - the aggressive panhandling of kids, the vagrants. The warts of the underbelly of our area. With all the intellect in our country and city, it seems that this issue, along with the war on drugs, and other wars we are fighting, there is still the suffering of experiencing and seeing these situations.
ROGER DODGER	2012-09-25 10:28 AM
Why is it a waste of time reapeating this it's out there everyday and the powers that be won't do a darn thing about it..Citizen rants are ignored pretty much they might do alittle thing for show here and there..Blame the liberals but when the Right had rule they still did nothing but blame the liberals still..It's aganist the law to do what some people want to do but we could still flap our jaws What else is there to do? It's a great topic over and over again just like Ground Hog Day.
COMMENT 323908	2012-09-25 10:14 AM
Here we go again. Another thread about the homeless. Guess when there is nothing else inspiring to do someone always starts down this well trodden path. There are grades of "homeless'. People who appear obviously healthy and well fed use this sad state gladly as a career move. Why? Just because they can. And - hey - it's more fun standing in the warm sun instead of looking for work. This town is well equipped with places that offer three hot meals a day to those in real distress. But it's a waste of time repeating this.
COMMENT 323897	2012-09-25 10:03 AM
Go read yelp and search for State St and Santa Barbara as a tourist destination. You'll find that this atmosphere is a frequent topic. You'll find interesting perspectives from tourists. And for those who hate tourists, they do provide an economic engine to our town. With limited budgets, potential tourists, may go elsewhere. I would. As a mid 40s local (female) born and raised here, I rarely go downtown anymore. With the wafting urine and the visual assaults, at the least, it simply doesn't hold the charm that it once did, and this observation is empirical, not speculation.
COMMENT 323936	2012-09-25 10:02 AM
Ah yes, Bootstraps Jesus.
COMMENT 324021	2012-09-25 10:02 AM
I remember one day a few years ago I was dressed nicely and walking down State to pick up a job application. A young "homeless" man, the same age as I was, walked up and asked me for money to buy some weed. I looked at him and just started laughing then said, "No, I'm on my way to pick up a job application. Want to join me?" Of course he didn't. My point is that there are a lot of these "homeless" who are just lazy kids and it seems they are the more aggressive ones. STOP GIVING THEM YOUR MONEY!!
COMMENT 324132	2012-09-25 09:44 AM
Jesus would say - "get off your lazy butt and do something productive"
COMMENT 323881	2012-09-25 09:37 AM
One effective way to help contribute to not helping the homeless is to stop any and all giving to the organizations that help them. Do not volunteer any time there, do not give any money at all. And with the holidays in the not-too-distant future the beg-a-thons these organizations hold they will be asking. Simple. When they start to run out of money then their ability to keep the homeless afloat with food and shelter will be lessened. Sounds cruel to some, no doubt, but I would far rather help support those organizations that help people who help themselves. Unity Shoppe with its Job Search program is my favorite. But whatever actions you choose know that any action you take is far better than just bitterly complaining.
COMMENT 325695P	2012-09-25 09:36 AM
Am not trying to inflame the topic, but I do wonder what Jesus would think and say after a day and night in downtown Santa Barbara. Is it hard to live our faith?
COMMENT 323858	2012-09-25 08:48 AM
State Street in the morning is always so beautiful, except for the one morning I decided to go out for breakfast (rarely do). Driving down State I looked over to see a homeless man bend over and throw up all over the bench. I just came home. I just could not eat at that point. Same for dinner outting. Once down at the beach tried to enjoy a meal while the homeless walked back and forth watching us eat. We eat at home 98% of the time.
COMMENT 323846	2012-09-25 08:26 AM
Those who are bothered by the few panhandlers who are abrasive would be wise to move to New Cuyama where they are less likely to be bothered. I have frequented the oldtown area since 1965 and have never been bothered.
COMMENT 323988	2012-09-25 08:23 AM
806 - Agree.
ROGER DODGER	2012-09-25 08:19 AM
There used to be a guy who drove around town he'd give out sandwitches with a dollar bill he always offered it to me but I never accepted. Intresting to see Julie is still on the Keyboards..I hear 1100 Block of State street alot sometimes I still hear calls near the Habit. Aaron Bros too aggressive panhandlers..The regulars make alot of money people might be surprised, and regulars claim their spots as if it's their right. People fight over panhandling turf.
