In this thread, we say bad things about the city...

[Patrick]

Sycamore Square isn't in the greatest location either (right across from the Couny Jail), but young professionals have flocked their for years, our very own Midtowner being one of them! It seems like the downtown experience outweighs the drawbacks.

[Luke]

I think it'll improve, too. At least in the sense that I think the proportion of yuppies will outnumber the bums soon.

[El Gato Pollo Loco!!!]

I think we have more McDonalds than anyone. Practically one on every corner.

McDonald's suck!

[Midtowner]

I think it'll improve, too. At least in the sense that I think the proportion of yuppies will outnumber the bums soon.

It's downtown in the big city. Bums are a part of the scenery. They don't bother me that much. Now, there was that one time when one of them was laying down in the middle of the road (apparently on drugs of some sort) yelling "Kill me please!" and blathering other such things.... I did stop to call the police on that one, but otherwise, I've kept my distance

[mranderson]

It's downtown in the big city. Bums are a part of the scenery. They don't bother me that much. Now, there was that one time when one of them was laying down in the middle of the road (apparently on drugs of some sort) yelling "Kill me please!" and blathering other such things.... I did stop to call the police on that one, but otherwise, I've kept my distance

You have GOT to be kidding. Bums are a menace to society. My cousin had a restaurant in Eureka, California for sevral years. There were dozens of bums that would hang around the area and panhandle from his customers. He recieved numerous complaints from the customers, and even called the police on countless occasions. The bums kept coming back. Dave tried to relocate the restaurant, but could not find a location he could afford. Eventually, he even went to the city council and the county commision to ask for help in gettig rid of these bums. Neither would help. The bums drove the customers away, forcing my cousin out of business.

The people who fork over their cash and feel sorry for these people need to wake up and smell the bums. There is only one place for them (the bums). In a jail cell. As far as I am concerned, they can rot or get a job. They harass good, honest people, are health risks, make the city look like crap, and are a burden on society.

Part of the scenery? I think not.

[~~*DarlingDiva*~~]

Ok I have got to jump on this bandwagon as well He he .Mr.Anderson I DO agree with you.I have seen numerous reports on Tv where they take the money you give them and go straight to the dam liqiour store.Anyhow what burns me up are the ones that hang by the highways.I HATE the fact that my kids have to see that.PLUS once I actually did feel bad even though the guy had his dog,a jacket and some Nikes on,I gave hime some food and told him I hope things get better as I turned from MacArthur onto the highway I looked in the rearview and he was feeding the food to the F-ing dog.So I guess he was not so starved and stranded as he claimed on his little cardboard sign.


DD

[MasterWolf]

When I was living in Tulsa a while back, me and my friends drove around and saw them all the time on street corners and such. One of my friends decided to buy a happy meal and give one of them it. Lets just say that the guy who held up the sign that says, will work for food, didnt like the happy meal and wanted money instead. I think there are quite a few scam artists out there that do this. I think that they should sell that nice mountain bike that they always have by their side and maybe they will have some money.

So, How are we supposed to know which one really needs it and which one is a scam?
---Just my 5 nickels.

[floater]

I agree with Midtowner that the homeless are a fact of life. And they deserve to use public facilities and walk the streets as much as anybody. And to be frank, we cannot let their mere existence keep us away from downtown.

But where I draw the line is panhandling. Panhandling does keep others from enjoying what's downtown. That's why I would outlaw it (I'm not sure what the current policy is). But I saw Memphis use a device that enables people to contribute if they feel sorry for the homeless. In the places where the poor congregated, they had these iron square deposit boxes lodged into the ground. All the funds collected in these boxes would go to the homeless shelter. We could put these on the grounds of the library, city hall, Main Place or other places where they gather. You can look them in the eye, put your coins or bills in and believe you helped their situation -- without being victim to a scam artist.

[mranderson]

I agree with Midtowner that the homeless are a fact of life. And they deserve to use public facilities and walk the streets as much as anybody. And to be frank, we cannot let their mere existence keep us away from downtown.

