GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — Greensboro is among many cities nationally struggling with how to assist people experiencing homelessness while also maintaining the cleanliness and safety of public streets.
On Tuesday night, the city voted to amend an existing ordinance to further regulate behavior on local streets after downtown business owners and people who frequent the area raised the alarm.
The idea to amend the ordinance was Mayor Nancy Vaughan’s and was put forth after a long list of complaints from business owners and visitors who say some of the issues downtown deter them from wanting to be there.
“We own a lot of buildings in downtown Greensboro and have a lot of businesses there and have enjoyed a lot of years of calm and quiet,” business owner Jay Jung said.
Jung is an integral part of the downtown community and says conditions have taken a turn for the worse.
“It’s just this past year, we’ve seen a huge uptick in incidents,” Jung said.
Jung says his businesses have seen crimes like vandalism, and employees have discovered multiple instances of human waste on their property.