Downtown businesses, residents urge Irving council to act on Main Street safety and homelessness
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Summary
Multiple downtown business owners and residents told the Irving City Council during public comment that visible homelessness, open drug activity and repeated sanitation problems on Main Street are harming safety and commerce and urged stepped-up enforcement and services.
Residents and business owners urged the Irving City Council on July 10 to step up enforcement and services after months of public-safety problems and what they described as visible homelessness on Main Street.
The comments focused on downtown sanitation, public drug use and a string of criminal incidents. Joanne Gowen, owner of Glory House Catering at 109 South Main Street, said increased police presence has produced noticeable improvements but urged the council to resist restoring downtown benches that, she said, encourage long-term sitting by people experiencing homelessness. “When the benches are gone, I feel like it solved basically 90% of the problem,” Gowen said.
The plea for more visible patrols and neighborhood-oriented policing was echoed by Melody McCallum, a Main Street worker who described repeated encounters with open drug use and a violent incident in 2015. McCallum said she no longer arrives early or stays late at work because of safety concerns. “Safety for our children, safety for our elderly. We’ve got to do something about the park,” McCallum said.
Business owner Steve Goen described repeated incidents of break-ins, vandalism and human waste on building walls and property that he said have been reduced after installation of a police camera in the downtown historic district. Goen cited enforcement tools he believes the city can use, referencing a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling and state legislation on encampments and public sanitation. “Irving Police Department, please enforce the laws, law and order in Irving, Texas,” he said.
Speakers asked for a mix of short-term enforcement and longer-term services. Several commentators credited recent increases in police presence for improvements but urged continued attention to protect businesses, employees and customers.
The statements were made during the public-comment portion of the council’s July 10 meeting; they did not produce immediate council action on the dais. The council’s agenda did include housing and zoning items later in the meeting, and several speakers asked that staff and elected officials use upcoming budget and federal funding decisions to address homelessness and safety downtown.