But where I draw the line is panhandling. Panhandling does keep others from enjoying what's downtown. That's why I would outlaw it (I'm not sure what the current policy is). But I saw Memphis use a device that enables people to contribute if they feel sorry for the homeless. In the places where the poor congregated, they had these iron square deposit boxes lodged into the ground. All the funds collected in these boxes would go to the homeless shelter. We could put these on the grounds of the library, city hall, Main Place or other places where they gather. You can look them in the eye, put your coins or bills in and believe you helped their situation -- without being victim to a scam artist.

Just for the record. I HATE, no, I LOATHE that term "homeless." They are bums.

The reason panhandeling is not illegal in Oklahoma City is the fact the city must comply with state law. Panhandeling is legal by state law. Source. The Oklahoma City city council.

[okcpulse]

Amen, mranderson. The bums love to chill around our unbelievable ghetto, nasty, crappy, rundown, unhistoric Union Bus Station. It, other than the poorly run Amtrak station, is the worst impression for Oklahoma City visitors. I have pondered stealing a bulldozer and knocking down the Union Bus Station. Seriously.

[Midtowner]

I agree with Midtowner that the homeless are a fact of life. And they deserve to use public facilities and walk the streets as much as anybody. And to be frank, we cannot let their mere existence keep us away from downtown.

But where I draw the line is panhandling. Panhandling does keep others from enjoying what's downtown. That's why I would outlaw it (I'm not sure what the current policy is). But I saw Memphis use a device that enables people to contribute if they feel sorry for the homeless. In the places where the poor congregated, they had these iron square deposit boxes lodged into the ground. All the funds collected in these boxes would go to the homeless shelter. We could put these on the grounds of the library, city hall, Main Place or other places where they gather. You can look them in the eye, put your coins or bills in and believe you helped their situation -- without being victim to a scam artist.

I was shopping over at the Petsmart at I-40 and Macarthur yesterday. There was this couple of bums begging in the median. The man had parked his mountain bike on the median next to him. It was a NICE mountainbike. I had to laugh.

As far as the city's bums, there is actually quite a bit of organized begging -- especially around the holidays. I've seen a truck drop bums off at locations like 23rd and Broadway, over by Quail Springs, and other such popular locations. I guess they actually pool their income at the end of the day. Must pay better than honest work. I can't really fault them for doing it if that's the case. If people are dumb enough to give, that's their own problem.

A buddy of mine lives in Portalnd, Oregon. He told me about a news story their local station did on one particular bum. The fella begged during the day, and at night lived in a very nice apartment downtown, drove a very nice car, etc. He made FAR more begging than he could doing anthing else. Apparently, there's damend good money in that profession.

I do like the iron box idea though. I certainly believe that the shelter would spend the money better (not on liquor) than the bums.

[Patrick]

floater you're right...we do need to outlaw panhandling. Fortunately, it is regulated now...panhandlers have to buy a permit, but in a way, I think that's just kind of encouraging it.

If people would stop donating to panhandlers they'd get the point. Most of them aren't as in need as they'd like to lead on. Those that are truly in need are eating at the homeless shelters, not begging for money off the streets.

[travich]

From my eight years here, I would say the South Side is the bad side of town. :P

[Flatlander]

This is my bad thing to say about the city,First let me say when the grass is cut on city property,the city does a good job.Now the bad,Why can the city leaders not put together a plan that would make the whole city look great,instead of waiting until it looks like a wheat field.Will anyone ever stand up and do something about this,And please Ive herd all the reasons why they cant.How about some solutions to why they can.

[Lauri101]

Businesses are not required to landscape their properties. Sure, the grass has to be cut, but there seems to be no requirement for tree-trimming, weed-eating, etc.

Also, there seems to be no law regarding painting, sand-blasting or other exterior upkeep. Where is the pride?

[Flatlander]

Wheres the leadership,who is accountable,Is there someone to talk to,does anyone care.These are tasks that everday people do.Why does it look like it does?After reading a article in the oklahoman this morning sounds to me like parks director Wendel Whisenhunt runs the show.Problem I have with that is theres no show.MPO its time for someone new.If you cant take care of your neigbors how can we expect him to take care of the rest of the city.Lead by example.OKC has very good leaders and hope they wont let one bad apple ruin the bunch.I have pride.

[fromdust]

if you dont have anything good to say dont say anything

this is the thread were we get to say bad things.
on that note. my biggest problem, ive voiced this in other threads, is that the streets are in horrible condition. I HATE OUR STREETS. THEY SUCK!

