I would have given him the finger. That's annoying.

I'm not sure if this dude was homeless or just a lowlife who was sitting in a bus shelter on E. 13th drinking MGD at 8am.......  But I was walking by, and I heard the guy say politely "Excuse me miss, miss, you dropped something."  Generally I ignore people who try to talk to me, but I thought to myself "Oh crap, what if I did drop something....."  So, I turned around and said to him, "I dropped something??"  And he said "Yes, me, you gotta pick me up!"  I then proceeded to give him "the look" (MTS you can insert a picture if you want, lol), and walked away thinking to myself, "D@mnit!  I can't believe I just fell for that!"

 

In the spirit of the Olympics, I give him an "8" for creativity, but "2" for degree of difficulty!!

I'm not sure if this dude was homeless or just a lowlife who was sitting in a bus shelter on E. 13th drinking MGD at 8am....... But I was walking by, and I heard the guy say politely "Excuse me miss, miss, you dropped something." Generally I ignore people who try to talk to me, but I thought to myself "Oh crap, what if I did drop something....." So, I turned around and said to him, "I dropped something??" And he said "Yes, me, you gotta pick me up!" I then proceeded to give him "the look" (MTS you can insert a picture if you want, lol), and walked away thinking to myself, "D@mnit! I can't believe I just fell for that!"

 

In the spirit of the Olympics, I give him an "8" for creativity, but "2" for degree of difficulty!!

 

Hahaha, yeah, the mister thought it was a pretty good line too. 

I'm not sure if this dude was homeless or just a lowlife who was sitting in a bus shelter on E. 13th drinking MGD at 8am.......  But I was walking by, and I heard the guy say politely "Excuse me miss, miss, you dropped something."  Generally I ignore people who try to talk to me, but I thought to myself "Oh crap, what if I did drop something....."  So, I turned around and said to him, "I dropped something??"  And he said "Yes, me, you gotta pick me up!"  I then proceeded to give him "the look" (MTS you can insert a picture if you want, lol), and walked away thinking to myself, "D@mnit!  I can't believe I just fell for that!"

 

In the spirit of the Olympics, I give him an "8" for creativity, but "2" for degree of difficulty!!

 

Hahaha, yeah, the mister thought it was a pretty good line too. 

DocBroc got punk'd!  LMAO!!  Now that you are a local "celebutant" you have to be careful of what you say in public and who is around you.

I'm not sure if this dude was homeless or just a lowlife who was sitting in a bus shelter on E. 13th drinking MGD at 8am....... But I was walking by, and I heard the guy say politely "Excuse me miss, miss, you dropped something." Generally I ignore people who try to talk to me, but I thought to myself "Oh crap, what if I did drop something....." So, I turned around and said to him, "I dropped something??" And he said "Yes, me, you gotta pick me up!" I then proceeded to give him "the look" (MTS you can insert a picture if you want, lol), and walked away thinking to myself, "D@mnit! I can't believe I just fell for that!"

 

In the spirit of the Olympics, I give him an "8" for creativity, but "2" for degree of difficulty!!

 

Hahaha, yeah, the mister thought it was a pretty good line too.

 

 

Haha you gotta give the guy credit for that.

I would have gave the man a dollar or two just for the laugh i would have gotten out of it.

I'm not sure if this dude was homeless or just a lowlife who was sitting in a bus shelter on E. 13th drinking MGD at 8am....... But I was walking by, and I heard the guy say politely "Excuse me miss, miss, you dropped something." Generally I ignore people who try to talk to me, but I thought to myself "Oh crap, what if I did drop something....." So, I turned around and said to him, "I dropped something??" And he said "Yes, me, you gotta pick me up!" I then proceeded to give him "the look" (MTS you can insert a picture if you want, lol), and walked away thinking to myself, "D@mnit! I can't believe I just fell for that!"

 

In the spirit of the Olympics, I give him an "8" for creativity, but "2" for degree of difficulty!!

 

Hahaha, yeah, the mister thought it was a pretty good line too.

 

That would have made me laugh too!

I'm not sure if this dude was homeless or just a lowlife who was sitting in a bus shelter on E. 13th drinking MGD at 8am....... But I was walking by, and I heard the guy say politely "Excuse me miss, miss, you dropped something." Generally I ignore people who try to talk to me, but I thought to myself "Oh crap, what if I did drop something....." So, I turned around and said to him, "I dropped something??" And he said "Yes, me, you gotta pick me up!" I then proceeded to give him "the look" (MTS you can insert a picture if you want, lol), and walked away thinking to myself, "D@mnit! I can't believe I just fell for that!"

