Maybe it was the scorching, high-90s heat. Or the four bicycle cops jawboning on the sidewalk outside the Lily Pad Cafe. But, for whatever reason, the homeless people at downtown’s Main Street Garden at noon today were in no mood to discuss Angela Hunt’s “anti-bums-in-the-park” tweets.
One of them, a middle-aged woman on a shaded bench, said she’d already talked to a reporter, yesterday. Another, a young guy sitting under a tree, said as long as there are no walls or fences around Main Street Garden, it wouldn’t be fair–or legal–to keep anyone out. “Who is the owner of the park?” he asked indignantly, adding that he didn’t want to give his name. “If it’s the city or the United States of America, everyone has the right.”
Actually, the city does own the $17.5 million park. Businessman Mark Noble, who co-chaired Main Street’s founding committee, said problems like the one Hunt referenced should ease over time as the park–the first of several planned by the city–matures and attracts more activity. Main Street Garden is “really the first rattle out of the bag,” said Noble, who’s no longer associated with the park.
This week, thanks to Hunt, the rattle was making a pretty loud racket.
