Downtown Salt Lake City is an absolute mess—“This is the Place” is literally falling apart these days, with bad roads, bad sidewalks, burned-out streetlights, pervasive graffiti and garbage strewn about everywhere you look. Where has Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker been this whole time? It seems like the mayor is asleep at the wheel.
Why has Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank chosen to turn a blind eye to the atrocities and allow Salt Lake City to become a sanctuary city, with illegal immigrants running amok? He’s tolerating aggressive behavior and panhandling by homeless people, violent crimes are on the rise and children are choosing to join street gangs as a way of life.
This is totally unacceptable and inexcusable. That said, I’m so sick and tired of seeing brown lawns and weeds in people’s yards (you know who you are) and rude people leaving their empty beer bottles and cans and cigarette cartons all over the place—is it really that difficult to put your cigarette butt in an ashtray? It’s so rude and disrespectful! Things like that belong in the garbage!
Then, there are owners of high-rise buildings in this city who won’t fix and maintain the lighting fixtures on their buildings—the Shilo Inn, Wells Fargo Center and the One Utah Center come to mind. How hard is it to change a light bulb? I cannot tell you how bad it is for downtown Salt Lake City’s image to have all these burned-out light fixtures on high-rise buildings.
Not long ago, Salt Lake City played host to the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. We need to start acting like Olympic champions and clean up the mess we have created for ourselves. Therefore, I would like to ask that people in Salt Lake City do their part to take better pride in their city, with homeowners and businesses alike doing better jobs of maintaining their buildings, properties and yards. And, while we’re at it, let’s get the Sugar Hole filled ASAP.
Jordan Taggart
Salt Lake City
It is not that I feel unsafe downtown but there does seem to be a "blind eye" as to what takes place here. I would bet the farm that if I were to walk down main street today I would more likely see someone sleeping in a planter box than I would see a police officer. Where has the law enforecement presence gone?
There was a time when I would report various offenses to police dispatch or to the mayor's office but it would take up too much time and was discouraging when after spending ten minutes on the phone all I would often get from dispatch was a vague hope that somebody could be sent out when it was if at all possible. It took about two years of calling and emails before I could get garbage trucks to stop picking up prior to 7 am as specified in the Salt Lake County noise ordinances.
I've downloaded the city's 311 app but that is pretty unimpressive when your only options are to report weeds, vehicle, sign and construction violations. How about 'drunk and passed out on the sidewalk' violations? Officer Burbank, it is time again to flush out the drug dealers on 300 South and Main. Mayor Becker, the downtown is the public face of your city and you could be more proactive in cleaning it up.
Armchair protest much?
All you need to do is report problems to the city and they're taken care of. I've reported dozens of issues like the ones you've highlighted and they're taken care of within a week.
You are the government. Welcome to democracy.