Cumberland Avenue - Driving Visitors Away

[Wireless1]

The city of Knoxville spent $17 million on Cumberland avenue and has created a cesspool. For football games we park in Tyson park and walk the strip to the game... have for many years. We've battled the construction for years with no idea what the end goal for Madeline Rogero was until this weekend. With the exception of one bench being used by a woman and her three children, the only user for the benches were by under the influence vagrants. That's understandable, but after the game witnessing several of these vagrants now passed out on the sidewalk in front of the First Tennessee Bank, and the piece de resistance witnessing one of them, laying on his back, eyes closed, member in hand, sending an arch of urine upon a new sidewalk, yep makes me want to go back. Thank you Mayor Madeline Rogero and Police Chief Eve Thomas for creating a comfortable safe environment.... for the vagrants......

 

[guido4198]

Thank you for the report.
Doesn’t sound like anyplace I’m going to be visiting with my Platinum card, and a handful of cash. Knoxville USED TO BE a decent town, fun to visit and a generally safe feeling on the strip.
It’s Too bad... I have too many better options available to risk Knoxville these days.

 

[davethevol]

The city of Knoxville spent $17 million on Cumberland avenue and has created a cesspool. For football games we park in Tyson park and walk the strip to the game... have for many years. We've battled the construction for years with no idea what the end goal for Madeline Rogero was until this weekend. With the exception of one bench being used by a woman and her three children, the only user for the benches were by under the influence vagrants. That's understandable, but after the game witnessing several of these vagrants now passed out on the sidewalk in front of the First Tennessee Bank, and the piece de resistance witnessing one of them, laying on his back, eyes closed, member in hand, sending an arch of urine upon a new sidewalk, yep makes me want to go back. Thank you Mayor Madeline Rogero and Police Chief Eve Thomas for creating a comfortable safe environment.... for the vagrants......

I’m not a supporter of hers by any means, but it’s far from her fault. For over a decade, other cities used to give their habitual problem vagrants one way bus tickets to Knoxville. I used to work on the strip and would see firsthand influxes of out-of-towers that had just arrived in droves. They were being sent here from as far away as California. And a few years back our local government was looking at suing those cities for the incurred costs of dealing with the problem. I’m guessing there isn’t much they can do about it. They did send out a notice along with UT weeks ago advising not to give them money and instead tell them where the local ministries were.

It is a major problem though. Some of these people are very dangerous. One of the homeless guys that I met 15 years ago seemed like a nice guy down on his luck. Turned out he was a convicted pedophile and his background got exposed when he was trying to look at porn on computers in the UT Library and was arrested.

 

[Big Gucci Sosa]

Y’all don’t get out much huh bros. Part of a city. Be glad Knoxville is still small

 

[Go aeiou]

I frequently the strip in the early 70s. Sounds like nothing has changed.

 

[Wireless1]

Actually I do get out and have the Hotel points to prove it. I grew up in the inner city of Knoxville and graduated from UT in 1980 so I too have a long history with the Strip, my concern is the changes that have occurred in just the last year. The quantity and fearlessness of the vagrants is the alarm. In the past you might see people passed out in the alleys and side streets, not in front of the high traffic businesses and in the midst of high police presence. Having spent time in San Francisco over the last 30 years, the changes in that city over the last 4 years is scary. I will not be taking my family back until there's a significant change. I hope Knoxville is not on a similar course.

 

[JFreak]

Like most major decisions that the university has made in the last 15 years, this plan lacked leadership, vision, and an understanding of what the general public wants. Can't say I'm surprised. With that being said, these plans for the strip pre-date the mayor by a long shot.

 

[davethevol]

Like most major decisions that the university has made in the last 15 years, this plan lacked leadership, vision, and an understanding of what the general public wants. Can't say I'm surprised. With that being said, these plans for the strip pre-date the mayor by a long shot.

One of the people that pushed this plan is a very wealthy businessman that relocated here from San Francisco about 20 years ago. This is primarily his doing.

 

[Wireless1]

As a follow up, there were no sleeping vagrants this week. Thanks to whoever did whatever they did.

 

[DancingOutlaw]

As a follow up, there were no sleeping vagrants this week. Thanks to whoever did whatever they did.

Probably got free tickets to the game.

 

[Roustabout]

Actually I do get out and have the Hotel points to prove it. I grew up in the inner city of Knoxville and graduated from UT in 1980 so I too have a long history with the Strip, my concern is the changes that have occurred in just the last year. The quantity and fearlessness of the vagrants is the alarm. In the past you might see people passed out in the alleys and side streets, not in front of the high traffic businesses and in the midst of high police presence. Having spent time in San Francisco over the last 30 years, the changes in that city over the last 4 years is scary. I will not be taking my family back until there's a significant change. I hope Knoxville is not on a similar course.

Knoxville is a magnet for homeless due to all the dogooder organizations. With the urban revival it lends to more run ins with the homeless population. Look at all the residential being built in the Regas area and yet there are masses of homeless and shelters around the block. Nothing is being done to address the mental illness factor. Combine that with the rise in addiction and it will only get worse.

The Cumberland project is a disaster aside from moving the electrical. Sadly, they didn’t even bury utilities, they just moved them behind the strip. I like the aesthetic but the lane changes is horrid.