 

In the spirit of the Olympics, I give him an "8" for creativity, but "2" for degree of difficulty!!

 

Hahaha, yeah, the mister thought it was a pretty good line too.

 

 

Haha you gotta give the guy credit for that.

I would have gave the man a dollar or two just for the laugh i would have gotten out of it.

 

He didn't ask for anything.....  Well, I guess with the exception of maybe wanting to get "serviced".

I'm not sure if this dude was homeless or just a lowlife who was sitting in a bus shelter on E. 13th drinking MGD at 8am.......  But I was walking by, and I heard the guy say politely "Excuse me miss, miss, you dropped something."  Generally I ignore people who try to talk to me, but I thought to myself "Oh crap, what if I did drop something....."  So, I turned around and said to him, "I dropped something??"  And he said "Yes, me, you gotta pick me up!"  I then proceeded to give him "the look" (MTS you can insert a picture if you want, lol), and walked away thinking to myself, "D@mnit!  I can't believe I just fell for that!"

 

In the spirit of the Olympics, I give him an "8" for creativity, but "2" for degree of difficulty!!

 

Hahaha, yeah, the mister thought it was a pretty good line too. 

 

 

Haha you gotta give the guy credit for that.

I would have gave the man a dollar or two just for the laugh i would have gotten out of it.

 

He didn't ask for anything.....  Well, I guess with the exception of maybe wanting to get "serviced".

You're a media darling, he probably wanted your autograph or to be invited to watch a movie on your Drive In sized Home Theatre!  LOL

The most creative "beggar line" I've heard is when I was walking to class through the sea of parking lots that would soon become the Gateway complex. A man who I suspected of being an Appalachian American said he needed 25 cents to call his girlfriend's mother (this was before everyone had cell phones). He said his girlfriend was pregnant and going into labor. I didn't see his girlfriend, but I thought it was creative enough to give him a quarter.

The most creative "beggar line" I've heard is when I was walking to class through the sea of parking lots that would soon become the Gateway complex. A man who I suspected of being an Appalachian American said he needed 25 cents to call his girlfriend's mother (this was before everyone had cell phones). He said his girlfriend was pregnant and going into labor. I didn't see his girlfriend, but I thought it was creative enough to give him a quarter.

 

I had a guy say to me, "I'm saving up to get a divorce, can you spare anything?"

 

I was still in "man hating mode" and let me tell you if looks could kill, I would have murdered him on the spot.

A long time ago, I had a guy flag me down and start telling me about his bad shoulder.  He asked me to touch it, so I did.  Very gingerly.  He howled in pain and winced, "not so hard!"  I thought that was pretty funny and gave him some change.

Not in Cleveland but in San Francisco in the Haight Ashbury area we recently visited.  Lots of "homeless" on the street asking for $$.  I kept thinking that all of these folks looked relatively young.  Finally, after about an hour of walking I was given a clue as to why -- see there is a large university near the area.  We came upon two "homeless" guys with a cup in hand.  They were honest though in their plea -- "Hey buddy, can you spare some change for beer?  Pot?  Other drugs?"  I laughed my a$$ off and gave them a dollar just for being honest.  Seems as though feining homelessness is a popular activity for students looking for a buzz. 

 

On a serious note for Cleveland though -- I always give $$ to the folks outside of the West Side Market who are collecting for the Grapevine.  Presumably this is a way for raising money for the homeless in a legitimate, organized fashion.  I assume it is and figure it must help in someway. 

Just as a reminder, panhandling does not equal homelessness, and while these anectdotes are amusing, they don't really illustrate anything about the plight of the homeless in Cleveland; IMHO, there are probably more appropriate threads for this :)

Where are the food kitchens in downtown Cleveland?  I had some guy bugging me the other day that he hadn't eaten all day.  Said that he couldn't eat at the Salvation Army because you had to live there to eat there -- is that true?

Where are the food kitchens in downtown Cleveland? I had some guy bugging me the other day that he hadn't eaten all day. Said that he couldn't eat at the Salvation Army because you had to live there to eat there -- is that true?

 

There is most definitely one at E. 17th and Payne (don't know what it's called or who runs it).  St. Malachi's also feeds people every day (W. 25th and Detroit).