COMMENT 324132	2012-09-25 08:07 AM
you must have missed the bums who were swearing the F word as my 5 year old kid walked by
COMMENT 323837	2012-09-25 08:05 AM
STOP HANDING THEM CHANGE! They go where they can get money. I refuse to give them a reason to stay here and get something for nothing.
COMMENT 323835P	2012-09-25 08:02 AM
Why homeless people are here is a no-brainer. Services they get. Go to any other town in Santa Barbara County that does not offer the same services and you won't find homeless hanging out. I actually saw some people walking around to the homeless at the downtown library with a laundry basket full of sandwiches, handing them out. Now that is a town where I want to be homeless. I don't even need to get off my big duff and find a meal. The well-intentioned will bring it right to me. Yeah, this is a good place to be homeless and hang out.
COMMENT 323828	2012-09-25 07:44 AM
Homeless Person: "Hey Mister, got any spare change?" Me: "I was about to ask you the same question!" To solve the homeless problem in Santa Barbara: just seed the clouds and let it rain, rain, rain. Inclement weather will make the homeless people disappear faster than any government initiative.
COMMENT 323821	2012-09-25 07:19 AM
I drove up State Street on Saterday morning and I was extremely disgusted by how FILTHY it is, add the homeless and all their 'stuff''!!! Definitely not the beautiful city it once was! In fact it was GROSS!!! My grandparents owned a business on lower state when I was a child so I walked it often. I am shocked that it has been allowed to get so out of control. Especially since soo much money has been spent on bricks, nice benches, and plants! I'm sure the store owners pay a lot on rent to be on State. Shame on the officials for not keeping our city clean! The homeless love their freedom and enjoy our taxpaid for environment and we have been so generous to give it to them! We're so nice!!!
COMMENT 323817	2012-09-25 07:00 AM
It's true at that time of day and on those blocks, the homeless panhandlers won't be so bad. As another commenter said spend some time around the freeway overpass up through Joe's. Remember so many of our tourists travel from the beach up and the sight is absolutely embarrassing to me and my family. But it's not just there... In front of Aaron Brothers, you'll get asked for money. Spend any time by Blush, The Habit and Urban Outfitters and you'll be often harassed by really aggressive street kids. Worse yet, walk to the parking garage alongside The Habit and you're likely to see unsavory folks shooting up, smoking pot or urinating. Walking alongside Macy's and you'll hit a row of homeless begging. Walk by Rite-Aid or CVS and you'll get hit up again for money. Take your walk at different times of the day. Or go in the evening on a Friday. Go again on the a Saturday mid-day. Open your eyes Santa Barbara.
ANDY	2012-09-25 06:29 AM
I wonder if it would help to have a uniformed police officer on foot patrol on State street?
COMMENT 323807P	2012-09-25 12:35 AM
Hey Lady, Ya got any change??? Sure I do, but I'm NOT giving my hard earned change to you!!! I worked for a living and not handing it over to a beggar, so you can buy cigarrettes, drugs, or alcohol. I'm keeping my hard-earned money to pay my rent, buy food, save a little for my kids to attend college. I worked a job that was almost unbearable, but I have responsibilities that I can't ignore. So, take yourself down to Labor Ready and sign up for a real job and stop trying to seperate me from my hard-earned honest money. And, I really love that one old grungie guy that begs for money and then sits in Starbuck's and drinks fancy coffee and expensive pastries!!! I can't afford Starbucks, so why the heck would I give my money to a bum, so they can spend it on Starbucks???? Insulting to say the least.
COMMENT 323806P	2012-09-25 12:33 AM
yeah, the streets are for everyone, my liberal self agrees. My middle of the road self thinks if the streets are really for everyone-that includes me-and so we do need to clean up the scene, cause the alcoholics are ruining it for those of us who are sober. I sat down to have an ice cream with some friends the other day and we smelled things that I can't even mention, emanating from the planter boxes. This is so frightening, in terms of health-not to mention plain disgusting. I don't know if my friends will ever want to go down there again. What a shame. If it's just a hippie casual scene-OK, that is one thing-but a mental health issue & sanitation problem is what we have-it's a very serious class struggle and in towns like this with RICH and POOR next door to each other--we done got a problem.
