This is exactly right. With tougher mental hygiene laws, homeless people cannot be picked up and brought to hospitals or other institutions for treatment. Even if on psych units length of stay is very short and it is extremely difficult to hold a patient involuntarily.

The park at JSQ is pretty much a vagrant hangout and has been since its renovations more than a decade back. They seem to get violent towards each other in the evenings; which makes things disconcerting for my wife since she has to "run the gauntlet" of screaming bums in order to get to where I pick her up.

What can be done really? Vagrancy laws have pretty much been gutted. So we now have large groups of people who in a more sane era would have been placed in institutions where (at least in theory) would receive treatment and medications to address their mental issues. Or at least get them off the streets so they would not be a threat to themselves or others.

"More homeless at Journal Square

I often shop and eat around Journal Square because of all the stores and easy transit. However, lately I been shying away from shopping at my favorite area because of the homeless men and woman on the streets. I do not have a problem with homeless people, but there are many shelters for them to go to around the area.

It's pretty sad to see the increase of homeless people around Journal Square, especially at night where they all sleep in front of the Landmark Loew's Theater. I see many of them who beg for money get upset when they don't receive money and also enter stores and follow people for money. I am very concerned for the homeless as well as the Journal Square shoppers.

Does anyone else notice this?"

ANONYMOUS
JERSEY CITY

This was posted at the Journal online...
http://www.nj.com/hudson/voices/index ... quare_space_junk_bay.html