Alliance calls for more cops in downtown HackensackFriday, August 30, 2013
BY CAESAR DARIAS
CORRESPONDENT
Hackensack Chronicle
As the Hackensack Police Department continues it's quality of life initiative, merchants on Main Street are expressing mixed opinions as to how customers can feel safe and what policies can help their businesses to grow.
Carlos Campoverde, owner of Galapagos Restaurant on Main Street in Hackensack prepares plantain treats. CAESAR DARIAS
Director Michael Mordaga has been spear heading a quality-of-life initiative which includes finding a solution for the city's homeless.CAESAR DARIAS/PHOTO
Police Director Michael Mordaga has been spear heading a quality-of-life initiative which includes finding a solution for the city's homeless. Meanwhile, a business alliance is calling for cops to walk the beat on Main Street to decrease panhandling as the city embarks on an ambitious rehabilitation plan designed to transform the downtown shopping area into a modern district where people live, work and stay after-hours to dine and shop.
Shortly after starting his job on February 4 as police director, Michael Mordaga attended several community meetings where residents complained about noise, speeding cars, improper street parking and drug sales.
Complaints from residents were particularly strong regarding panhandlers, which they say come from the Bergen County Health and Human Services Center on South River Street. The center, the only homeless shelter in the county, offers beds, food, housing placement, drug and alcohol treatment, job counseling and other services under one roof.
Mordaga has said that most homeless they encounter on the street have extensive criminal records.
In previous interviews, Julia Orlando, the shelter director, has asserted that not everybody who appears homeless is homeless. Moreover, Orlando said that not all homeless people seen on the streets of Hackensack are staying in the shelter.
Then in May, the Upper Main Alliance, a business improvement organization that represents approximately 150 merchants, placed an ad in the Chronicle calling for a "greater police presence for Main Street and Downtown Business District."
The ad said that foot patrols "would also reduce incidents of panhandling, loitering and other disruptive behavior that can occur in any shopping area."
In a telephone interview, Jerry Lombardo, the Upper Main chairman, said he stands by the ad and added his support for Mordaga's quality of life initiative.
"Having a police presence in downtown is just good for business," said Lombardo, who has addressed the issue with Mordaga. "We've been asking for that for some time… And that's not purely because of the homeless. It's a shopping security thing. You see them at the mall."
Mordaga says help is on the way.
The Chronicle interviewed several Main Street business owners, managers and workers over the last two weeks to gauge how the presence of the homeless impacts businesses. Some were more interested in discussing how to improve the business climate.
Franco Ravennati said he has owned and operated Charmed Beauty Salon at the same location for 47 years.
"The homeless, they always come asking for money," said Ravennati, 75. "It's a problem. There are people that like it. There are people that don't like it. But I don't see it as much anymore."
Ravennati said Main Street is "dead," and called for improved parking for his customers.
At Nick's Grocery & Deli, owner Nick Pandya has been at his location for 10 years.
Pandya, 40, said when he started "it was very bad," but the number of homeless has decreased.
"We see [homeless] still on the street, especially outside of my store but it's getting better," said Pandya, who added that customers have complained.
"That customer would probably stop coming in if that happens more often," said Pandya. "The economy is tough. If people don't have the money for themselves, how would they give money to somebody else. Some customers have brought homeless into the store to buy them food rather than give them money."
Pandya said he'd like to see police "walking the beat to protect customers instead of giving more tickets to the people who shop over here."
Pandya said he is hopeful that an economic turnaround will happen soon.
"This city has so much potential," said Pandya. "And I believe that if everybody is doing the right thing, I think this city should be back again."
At Galapagos Restaurant, Carlos Campoverde says "a couple" of homeless people come into his restaurant every two to three weeks asking for food.
"I give it to them," said Campoverde in a Spanish-language interview. "They don't have a job. They're living on the street. They're hungry. I'd rather give it to them than throw it in the trash."
Campoverde says he has owned Galapagos for five years and the homeless do not affect his business.
Farther south on Main Street at Colombia Bakery, manager Luis Armando complains that homeless frequently gather outside the store asking customers for money.
According to Armando, some homeless come into the bakery, spend one dollar and then use the bathroom for extended periods.
"I then have no choice but to let them use the customer bathroom," said Armando. "Other customers then have to wait."
Next door at Montinio's Salon, manager Lucia Bonificio says that in nine years only once did a homeless person ask for money.
"They pass by but I've never had a problem with them," said Bonificio.
A manager at another food establishment who asked for anonymity, said that in winter the homeless ask for food "just about every night."
"Mostly they're not aggressive unless they're high on drugs or intoxicated," the manager continued. "Mostly, they're just looking for food. Customers never say anything, but you can tell on their face that they're uncomfortable."
The manager says he favors more foot patrols.
At the Subway sandwich shop, Ahmed Shahed says three or four homeless people ask for food every week.
"I try my best to give them some cookies or food, if I have it," said Ahmed, who has owned the shop for two years. "Sometimes they come, ask for food or sometimes they try to grab people to buy the food for them."
Ahmed added that he feels the homeless "are not harming anybody," and his business is not affected.
Moreover, Ahmed expressed concern about vacant storefronts on his block, saying that sales are down 30 percent. "We need to grow businesses and more jobs," he said.
At the Johnson Public Library on Main Street, some Hackensack residents complain that many homeless people stay during the day.
