Raise the Hammer

I should have been more specific. Whenever I have ventured downtown I have been met with a plethora of panhandlers. There are more prostitutes and drugs downtown then there are on Upper James and Stone Church. These are the comparisons that the core and any kind of pedestrian space must deal with. For that kind of space to really work it takes an influx of people and money. People with money will not to areas that they feel threatened in or even ill at ease. No people with money than the businesses will close or move away and what is left? A pedestrian area full of drugs, vagrants and sex workers. That is not what most citizens want for the core.

As far as Hess strip goes I tend to agree with a lot of what you have to say. The ones that frequent the area have the money to spend there to keep it going. It is a far cry from the infancy of the area when the Gown and Gavel was one of the few bars if not the only one. Lots of fold music. As far as the underage traffic goes I know that a lot of the 17 and 18 year olds want to go there but I also know that most clubs there are pretty difficult for them to get into. Seems their security personal are pretty good at spotting fake I.D.s. Add to that the frequent police appearances with the stiff penalties for serving minors and it really is not much of a problem. The way they behave is why you and I do not go there. When I recall some of my behaviour when I was a young adult I am not to proud of it either and I believe that is a common thing. Been going on for many generations each one outdoing the previous one. What was once risque and adventurous is now dull and main stream.

The way kids dress is a common point of contention in many families. I know it was for years in our household. My daughter is now into her twenties and it is no longer. These kids (mostly girls) see their idols on the TV in the movies and videos dressed in the most provocative manner and acting in the most lewd way and they see this as normal. They think their parents are just old fashioned and control freaks and will do whatever they can to emulate their idols. Add to that the smattering of parents who just do not care and let their kids dress and behave any way they want and this is what you get.