A pair of covered benches at the Vineyard Haven Steamship Authority bus stop is set to be removed to discourage loitering, drug use, and people seeking shelter.
On Monday, the select board unanimously approved the bench removals following a letter from the Vineyard Transit Authority, the public entity that operates the stop. The letter, addressed to Tisbury Police in January, cited increasing threats to passenger well-being there, such as drug abuse and fights. The two benches themselves will be removed, but not their enclosures.
Tisbury’s decision comes as Harbor Homes recently had to move out of its primary winter homeless shelter, and has struggled to find a permanent location, and amid reports that the unhoused population has grown on the Island in recent years.
Island resident Christopher Derr, who said he had been previously homeless and was reached at the benches on Tuesday, told The Times that he’s worried the move could set a precedent for taking spaces away from the homeless population on-Island. Derr said he understood the concern over people sleeping in the stalls, but he worries that the unhoused and commuters would lose a resource in a public space.
“Well, no matter where you go, there are always going to be people opposed to homelessness. Homelessness happens. It’s a real thing on the Vineyard here,” he said while waiting for a bus.
The decision has raised questions about where homeless people will go if not to the benches, as the only other enclosed public space in the immediate area is the Steamship Authority Ticket Office.
At Monday’s meeting, Tisbury Police Chief Chris Habekost gave his opinion that the removal request was the best way to address the situation, as police have consulted Harbor Homes, the town department of public works, the Vineyard Transit Authority, and the Steamship Authority.
“We’ve really tried to touch base with … every kind of stakeholder in this, to address an issue in a balanced approach so that we are not doing heavy-handed enforcement, but we are trying to curb some of the behavior that might be undesirable,” he said.
Board members were also concerned about where the unhoused would go.
“What happens in my opinion is that if you push them out of one area, they’re going to go to another,” board chair John Cahill said. “And I feel bad for them all … where would you think they’re going to go next?”
“Well, they still can be around there,” Habekost answered, also pointing to easier times for the homeless as warmer weather approaches.
Police have been checking in on the well-being of Steamship staff at the nearby terminal. “We’ve had checks every day, checking with the Steamship Authority staff at the terminal,” Habekost said.
At the board meeting, Habekost said the removals are not meant to punish anyone. “I don’t think this is something that would be like a punishment for any of them, or would seriously affect their lives in a negative way. But I think it’s just kind of a discouragement of camping out in those two enclosures,” he said.
According to Tisbury Police Sergeant Max Sherman, the town is responsible for maintaining the stalls, which were purchased by the Transit Authority and are on Steamship-owned land.
As The Times visited the stalls on Tuesday, Derr was worried about the town’s action. “If you take this away, [homeless people] are going to move to another spot, and then they might want to take that spot away. And then eventually it just becomes a vicious cycle of ‘What do you do with the homeless?’” he asked.
What about us folks who go there to get out of snow, wind and rain while we wait for the bus? Sometimes, these are long waits.
No consideration for us in this decision. Not everyone who uses the bus is able to stand on cement for nearly an hour.
Benches are gone I checked Friday night.
Here is a recommendation. Tisbury must enforce the laws regarding against disorderly conduct, loitering, drug use and vagrancy. “According to Tisbury Police Sergeant Max Sherman, the town is responsible for maintaining the stalls, which were purchased by the transit authority and are on Steamship-owned land.” DO NOT PENALIZE THE CITIZENS,TAXPAYERS, RESIDENTS AND USERS LIKE CHILDREN, MOTHERS, ELDERLY AND DISABLED. PROTECT THEM.
Remove the abusers multiple times every day to educate them. Do it ever for the SAFETY OF ALL OF THEM. DO THE RIGHT THING-DO NOT AVOID YOUR SELF IDENTIFIED RESPONSIBILITY TO UPHOLD THE LAW AT THE EXPENSE OF DOING HARM TO THE MAJORITY.
Is it possible (or does it already exist) to have an app that tells us where the bus we’re waiting for is? Or how long until it gets to us? That seems to work well in other cities we’ve been in.
yes – it’s called TransLoc
Well said it can be challenging especially if you have packages etc. It’s usually an older crowd waiting for the bus…
As a society we have failed to help the homeless population. Why aren’t we rounding them up and helping them with their issues? The do gooders never want to admit the vast majority of these people have mental health or substance abuse issues. For those that don’t have these issues bring back vagrancy laws and lock them up or make them do military service like the old days. Enact these polices and the problem goes away real quick.