There are many places that provide free hot meals to the homeless...

 

you can download the street card with available locations and times here.

 

http://www.neoch.org/street_card.htm

^ NEOCH was in real trouble financially a few years ago.  Anyone know how they're doing these days?  I saw on their website that they only have a staff of two now.  I thought that there was a time that they had 8-10 employees.

The Cosgrove Center provides breakfast and lunch to anyone that enters.  It also provides special dinners on Holidays, etc.  It is located at East 17th and Superior.  This is supported by the Catholic Church and is in conjunction with The Cathedral downtown.  Those interested please explore their web page.

 

http://www.clevelandcatholiccharities.org/ccpcm/cosgrove.htm

 

I give money to this charity because it does FEED people who are hungry and tries to help them in meaningful ways.

 

Every time a panhandler asks me for money "for food" I tell them that they can go to the Cosgrove center for food.  It is the only place I know that is within easy walking distance for any panhandler downtown who is hungry.  Unfortunately many of them refuse the offer.

 

I don't know what every place that feeds the homeless is like... But, where I live, they send them out with food in Styrofoam plates/cups/plastic utensils...and if there is one thing I wish they would do is find a way to have them eat on site.... because each and every piece of plate, cups, utensils, etc..that they're sent on their way with... ends up getting pitched onto the ground all over. Then to complete the cycle, we have to clean up after them, and that's just not the litter..but the excrement in alleys. I think for a free meal, maybe they can be given a bag first....  asked to help clean up all the litter they can find...then come back here for a hot meal. This just might give them a sense of earning it, instill a sense of pride......instead of simply having a feeling of begging for it....and, it will provide a service to the neighborhood. 

 

I agree they should work for it (i've made a suggested this to the Greater Cleveland Partnership, the county, downtown Cleveland alliance, ciperman, my councilman and the mayor), but you're lumping every homeless person into one category without knowing their individual situations.  That isn't right. 

 

How do you know all homeless people do not have any pride?  What information do you have that suggest all homeless people want a free ride and think begging is what they prefer?

 

You really should not profile or categorize all people.

Don't assume that every person asking for money is homeless.  The vast majority are simply panhandlers.  Actually, it has been my experience that the truly homeless rarely ask for money.  They can oftentimes be found in the "cracks" - under bridges, etc.  These are not places that lend themselves to panhandling.

 

Panhandlers and homeless people have different problems and issues which require different solutions.

So my girlfriend works at TowerCity and today I decided to be a good boyfriend and walk with her to work. When we crossed S. Roadway (Euclid) and Ontario, and got in front of Higbees, a homeless man jumped out in front of me, literally cutting off my walking path and started asking for money. I gently put my hand on the mans chest and told him to get out of my way. The homeless man proceeded to go into a fit of rage screaming at me for touching him, cursing me up and down and demanding to fight me. This all happened in front of quite a large group of people, both getting off of the buses and coming into TowerCity. Nowhere in sight, at any point in time, was there a security guard to help me or calm down the homeless man. 

You should have fought him and told him to make the first move.

 

He needs to be off the streets and locked up.

 

 

 

tedolph

^^It's been a while but usually there is someone posted in the vestibule at Tower City; not sure if I ever saw Tower City security outside on any regular basis.

So my girlfriend works at TowerCity and today I decided to be a good boyfriend and walk with her to work. When we crossed S. Roadway (Euclid) and Ontario, and got in front of Higbees, a homeless man jumped out in front of me, literally cutting off my walking path and started asking for money. I gently put my hand on the mans chest and told him to get out of my way. The homeless man proceeded to go into a fit of rage screaming at me for touching him, cursing me up and down and demanding to fight me. This all happened in front of quite a large group of people, both getting off of the buses and coming into TowerCity. Nowhere in sight, at any point in time, was there a security guard to help me or calm down the homeless man. 

 

He certainly wasn't in the right, but word to the wise: don't touch someone who's likely unstable.

good advice. No telling what he might have done.

^ I agree X, I should not have touched the man. With that being said, I think a roaming security guard outside in front of TowerCity would go a long way curtailing the aggressive pan-handling.

I agree that touching him might have not been the best idea, but there is still a problem outside tower city on public square. Always seems to be dirty, with trash blowing around, crowded with people yelling and not creating a pleasant environment.

 

Also someone has to put an end to those "street performers" on East 4th who stop people and "sing" them songs then demand money for their performance. I have avoided them all but once, but have seen them approach many others. This could make people feel uncomfortable on not as eager to return.

