Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office Gets Emergency Order To Shut South Side Bar Levelz

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Allegheny County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Editor’s note:  This says it all, “a Saturday stabbing at Levelz injured two people, one of whom witnesses told police was left holding his entrails.”  33 police responses in about a year and a half!

The Allegheny County district attorney’s office has obtained an emergency court order to shut down Levelz Sports Lounge on Pittsburgh’s South Side.

“We had a meeting with the owners to try to talk some sense into them, but they did not comply,” DA’s office spokesman Mike Manko said.

The bar was also contacted by the county’s Nuisance Bar Task Force.

The bar’s owners could not be reached immediately for comment.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/allegheny-county-district-attorneys-office-seeks-emergency-order-to-shut-south-side-bar-levelz-697847/#ixzz2aqmIWmhE

Free Speech Is One Thing, Vagrants, Another

BERKELEY, CA — Hardly a stranger to political movements, this is a city that has championed free speech, no nukes, the antiwar movement and now: no sitting on the sidewalk.

During years of economic downturn, cities across the country have reported rising vagrancy and rushed to pass laws banning aggressive panhandling, giving food away in public parks and even smelling foul.

This bastion of populist politics is no exception.  The City Council and mayor have put a measure on the November ballot that would ban sitting and lying on commercial sidewalks from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., at the risk of a $75 citation.

“These laws are an example of a startling national trend to criminalize homelessness,” said Maria Foscarinis, executive director of the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, an advocacy group.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/20/us/berkeley-targeting-homeless-proposes-ban-on-sidewalk-sitting.html?pagewanted=1&ref=us&_r=0

Penn Square Consultants Get An Earful

Editor’s note:  Taking care of the root problem needs happen…crime and blight need to be addressed before cosmetics can lure people downtown.  Cleaning up the downtown is necessary but business owners and shoppers need to feel safe above all else.  Without the root problem being addressed, it’s another case of putting lipstick on a pig.

The consultants designing Downtown 20/20 – what Penn Square should look like to attract more out-of-towners – say they’ve gotten an earful of criticism and suggestions at three recent public hearings, and have tweaked the plans to accommodate some comments.

But they also got an earful this week from City Council members, who said that although they liked the ideas, nothing will happen until the city begins resolving Penn Square’s larger issues.

“Nobody wants to go downtown with all the drunks sitting around,” Councilwoman Donna Reed said at a work session with the 20/20 steering committee and the consultants. “It’s just an uncomfortable, disgusting place to walk.”

She said the Downtown Improvement District said its biggest challenge is dealing with public drunkenness, and the city needs to start enforcing its loitering laws and getting rid of the reeking trash containers on North Fourth Street.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/Article.aspx?id=410399

The Brick House Versus The Pottstown Downtown Improvement District Authority

It never ceases to amaze me how The Fishwrap inserts itself into Pottstown’s affairs.  There is a fine line between reporting the news and “creating” the news.

The most recent article about the dispute between PDIDA and Brick House owner Dave Walsh is a sterling example of taking a bad situation and making it worse, under the guise of “the public has a right to know”.  The article is slanted in favor of PDIDA and against one of the most successful merchants downtown.  It paints an unflattering picture of Dave Walsh.

I have read the study on the use of opera and classical music to remove vagrants from business districts.  I agree it was worth a try.  I also understand business owners have a right to their opinion, even if that opinion disagrees with PDIDA.  Without business owners there would be no PDIDA.  Frankly, downtown Pottstown is in the worst shape I have ever seen it; since moving here in 1983.  Antagonizing and bad-mouthing Dave Walsh is spitting in the face of one of the few reasons to even go downtown.

I interviewed Dave Walsh a while back and found him to be one of the most down-to-earth people I have ever met.  He answered all my questions, he was forthright, polite, genuine in his desire to help Pottstown and was a pleasure to talk with.  It was the first conversation I ever had with him.  He was a wealth of information.  Instead of pissing him off, maybe PDIDA should pick his brain and find out why and how he is so successful!  He readily shared that information with me.

As for Bonnie trying to mediate this “crisis” I LOL!  Bonnie is firmly on the side of PDIDA, or should I say her agenda. 

Andrew Monastra had the only sensible comments that were reported.  And trust me Andrew, you are right on when you say Dave has valid points which are not personally driven.  Dave Walsh could be a great asset to PDIDA.  He is already a great asset to Pottstown.

As for the loitering problem downtown…we do have a police department, don’t we???  We have laws on the books.  As usual we don’t use our existing tools to solve problems.  The only way to turn Pottstown around is to clean it up.  The police department is a key part of the equation.  Playing opera only keeps undesirables away while the music is playing.  We need to send a clear message that we will not tolerate this behavior on our streets and that can only be done by enforcing the law.  Private citizens can not do that.

I really do applaud PDIDA for trying something.  Sometimes things do not work, for a variety of reasons, and we need to regroup and move on.  Demonizing Dave Walsh is neither productive nor proper.  Dave is not the problem here.  You should extend an olive branch and tap into what Dave knows.

The Weather Is Getting Warmer And Problems Are On The Rise In Pottstown’s Core Neighborhood

Now that the weather is warmer and people are involved in more outdoor activities, we are noticing that problems are starting to escalate in the Washington Street Corridor.  The Mercury reported two shootings, in the last week, in that general area as well as a self-inflicted gunshot wound to a third person. 

It appears that noise and loitering are on the rise.  Large groups of people hanging around with nothing in particular to do which is a recipe for disaster.  Idle hands….

It has come to my attention that there is a particular hot spot of activity which needs to be addressed.  If we are serious about cleaning up and stabilizing the core neighborhood through homeownership, we better start putting our money where our mouth is.  The few homeowners in that area are sick of this behavior and are prisoners in their homes.  You will never attract new homeowners with this sort of lawlessness being allowed to go on.  Confronting these people is dangerous and should be handled by law enforcement professionals.

This activity is a black eye for Pottstown and continues to reinforce the stereotype that our community is a ghetto and unsafe.  This is of course not true, but perception is hard to change.  This problem area of town needs immediate and swift attention. 

If we expect PAID to do their job, crime MUST be brought under control.  How is PAID supposed to attract business and industry to Pottstown if this Wild West behavior is tolerated??  Who the hell will invest in Pottstown if we cannot get a handle on criminal activity??  The answer is Section 8 slumlords!

We need to start enforcing the laws we have on the books and being a little more clever.  Again, I suggest cameras for problem areas and beefed up patrols.  If we cannot get the criminal element in this town under control PAID is DOA!