Our View: Benches, unfortunately, had to go

It is refreshing to see a serious Sarasota City Commission willing to take decisive action on behalf of productive law-abiding members of the community. It did so when voting to remove park benches from Selby Five Points Park for what should be obvious reasons.

Unfortunately, the decision results in productive law-abiding members of the community losing out on a modest public amenity. Some of the responses have gone from disappointment to outrage — amazing what people will get outraged over — that the commission took away the remaining benches.

But let’s be clear. The blame for this does not lie at the feet of the new City Commission. The finger of blame rightly needs to be pointed at the homeless themselves and the choices they made and are making that leave them hanging around all day in the shade of the park, taking up benches, often being loud and panhandling and being a general nuisance to the productive in the city.

We support groups, such as the Salvation Army, which provide a meal and shelter, but in return for responsible choices that include no alcohol and drugs and a willingness to work.

This type of group offers treatment programs for drugs and alcohol — a factor in most homelessness. For those homeless who find themselves in that position and who are working to become productive again, we have compassion and encouragement.

But that is not mostly what you see in Selby Five Points Park or other areas downtown.

And we know from police statistics that a portion of these are chronic criminals, whose crimes range from vandalism to theft to assault.

The fact the vagrants — not the temporary homeless — set up camp each day at the park is not the fault of the commission, which is responding to responsible residents who live in the area and are understandably tired of it all. The fault lies with the choices made by the vagrants.

But there are also those who do not pursue wise policies with the homeless. Some may be guided by compassion and some by a political agenda. They are often referred to as “homeless advocates,” by which their actions do indeed seem to advocate homelessness. The Salvation Army is not in this group.

The problem is, that removing the final three benches — six had been removed earlier to dissuade the homeless from gathering — may still not solve the problem. They may still gather under the shade to hang out and at times harass passersby.

Homelessness is a difficult, perplexing problem. Removing the park benches was a tough but admirable decision. The commissioners did what they should have — sided with the taxpaying public.

NEW COMMISSION AGENDA
The newly seated Sarasota City Commission has shown itself decisive, and after a commission that seemed to want to talk every issue to a slow and painful death, it is refreshing. Here is a brief recap of what we laid out for an agenda of top items for the new commission after the March election.

1) City employee pensions. Pensions for police and general employees will surpass the city’s entire property-tax collections next year. This is unsustainable and in need of a drastic overhaul.
2) Can-do attitude. Flip the city’s existing won’t-do reputation into one of making sure that commission and staff are not obstacles to progress and economic vibrancy.
3) Increase development density. It’s a no-brainer. The city is built-out. For it to grow and prosper, commissioners need to allow more density downtown and in other areas. The opposite option is stagnation and decline.
4) North Trail Development. Clean up the crime; create a safe and helpful environment for businesses to create jobs; try to change neighborhood resistance to new development — which we most recently saw on display again with the defeat of boat slips on Whitaker Bayou.
5) Downtown outside the margins. Downtown is the city’s biggest revenue generator. Increase densities. Consider turning the lower end of Main street into a pedestrian plaza. Think big.