Surely there must be other options short of removing these covered benches! The interests and needs of the public majority should take precedence over the decidedly lower incidences of unfortunate unhoused individuals seeking shelter or incidences of loitering and drug abuse. With the rising number of seniors in our Island population who rely on public transportation, it would behoove us to seek other solutions to this problem and leave the benches for those who benefit from a place to sit as they await their rides.
I have been surprised at how consistently these shelters have been dominated by people using drugs. Every time I’ve waited at this stop the only passengers waiting for a bus have been waiting outside it in the weather. I’d be more sensitive to the needs of the homeless if they were using it for shelter but that’s not all they’re doing.
Couldn’t the Tisbury police make hourly checks to discourage loitering, drug use and people seeking shelter while they check on the well being of SSA employees? It seems the disabled and elderly will suffer because the unhoused, unsober and unplacestogo have a need to use those benches, too.
Isn’t this what they would say is, “throwing the baby out with the bath”, seems so.
This kinda comes across as the Tisbury PD not actually wanting to do their job. They’re 200 yards from this shelter for crying out loud. Honestly, how much extra does it add to their day to drive by hourly to keep an eye on it. Instead of taking a left into the station at the Stop-n-Shop, take the long way, go around the loop and take a right….
This is a terrible solution to this issue but as often seen, Tisbury is Bass Ackwards on so many levels. The Police Department is steps away, why can’t they handle this without making everyone else suffer?
GOD FORBID somebody get a tiny bit of shelter when they have no other means. F— the other guy because we’ve already got ours, right?
The Cape and Islands need long term solutions to fight homelessness. It’s not just about beds, it’s social services, it is drug & alcohol programs, it’s work programs, it’s VA programs to fill in for lost or weakened federal programs, etc.
One article is about compassion for first responders and another about the removal of a cover bus stop so people don’t chill. Like cumbies back in the day they don’t like it if ya hang out and chill. Had to go to the soccer field. Bet there are articles about that from like 94. No hacky sacking in the Square too. No skating boarding in VH, but we won’t build a skatepark until 2003. The island has always pushed back against anything that scares a tourist or summer dollar. Facts! Go watch jaws is not just about a shark!
Tisbury is a joke, this is why noone goes there, to eat or shop, it’s about as welcoming as the plague, people seek shelter so they remove it, now my elderly aunt can stand in the rain, waiting the bus, nice work. Way to Make Tisbury Great Again, too bad it never was.
Please Chief Habekost—see if you can come to another recommendation. Removing the benches does little to alleviate an already difficult problem. The elderly and disabled rely on these supports while they wait for transit. Please help. Thank you. Respectfully, Chrissy Kinsman.
If you live, work or walk near these shelters on any regular basis you would see just how impossible the situation really is…the TPD is there constantly dealing with the bad behavior of the homeless. Removing the benches is a step towards removing the shelters most likely…Ive seen the TPD time and time again patiently listening to the completely non sensical explanations for why so and so behaved such and such. Its like the Twilight Zone… The Police are there (almost?) every day dealing with this and I don’t blame them (the Town or TPD) for taking this action. How do you help people most of whom do not want to be helped? How do you motivate people to help themselves out of this kind of situation? There is a big mental health aspect to homelessness…how do you fix/help/change/manage this?
What’s enabling behavior that does more harm than good? What’s really Helping? I don’t pretend to have solutions, but bad behavior has to be called bad behavior and the rules apply to us all. Homeless and Housed.
“Bad behavior” can also be interpreted to include the refusal of authorities to provide adequate social services and support for such persons.
Remember the winter shelters still have no permanent home on MV.
Our health clinics are closing, the list goes on.
But of course, strip the benches away, they are definitely to blame for the degradation of society.
So much discussion is on enabling these people to due unlawful things in public and almost no talk of helping them. Typical liberals
Please install benches with a center arm rest which will prevent anyone from lying down. The elderly and disable population need a place to SIT
down.
The tisbury pd is being very kind…. It may not be the best route considering all the minors and j1s that will be relying on our bus system in the summer months. As a parent of two working age children who will be taking the bus I hope this is a warning to the mischievous behavior such as selling drugs at the bus depot (which my tenant has confirmed) we all want to do right by people but we do need to enforce the law …right?
I’m against removing the benches. It punishes the general public. And won’t the homeless still use the shelters, and just sit on the ground now?
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