Merced shoos panhandlers by removing benches

The city of Merced recently removed several benches from Bob Hart Square after complaints they are frequented by panhandlers and homeless people – but not all regulars of the downtown region like the idea.

The removal of fewer than 10 green metal benches has irked some locals, such as Rick McMillion of Merced. The 67-year-old chief engineer for Radio Merced said it dawned on him about six weeks ago that something was different about the square – the benches were gone.

He started asking around and none of the business owners he knew seemed to have information on why they were taken out. He took exception to their removal. “The park belongs to the people of the city,” he said.

The benches were often a place for grandparents to rest, he said, while their grandchildren ran around the grass or looked at the tile mural at the west end of the square. He noted that even if homeless people were sitting on the benches, there is nothing illegal about that.

On the other side of the coin is Mark Pernell, the manager of 510 Bistro. The benches were nothing more than a magnet for panhandlers and homeless people who acted improperly around diners, he said.

The restaurant’s staff would often count the number of people loitering in the square, he said, and often tallied up to 18. He estimated that staff called the police almost daily to report that diners on the patio were being hassled by panhandlers or others yelling obscenities. Then there was the daily cleaning of human waste from the outside corners of the building.

“It became a nuisance,” he said.

Pernell said he did not contact the city about pulling the benches, but the removal seems to have cleared out the square.

Merced has been attempting to deal with issues around homelessness and panhandling in recent years. Late last year, the city approved an ordinance aimed at squashing panhandling on the island medians of certain busy intersections. Since asking for money is a free speech issue, the city has so far stopped shy of outlawing panhandling beyond those specific spots.

City Manager John Bramble called the removal of the benches “an experiment.” Business owners and landowners in the area have been complaining for two or three years about panhandlers or people sleeping on the benches overnight, he said.

The Merced Police Department’s Disruptive Area Response Team sweeps through periodically, Bramble said, but can’t monitor the square around the clock. Bramble said he decided to put the benches in storage to see what would happen. “I understood that this wasn’t going to be popular with absolutely everybody in town,” he said.

Bramble added that it’s important to keep up the appearances of Bob Hart Square, the center of downtown.

The square operates under the same rules as any city park, so camping is not allowed but the square is open to anyone who wants to loiter during daylight hours.

Bramble said the city will wait to hear from the recently formed Merced Main Street Association before determining whether moving the benches will be permanent.

Daniel Kazakos, president of the association, said the group has not taken any official stance on the future of the benches. Kazakos, who’s also chief executive officer for spa retailer Country Comfort, he said it’s hard to argue with the results so far. The businesses in the area are reporting fewer disturbances, he said.

Kazakos noted removing the benches has not solved Merced’s homeless problems – it just displaced the people who spent so much time in the square. But aesthetics matter in the square, because it carries historical significance and is the center of the entertainment district.

“Right now, it’s peaceful. It’s a parklike setting,” he said, while standing in Bob Hart Square. “People are walking around. It looks like Merced is doing better.”

This story was originally published November 19, 2014 at 6:16 PM with the headline "Merced shoos panhandlers by removing benches."