Michelangelo S.
Yelp
Tragic, Sad Face Of An Abandoned Humanity Lost
SITREP
My yelpie Regina W. sums it up best in her pithy review-statement from August last year, "If you are looking for homeless people, this is a good place to find them at any given time."
THE SETUP
I will focus on the positive first:
* Wednesday Morning Farmers Markets during the late Spring through the early Autumn months - keeps us city, county and state workers very happy to keep coming back to check out some fresh produce and great food truck options (from BBQ, to sandwiches, to tacos, etc.); and,
* Friday Night Concerts - also during the warmer months - with lots of great local musician showcasesm coordinated by the outstanding promoter team of Jerry & Linda Perry - and other promoters - all cultivating a great local music scene with their musician discoveries - I absolutely love it.
GLOOM, DESPAIR, AGONY
But if you want your heart to break, if you want to see the direct results of an economy and country that create the conditions for a growing population of "throw-away people", then Cesar Chavez Plaza is this poor demographics hangout.
https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/cesar-chavez-plaza-sacramento?select=WcMNWbjUuSxjFaVQI-YJXg&userid=3mNz5nQFTIBQm0oU5mBR0w
* Lots of space to spread out;
* Even though under the shadow of Sacramento City Hall, still a sanctuary for people to smoke their medical marijuana in peace without getting harassed (even though they are obviously in pain and need more medical & psychiatric condition-"appropriate" medications beyond just marijuana (like this tragic couple I met & befriended who are battling chronic pain);
https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/cesar-chavez-plaza-sacramento?select=Q0XzNFZNjNhymRnfFoMKQQ&userid=3mNz5nQFTIBQm0oU5mBR0w
* And on balance, the plaza is just a nice place to sit & chill on the lawns, enjoying the sunbeams, and watching playful crows and squirrels tussle over crumbs.
LA COSECHA
Recently, La Cosecha restaurant anchored itself firmly on the western edge of the plaza, and it's a very popular & tasty place.
https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/cesar-chavez-plaza-sacramento?select=6WEnHWeKT3kAKv4sjeJukg&userid=3mNz5nQFTIBQm0oU5mBR0w
Our own Yelp Community Manager (CM) Alex L. even hosted a very well attended Yelp Elite Event (YEE) there.
But it remains to be seen if the "water and oil" of urban dwellers vs. homeless encampments can mix well enough to not cause problems.
REPULSIONS (Objective & Subjective)
* I have friends who refuse to go to this park under any conditions because of the homeless.
* I have more friends who refuse to patronize La Cosecha or visit the park because they don't want to park their cars along the perimeter of the block. And I'm not in a position to them not to because I've had my own car vandalized (smashed back passenger window) while parked on this block in the evening while I was at Temple Coffee.
It's sad and I don't blame the homeless. I blame the country and a narcissistic local business development & city government culture that has exasperated this situation and only increased the problem two to three fold this past year with their greed for development money, by short-shifting the social service programs.
Ce la vie.
THE LOWDOWN
Cesar Chavez Plaze is indeed a plaza of mixed enjoyments and issues.