J Magazine Winter 2018

I-95
BROOKLYN
A-1
LAVILLA
BROAD ST.
ACOSTA
BRIDGE
STATE STREET
A-2
HEMMING
PARK
JACKSONVILLE
LANDING
MAIN
STREET
BRIDGE
MAIN ST.
SPRINGFIELD
BAY ST.
ST. JOHNS RIVER
TRACKING CRIME
IN THE CORE
A PHILIP RANDOLPH
A-3
TIAA
BANK
FIELD
UNION STREET
STADIUM
DISTRICT
METROPOLITAN PARK
FRIENDSHIP
FOUNTAIN
HART
BRIDGE
SUBSECTOR
A-1
PROPERTY VIOLENT
CRIME CRIME
2013 41 9
2014 73 18
2015 44 14
2016 57 11
2017 45 12
SUBSECTOR
A-2
PROPERTY VIOLENT
CRIME CRIME
2013 372 47
2014 353 59
2015 358 58
2016 349 71
2017 292 57
SUBSECTOR
A-3
PROPERTY VIOLENT
CRIME CRIME
2013 352 55
2014 426 77
2015 377 64
2016 359 85
2017 346 91
SOURCE: Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office
vagrants, some of whom have mental
health issues. Many urban cores have
similar populations, but they are less
obvious in bustling downtowns.
Barakat said the DIA’s strategy has been
to activate Downtown as much as possible.
“You know, 18 hours (of activity) a day will
dilute that perception,” he said. “We’re still
working on it. I don’t think it’s holding us
back that much.”
Activating Downtown will be greatly
assisted by projects that already have
been approved, such as the Barnett Bank
building, the Laura Street Trio, Berkman
Plaza II and the District, as well as potential
development of the Shipyards by Jaguars
owner Shad Khan.
Hunnicutt believes panhandling,
particularly when it’s aggressive, is the
biggest issue for Downtown. But he’s also
concerned about the property crimes,
such as cars being broken into. Oftentimes,
he said, people leave their cars unlocked
or leave valuables in plain sight, leading to
what he called a “crime of opportunity.”
Debbie Buckland, market president for
BB&T and a member of Downtown Vision’s
board, has worked in the urban core since
2001. She said she has been approached
many times by people, including once
by a homeless woman who apparently
had mental problems and took a swing at
Buckland.
“It didn’t hurt me,” she said of the
incident that occurred more than five years
ago.
Since then, she learned more about
the woman’s story and the importance of
reporting issues like that, Buckland said.
“We potentially are missing an
opportunity to get her the help she needs,”
she said.
Ron Chamblin opened Chamblin’s
Uptown cattycorner from Hemming Park
about 10 years ago. Ever since the seating in
the park was removed (except during lunch
on weekdays and at special events), many
of the vagrants and others who loitered
around in the park use the tables and chairs
outside Chamblin’s book store and café.
He’s OK with that, he said, as long as
they’re quiet and there aren’t a lot of them
that might drive away customers from his
popular business. He has a two-hour time
limit for sitting at the tables.
Chamblin said he occasionally has to
call the Sheriff’s Office when people refuse
to leave. He said he has to get trespass
orders about every other week to keep
people from returning. Most of the time the
people don’t return, he said, likely because
they fear they will be arrested.
Hemming Park’s
turnaround
The crowd that once dominated
Hemming Park has drifted over to not only
Chamblin’s store but also to Main Street
Park and other nearby facilities. However,
the changes were necessary to provide a
safe and inviting atmosphere to those who
visit the park outside City Hall’s front door.
Bill Prescott, executive director of the
Friends of Hemming Park, said two key
changes in city ordinances helped make
that transition successful.
Originally, the sidewalks around
Hemming weren’t considered part of the
park, so if a person was ordered to leave,
they could just move to the sidewalk and
continue to cause trouble. The ordinance
was changed to make the sidewalks part of
Hemming, so now someone who is ordered
to leave can’t hang out on the sidewalks.
The second change dealt with the
parameters required to issue a trespass
citation. Originally, a person had to
commit a violent crime, Prescott said. Now
a citation can be issued to people who
violate the park’s posted rules.
“We finally got in front of the city,
and they realized the problems we were
having,” Prescott said. “Their expectation
JEFF DAVIS (MAP)
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J MAGAZINE | WINTER 2018-19