Page 7 - Florida Sentinel 9-23-16 Online Edition

Local
Change Comes With A Price In West Tampa
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
When residents and busi- ness owners in West Tampa got the news that the Mayor had signed off on a huge rede- velopment plan for their area, they were both elated and ap- prehensive.
Since the announcement, several community leaders and activists have been out- spoken about what they felt the area needed, and how it had fallen 0n deaf ears.
With North Boulevard Homes and Bethune Hi-Rise all but empty now, the com- munity has already felt the im- pact.
A week ago, Main Street business owners held a meet- ing at one of the new busi- nesses, The Space Performing Arts Theater, and the topic of discussion was clearing up the stretch of Main Street between Albany and Howard Avenue. They agreed that loitering and vagrancy was hurting their businesses, and got law en- forcement to start clearing the sidewalks and parking lot areas.
This action didn’t come without some resistance and anger, as the people who loiter along Main Street have ac- cepted it as a way of life for
years, and describe it as a bonding and an opportunity to catch up on the latest news.
According to a couple of patrons who didn’t want their names published, they are being harassed by police.
“We’ve done what we’ve been doing for years on Main Street, and that’s hanging out with our friends,” said one man who wants to be identi- fied as Lamont.
Lamont said as far as he’s concerned, if the owner of the businesses where they loiter aren’t complaining and allow them to gather outside their businesses, what right does law enforcement have in telling them to leave.
Lamont said most of them blame one business
owner for spearheading the ef- fort to run them off Main Street, and he’s successfully convinced the other business owners to follow suit.
Heem Baisden, who op- erates Kuluwm Studios at 1609 North Albany, said what he dislikes is the trash that’s left behind by the loiterers.
“I understand they feel like it should be fine for them to stand around and do nothing, but as a business owner, I don’t like seeing that.
“The main problem is these guys spend little or no money in the businesses along Main Street. Instead, they tend to run off potential cus- tomers because of their pan- handling. I think they need to help us get the existing busi-
nesses stabilized by patroniz- ing them and spending money.”
Robert Morrison, a new business owner on Main Street, said his vision was to create a new atmosphere in the area without it costing the people their present culture and lifestyle.
Morrison is the owner of The Space Performing Arts Theater, and has provided em- ployment opportunities for some of the people who loiter in the area.
Yolanda Allen, who owns Lanna’s Entrees on Main Street, says the people loitering around hurt her busi- ness because they harass and panhandle her customers.
“I offer them food and an
opportunity to earn a couple of dollars cleaning up, but when they come inside my business and panhandle my customers, that’s a sign of dis- respect, and it runs a lot of my customers away.
“I’m in favor of the efforts to clean the area up, and I un- derstand why police are run- ning them away.”
One business owner, Dwight Bolden who oper- ates The WTCA Gathering Place on Albany Avenue, said he thinks the people should be left alone and allowed to loi- ter.
“What they are doing isn’t hurting any of the businesses. They are the people who serve those businesses, and no one has a right to run them away.”
These two areas along Main Street is where business owners say there’s too much loitering and it’s hurting their businesses.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2016 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 7-A