I've been living and working on East 4th for over 6 years and have never seen that.

^^It's been a while but usually there is someone posted in the vestibule at Tower City; not sure if I ever saw Tower City security outside on any regular basis.

 

I'm not sure they have juristiction outside.

They likely have some authority to maintain order in the immediate vicinity.  And anybody, security or not, is 'authorized' to defend others from real threats.

 

With just reading the account, it sounds like you committed a battery (unwanted touching) on him and he committed an assault (threat of immediate harm) on you.  Nothing the cops would actually write a ticket for though.  Unfortunately, you probably do indeed have a duty to walk around him despite the fact that he cut off your path.  You can 'touch' him to defend yourself, but not to maintain your b-line for the door.  Now, after you touched him and he went into a fit of rage, if you genuinely felt your safety or your gf's safety was in jeopardy, you would have been perfectly justifified socking him in the jaw so long as you could make the case that walking away wasn't feasible.

^excellent...10 points on the bar exam assualt essay question.

I've been living and working on East 4th for over 6 years and have never seen that.

 

Oh those guys are worse than the Indians' scalpers. They're definitely around.

They likely have some authority to maintain order in the immediate vicinity.  And anybody, security or not, is 'authorized' to defend others from real threats.

 

With just reading the account, it sounds like you committed a battery (unwanted touching) on him and he committed an assault (threat of immediate harm) on you.  Nothing the cops would actually write a ticket for though.  Unfortunately, you probably do indeed have a duty to walk around him despite the fact that he cut off your path.  You can 'touch' him to defend yourself, but not to maintain your b-line for the door.  Now, after you touched him and he went into a fit of rage, if you genuinely felt your safety or your gf's safety was in jeopardy, you would have been perfectly justifified socking him in the jaw so long as you could make the case that walking away wasn't feasible.

 

To be more clear, my arm wasn't even extended, my elbow was bent back and my hand was against my chest which should give you an idea of just how close he was to me. It was a natural reaction, but I still should have refrained from touching the man....Once he went ballistic, it took everything in my power to keep walking and not turn around and sock him in the face

^So your hand was on both his chest and your chest at the same time?.... "I gently put my hand on the mans chest and told him to get out of my way."  If he was THAT close, you probably acted reasonably under whatever analysis is applied.  It sounded, from the way you told the story, that he simply blocked your path and you gave him a 'gentle' stiff arm to the chest.

 

^excellent...10 points on the bar exam assualt essay question.

 

-2 point for spelling assault wrong, 'councilor' ;)

^So your hand was on both his chest and your chest at the same time?.... "I gently put my hand on the mans chest and told him to get out of my way."  If he was THAT close, you probably acted reasonably under whatever analysis is applied.  It sounded, from the way you told the story, that he simply blocked your path and you gave him a 'gentle' stiff arm to the chest.

 

^excellent...10 points on the bar exam assualt essay question.

 

-2 point for spelling assault wrong, 'councilor' ;)

 

If I can smell your nasty breathe than your too close lol

 

Close to my chest would have been accurate... It was hardly a stiff arm

 

Thanks

^^thank god for my secretary (not to show my age or nothing) :-D

I punched a bum in the face, more of a jab really, square in the nose, several years ago during St. Pats day downtown Cleveland, he was being really aggressive and kept harrassing the girl I was with.  Didn't really hurt him but if you've ever been punched in the nose, you know it stings & makes your eyes water.  People around me cheered.  He went & sat down on the sidewalk & thought about what had happened.  I didn't want to do it but he wasn't getting the point from me telling him to get away repeatedly.  Not sure what might've happened if a cop had seen it but given the crowds that day & nobody was hurt, I doubt much.  I doubt he harrassed anyone much more that day.

And it's unfortunate that something like this happens when so many others are watching, and that nothing is done. It sets up the expectation that this is an ok way to act in this area for anyone in and around there, and is often the first place an outsider would be after exiting tower city if they were rapid riders.

Question?  Was this reported to the Police, Tower City or the Downtown Cleveland ambassadors?

#Utah and #Buffalo prove that the obvious solution to ending #homelessness *starts* with, well, #housing them:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2015/04/17/the-surprisingly-simple-way-utah-solved-chronic-homelessness-and-saved-millions/

A friend posted this to me in a Facebook conversation. I've deleted the political references to keep this discussion more data/experience focused....

