Save BayWalk, Vacate the Sidewalk

BayWalk in Downtown St Petersburg Florida was considered the hub of the revitalization of the city. It brought in shops, restaurants, and events that would bring in thousands of patrons a day. And all of this is now gone. In its place is a nearly empty plaza that is begging for its survival. The cause of its demise falls into two categories, the first is public safety and the second is public enjoyment. The plaza became the site of protesters during the day and a hot spot for loitering teenagers at night. This two prong attack created an atmosphere that made the Plaza a less than enjoyable place to visit.

During the day, you would have to walk through protesters to get into the stores or the theater. These protesters ranged from the polite informer to the violent instigator. The instigators would grab people, spit on them and then scream at them. These activities are a turn off to patrons to the Plaza causing many of them to never return.

At night, their greatest threat occurs. Groups of people, usually teenagers, would congregate on the sidewalks and start acting up. Some would horseplay and bump into people walking by, others would victimize people they didn’t like and then some would start situations out of boredom. The police are powerless to stop them since they are on a public right of way and are not committing any crimes at the time. And when they do commit a crime, it is now too late to act.

BayWalk has suggested letting the Security Department deal with these groups, however it would require that the city vacate the sidewalk to their property. It is this proposal that has caught flak by the protest groups as being a violation to their right to free speech. This claim is false, and is primarily a smokescreen for them to protect the most important tool they have to make the news. That tool is harassment.

Claim: The vacation would take away the protesters right to free speech.
Fact: The protesters are being asked to move across the street to protest so as to not block the walkway and sidewalk for pedestrian traffic. This means that they can still be seen and heard, they just can’t be close enough to touch.

Claim: The city would create a precedent to prevent groups from protesting.
Fact: The precedent has already been set by three other annexations in the city as well as the fact that New York City has been annexing sidewalks for over 6 years successfully.

Let’s stop believing in the smoke screen and help bring the BayWalk back to its former self, a business hub in the middle of Downtown St Petersburg. For every day we wait, the more likely they are to lose another tenant, which means people will lose their jobs. In the end, what is the point of the protesters fighting for a sidewalk when there is no one there to use it?