Loitering downtown needs to end

My name is Lucca Charneski, and I am a 17 year old student at Pope John Paul II High School.

I have some concerns over the growing amount of people gathering downtown. As I travel around the country, and visit many cities, I have great concern about our downtown area.

Most cities have a downtown area that people enjoy walking around shopping and eating. Our city has become populated with people doing nothing but hanging out and causing problems. As we walk around down there it is quite scary for young kids and the elderly. My grandparents won't go to the Washington Center or other playhouses anymore because of getting harassed by these street people.

I believe that having areas downtown where homeless or vagabonds can get free food and stuff only makes it worse. People now travel here from other areas of the country because our city allows for people to live on our streets. I believe their should a curfew downtown, and nobody can sleep or reside in a mile radius of the downtown area.

I don't think business owners should have to have people sleeping in their doorway and urinating at their doorstep. People will eventually not even go to our downtown.

This story was originally published September 22, 2016 at 11:35 AM with the headline "Loitering downtown needs to end."