Part 1 (Action Plan)
According to the information given in the case, there exist two groups that can be viewed as critical to the identified area. First, there is the business section that is more concerned with ensuring that the region is secure and also in sync with the expectations of various visitors, especially tourists. Secondly, there is the church that seems much concerned with the welfare of the people, something that pushed for a food bank to be established adjoining the entertainment district. However, this approach has resulted in an increased number of homeless people and aggressive begging. The increasing cases of obnoxious behavior, as well as intrusive panhandling, does not offer a conducive environment for business to thrive.
As the commander of the Downtown Division of this major municipal department, there are various steps I will consider as the means to address the emergent problem. One excellent step that would help deal with this problem would revolve around changing the behaviors of the givers as well as reducing the rewards, or in other terms, money to panhandlers. As such, it would be proper to erect signs dissuading givers from giving their money, especially around the area that happens to be a panhandling hotspot. It is essential to remember that these panhandlers are here because they find the place lucrative. Without this money being issued, aggressive begging will start to disappear. Trying to take out the food bank from the area would not be a viable solution. However, it would be a great idea to work with the church in identifying an alternative method on how their assistance could get to the intended people without having to attract these individuals in the region. Church buildings in other areas could act as distribution centres while at the same time retaining the food bank built by the church. Additionally, it would be necessary to encourage the police department to do walkabouts in the area, something that will see panhandlers disappear (Skogan, et al., 2019). It is an approach that will result in a sixty-four percent reduction of aggressive panhandling. All of these measures will play a great role in eliminating the problem being experienced hence enhancing business operations, especially those that revolve around tourism.
Part 2 (Successful and Less-than-successful efforts in dealing with the issue of homelessness)
For a long time, it has been the culture of communities across the nation to carry out counts of the local population that are experiencing homelessness. It is worth noting that the count is, to a great extent needed by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, but also offers significant information that helps in strategic planning, investment as well as advocacy efforts (Arreguin, 2020). This has helped to prevent and end homelessness in various regions of the nation. Even though not every unhoused individual is usually counted by the various volunteer counters, the step always offers useful statistics based on the population as well as on trends which plays a role in resource planning, including policy decision making. In the City of Berkeley, for instance, investing heavily to end homelessness has, over the years, resulted in a thirty-six percent decrease in the number of homeless individuals.
It is worth noting that the issue of homelessness usually goes ignored primarily because those responsible in solving the issue, to a great extent, conflate the substantive merits of an issue with a stigma linked to homelessness (Kamelhar, 2020). Additionally, various programs that have been implemented to help solve the problem of homelessness fail to include the members of society. Such an approach is considered less-successful when it comes to solving the challenge of homeless because those who know well the situation, that is the members of the community, are not included in the plan. The fact that we have failed to change how we refer to individuals experiencing homelessness has made it difficult to eradicate the issue. Referring to these individuals as ‘the homeless’ is inaccurate as it does not define an individual. Being homeless is temporary and as such, focusing on measures to eradicate homelessness without reshaping the way we perceive the issue has rendered these measures less-successful.
Part 3
Irritating behavior is highly described as an individual’s annoying habits that, to a great extent, bothers others and eventually, draining their energy as well as morale. These deliberate behaviors include talking loudly while on the phone and also being disruptive during group sessions. In most cases, such behaviors are viewed as unimportant, something that makes them go unchallenged. It might be hard to tell a colleague to change what they are doing if it is bothering others, and this is primarily because there is that feeling that everyone is free to do whatever they like. However, it is imperative to realize that uncomfortable or irritating behaviors are unacceptable and failing to address such issues only makes one feel helpless, deflated as well as miserable. As such, all deliberative behaviors in public that tend to make others uncomfortable ought to be stopped at all means.
It is necessary to note that the constitutional mandate of freedom of speech does not in any way protect people who participate in obnoxious behaviors. As far as this is concerned, it becomes important to realize that the First Amendment was developed as the means to enhance what is identified as the free exchange of ideas and to offer a form of redress to citizens against their government. In addition, the First Amendment strives to protect unpopular forms of speech, but certain forms of speech are not protected by the First Amendment (Redish, & Voils, 2017). As such, freedom of expression does not protect individuals who participate in obnoxious behaviors that may in one way or another incite physical retaliation.