The State of O'Connell St

spank_inferno

starviewadams wrote: »

If that place was profitable it wouldn't have been closed,bottom line.

Not saying the stuff mentioned in the article isn't serious,but it's a convenient way to save face for the owners.

That story stems from an interview with the American owner on the Pat Kenny show this week.

It wasn't about the money, it was just too much hassle to have to deal with Temple Bar anti-social problems.

Hootanany

Irene Lemon Clover wrote: »

Try the area around the Infirmary Road play ground and the grassy hill overlooking it and the pond, its crawling with addicts with open dealing at the park gates at the NCR and within sight of Garda HQ.

I did'nt know that:eek:

EyeSight

spank_inferno wrote: »

That story stems from an interview with the American owner on the Pat Kenny show this week.

It wasn't about the money, it was just too much hassle to have to deal with Temple Bar anti-social problems.

True. Murphys ice cream is amazing and i've been to many of their stores and they always have a large amount of customers. Temple bar should be a goldmine for them. But paying staffs medical bills is sure to cut into their profits.

Ole Rodrigo

EyeSight wrote: »

True. Murphys ice cream is amazing and i've been to many of their stores and they always have a large amount of customers. Temple bar should be a goldmine for them. But paying staffs medical bills is sure to cut into their profits.

+1 - been to their Dingle shop and it was lovely. I wasn't aware Temple Bar was a problem area, beyond the usual stag party carry on.

latenia

ror_74 wrote: »

I wasn't aware Temple Bar was a problem area, beyond the usual stag party carry on.

Pickpockets, muggers, harassment from Roma gypsies, bouncers on power trips, random drunken violence etc. It's easily the most dangerous place in the city.

donvito99

latenia wrote: »

Pickpockets, muggers, harassment from Roma gypsies, bouncers on power trips, random drunken violence etc. It's easily the most dangerous place in the city.

Respectfully disagree. You are more likely to be in better company (tourists, shopkeepers, Corpo men, Guards) in Temple Bar than you are on Eden Quay, Marlborough St, Abbey St Lower, Sackville Place. Although I was once generously assisted by a DB driver walking down Eden Q when I was interrupted by a down-and-out.

dd972

donvito99 wrote: »

Respectfully disagree. You are more likely to be in better company (tourists, shopkeepers, Corpo men, Guards) in Temple Bar than you are on Eden Quay, Marlborough St, Abbey St Lower, Sackville Place. Although I was once generously assisted by a DB driver walking down Eden Q when I was interrupted by a down-and-out.

Marlborough St, the jewel in the crown, I'd take a flame thrower to it.

donvito99

dd972 wrote: »

Marlborough St, the jewel in the crown, I'd take a flame thrower to it.

Don't worry, we're Luas-ing it into the ground.

gurramok

EyeSight wrote: »

True. Murphys ice cream is amazing and i've been to many of their stores and they always have a large amount of customers. Temple bar should be a goldmine for them. But paying staffs medical bills is sure to cut into their profits.

From that link, the Business head is saying its awful quoting the drug treatment centres.

David Brennan, the chief executive of the Dublin City Business Association (DCBA), said it had been raising the issue of antisocial behaviour in the city centre for a long time.

He linked the problem to the number of drug treatment centres located in Dublin 1.

"We as an organisation have been looking at this for years but nobody has bothered to listen to us," he said.

"We have seven treatment centres in Dublin 1," Mr Brennan pointed out. He said this was unreasonable and unfair.

CLUSTER

"I think the treatment centres should be moved out of the city centre. We're the only country that I'm aware of that would have a cluster of centres," he said.

"We're getting it from the tourism side.

"Our tourism figures are diabolical. I believe antisocial behaviour has something to do with it," Mr Brennan added.

FreudianSlippers

gurramok wrote: »

From that link, the Business head is saying its awful quoting the drug treatment centres.

IMHO that should be the line in the sand. We have a reputable business pulling out of the area and a foreign business man citing the treatment centres as an issue. This is more than a wakeup call, but it will be ignored.

dfx-

Perhaps the Protectors of the Peace have been listening to the complaints...

OCS was crawling with Gardaí tonight, there was probably 15-20 of them. Six on the middle concourse around the Spire, numerous batches of twos strolling up and down the street, five more between O'Connell Bridge and the Luas tracks..

Hootanany

dfx- wrote: »

Perhaps the Protectors of the Peace have been listening to the complaints...

OCS was crawling with Gardaí tonight, there was probably 15-20 of them. Six on the middle concourse around the Spire, numerous batches of twos strolling up and down the street, five more between O'Connell Bridge and the Luas tracks..

But for how long uts just gor show.

GoldenTickets

dfx- wrote: »

Perhaps the Protectors of the Peace have been listening to the complaints...

OCS was crawling with Gardaí tonight, there was probably 15-20 of them. Six on the middle concourse around the Spire, numerous batches of twos strolling up and down the street, five more between O'Connell Bridge and the Luas tracks..

I'd say the increased Garda presence was in reaction to this pretty serious incident on O'Connell Street earlier in the day.

FreudianSlippers

Gardaí all over the place today, not sure why.