 

I do a lot of volunteer work with the homeless community. We have seen around a 20% increase in the Cleveland area homeless population in the last year. Evictions are way up in the City of Cleveland. The working poor population is growing. Poverty is on the rise. Also, we are paying more tax than ever before, but we can afford the tax increase.

 

What is the reason for the sudden increase in evictions/homelessness? Incomes not keeping up with rising real estate prices?

 

Rent has become unaffordable for many people, especially single mothers with children. Minimum wage cannot support market rate rental housing. Evictions are creating a rise in homelessness. We are in a state of crisis in Cleveland, and we are scrambling to find shelter space for single people and families. Every overflow shelter is now beyond capacity. This is expected to continue.

This city is filled with unoccupied structures.  Two problems, one solution.

This city is filled with unoccupied structures.  Two problems, one solution.

 

What are the legal roadblocks keeping landlords from renting properties?

This city is filled with unoccupied structures.  Two problems, one solution.

 

What are the legal roadblocks keeping landlords from renting properties?

 

Private property.  Many of these structures have scant market value and owe back taxes.  Should have been seized and put to use long ago.  The legal basis for protecting property rights is that it encourages the most efficient use of finite resources.  That's not happening here, not with ruins all over the place.  Do you want to live in a zombie movie?  I don't.  We have to fix this mess.

 

Right now the county land bank's mission is producing vacant lots for market.  What if its mission was to solve the homeless problem instead?  What if that mission got the money the Q is getting?

The increase in evictions is a big concern right now. Low wages are the primary reason, when you break it all down. But the tight housing market has alot to do with it too. Many people who had been renting their houses after the meltdown are finally comfortable with selling since prices have risen. In South Euclid, the number of rental units has decreased by 4% so far this year. The former tenants have to go somewhere, but with a shrinking supply, rising rent prices, and stagnant wages, they getting pushed out. Many end up falling into a bad situation with bad landlords with subpar houses. The moment a tenant complains about the state of the property they're given an eviction notice. Many tenants don't know their rights, and now having an eviction on their record, get stuck in a vicious cycle of going from one bad landlord to another - often times being extorted out of extra money for repairs that are not their responsibility, or "down payments" to be accepted with an eviction on their records. Another scam is the landlord not paying the property taxes or mortgage, and tenants being evicted when the property is foreclosed on (tax foreclosures have been greatly increasing lately). The result is many former renters being pushed out of the market entirely when they should be able to afford a home. In recognition of this, there is a big push by some municipalities and CDCs to increase education for tenant (and landlords) as to what the law is, and what their rights are.

Coincidentally a friend of mine just listed a rental in the Lorain/Triskett neighborhood near George's Kitchen...he got 54 rental applications in a week. This is not a hot neighborhood by any means, these are working class families searching for a decent price and a fair landlord.

 

How do restrictions on multifamily housing development factor into this problem? Outside of downtown and the near westside how many large apartment buildings were constructed in the last 15 years? It seems many suburbs have large buildings from the 60s and 70s but nothing more modern. I'm thinking of Myafield, Lakewood, Parma and North Olmsted. For the people in development and construction, am I off point here?

 

 

Beachwood has the View (Vue?) and that's about the only new multifamily I can think of around 271 in Cuyahoga County. There's new stuff out in, like, Aurora and places like that.

Is it possible to provide before winter thousands of transitional housing units, many of them temporary, located on city-owned land that's within walking distance to basic services (full-service grocery store, 24-hour drug store, etc) that's transit-accessible 20- to 24-hours a day and is secure?

Sad to hear there is such an increase in homelessness.  Just speaking to downtown, I haven’t noticed any extreme increase in homeless people but obviously this is just s small area of the region. I am from California originally and was always amazed at how many homeless and mentally ill people are on the streets in downtown San Francisco. I was just reading several articles this week describing the absolute crisis they are facing right in the city center. Thousands of homeless or mentally ill persons  shooting up drugs right in the streets, going to the bathroom, fighting, even murders all in “nice” tourist areas. I guess it’s the worst it’s ever been according to some. Even some conventions have canceled having events there due to the issues. I haven’t been back to downtown SF in years but I hope the problems here in Cleveland can be addressed before it  gets to that point in the city center but like I said the problems here go way beyond what we see downtown...

Happy to say that I just got back from DC, and Cleveland's homeless situations is FAR BETTER than in DC. I was shocked.