Case Date:

9/4/2022

Hi there, I have noticed a large increase in homeless activity in Bloomington this year. In the past, homeless individuals have largely remained in Seminary Park. Now, I see them camped in the park by Hartzell’s on Kirkwood, up by the square further north on Walnut, and even in Bryan Park. Homelessness is a complex problem and individuals in this situation face unfathomable challenges, but many of my peers and I feel their presence in social areas of Bloomington has negatively impacted the safety and cleanliness of the city. Just yesterday, I witnessed a homeless man harass a girl sitting in Brother’s Bar and Grill by slapping the window as if he was slapping her bottom through the window. It made me feel unsafe in my Bloomington home. Similarly, the park near Hartzell’s on Kirkwood is no longer an inviting place to eat ice cream with friends due to the mess left by homeless populations in this area. I am so sorry for their situation and challenges they face, but I do not want the homeless epidemic to impact the value and vibrance of the many lovely green spaces in Bloomington. For these reasons, I wanted to express my concerns about the spread of homelessness in Bloomington this past year and implore you to seek solutions for the issue. I am not an expert in social services or rehabilitation, so I am not sure if there are solutions to this problem, but I hope the city of Bloomington will take my concerns to heart to both help the homeless and improve the safety and well-being of Bloomington. Thank you

Case Date:

8/30/2022

Over the weekend there was a situation at Kroger seminary square where a security officer tazed somebody. I am aware a business is responsible for their own property. However, the seminary square area and seminary square Kroger has become increasingly problematic. Kroger is a large tax paying/job creating business in Bloomington and as a patron of Kroger I feel that the city needs to take responsibility for creating the problems most notably around the Kroger Seminary Square. (Drug usage, public intoxication, public nudity, pan handeling, vandalism, stealing, littering, illegal trespassing, etc). All these criminal activities (being ignored bc city politics have told the police/prosecutors to ignore) in the surrounding areas are spreading unjustly into this downtown Kroger. The city needs to quit passing the blame and own up to the environment they have created. I urge city officials to crack down on these problems and come up with a real solution to fix these problems. Local business should not have to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars a year on security bc you cannot provide a safe community!