The trouble with the Custom House

ProudDUB

Gun crime is generally restricted to tit for tax crap that involves criminal gangs. It doesn't generally spill over into parts of Dublin that tourists frequent. I lived in the heart of the city centre for over two years. I never saw one single thing that could be classed as a violent crime, never mind anything gun related.

I'm all for instigating changes that lead to the city centre being a more attractive place for everyone to visit, live in or work in, whether you are from Dublin or not. If you do not think that they need to be made, then you stupidly have your head in the sand. But it is also stupidly over the top and reactionary to paint it as being some war zone full of gun toting, zombie junkies that will blast you into oblivion as soon as you cross over O'Connell Bridge. :rolleyes:

Esel

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

All I know is that in November we have one of the worlds biggest tech summits in Dublin when top executives from the biggest companies will be here at the RDS. Something so many other cities would give their right eye for.

What are all the delegates going to think when they make the mistake of venturing in to the city center?

That is just one example. When I have foreign friends over I actually tell them to avoid the city center mostly for their own safety but also because of the embarrassment at the state of the place.

It's hard to quantify just how damaging this has become to tourism and business.

I would with most other Dubliners who don't have their head in the sand like our lord mayor appeal for something to be done.

If they don't go to the city centre, where are the top executives and foreign friends going to score? :pac:

boombang

I called by the Customs House during the week. I'm amazed that the Dept of Environment aren't doing anything. It's like they've given up. While they may not really be harming anybody I think it's a poor precedent.








Hope those image links work now

Guy:Incognito

It's all well and good saying move the methadone clinics out of the city centre, but if your living in a suburb and a politician opens a clinic down the road from your house where your kids are growing up, will you be voting for them?

Call it nimbyism or whatever you want but I'm quite happy that the junkies are in town and not near my house, though some are. I had to "evict" a group of them from the house next door and board it up myself last year (large 6 ish bed house that's a protected structure that was rented out before a small fire, with an owner that I assume is now nama'd). I don't want or need that crap around my kids.

boombang

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

Call it nimbyism or whatever you want but I'm quite happy that the junkies are in town and not near my house,

This is understandable. However, I think there are two aspects to this problem: 1. where the junkies are; 2. how they behave.


While I know it will be impossible to convert all homeless people and drug abusers into model citizens I don't think they should get away with establishing a messy encampment inside a government building that's also a key part of Dublin's architectural heritage. It smacks of not caring and apathy on the part of the authorities. This is the Dept of Environment HQ.

Muahahaha

boombang wrote: »

I called by the Customs House during the week. I'm amazed that the Dept of Environment aren't doing anything. It's like they've given up. While they may not really be harming anybody I think it's a poor precedent.

https://plus.google.com/photos/107612711569487443995/photo/6058615203313017794

https://plus.google.com/photos/107612711569487443995/photo/6058615216328974802

https://plus.google.com/photos/107612711569487443995/photo/6058615229990482674




Hope those image links work now

Its pretty amazing that a bunch of addicts have turned such a wonderful building into a mess, its even more amazing when you realise the building is a government department.

The problem is created because the front doors to the building on the river side are permanently out of use. If they at least used it as some sort of staff entrance or reception then the junkies would go somewhere else. In fact the best thing the Dept of the Enviroment could do is lease a bit of space behind the front doors to a cafe/deli, at least then that would bring a bit of activiry to Custom Quay

Guy:Incognito

boombang wrote: »

I called by the Customs House during the week. I'm amazed that the Dept of Environment aren't doing anything. It's like they've given up. While they may not really be harming anybody I think it's a poor precedent.

https://plus.google.com/photos/107612711569487443995/photo/6058615203313017794

https://plus.google.com/photos/107612711569487443995/photo/6058615216328974802

https://plus.google.com/photos/107612711569487443995/photo/6058615229990482674




Hope those image links work now

A few hundred quid in railings for the top part would sort that out instantly.

Probably cant because of silly protection status or some such,

Guy:Incognito

Coincidence? Today's herald.

boombang

^^
I think that's a good thing that the Herald have covered it.

