Protect public safety in public places

No one has the "right" to defecate in public. No one has the "right" to shoot up heroin or methamphetamine in public and discard used needles on the ground.

Note: This is an open letter to the Bloomington City Council.

Councilors,

I am writing to encourage you to pass the proposed ordinance banning enclosed structures in public parks. For too long, certain areas of Bloomington have become a "no go zone" for law-abiding citizens, especially women and children. City staff has picked up thousands of used needles in Seminary Square Park alone. This needs to be addressed.

This is not about human rights. This is about public safety. No one has the "right" to defecate in public, shoot up heroin or methamphetamine in public and discard used needles on the ground, or menace law-abiding citizens. Given that modern sanitation has saved countless lives, and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, how can we tolerate people openly defecating in public?

Businesses around Seminary Square Park have expressed concern for the safety of their employees, especially women and teenage girls. How can we claim to be a "safe and civil city" when we have these kinds of safety concerns, tolerated by this city council? The fact that the average citizen cannot enjoy a public park without fear ought to be an embarrassment for our city leaders. I am not sure you are embarrassed by that, but you should be.

I know women who will not go downtown because of fear for their safety. Do you remember when downtown was locked down because a deranged man wanted on warrants fled into the storm drain after violently assaulting someone, and there were concerns he had weapons? I do. I could not get to my car because of the police response - a response that would not have been necessary had it not been for city government's decades-long "soft on crime" policies.

This is not about obstructing the public right of way or visual pollution. This is about protecting public health and safety. This is about prioritizing the safety of law-abiding taxpayers of Bloomington over the demands of activists. Allowing this to continue is a dereliction of duty and a betrayal of the people of this city.

Previously:

♣ - Bloomington's shameful treatment of the homeless

♣ - We should not allow Bloomington to become San Francisco

♣ - Mayor Hamilton creates a law enforcement crisis

♣ - The fraudulent "compassion" of Mayor Hamilton