Despite the chilly temperatures, it was an awesome turnout and a great parade. There were more big balloons than I remember in the last few years' parades. As always, I love to see big crowds having a good time downtown. Here are a few shots, and I'm hoping to post a link to a gallery of more images later tonight.
Bob the Builder makes the turn onto 2nd Street.
Bob does a face-plant to get under the skywalk.
There were tons of people watching from all the parking garages, skywalks, storefronts, or anywhere else they could stay out of the cold.
A Purple Heart-wearing soldier balloon.
Santa and his modernized sleigh bring up the rear.
Bob the Builder makes the turn onto 2nd Street.
Bob does a face-plant to get under the skywalk.
There were tons of people watching from all the parking garages, skywalks, storefronts, or anywhere else they could stay out of the cold.
A Purple Heart-wearing soldier balloon.
Santa and his modernized sleigh bring up the rear.
18 comments:
Tis the most wonderful time of the year!
Oh, buy the way, I hope that Alderman Howard doesn’t have a Cow this Friday.
After all it will be Black Friday!
It's just too bad that the parade is always held in the most dangerous part of Davenport. Maybe next year they could move it out to 53rd and that would allow all the people who are too old and afraid to go downtown to enjoy it too.
Yeah, look how dangerous it looks down there....
5:42 - you are silly. The entire police force is downtwon during this parade, so it looks like the most dangerous part of the city is 53rd at that time.
Also, not doubt that the PD clear the place of crackheads and prostitutes before the parade starts.
Clayton Lloyd just gave a report to the council on the Perception that Davenporter's have about downtown is that it is not a safe place to be. This is understandable, when several times a week everyone can read about the homeless, dangerous buildings, crack dealers and prostitutes in the QCtimes and hearing it over and over again on radio and TV news. The first step to a revitalized downtown is getting rid of the crime and dangerous people that lerk in the area. People won't go to places that they don't feel safe. The root of the downtown problem is JLCS.
The thing is, those kind of things are not at all common in the "central core" of the downtown. With the exception of some bar-related troubles in the 5-bar cluster on 3rd street, there are very few problems downtown east of Ripley. I've walked down to the Skybridge at 3am and never felt unsafe. Yet I'd never consider walking over by Sugars or 3rd/Western at that hour.
We just need to educate people about this, and also expand the "safe" zone farther west.
The area that D-1 or downtown davenport partners or whatever they call themselves have cleaned up about 12 blocks of downtown. There needs to be more. Just how many purse snatchings have there been in this area? How many physical attacks?
Moving it up to 53rd? So how are you going to route all the traffic around the mall? How many sidewalks are there along that street to watch a parade? How many people will be hit by cars when they try to cross 53rd after the parade is over?
Maybe QCARTS should just move the whole festival up to Northpark. They probably have enough empty store fronts to accomodate it. But then that wouldn't be safe because of all the roaming packs of teenagers looking for trouble.
That is a pretty pathetically sized "safe zone" for a city of 100,000. I probably wouldn't walk in the areas you described either, but then there's not much in those areas to do after dark if your not a druggie or into prostitution.
I'm not saying that the safe area of downtown is the only safe area in Davenport.
I just hate that people are worried about downtown when nearly anything they'd come down here to visit is already safe.
Being afraid of an area doesn't help anything.
If people won't use the downtown when the RME is having concerts; how is that good for anyone? Regardless of how safe it is, or isn't the bad reputation is there. We in the East End have put up with this for years, even after our crime watch group saw our crime rate drop by 12% when alot of the rest of the city went up by as much. I don't want to lose the RME, or the anything else downtown but someone better get on the damage control PR wagon.
I heard the balloon soldier lied about an injury to get that purple heart medal.
I agree with Cruiser. Perception of crime can hurt almost as much as actual crime. I think getting more people to live downtown will help. More and more buildings will be cleaned up, and there will also be a larger number of people who will be able to tell everyone else by word of mouth just how good/bad things really are. A PR campaign couldn't hurt either.
I heard the balloon soldier lied about an injury to get that purple heart medal.
I agree with Cruiser. Perception of crime can hurt almost as much as actual crime. I think getting more people to live downtown will help. More and more buildings will be cleaned up, and there will also be a larger number of people who will be able to tell everyone else by word of mouth just how good/bad things really are. A PR campaign couldn't hurt either.
It may not be safe to cross 53rd after a parade; but it's also risky crossing 3rd or 4th Street, and being hit by a drunk bag-lady pushing a SaveAlot cart. They can really inflict some damage.
I'm tired of downtown and surrounding area getting a worse than deserved bad rap. I live in the 3rd ward, and yes, there are, on occasion, people walking down the street that I'm leery of and make sure they "move it along". I've walked downtown by myself at night on many occasions and have NEVER had any trouble or felt unsafe. And I'm a middle aged woman. In all the years I've owned my home I have never had a break in or vandalism. Only an occasional car stereo that's too loud. On the OTHER hand, one of my kids has a friend who lives in the lovely area of Windsor Heights or Court or whatever it's called, and they constantly have kids breaking into their garage or vandalizing their yard and landscaping. Not only that, said child of mine spent the night, and called me around midnight to come home because the NOISE of a house party going on next door. I learned later police were called and drugs were found. But you never hear about things like that when the offenders are lilly white and upper middle class. Imagine how that would LOOK for this neighborhood and what the PERCEPTION would be! People would be afraid to live there, for heaven's sake!!
I am also a resident of the central city and work downtown and go downtown a lot. I don't even feel like I will be attacked. I have been the victim of property crime tons of times though. I have not been a victim of a violent crime though. Really those crimes are reserved from people who are in that world usually. Dealers, Prostitutes, etc. But, I do for some reason lock my car doors more now then a year ago when I drive through certain parts of town. Mainly because I frankly don't want to have to when the vagrant approaches me. I have been approached so many times that I just rudely waive them along. It gets tiresome. I am also frightened when I go by certain slum rentals because of the element hanging outside dealing and drinking. I wish the landlords would get their places cleaned up and fixed up and then we would have a better central city.
As far as QCI said - the area by Sugars is rough - it is also where JLCS has thier properties. Why doesn't JLCS demand a clean up of the surrounding area if they aren't a part of the problem?
Conservative Demo here:
Quoting WindingHills at 11:24, "If you go to any city's downtown area, you are going to find degenerates."
Why heck, my wife sez I'm a degenerate; might've even heard "reprobate" from her once.
So where is Davenport Downtown Partnership with the PR campaign? They spent how much to make sure we all know we have momentum but they can't give us a billboard about how 'safe' our downtown is?
I feel more uneasy going to the mall than I do walking downtown. All those packs of teenagers and their foul mouths and disrespect for everyone else. I've had a shopping bag snatched from me in the mall. Not by a vagrant or someone who "looks" like they were from the central city, but from two nicely dressed blond teenager girls. I couldn't find a security person and lost site of the little witches. I hope they enjoyed the "old lady" panties I bought at Sears.
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