I’ve been distressed to read comments in Gazette articles and letters to the editor suggesting that the panhandlers on Main Street are a primary reason for Northampton’s downtown business slump.
Why are we so ready to blame those with the least among us for complex problems we as a society are unwilling to face or unable to solve?
It’s true that perhaps a half-dozen people are often found on Main Street asking for money. It is not true, in my experience, that they are aggressive in any way. I’ll allow that they make people uncomfortable. But who’s fault is that? If our society was more just and compassionate, there wouldn’t be a need for people to beg on the streets.
Shouldn’t we be focusing on the larger issues? What about absentee landlords who are content to leave storefronts vacant for years and years rather than rent them at more affordable rates to stimulate downtown entrepreneurialism and activity?
What about the loss of retail shops along Main as more and more spaces are rented by banks, real estate and phone companies that add little or nothing to what makes Northampton’s downtown special? Do we really want a city center dominated by pot shops?
Northampton’s downtown is currently undergoing a seismic transition. Instead of watching it unfold like detached observers, the Gazette, the city leadership, the business community and the public should be asking hard questions and seeking innovative answers, the sooner the better.
Richard West
Northampton