Mr Simpson

FreudianSlippers wrote: »

Gardaí all over the place today, not sure why.

Canadian PM is in town afaik, plus I'd say they're expecting some anti G8 stuff, even in Dublin

Grid.

Michelle Obama is here tomorrow.

dfx-

Hootanany wrote: »

But for how long uts just gor show.

Wasn't just rank members either. Sergeant stripes as well.

Dyr

Keeping Michelle and the kiddie winkles safe. Cant expect that level of commitment to joe taxpayer

EyeSight

Bambi wrote: »

Keeping Michelle and the kiddie winkles safe. Cant expect that level of commitment to joe taxpayer

i thought i noticed some actual policing going on....
It's disgusting and shameful they only do this when foreign VIPs are coming

SimonTemplar

I was walking home from the cinema through Henry St yesterday evening. At the bottom of the street near Pennys was a group of junkies. As I passed them, one of them started walking up towards O'Connell St holding a can of beer. This guy looked like death and the look of horror from the passers-by approaching him was obvious. As I passed Arnotts, I saw two Guards walking towards him.

According to http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/justice/criminal_law/criminal_offences/alcohol_and_the_law.html, "under the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994, it is an offence for you to be so drunk in a public place that you could reasonably be presumed to be a danger to yourself or to anyone around you." This guy could barely stand upright, he was using walls and windows to prop himself up but occasionally tried to move zombie-like toward members of the public (presumably to ask for change etc...). He also had the awful semi-closed swollen eye look of someone completely off their face on alcohol and/or drugs. I'm pretty sure that meets the criteria under that 1994 act.

So, when I saw the two Guards, I naturally assumed they would at least confiscate the alcohol he had, which I understand they have the right to do. Instead, the two Guards stopped in the middle of the street, watched the guy stumble past them, while pointing and smirking with a "look at the state of this guy" type of smile. They then went over to the Arnott's window for some window shopping while the guy made his way to O'Connell St.

I mean what the hell! Firstly, I pretty sure that guy would be at least spoken to, if not taken off the street, by most other police force in the western world. Secondly, it's one thing for the Guards to ignore the problem but for the Guards to actively derive amusement from the state of the junkie is entirely different.

What a shambles.

gurramok

FreudianSlippers wrote: »

Gardaí all over the place today, not sure why.

I too was in town yesterday, there were Gardai patrolling Henry st quite visibly as well. I never saw a single Garda there when I was last in town last Thursday.
Also, there was some sort of gathering\protest by the Brazilian community on OCS, dunno what it was about but there was about 200 of them!

donvito99

You should have been in town this morning - phenomenal.

Perhaps we might offer the Dep. of Education building to the First Lady when her husband's term is up if that's the level of policing we can expect.

There were dozens of teams of two polis who dominated the O'CS/D'Olier/College Green corridor.

Not to mention a few secret service dogs and their handlers hanging about Grafton St.

starviewadams

Fence and a black tarp put up outside the Gaeity so poor Mrs.Obama wouldn't have to look at us Irish peasants while she attended a private performance of riverdance this afternoon,embarassing the way the govt treats dignataries so well,and its citizens so badly.Makes me quite angry actually.

cloud493

Sure was a lot of garda in town today. Mental.

donvito99

starviewadams wrote: »

Fence and a black tarp put up outside the Gaeity so poor Mrs.Obama wouldn't have to look at us Irish peasants while she attended a private performance of riverdance this afternoon,embarassing the way the govt treats dignataries so well,and its citizens so badly.Makes me quite angry actually.

I frequented H&M there today, almost entirely cut off. There were two guards who asked me what I was doing, I said shopping. Quite an operation.

The Hill Billy

Wrong side of the Liffey folks. Keep on-topic please.

tHB

cloud493

The amount of Garda been around O'conell street and Henry street, seem to hardly ever see them there, except on Moore street where they sell the fake smokes.

Hannibal

I think North Earl St has to be one of the worst places in Dublin for down and outs, junkies and people openly selling and offering drugs. Walking along there the other day heading for O'Connell St and when I was within earshot of two different people they were saying in my direction "zimos valium prozac", I know but GP's hand these tablets out very easily but for that to be happening so openly and being tolerated at 12pm on one of the busiest streets in Dublin is mind boggling

liffeylite

Dotsey wrote: »

I think North Earl St has to be one of the worst places in Dublin for down and outs, junkies and people openly selling and offering drugs. Walking along there the other day heading for O'Connell St and when I was within earshot of two different people they were saying in my direction "zimos valium prozac", I know but GP's hand these tablets out very easily but for that to be happening so openly and being tolerated at 12pm on one of the busiest streets in Dublin is mind boggling

all part of the same issue. too many treatment centres in the north city centre. I don't know how long it will take for the council to actually address the problem and start moving them. its not rocket science and it would do so much good for the northside.

reprazant

liffeylite wrote: »

all part of the same issue. too many treatment centres in the north city centre. I don't know how long it will take for the council to actually address the problem and start moving them. its not rocket science and it would do so much good for the northside.

The problem is move them where?

Nobody wants them. They were moved into the city from the suburbs because crime rose in the suburbs.

Maybe move them all out to the old pigeon house hotel out by the sewage works.