COMMENT 325695P	2012-09-24 09:59 PM
Let it be clear to the 47% they are unwanted in most of downtown Santa Barbara.
COMMENT 323794P	2012-09-24 09:58 PM
I've begun to believe we're doing it al wrong here in SB. It is not healthy physically or emotionally to live on the streets. Think of the germs, sanitation and weather issues. Our programs should be to get people off the streets permanently. Provide them a home, and maybe they'll even become productive citizens. The young and restless, should be encouraged to get a job or move on. It's not that I don't like homeless people, it's that I don't like homelessness.
COMMENT 323780	2012-09-24 08:39 PM
@778 +1 State is not for taxpaying families.
COMMENT 324246	2012-09-24 08:34 PM
My Saturday afternoon on State St: walked over via W Haley. Got accosted by a man swearing he just needed money to get on the bus back to Oakland. Something edgy there pointed to drugs. I didn't give. Skirted the woman taking up the sidewalk in front of the corner store at State and Haley. She was pleasant at first, then turned aggressive and told my kid we were bitches as we went by. Went over to Yogurtland, past the skateboarders hogging the sidewalk. Lots of moms and kids in Yogurtland. Headed up State to De La Guerra to hit World of Magic. My kid and I saw the homeless guy openly dealing his pot next to the goth set (older than the usual kids) with the boom box playing, past the guitarist plugged into the city power outlet screaming out disjointed chords. No thanks. Not family-friendly at all. Maybe because I am a woman with a child? Vs the older gent that went in the morning, when it's quiet? Not cool.
COMMENT 323774	2012-09-24 08:12 PM
I gave up on downtown after two consecutive visits to two different coffee shops where a homeless person came in with clothing that was wet and soiled and sat down on a chair. It made me wonder who last sat in my chair. If you take drugs (like chemo drugs for cancer) and you are trying to avoid bacteria, this is just not a good atmosphere. Now I hang out (and shop) around La Cumbre and in Goleta.
COMMENT 323773	2012-09-24 08:11 PM
767 - Yes! Bingo! Problem solved. Anyplace but here.
COMMENT 323772	2012-09-24 08:05 PM
I've had my office (1200 block of state) since 1991. I walk daily for a bit of air and exercise during lunch. I used to walk towards Sterns and back. I longer choose to walk towards Sterns. I now walk towards the mission. Simply because it became too much of a constant hassle to steer around the street people begging or scuffling about. Their dogs also concerned me. It started feel unsafe a few years ago. I miss walking downtown, visiting a shop or two. I'm sure the merchants would rather have me (well, not me, but my wallet) looking in their window and possibly buying, as I once did, rather than someone who is carrying a sign asking for spare change or a joint.
COMMENT 323936	2012-09-24 07:46 PM
And where do you put them? On an island?
COMMENT 323764	2012-09-24 07:36 PM
Here is a plan. Get rid of the vagrants, and then I personally guarantee the whiners about vagrants will be gone one second later. It is that easy.
ROGER DODGER	2012-09-24 07:34 PM
Morning walks are mellow the troublemakers are still crashed out in bushes near by..I went downtown several times in the morning and had no problem. Not being a very sociable fella I don't go out much so most of what I know about downtown is what I hear on the scanner. I do hear things from friends. I wouldn't want to be out and about even if I could afford it. Things I hear from regular people who are residents here are more intense than what I hear on the scanner, alot is not said over the scanner. Why be miserable out there when I could be miserable in here and save a few bucks. Seriously though pooky happens outsthere just not your time. PS Been hearing more reports of panhandlers in the city parking lots.
COMMENT 323755	2012-09-24 07:27 PM
What ever happen to the word BUM.. ? Change the word make it alright... Sorry.. no.
STACE	2012-09-24 07:27 PM
I wish Ed had a "Like" button...I'd definitely click it for this post. Thank you for sharing your morning walk with us. It was great. Maybe not a perfect experience, but great nevertheless. A little like State Street itself. I'l look forward to more walks at different times of the day and week.
SUMMERTIME	2012-09-24 07:22 PM
I've never been afraid to walk around downtown, I have encountered homeless people, but I've never been hassled by them. I'm a native of Santa Barbara and I'm 70 - maybe being a senior does make a difference.....
