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Let down by downtown

This is one thread that makes me scratch my head in bafflement. I've lived in the burbs and close to downtown. I've lived in the beaches.

I've seen panhandling going on in the beaches, along the danforth and further out. I see homeless people out in these areas too.

Downtown is fairly clean and a vibrant place to live and play. More so on the west side.

I really don't understand why some are picking on poor downtown when I've witnessed the same questionable activities happening elsewhere in the city.

Maybe I'm missing something here. And you're missing something if you think people aren't vanalizing, vomitting and assaulting others further out.
 
Sounds like the vast majority of the negative sentiment is in some way or another linked to homelessness. Take that element out and things are looking reasonably good, I'd say.
 
It might sound mean, but I don't even notice homeless people anymore, so it's hardly an issue for me.
 
I grew up in Don Mills. In my 20s I moved to North Toronto (Yonge/Davisville) to live and work, and stayed 12 years. From there I spent 4 years in Rosedale, and then finally got the hell out of there and have settled a few minutes walk from Yonge/Bloor. Aside from wanting to buy a condo, I otherwise never want to move.

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder... and I think so are a lot of the problems some of you describe. I'm not saying crime and homelessness don't exist, but how is it that I walk the same streets daily and am not discouraged to the point of fleeing? To some extent you accept that big-city living comes with certain drawbacks - just as living in suburban or rural areas will.

How do I deal with the problems? I hate the panhandling, but I don't let it upset me. I acknowledge them, I tell them "no, sorry", and I move on. Big deal.

I see Zanta all over and he's obviously not all there, but he's never bothered me. Mental illness is not going away any time soon and it is hugely important to acknowledge the big part it plays in the number of "characters" we see on the streets. And it is also important to remember how government cutbacks and downloading have contributed to that.

I have never been attacked or robbed. My car has never been vandalized. Not that it won't happen tomorrow, but statistically it doesn't happen often and we on this forum ought to recognize that reality.

I do not love grit. I do not agree that it is or has to be an important part of the city or city living, but I accept that it will likley always be there to a certain extent. But why is no one mentioning the positive parts? This city has so much to offer, and it seems to me that there are more and more efforts to pay attention to the details and clean things up.

I'm sorry if you've had a bad day or a bad week, and when you have, it may be impossible for you to take a positive outlook. But a lot of this is a glass-half-empty-or-half-full issue.

Finally, I have to point one thing out: there really are some people who are victimized more than others. It may have to do with appearance or posture or the areas you choose to frequent at certain times. I'm not blaming the victim, but I'm not sure I believe purely in "bad luck".

I spent a week in Caracas, one of the most dangerous cities in the world. When I got back, one of the first things I did was meet friends (some of you guys!) downtown for a late dinner. When we left the restaurant at midnight, I walked home from King near Bathurst to Yonge/Bloor. I had to do it just because I could - I could walk the streets at night here and know I was relatively safe. That's what living in this lovely, vibrant city is all about to me.
 
I suppose that downtown can "get" to everyone now and then, but it is too easy to blame everything on the location.

As a kid, I grew up in the suburbs. Nine of the twelve houses on the street that I lived on suffered break-ins. My bike was stolen, lawn furniture was taken as well as a lawn-mover. My father's car was broken into as well - twice.

And this was a "good" neighbourhood.

Homelessness and mental illness are things that show up and concentrate themselves in the downtown. Very often, that is where the services are concentrated. For panhandlers, the density of pedestrians makes the area a "target rich" environment. I would imagine that it is tough going to panhandle on suburban street corners.

I guess I like my dose of grit as much as the next person, but I admit to feeling a sense of excitement when I see some dilapitated property being renovated, or when a new building goes up along some desolate corner. But I also like seeing gritty neighbourhoods populated by trail-blazing artists who bring life to a blighted area, and wonder what will happen when those people get priced out of the location they managed to make interesting just by moving and setting up shop there.

Yeah, downtown can have its downsides; but the downs tend to get balanced out nicely by the ups that make it an interesting and lively place to live. The negatives are annoying if one gets too focussed upon them.

My two cents.
 
There's a lot more people with money downtown than in my area...and there's grittiness, and homeless and crazy people in the suburbs, too.
 
Zanta.....

About Zanta? Apparently he was a construction worker who several years, suffered a serious accident while on the job.

Seems he has brain damage from a fall and hasn't been the same since. I think his wife left him some time ago with the kids.

Very unfortunate tale......
 
Re: Zanta.....

Due to the high temperature and humidity yesterday I decided (on a dare) to run around Yonge-Dundas square in my underwear through the dancing fountains - Ah, the pleasures of anonymity in a dense urban environment!
 
Re: Zanta.....

No UTGA cameras to capture the evidence this time either. :lol
 
Re: Zanta.....

Greased_Up_Deaf_Guy.png
 
Re: Zanta.....

And banned from downtown according to wikipedia. So I can get banned from downtown by acting up in front of a camera on a public street.

Zancai was banned from the downtown core of Toronto in 2005 following a number of complaints filed by CHUM, owner of CityTV. The television station, notorious for filming live programming against the backdrop of its Queen Street West-facing windows, was growing tired of capturing Zancai in almost every one of its newscasts, and some of its employees reportedly felt threatened or aggravated by Zancai's presence. Zancai's continued desire for fame and exposure resulted in at least one arrest on mischief charges.[1]
Click to expand...
 
Re: Zanta.....

I'd like to see an ongoing campaign of guerrilla theatrics - fake and sometimes gory crises acted out for the unseeing eye of the camera in order to blur the boundary between the real and the imaginary - in public places that are heavily policed by security cameras. Though no doubt poor Joe, monitoring it all in his little room, feet up on the desk and a copy of the Sun in his hands, won't even notice.
 
Re: Zanta.....

Indeed, Shawn. I think I posted about them a few years back.

Are you and your psychogeography friends up for creating the occasional little grotesquerie, or tableau vivant, for the cameras? I'd love to!
 
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