Public restroom stations, security lighting and the hiring of more police officers were among the suggestions of a task force assigned the question of how to make downtown Bloomington more safe and civil for everyone in the community.
Members of the Downtown Safety, Civility and Justice Task Force spent the past five months reviewing information collected by the Community Justice and Mediation Center, researching best practices in other communities, studying input from an Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs class and hearing from the public. Thursday morning, the group presented its seven-page report with 13 recommendations for downtown improvement.
They considered the complaints of downtown business owners, employees, patrons and the public about unwelcome behavior that makes people feel unsafe, such as criminal activity, aggressive panhandling, drug abuse and public intoxication. They considered the complaints of people experiencing homelessness and poverty who have expressed concerns about encountering inebriated college students who frequent downtown bars. And they considered the health and safety of city workers who find human waste and syringes on downtown property.
“The Task Force focused on appropriate vs. inappropriate behaviors regardless of an individual’s housing or employment status, level of income or education,” the report began.
“Some behaviors being observed, experienced and reported in the downtown area are occurring with increasing frequency and are simply unacceptable, regardless of the actor,” the report continued.
A primary recommendation was the implementation of a staffed public restroom program, similar to the “Pit Stop” program used in San Francisco. Such restroom stations are outfitted with toilets, sinks, waste receptacles and sharps containers.
Security was another major concern, which the task force said should be addressed with more lighting, the redesigning of problem areas and provision of grant funding for building improvements.