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Front Street trader says vagrants bad for business

A Front Street businessman has vowed to remove vagrants from City parkland because they are bad for business.

Charging that they are threatening visitors and the elderly, Mr. Nelson Hunt has made it clear that he will chase them away from a nearby park, rather than let them spoil his trade. His concern is shared by the Corporation of Hamilton, which has been investigating ways to curtail the vagrants' impact.

Corporation of Hamilton Secretary Mr. Roger Sherratt said that vagrancy had already been identified as a source of irritation to visitors.

"It's causing a big problem,'' he said. "In Airport exit surveys, there has been an increasing number of complaints against vagrants by departing tourists. It's detrimental to Bermuda to have the kind of behavioural problems associated with vagrants. Some of these guys behave well, but some behave poorly.

"There is begging on the streets and worse. People are really being accosted by beggars. Women are being frightened and intimidated. There is also some fighting among the vagrants and just recently there was a knifing on Front Street.'' Mr. Hunt is the president of Inner Harbour Ltd., the company that owns Pier Six, a new club that will operate a restaurant and entertainment service at Number Six Shed, starting this month.

He said that vagrant behaviour that includes solicitation and public urination threatens the Island's tourism product and needs to be addressed. Mr. Hunt said: "Nobody else has had nerve enough to move them along. But I will. I don't care if I have to go to court to do it.

"These guys are preying on the weak and the old. I've seen people who are afraid of these guys and they are spoiling it for everyone. I'm not having it.

"Our day-time trade is going to include the selling of lunches, like sandwiches, to business people. It would be nice if people can go right next door to the park and eat their lunch in peace, enjoying the scenery of Hamilton Harbour.

"But these guys are out there. I saw a guy out there urinating right out in the open.'' Pier Six has a long-term lease from the City for the use of the Number Six Shed building.

Mr. Sherratt said: "Mr. Hunt met with our property committee chairman, and we have resolved to cut back the hedge on the mini-park that is near his business and put up more lights that may drive them away. We're also liaising with police to help move them along.

"We appreciate that this could be detrimental to Mr. Hunt's business and he has good reason to complain.'' "But it is a City-wide problem and we are concerned. Union Street is probably the worst. We receive a lot of complaints from business people. Another bad area is in the parking lot across from the Supermart.

"There have been requests for Police action, but they have to either catch people in an illegal act or take a complaint and have an individual identified.

"But we know it is a bad situation. We also have problems at Washington Lane and on Church Street, near the City Hall. They drink liquor and get drunk, and openly urinate wherever they are. They could be 20 yards away from a public toilet.''