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Homeless people living on rooftops in downtown Tucson
Associated Press
Mar. 18, 2007 11:58 AM
TUCSON, Ariz. - Shop owners in downtown Tucson say homeless people have taken refuge on their rooftops, damaging the buildings and leaving garbage.
Nobody knows how many people have decided to do so, but jewelry store owner Elizabeth Mead is certain they're there. Just before Christmas, 55 gallons of water crashed through Mead's roof.
"Somebody was living on the roof and using the drain pipe as a trash can," she said.
The water damage at Mead's store was enough to inspire a cautionary note in the February newsletter for the Tucson Downtown Merchants.
"Be forewarned," the newsletter says. "This idea may be being copied by other homeless on other buildings."
Officials with the city and the Tucson Police Department said they had never heard of such rooftop residents. But Margo Susco, who owns Hydra Leather and More, an alternative-clothing boutique, said that for the past few years it's been a regular occurrence.
"It very much exists," she said.
The phenomenon of people sleeping on rooftops comes at a time when Tucson's homeless population is growing. It's estimated at about 4,500.
For the city, the rise in the homeless population poses a particular challenge as officials try to buck the perception that its downtown is unsafe.
In fact, downtown Tucson has the lowest crime rate of any part of the city, accounting for about 5 percent of total calls from July through January of last year, police said.
Thema: Eigenschaften der Amerikaner (Gelesen 7856 mal)