"They go in there for the air conditioning," said one woman who declined to give her name.
The library has posted on-line a lengthy list explaining grounds for ejection titled: "Behavior Rules Governing the Use of Johnson Public Library."
Item number 18 on the list reads, "Sleeping in or on Library premises."
Item number 19 reads, "Improperly using Library restrooms, including, but not limited to, bathing, shaving, washing hair or changing clothes."
According Sharon Castanteen, the library director, about 10,000 people visit the library every month. Asked how many of those people are homeless, Castanteen said, "In my opinion it's 25 percent, without going around and saying, 'Are you homeless?' How can you know."
"We can't determine if somebody is homeless just by looking," Castanteen added. "We don't make that judgment."
The library previously employed one full-time and one part-time security guard. In February, the library turned the part-time guard into a full-time employee at an additional cost of $15,000 per year.
Castanteen said it was done "to stop the loitering. To stop people form blocking the exits. It's not just the homeless. It's to control behavior."
Many teenagers also use the library, said Castanteen.
Castanteen stressed that patrons will not encounter any problems.
"We have strict behavior rules," she said. "I just don't want people to feel they will be harassed."
Back north on Main Street, Andranik Eskandarian has owned Birkenmeier Sport Shop since 1982. The former soccer star for the New York Cosmos says he sees the homeless "from time to time. Sometimes they are in the street. But really they don't bother. I don't see anything to bother people. If you have police resources to keep an eye on them. You know, these people sometimes they get high or something, they get out of line."
Eskandarian said he was more concerned that "more police means more parking tickets to customers."
"I'd rather see the homeless than police giving tickets to customers 'left and right,'" Eskandarian continued.
According to Eskandarian, last month he was using the loading zone in front of his store to unload merchandise. Eskandarian said a police officer gave him a ticket.
"Fifteen, twenty years ago we knew all the police by name and those cops walking the beat would always come into the store to ask if a vehicle belonged to a customer to avoid a parking ticket," Eskandarian said.
According to Eskandarian, the "new" and "young" officers don't listen.
An incredulous Mordaga said there must be a misunderstanding.
"If you're in a loading zone, a police officer is not going to ticket somebody who is loading or unloading," said Mordaga. "I think what a lot of people are doing is they're double-parking and unloading. And you can't do that, especially the fact that there's only two lanes of traffic on Main Street. It ties the entire street up."
Mordaga said that due to retirements, suspensions and officers out on administrative leave, the police department is currently short "about 12 police officers."
According to Mordaga, the police department has 12 Special Law Enforcement Officers Class II who are training in the police academy.
"A Class II police officer is a part-time police officer with full police powers that carries a firearm and wears the uniform," said Mordaga "But they get paid by the hour."
Mordaga said the "specials" are due to graduate in January 2014, and will probably earn between $15 and $20 per hour.
According to Mordaga, the new "specials" will be assigned to foot patrols on Main Street, Hudson Street and Anderson Street, among other locations.
Hackensack currently has two retired cops working as "specials" assigned to municipal court.
"I do perceive the need for more officers," said Mayor John P. Labrosse, Jr., who added that the director will have to approach the city manager and the city council to request new hires. "Everybody is sympathetic to anybody who is down on their luck. Unfortunately, the other part we have is some of the people who are out there are drinking, panhandling, urinating in public. That's the stuff that needs to stop. We can't have them walking up Main Street panhandling, because it's illegal, number one. And it's not good for business either."
Regarding a belief among some business owners and community leaders that the City of Hackensack Rehabilitation Plan has been abandoned, Labrosse said it's a "full go as far as we're concerned."
"It's almost like a living thing," said Labrosse about the plan. "It has to be adjusted as we go. Within that area it's up the council to determine where there will be development."
Lombardo agreed that the redevelopment plan is moving forward, and emphasized that a residential component is essential to revitalize the business district.
"You need people living there," said Lombardo. "We want to see residential units built there. There's nary a successful downtown in the United States that doesn't have a fair amount of residential people living in the district."
Lombardo cited Hoboken as a case-in-point.
"Hoboken is loaded with apartments and there are people out in the street," said Lombardo. "And they change the demeanor of the area when you have people living down there."
Right now, Lombardo says, everybody goes home at 5 p.m.
Lombardo is also the CEO of C.J. Lombardo, a Main Street realty that owns and operates commercial properties, office buildings, shopping centers and thousands of residential units, mostly outside Bergen County and out-of-state.
According to Lombardo, the economic struggle of Main Street businesses reflects what he sees happening across the nation.
Lombardo also happens to be the landlord of Shahed, the Subway shop owner.
Lombardo says he urges his tenants to be active, attend city council meetings and to urge officials to move forward with the Rehabilitation Plan.
As for dealing with the homeless, Lombardo says the shelter has contributed to the decrease of homeless on Main Street.
"The shelter has done a good job centralizing the services that are available to the people that are in the homeless community," said Lombardo. "They're treating it with professionalism."
According to Lombardo, an important component of the shelter is placing homeless in permanent housing.
"I'm going to try to put a landlords' group together that would make a certain number of apartments available," said Lombardo, who explained that the apartments would be within and outside Hackensack and Bergen County.
The idea may not become a reality for some time, Lombardo said, until more money becomes available for housing vouchers.
Email: hackensack@northjersey.com
