Gore Park

[raisethehammer]

Gore Park is a fabulous spot with people of all ages and walks of life.
I'm there all the time and have yet, not ONCE been hassled or seen anything dangerous or scary.
I think the anal whitebreads running this city need to chill out.
They must HATE Montreal and all the loitering that goes on there...the entire city makes Gore Park look dead.

[Millstone]

Originally Posted by raisethehammer

I'm there all the time and have yet, not ONCE been hassled or seen anything dangerous or scary.

do you blend in well?

[FRM]

Originally Posted by raisethehammer

Gore Park is a fabulous spot with people of all ages and walks of life.
I'm there all the time and have yet, not ONCE been hassled or seen anything dangerous or scary.
I think the anal whitebreads running this city need to chill out.
They must HATE Montreal and all the loitering that goes on there...the entire city makes Gore Park look dead.

How do you not see the amount of druggies in there? Either I'm mistaken or I'm being an 'anal whitebread' but I hate having to see that and the generally mentally unstable people there everyday.

[adam]

if we just shut our eyes really tight and click our heels a couple times maybe the homeless problem will go away??

[IronWarrior]

Originally Posted by raisethehammer

Gore Park is a fabulous spot with people of all ages and walks of life.
I'm there all the time and have yet, not ONCE been hassled or seen anything dangerous or scary.
I think the anal whitebreads running this city need to chill out.
They must HATE Montreal and all the loitering that goes on there...the entire city makes Gore Park look dead.

I agree! I was born and raised here in Hamilton and have lived near the downtown core for most of my 31 years and I have never had a problem, not once! aside from someone asking me for some spare change..lol I go downtown about 4 days a week or so and see alot of kids hanging around gore park, sitting on the benches, talking, smoking, but I have never once seen them cause a problem for anyone, people need to chill out..lol

[the dude]

as is the case with all of downtown, it's just a matter of tweaking the ratio a little bit.

yes, the gore is often filled with down-and-outers, youth, etc. get over it and stop being such babies! this is city life. cities are the same everywhere and they've never been any different dating back millennia.

that said, if we can get more people living/working downtown and make some improvements to the gore then everything will be jim-dandy. then, god-willing, all the sensitive types can relax with their lattees in the park without having to see or smell someone undesireable.

[go_leafs_go02]

Originally Posted by the dude

as is the case with all of downtown, it's just a matter of tweaking the ratio a little bit.

yes, the gore is often filled with down-and-outers, youth, etc. get over it and stop being such babies! this is city life. cities are the same everywhere and they've never been any different dating back millennia.

that said, if we can get more people living/working downtown and make some improvements to the gore then everything will be jim-dandy. then, god-willing, all the sensitive types can relax with their lattees in the park without having to see or smell someone undesireable.

I'm sorry, but there are more creepy and weird looking people in Hamilton compared to any other place I've been to. That's the reality. Of course, no place is completely vacant of homeless or low-class people, but the proportion in Hamilton is higher than anywhere else.

[the dude]

oh, do regale us with stories of your extensive travels...

i'm not going to get into a d*ck measuring contest with you but i've been around and i'm telling you that nearly every city i've ever lived in or visited has these same challenges. that's life, pass me another beer.

[Berklon]

Originally Posted by go_leafs_go02

I'm sorry, but there are more creepy and weird looking people in Hamilton compared to any other place I've been to. That's the reality. Of course, no place is completely vacant of homeless or low-class people, but the proportion in Hamilton is higher than anywhere else.

I don't go downtown that often (outside of using the GO Train everyday) so I can't say how bad it is or isn't. I know a few people who have the same impression as you.

However, in my 5 minute walk from Union Station to my place of work in downtown Toronto - I see a buttload of these "creepy and weird looking people" every day. Many homeless people sleeping on sidewalks, pan-handlers with major issues, people reciting the bible loudly as evidence to the end of the world, etc. Hell, for a long time there was this older man (crack/meth user?) who would constantly run up and down the underground path system breathing very heavily and yelling utter nonsense.