It's amazing how chaotic some peoples' lives are: the pregnant girl climbing over railings to get in each night!

loyatemu

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

Coincidence? Today's herald.

slightly off topic but how do those homeless guys keep their runners so clean and white?

Muahahaha

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

Coincidence? Today's herald.

Yeah it might be. Though the Heralds offices are less than a 5 minute walk from Custom House so the journos must have seen it like anyone else who walks the area. Good that they are covering it, hopefully might shame the council and Gardai into doing something but Im not holding my breath.

boombang

Muahahaha wrote: »

Yeah it might be. Though the Heralds offices are less than a 5 minute walk from Custom House so the journos must have seen it like anyone else who walks the area. Good that they are covering it, hopefully might shame the council and Gardai into doing something but Im not holding my breath.

My wife just told me that all the mess has been cleared out. She cycles past on her way home. Poor form in the Dept only did something about it following some media exposure.

Hope those junkies manage to sort themselves out and find something more secure for own sake and others.

ProudDUB

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

It's all well and good saying move the methadone clinics out of the city centre, but if your living in a suburb and a politician opens a clinic down the road from your house where your kids are growing up, will you be voting for them?

Call it nimbyism or whatever you want but I'm quite happy that the junkies are in town and not near my house, though some are. I had to "evict" a group of them from the house next door and board it up myself last year (large 6 ish bed house that's a protected structure that was rented out before a small fire, with an owner that I assume is now nama'd). I don't want or need that crap around my kids.

I take your point, but there are plenty of people raising families in the city centre, or in the neighbourhoods close to it. The kids in those families are just as entitled to walk to school/the bus/the shops, without tripping over syringes, as yours are.

If I was raising my kids in an urban environment, it would be unreasonable of me to expect it to be as safe and as sheltered as a suburban housing estate. But I also don't think that I am being widely unreasonable in not wanting numerous methadone treatment centres to be within a mile or two of my front door. Having them there to treat genuine residents and natives of Dublin 1, fair enough. But not the entire county and city. That's just ridiculous imo.

dazberry

I remember back in the early 90s the powers that be in the Custom House used to threaten JJ Kavanagh over people loitering there waiting for the Rapid Express coaches. The irony.

D.

BMJD

The staff entrances are at the back and side, I am guessing that most staff going in and out don't even see the mess at the front. It is probably deserted by 6pm as well.

terryhobdell

BMJD wrote: »

The staff entrances are at the back and side, I am guessing that most staff going in and out don't even see the mess at the front. It is probably deserted by 6pm as well.

You would assume that someone manages the building and that security would be interested in who was in the building at night.

Esel

terryhobdell wrote: »

You would assume that someone manages the building and that security would be interested in who was in the building at night.

Although they were not in the building, your point is still valid.

terryhobdell

Esel wrote: »

Although they were not in the building, your point is still valid.

Yes sorry you would assume security walk around the building or watch it on camera if they didn't I bet they do now after the Herald article.

Riskymove

terryhobdell wrote: »

Yes sorry you would assume security walk around the building or watch it on camera if they didn't I bet they do now after the Herald article.

you are assuming there is security

DLMA23

terryhobdell wrote: »

Yes sorry you would assume security walk around the building or watch it on camera if they didn't I bet they do now after the Herald article.

Riskymove wrote: »

you are assuming there is security

Remote monitoring station re., security

ronn

Was keeping an eye on this place the last two nights, guards were standing outside on Thursday night and the was on one piece of cardboard there, last night the entire place was spotless and the back doors were being used for culture night,
Wonder how long it'll stay clean. ðŸ˜႒ðŸ˜႒

freddiek

the amount of low-life traipsing around inner-city streets drinking out of cans is another problem.

haven't seen this as much on the south-side.

