Businesses under siege

Photo: Darren Handschuh

Vicki Eide wants the city to do more to help businesses deal with transients.

Vicki Eide feels like her business is under siege – and she is not alone.

Eide runs Dean's Tailor Shop on the 2900 block of 33rd Street in Vernon and has never experienced a summer like 2017.

She said aggressive transients, open drug use and even people defecating on the sidewalk have scared customers away to the point if it happens again next summer, she will be forced to close the doors after 26 years of business.

“We are all losing business, a lot of business,” she said. “There are a few of us who've said 'if it is like this next year, we will close'. Everybody is losing business. We have built our businesses and they are being destroyed.”

Eide circulated a petition this month to 100 downtown businesses asking the city to bring in tougher bylaws and even a red zone to address the issue.

In her 26 years downtown, Eide said she had gotten to know many of the long-time local homeless, but she said a new batch came in during the summer who are aggressive and are intimidating customers.

“They are shooting up anywhere and everywhere. I've had customers call and ask if it's safe to come downtown,” she said, adding that before work each day she cleans up garbage, food, clothing, needles and, on occasion, human waste from the block her business sits on.

“Our town is being taken over. Everyone can see it. It is out of control.”

Feeling she had to do something, Eide started the petition that will be collected this week and presented to Vernon city council on Monday, with a delegation of downtown business owners backing her up.

Eide would like to see red zones in the city that would stop transients from entering certain areas, claiming they have worked in other communities.

She would also like to see tougher bylaws that are enforced so the transients have rules to follow.

“We all have to follow rules, but it appears they don't,” she said. “I went to 100 businesses and 98 per cent of them said it is out of control.”

Eide has had personal confrontations with transients in front of her shop and she “calls police and bylaw a lot.”

“Red zones have been effective in a lot of other areas,” she said.