The people on their way to work seem to be totally unphased by it. It's just part of the scenery - they accept it and move on. It seems that Hamilton gets the bad rap while Toronto gets a pass for these things.

With Toronto you have to worry about a drive-by shootings downtown. I missed a food court shooting that resulted in a hostage situation outside of Union Station by only 5 minutes on my daily commute.

Downtown seems pretty safe in comparison.

[coalminecanary]

what can't you bring your kid there? cause (s)he might ask daddy some difficult-to-answer questions about homeless people? or because "undesirables" might what - kidnap the kid?

[DC83]

They are obviously referring to the homeless & thugs that hang out here. Funny thing is, it's pretty concentrated around the S/E corner of King/Huhgson... sooo if you don't like fake thugs, don't go to that area of the park. Although they are clearly selling drugs and I don't know how they're allowed to!?

[SteelTown]

Lucky I've never been bothered at Gore Park but I've been bothered around Jackson Square, asked if I wanted to buy drugs. Annoys the hell out of me.

One time I was at James and King waiting to cross the street and there must have been 20 people waiting to cross as well and a guy yelled out if anyone wanted drugs.

[DC83]

^^ Hmmm, Drug Guy or "You're Going to Hell" Guy?
I don't know what's worse!?

Has anyone seen this guy with his big 'You're Going to Hell' sign and T-Shirt? Get a job, buddy!

[geoff's two cents]

My girlfriend was cornered and propositioned by a pimp with his three friends in a busy part of Jackson Square while I was literally steps away getting money out of an ATM (and no, she doesn't look anything like a prostitute). That hasn't kept us from spending most of our dining/entertainment dollars downtown where they belong, but it does sometimes keep us from lingering near a bunch of thuggish-dressed types in the Gore or elsewhere. I'm not sure it would keep me from hanging out there by myself, reading or drinking coffee, but I don't think I need to say that my girlfriend would not be comfortable there.

I generally like the Hamiltonian vibe and I think the Gore itself is beautiful, though I could do with a greater mix of people downtown. I'm not for sanitizing the core, though I think that the current mix of stores surrounding the Gore (Money Mart, cheap pizza, adult theatres) encourages something of a monoculture, and deters many perhaps otherwise decent people from lingering in the area. This, in turn, as the above example illustrates, leads what I would have no problem identifying as members of the underclass (I can use this term to describe pimps and drug dealers, can't I?) to believe that they effectively own the place. As for the homeless, the urban poor, or people with disabilities, I don't have an issue with them. Hell, I even feel bad for not hugging this one poor girl in a scooter who was selling hugs for a quarter on the corner of James and King a couple days ago (I have a brother with Down syndrome, and can't help but wonder how long he'd last on his own in a city like Hamilton).

Perhaps the city could keep an increased number of police officers in the area on foot around the clock? In Vancouver a couple years ago, they had these people in highly visible red uniforms called city ambassadors. They weren't police officers, didn't carry weapons, etc. - I believe their function was to act as a mobile source of tourism and transit info, city history, etc. Yet, because they were still something of an official presence, they helped to deter a lot of illicit activity. In spite of the city's obvious problems, Hamilton has a lot to be proud of as well - I think that, perhaps in connection with the proposed LRT, this city might be able to pull off a similar program. I think having entertainers is a great idea, and sidewalk vendors within reason.

[adam]

I don't know about you guys, but I'd rather be in Hamilton and get asked to buy drugs rather than around the Eaton Centre downtown Toronto where there have been several shootings in the past few months.

[raisethehammer]

anyone watch that rapid transit video on the city's website??

Great video, but I'm a little disturbed that they brought in all those 'normal' looking people from Toronto to pretend to be Hamilton teachers,students etc....
They should have just interviewed all the losers and bums that dominate Gore Park.

[adam]

Where are you getting your info from? I work with the teacher in the vid and he does in fact live in Hamilton.

[Berklon]

I think he was being sarcastic.

[raisethehammer]

Lol.... sorry, should have added a winking eye or something.
total sarcasm.

[geoff's two cents]

No, it was definitely not an accurate cross-section of the city. . .