Homeless in Clintonville
Monday, August 30, 2010 at 11:13AM in miscellaneous I thought I'd pass this on. --Andy
Homeless find Clintonville Park cozy
Some residents want it cleared; others suggest aid
Sunday, August 29, 2010 03:10 AM
In a church basement on Tompkins Street, two schools of thought emerge on dealing with the drinking, the defecating and every other unsavory thing going on a few blocks away.
People who want to give a hand up to the homeless and other loiterers around Clintonville Park cringe at their neighbors' references to "those people" having chosen the lives they lead.
People who want Columbus police and parks officials to clear the place roll their eyes at suggestions that the problem can be solved with a little more help and compassion.
"We're talking about human beings," the Rev. Paul Ernst said calmly after more than an hour of increasingly heated discussion at North United Methodist Church.
Residents of Clintonville and the University District have been debating the issue for three years now, clashing over potential solutions big and small. After this month's meeting, Ernst promised to host more discussions with city officials, social-services providers, and residents and business owners from both neighborhoods.
Mariah French