Speak Up: How should downtown Dover address safety concerns?

A public meeting was planned at Dover City Hall Jan. 26 on the topic of continued problems in the downtown area that some say are connected to the Loockerman Street bar, Irish Mike’s Old Towne Pub. In 2021, the tavern was forced to close, with its business license pulled and liquor license suspended for 30 days, after the Dover Police Department said it had recently responded to over 35 public disturbance calls to the establishment. The owner says his business is not the root cause of such calls. The city has written a proposed loitering statute to combat late-night downtown gatherings, but concerns have been expressed about the proposal’s language. What’s the solution?

• I’ve never been “bombarded” or had anyone in my face. This is not a problem of people annoying us. It’s bigger. The homeless are in need of compassion, not disdain. But it’s OK that we don’t have a solution yet. I think we need to talk about this realistically and civilly and with compassion. — Delaware Guitar School
• Kevin Howard’s job is to keep the patrons of his business safe. It seems he’s doing this by hiring extra security. I think he’s done all he can. Once they leave his club, it’s out of his hands and becomes the responsibility of the city of Dover. I don't think it's fair to punish a business because Dover doesn't have the resources to patrol this area at 2 a.m. Maybe increasing penalties and cracking down on the offenders might help. Make the fines costly and maybe offenders will think twice about getting cited. — Stan Sipple
• Shameful how some people are responding to this article with hate in their words. Whatever happened to help your fellow man? Homelessness is everyone’s problem. People fall short to addiction, mental health issues or loss of a job or family matters. We, as a society, need to be more compassionate. Instead of complaining, why don’t you volunteer and help? We can arrest them, issue them summons or give them a one-way bus pass out of town, but it is not going to go away unless we help as a society. Just remember before saying any more: Matthew 7:1 — “Judge not, lest you be judged!” — Ruth Hamilton
• Public safety and very little parking. — Chuck Holliday
• Have officers park on New Street. — Mike Hacker
• Police substation parked close by, more cameras, enforce the law? — Young Joycie Joseph
• Maybe if we had adequate resources for the homeless or rehab centers, it would help. A lot of issues downtown stem from drug issues. — Samie Lee