Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/742437
4 OCTOBER 26 - NOVEMBER 1, 2016 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Friday evening, several weeks ago, I attended a special event in downtown Fayetteville at the Cameo Art House Theater. Afterwards, around 9:30 p.m., I had only two blocks to walk to the reception held at SkyView on Hay. In these two short city blocks, I was approached three times by panhandler's and vagrants. I was brought up to be compassionate, kind and generous and cannot remember when I have failed to offer assistance to someone truly in need ... "By the grace of God go I." However, if you live or work in Downtown Fayetteville your nerves, resources and patience are probably being tested by what seems to be this ever growing influx of vagrants and panhandlers. I'm not going to use the word "homeless" because our community has yet to define that term. However, the problem is real and getting worse as Downtown Fayetteville becomes their preferred sanctuary. A shameful circumstance that quickly turns sympathy, generosity and empathy into fear, apprehension and frustration. Fear, initially from the abrupt unknown approach. "What is going to happen next?" Apprehension from our crazy, unpredictable and erratic judicial system that puts in question what rights we actually have to defend ourselves should this panhandler or vagrant become overly aggressive or violent. These concerns are real. Will I be sued or go to jail for defending myself from this derelict? Or, maybe I'll be accused of violating his human rights. The frustration comes from thinking about the impression we are making on first time visitors to Fayetteville or on someone who has just moved into one of the lovely apartments or condos downtown or recently set up business downtown. Frustration also comes from knowing it doesn't have to be this way. All that is needed is a show of "law and order," an increased police presence, enforcement of existing laws and an inclination to address the problem. It's doable. Without punity these vagrant and panhandling intruders use our bushes and landscapes as camp sites, our back doors, parking lots and alley ways as toilets and downtown pedestrians as a revenue source. Those worried about the new downtown Transportation Hub attracting and harboring these undesirables have a legitimate concern, which I believe is soon to become a reality. The city bureaucrats who claim we have no money to address this situation also have no idea what the real cost to the city will be if the problem is not addressed. New stadium, new baseball team, innovative arts and entertainment district. Now is the time to address this issue, not later. Continued denial is not an option. Agree? Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly. PUBLISHER'S PEN Vagrants and Panhandlers: Fear, Apprehension and Frustration In the City by BILL BOWMAN STAFF PUBLISHER Bill Bowman Bill@upandcomingweekly.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Janice Burton editor@upandcomingweekly.com EDITOR Stephanie Crider stephanie@upandcomingweekly.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR April Olsen stephanie@upandcomingweekly.com SENIOR REPORTER Jeff Thompson news@upandcomingweekly.com ART DIRECTOR & GRAPHIC DESIGNER Sara Smith art@upandcomingweekly.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS D.G. Martin, Pitt Dickey, Margaret Dickson, John Hood, Erinn Crider, Jim Jones, Shanessa Fenner, Heather Griffiths BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Keri Dickson keri@upandcomingweekly.com SALES ADMINISTRATOR/ DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Laurel Handforth laurel@upandcomingweekly.com ACCOUNTING Paulette Naylor accounting@upandcomingweekly.com MARKETING/SALES Nicki Hart nicki@upandcomingweekly.com Linda McAlister Brown linda@upandcomingweekly.com ––––––––––– Up & Coming Weekly www.upandcomingweekly.com 208 Rowan Street P.O. Box 53461 Fayetteville, NC 28305 PHONE: (910) 484-6200 FAX: (910) 484-9218 Up & Coming Weekly is a "Quality of Life" publication with local features, news and infor- mation on what's happening in and around the Fayetteville/Cumberland County community. Up & Coming Weekly is published weekly on Wednesdays. Up & Coming Weekly welcomes manuscripts, photographs and artwork for pub- lication consideration, but assumes no respon- sibility for them. We cannot accept responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts or material. Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. The publisher reserves the right to edit or reject copy submitted for publication. Up & Coming Weekly is free of charge and distrib- uted at indoor and outdoor locations throughout Fayetteville, Fort Bragg, Pope Air Force Base, Hope Mills and Spring Lake. Readers are limited to one copy per person. ©2007 by F&B Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of editorial or advertisements without permission is strictly prohibited. Fayetteville's Weather Forecast Call 910-354-1679 for more info. October 20 Mostly Sunny October 21 Partly Cloudy October 22 AM Showers October 23 Sunny October 24 Sunny October 25 Partly Cloudy THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY HIGH 83 HIGH 73 HIGH 68 HIGH 72 HIGH 74 HIGH 73 LOW 60 LOW 53 LOW 52 LOW 52 LOW 50 LOW 53 BILL BOWMAN, Publisher, UP & COMING WEEKLY. COMMENTS? BILL@ upandcomingweekly.com. 910.484.6200.