COMMENT 323837	2012-09-24 07:20 PM
I just stare into there eyes and ignore them. They get the point.
COMMENT 323747P	2012-09-24 07:04 PM
If they are yelling at you it means that they are getting desperate for the money that they are not getting. Keep up the good work Santa Barbara. Don't give them any money and they just might get angry enough to move to another town.
COMMENT 323742	2012-09-24 06:42 PM
I agree, State Street is lovely despite it all. That said, DO NOT give them money since it only keeps the panhandling practice going and there's many other more productive places you can contribute to those in need.
COMMENT 325695P	2012-09-24 06:33 PM
On a positive note - the stores mentioned are all home town establishments. Green and Yellow Basket has been here about 40 years, Rugs and More about 20 years, and World of Magic - Halloween Shop a fun tradition for quite a few years. May they continue well.
COMMENT 325695P	2012-09-24 06:27 PM
Put the homeless and the aggressive whiners on the same island? That'd be a sight - Social Darwinism take note.
COMMENT 323738	2012-09-24 06:27 PM
@323728: That was 1986. Santa Barbara Powers-That-Be no longer despise the homeless.
COMMENT 323936	2012-09-24 06:21 PM
Can we put them all on an island? ;)
COMMENT 323735P	2012-09-24 06:16 PM
It would be nice to be rid of both ends of the spectrum - the aggressive panhandlers, and the aggressive whiners about the homeless.
COMMENT 325695P	2012-09-24 05:48 PM
There was no intention or mention of being an expert in the author's (original) posting. Understandably, some people are offended by the panhandlers; others are at other places on this perspective.
COMMENT 323729	2012-09-24 05:47 PM
I've lived and worked in downtown for 20 years and I love it. It's the perfect combination of small city and urban living and working. I can walk and bike everywhere. There's everything from dive bars to upscale restaurants. Grocery stores and boutiques. Yes, there are homeless people. Am I threatened on my daily walks up and down State Street? No. Downtown is Santa Barbara's urban core. It's diversity is what makes it special. If you really don't like it there are other alternitives. Goleta, Coast Village, La Cumbre..
COMMENT 323728	2012-09-24 05:45 PM
694. And I remember when Sheila Lodge was Mayor of SB, and Gary Trudeau's series ("Doonesbury") on how SB (mis)treated the domicile challenged made headlines. Trudeau's castigation of our city's supposed bad attitude toward the homeless set back the entire program to get these vagrants off the streets and out of town. That's when the whole thing went to pot. (No buddah jokes, please.) What's the solution? I vote we follow in Santa Monica's footsteps, and take back our downtown from the panhandlers.
COMMENT 323727	2012-09-24 05:43 PM
you people keep voting in people who only want to coddle these folks and let the problem only get worse, then you come here and complain about it? Complain to the folks whose job it is to create and enforce the laws.
COMMENT 323718	2012-09-24 05:25 PM
702, I think that people are entitled their opinions without being mocked. What exactly makes your opinion right? I happen to agree with 694's opinion, yet nothing in your liberal opinion pertains to me.
COMMENT 323717	2012-09-24 05:24 PM
Walk downtown once, and not even sure where you left your car, and you're an expert on the downtown scene. Love it! Glad you had a nice morning walk, go down on the weekend and check it out, especially from the beach to the block where you stopped...to be educated you have to first educate yourself.
COMMENT 323935	2012-09-24 05:05 PM
The second a homeless person starts following you in their quest for a donation, they have broken the law. The city council passed that law for a reason, to curb aggressive panhandling. If we don't start turning in the aggressive ones then we will only have ourselves to blame when the streets are filled with nothing but violent vagrants.
COMMENT 323702	2012-09-24 04:59 PM
694P You're right, its unacceptable to allow humans, people, citizens to hang out on a public street! We must build more gates, have more laws, hire more police and make it impossible for anyone who isnt rich to enjoy this great town... I really hate the elitist mentality that washes over so many people in this town... as if they're better people or more worthy of living here... Gotta love modern America where making money is the only thing worthy of respect or honor. Like the modern fact that if you're not rich its because you're lazy.. How sad.