[quailcreekgal]

There are too many speeders on the streets and expressways! OKC needs to install cameras at intersections to ticket vehicles running red lights.

[Redneck Cabbie]

Amen, mranderson. The bums love to chill around our unbelievable ghetto, nasty, crappy, rundown, unhistoric Union Bus Station. It, other than the poorly run Amtrak station, is the worst impression for Oklahoma City visitors. I have pondered stealing a bulldozer and knocking down the Union Bus Station. Seriously.

I have traveled through most of this country at one time or another on Greyhound. Especially in the last 20 years, I've yet to see one of these in a "good" part of town.

[metro]

Why is this thread existing? What a horrible first impression to first time visitors and newcomers to OKC.

[Redneck Cabbie]

Why is this thread existing? What a horrible first impression to first time visitors and newcomers to OKC.

I would never move to a city under the pretense of it being another Pleasantville.

I've lived in 4 different cities in the last 6 years. I doubt there is a perfect place to live.

This thread won't keep me away from OKC.

[Kedwamo]

Hmmm, where to start? First, the city is too spread out, which is why I think some of our roads and bridges are in such poor shape. We can't afford to maintain what we've got, because we've got so much! And that same sprawl makes this an inconvenient place to live. It seems like you have to drive great distances to get anywhere. For a period of time last year, I easily put 60-70 miles a day on my car and I never left city limits! This was just going to work and back.

Another thing: OKC is a really tacky looking city. In fact, I'd say this has got to be one of the ugliest cities in the country. For example, there is a huge landfill behind Crossroads Mall greeting people as they drive in from the south. There's another one out west near I-40. (It's sad to live in city where the highest points are landfills.) There are tacky billboards everywhere. Driving around, one sees lots of run-down homes and businesses, especially on the south side. There are too many cookie-cutter subdivisions and uninteresting strip malls. The downtown skyline isn't very pretty.

What I really can't stand is the overbearing political and religious climate. This place is Conservative with a capital C. Some people may love it that way, but I hate it. So many people here live their lives with such closed minds. Now, I'm all for people having their own beliefs, but it really seems that if you don't share the Conservative/George W. Bush/Evangelical Christian/Toby Keith/Gun-toting/Gay-hating mentality that seems to prevail here, then you are on outcast.

What else: Bricktown -- It really isn't as cool as people make it out to be. A bunch of boring, sub-par restaurants, a stupid canal that goes nowhere, a movie theatre and a Bass Pro. wow.

Oh, and it's really boring here. If you like sports, then I guess it's okay. But I don't. This city just lacks something -- I don't really know what it is -- but I've lived in similar sized cities and I don't know -- this place just has kind of a funk to it (not the good kind either.) Maybe it's the flatness of the terrain or the dust-bowl mentality -- I don't know.

There's just not a whole lot of character in the neighborhoods. And there are hardly any areas where you can just get out of the car, walk around and experience a truly cool, interesting, pedestrian- friendly neighborhood.

Terrible radio stations. Not-so-good local newspaper. The Ogles.

The jobs here suck -- too many call centers.

Okay, so now that I've made a bunch of people mad...

These are only my opinions. And despite what I've said, this city has a place in my heart, because I'm from here. I may have come and gone a few times and I'll probably leave here again. But to me, this city is like a relative: You love your relative because he/she is family, but it doesn't mean you actually have to like that relative all that much. I have ties here. I have memories. And it's not all that bad. You can get great sushi here. The NW Skyline, Lake Hefner and Penn Square are nice. The cost of living can't be beat. People are generally pretty nice. We have Starbucks now. And I'd say the city has gotten better and I think that in a few years I'll have more good things to say about it...

[metro]

I heard a wise man once say "You'll only find what your looking for."

[Karried]

Okay, so now that I've made a bunch of people mad...

Ya think?


I know this thread is to talk about bad things but we don't all feel the way you do .. and on this board you will find many people who take great pride in the improvements this city is making and enjoying the great strides we have made.

There are plenty of areas that are wonderful places to play and live in and around OKC.


Welcome to the site anyway... maybe we'll help you see some more of the positives of OK.

[Lauri101]

Ya think?

I think New Orleans is looking to repopulate the Ninth Ward ..

And quickly, before hurricane season is over!