Muahahaha

ronn wrote: »

Was keeping an eye on this place the last two nights, guards were standing outside on Thursday night and the was on one piece of cardboard there, last night the entire place was spotless and the back doors were being used for culture night,
Wonder how long it'll stay clean. ðŸ˜႒ðŸ˜႒

Sounds like they gave it a scrub up for Culture Night last night. So now we know for certain they are aware of the problem, it'll be interesting to see if they police it next week and keep it clean or revert to how its been over the last few months.

Muahahaha

Riskymove wrote: »

you are assuming there is security

I'm not 100% on this but I think it was the Dept of the Environment that about a year back someone supposedly walked in off the street and then out the door again having stolen a couple of laptops. I'm racking my brains as to which political scandal it was linked to, something to do with evidence against Michael Lowry rings a bell.

terryhobdell

The answer would appear to be use the doors all the time or have culture night every night

mruser2014

I see the cardbaord is back. They are slowly starting to take it over again.

carlmango11

Couldn't help but think when I saw this happening at Custom House that's it's symbolic of what Dublin has become. Once a nice Georgian "fair city", now absolutely crawling with junkies, free to roam with next to 0 police presence.

I love Dublin but anyone who tries to say Dublin doesn't have a serious problem with junkies is living on a different planet. And please don't try the go-to "loads of cities have that problem" crap, it's tiring.

Dublin chooses the comfort of its strung-out, unproductive members of society over that of everyone else and I'm f**king sick of it. It also has a practically non-existent police presence. They can complain about lack of resources but I just can't understand how you don't see more guards walking around the city centre.

For example: that corner on Westmoreland street. Every Dubliner knows the one I'm talking about. Junkies have claimed it as their own and the Guards don't care. ONCE I walked by and there were 2 guards standing there, and no junkies. That's all. Every. other. time I walk by there's at least 2/3 strung-out zombies floating around holding cans or shouting at each other.

hfallada

carlmango11 wrote: »

Couldn't help but think when I saw this happening at Custom House that's it's symbolic of what Dublin has become. Once a nice Georgian "fair city", now absolutely crawling with junkies, free to roam with next to 0 police presence.

I love Dublin but anyone who tries to say Dublin doesn't have a serious problem with junkies is living on a different planet. And please don't try the go-to "loads of cities have that problem" crap, it's tiring.

Dublin chooses the comfort of its strung-out, unproductive members of society over that of everyone else and I'm f**king sick of it. It also has a practically non-existent police presence. They can complain about lack of resources but I just can't understand how you don't see more guards walking around the city centre.

For example: that corner on Westmoreland street. Every Dubliner knows the one I'm talking about. Junkies have claimed it as their own and the Guards don't care. ONCE I walked by and there were 2 guards standing there, and no junkies. That's all. Every. other. time I walk by there's at least 2/3 strung-out zombies floating around holding cans or shouting at each other.

If I can remember, according to my Irish Economy lectures in college, Dublin hasnt been a fair city since the act of Union and had a slowly rotted until the boom in the mid 1990s. You can call Dublin bad with all the Junkies. But I remember in the early 1990s, that most of Dublin 1 was vacant plots of land. Half of Dublin 1 has been built in the last 15 years. Its only the last few years, that the modern day slums of the likes of Parnell Square are being turned into offices and homes. Plus you only need to look at the Christmas tree to remember the thousands that die of HIV and heroin in the 1980s and 1990s.

Dublin city has never been better. Streets like Capel Street are no longer seedy streets. Dublin City has social issues like any city in Europe. Even spotless and heavily policed Munich has its fair share of drug addicts and prostitutes working on the streets( never seen that in Dublin).

Dublin will always have social issues, which cant be solved with a ton of police or resources. We can just limit the social issues

carlmango11

hfallada wrote: »

Even spotless and heavily policed Munich has its fair share of drug addicts and prostitutes working on the streets( never seen that in Dublin).

Yeah but I bet they're not hanging around tourist/business/shopping areas in broad daylight?

Esel

hfallada wrote: »

Its only the last few years, that the modern day slums of the likes of Parnell Square... Streets like Capel Street are no longer seedy streets.

Parnell Square was a slum up to recently? I must have missed that... Capel Street used to be seedy? Seriously?