COMMENT 323807P	2012-09-24 04:48 PM
Where do I begin...??? Personally, I think it's unacceptable that we allow the homeless and vagrants to hang out on our main street. I remember a few years back, when the Newspress did a front page article, saying we should have more tolerance and compassion for the homeless beggars hanging out on State St. However, they should have done better research, because the pictured beggar they featured on their front page, was also featured as a registered sex offender on Megans Law website !!!! (sign said: homeless & ugly, give me money). I worked at the Tourist Hostel across from Amtrak, and quite often I would get asked by the kids travelling, if they had to give money to the beggars. They told me they were terrified NOT to give them money. Afraid they might get beat-up, assaulted or injured. That's the image that will stay with the visiting tourists. Plus, if the City had followed what happened in Santa Monica, we probably wouldn't have such a huge problem. Santa Monica offered more and more free services for the homeless, which drew more and more homeless to their city, until Santa Monica shut it all down. That's what's happening here in SB, building and expanding the shelter only drew more and more homeless from all over the country. Talk with them a little and find out where they are from. Done...
COMMENT 325695P	2012-09-24 04:45 PM
Scary downtown - yes, especially on weekend evenings, sometimes. I also noted that during Fiesta there were a lot of postings how horrible the crowds were and I didn't think it as scary as many people reported.
COMMENT 323686	2012-09-24 04:40 PM
Don't feed the pidgins.
COMMENT 323975	2012-09-24 04:38 PM
682, I agree! I was downtown today for a few hours walking up and down State to run some errands. I was hassled only once, though I saw many, many homeless people. The people who hassled (and scared me a bit) were in parking lot #5 and followed me to my car asking if I had $2 for them to get out of the lot, a big sob story about not having any money, etc etc. And then when I didn't give them the $2, one of them called me a "female dog" and went off to the next mark. They were college kids. Or at least college aged.
COMMENT 323682	2012-09-24 04:36 PM
Sounds like you had a nice morning walk up State St. Nice pics. I think many homeless show up on the Boulevard later in the day. In any case I've never been hassled, but I have been asked for money. I've also been asked for beer, wine, marriage, my car. I've also received many compliments from the homeless for being kind to them even when I didn't give money. I'm more concerned about the evening and nighttime college crowd on lower State than the homeless. They're aggressive, drunk and some are looking to prove their manhood at every step. Fights every nite. Drunk homeless are less of a problem to me compared to the nightly immature punkfest and/or gangbangers.
COMMENT 323728	2012-09-24 04:30 PM
That woman with the portable keyboard . . . Did you try speaking with her? Depending on her mood, which is highly erratic, you can really get an earful if you refuse her any "donation." Ugh. I'm glad you enjoyed your stroll. I find the nicest people are the tourists (and many shopkeepers). But walking downtown is less and less fun. I noticed you didn't mention cigarette smoking. That is one of the foulest attributes of our "domicile challenged" crowd. Please report back, when you try this same happy walk during the weekend, or try walking across the street from Yogurtland, below Ortega. Have fun.
COMMENT 323675	2012-09-24 04:28 PM
Maybe the fact that you are a "senior" or that it was early morning made a difference. Nice to know that there may be times of the day that are safer than others. Does that little tiny gal playing the keyboard that has been around for years have a baby in that stroller? I thought she had gotten help and was off the streets for awhile, was hoping that was the case for her sake.
COMMENT 323672	2012-09-24 04:25 PM
Mornings always seem to be much calmer downtown. It's during the lunch hour and after when the accosting is at its worst.
COMMENT 324017	2012-09-24 04:20 PM
You say you started at the 600 BLOCK of State St. Thus you missed the worst two blocks of them all....the two between Gutierrez and Cota.
COMMENT 323666P	2012-09-24 04:16 PM
There are plenty of homeless that keep to themselves or just hold up their signs. Unfortunately that was not the case when I took my teenage daughter dress shopping for her upcoming dance. There were several young adults holding up signs and yelling after people who did not give them money. Another followed us for half a block saying it was cruel not to give him money when we obviously had some to spare. None of these kids had anything wrong with them but a poor work ethic. I'm guessing if the OP does go downtown on a weekend in the mid or late afternoon or even a weekday afternoon he may have a very different experience. You may also want to start further down State if you want the full effect. I am glad to hear you had a good experience though.

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