CUMBERLAND: The mayor and City Council unanimously decided on Tuesday to exclude food and beverages from Riverside Park, setting up a conflict between historical preservation and a neighborhood charity initiative.
The George Washington Headquarters cabin at the park has been cared after by the Daughters of the American Revolution Cresap Chapter regent for about ninety years. The chapter has complained about the move several times in the past several months.
Though the building is owned by the city, the group gives tours of it. Additionally, the park has given local church groups a convenient site from which to deliver food to those in need. The new law targets “food and beverage remnants” that have been left over and are said to draw rats to the public park.
Ability to draw visitors
Other people have complained to the council about the park’s problems, which include strong urine aromas, trash, including beer cans, and vagrancy. “The debris left by people eating and drinking makes it difficult to maintain cleanliness at the location,” it says. “The waste buildup is unsightly and detracts from the site’s aesthetic appeal and ability to draw tourists and visitors.
“Several folks at Tuesday’s city meeting indicated they were concerned about the restriction. Janet Heavner remarked, “I know it’s been a frustrating issue over at Riverside Park.” She did, however, bring up the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, which protects the right to freedom of assembly and worship. Heavner questioned whether tourists who break the prohibition would be subject to the same punishments as those who are charged.
Elliott Slater remarked, “If you’ve never been homeless, you could never understand,” in reference to Cumberland’s high rental costs relative to wages from employment. In a poem that was recited by one of the residents, the phrase “when being poor costs too much” appeared.
According to Todd Cherkis of United Workers, a multiracial poor people’s human rights organization with headquarters in Maryland that seeks to alleviate poverty, the park’s issues are a result of high costs. He stated that the availability of high-quality healthcare and locally produced employment with competitive compensation are the answers.
According to Cherkis, “people are really struggling.” “This affordability dilemma is engulfing us all. This is a period of extreme desperation. The council members admitted that they had difficulty deciding whether to approve the ban.
Increase in homeless population
He said that the council might make adjustments if it doesn’t work. “We’re open to reevaluating the situation,” Morriss added. Councilman Rock Cioni discussed the $750,000 the city donated to the Union Rescue Mission, an organization that spreads Christianity, so that it might grow and provide services to more people.
Regarding homelessness and poverty, he remarked, “We think we’re as aware of the problem as anyone else.” The YMCA is one of the organizations that the city, according to Councilwoman Laurie Marchini, has obtained grants for.
These awards assist people who are “in transition,” combat substance abuse, or simply need a place to eat or sleep. She remarked, “We feel compelled to defend this iconic city property.” According to Marchini, the new prohibition “is a short-term solution to a much bigger problem.”