There's a new hobo in town, and he gives me the creeps. I've seen him 3 times this week walking on Main, south of the downtown. He walks down the street talking to himself (this is a white dude, let's call him Charlie Manson, not to be confused with the extremely tall black dude that walks down the street talking to himself, a.k.a. Flood Pants). I have such a bad feeling about Charlie that I cross the street to avoid passing him. Wears a baseball cap, faded Bears jacket, army green backpack, thick curly hair. Maybe he's been mentioned before, but I've just started seeing him. Is this town a nut magnet or what?

Flood Pants!! That's the guy that was passed out in front of my bank.

quote:

Originally posted by Flora Klok:
There's a new hobo in town, and he gives me the creeps. I've seen him 3 times this week walking on Main, south of the downtown. He walks down the street talking to himself (this is a white dude, let's call him Charlie Manson, not to be confused with the extremely tall black dude that walks down the street talking to himself, a.k.a. Flood Pants). I have such a bad feeling about Charlie that I cross the street to avoid passing him. Wears a baseball cap, faded Bears jacket, army green backpack, thick curly hair. Maybe he's been mentioned before, but I've just started seeing him. Is this town a nut magnet or what?

I saw him this morning, you nailed it, this guy is way creepy.

Yes, this town has become a magnet. I was walking in the CBD Tuesday afternoon and was asked to give $.50 to a man outside of Amerimark Bank, I saw the creepy new guy, and was glared at by Angry Camo man as I was getting into my car. This is all in the course of walking a few blocks. The Village will not attract shoppers to spend time and money in our fair village if everyone must pass through a gauntlet of solicitors and scary people. I did not call the police, but was looking for them. When I passed the bank again, Mr. 50 cents was gone.

These people will never succeed at anything until they start asking for larger sums of money. If I were mentoring them in life...that would be my first recommendation.

Actually, the whole town has become a nut magnet.

It's quaint.

Right you are. I just looked in the dictionary and quaint definition #2 is "pleasantly strange". For future reference, I wonder what the word for unpleasantly strange is?

quote:

There's a new hobo in town, and he gives me the creeps. I've seen him 3 times this week walking on Main, south of the downtown. He walks down the street talking to himself (this is a white dude, let's call him Charlie Manson, not to be confused with the extremely tall black dude that walks down the street talking to himself, a.k.a. Flood Pants). I have such a bad feeling about Charlie that I cross the street to avoid passing him. Wears a baseball cap, faded Bears jacket, army green backpack, thick curly hair. Maybe he's been mentioned before, but I've just started seeing him. Is this town a nut magnet or what?

i believe i encountered this guy on the train a couple weeks ago. i was folding up my newspaper as we rolled into glen ellyn, and looked up to find him staring at me from the vestibule. he totally gave me the creeps - i thought of manson right away! i tried to let him get off the train before me, but he graciously let me go first - and then proceeded to follow me for several blocks. i took a detour home, as i was so afraid he'd follow me all the way to my house. haven't seen him since, but i still have the creeps from that one encounter!!!

quote:

Originally posted by GEmom2:
...The Village will not attract shoppers to spend time and money in our fair village if everyone must pass through a gauntlet of solicitors and scary people.

My thoughts exactly. I've subtly shied away a little bit.

I took an early bike ride Sunday morning and went through parts of Wheaton--not a homeless person in sight.

This will be a tough nut to crack. The majority of the oddballs that we have in GE are not breaking the law, they just make us uncomfortable. Some of these folks clearly have mental health issues, which again is not against the law. However, they could pose a danger to themselves or others which would require they are placed in a mental health facility for treatment and observation.

Here's what we can do to help the situation-

-When asked for money, contact the police. Ask you're neighbors and friends to do the same. If people are compelled to provide money for the poor, do it through your place of worship or other organization. If the well is dry, some of these folks may get the hint and leave.

-If you feel threatened by the behavior any person you encounter in the street, contact the police. The police should question these people to gauge their contact with reality. There are some fairly easy questions to determine if someone is mentally ill and if they are a threat to themselves or others.

-If you see people throwing litter on the sidewalk or streets, contact the police. This includes those who drop their butts on the sidewalk or streets. Littering is against the law, we need to ask our police to enforce the law.

Turning the GEBD around starts with the small things and we all need to be part of the solution. I'd like to hear other suggestions to help make our downtown area more desireable.

Drove by Einstein's this evening and noticed all the outdoor tables and chairs are gone. Never noticed this before. Anyone know about this?

They were out at 8:00 a.m. when I went by.

Maybe they are cleaning or repairing the sidewalk. I'll be sure to ask tomorrow.

The outside "cafe" permits are only good for a specific time period, usually late Spring through Summer. Kinda like closing of the pools only a tad longer.

I just want to say I saw no bums in Glen Ullin, ND. Whatever they have going for them is working. OTOH, I also witnessed a very slow economy there. Handouts weren't going to happen, since the normal townfolk looked poor enough already.

So if we all went broke, would they still hang out here?

I was wondering what happened to you...

Glad someone noticed my absence. Glacier National Park/Waterton happened to me. 4,100 more files to add to my hard drives. Even saw snow. Almost touched a bear. Good trip. I promise a few pictures when I get to them, including Glen Ullin images.

My sister was over for dinner yesterday. Lives in Elmhurst. Rides her bike on the Prairie Path and Great Western well past GE several times a week during the day.

Completely unsolicited, she mentioned how creepy the path had gotten lately, especially the stretch west of the 355 bridge on both sides of Hill. Said she never had anything bad happen, but always makes sure she is riding at a steady pace and not stopping there.

Regarding GE, her comment was along the lines of "How many homeless people can you fit in that little park right next to the path, and under the gazebo?" Said she used to enjoy stopping there for a drink, but no longer does so because she doesn't feel comfortable with the homeless who are always there.

Just to let you know GE does not have a monopoly, she said the other spot that is just as bad is Wheaton, right at the 0 mile marker before the path branches and crosses the bridge. Says she heard there is a free lunch program thereabouts, but says there is generally a crowd of homeless-appearing folks around there. Again, making her not want to stop.

When she takes longer rides, she used to stop at restauraunts in Wheaton and GE for a bite on her way back, but now she figures she'll just keep going and grab something at home. She's not really worried that anything is going to happen to her if she stops, but I guess the scenery just doesn't put her in the mood to eat and spend money.

Final data point, Ms. D. has a childhood friend whose brother is a homeless alcoholic/addict. This is at least double hearsay, but the understanding I got was that in his opinion, GE is THE place to be homeless in the Western Chicagoland area.

Nice to think we have a rep!

just west of the 0 mile marker in Wheaton is the PADS day site. SHower, laundry, and other services for the homeless.