Midtown Woodward is a cesspool

[RickBeall]

And by not having public restrooms, Detroit is ruining good journalists like Charlie LeDuff.

http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2013/03/esquire_how_charlie_leduff_tri.html


Who knows how many college professors, automotive engineers, etc. have turned to the dark side due to lack of public toilets?

Maybe it explains the entire Detroit automotive downturn. For want of a nail ...

[wolverine]

I am so confused?? What the hell is a washroom??

Always fun to see what people call it differently. Native Chicagoan's say washroom also, which is how you can tell someone apart that moved here from Michigan.

Before the homeless flogging continues, I've witnessed on MANY occasions, young, educated, white, males AND females, sports fans, drunken partyers, whizzing freely on the streets of Detroit. This smell being discussed being particular to Midtown, "where the action is", leads me to believe that's exactly what's going on. I've witnessed it in Joe Louis parking, after hockey games. "Hey, it's a long ride home, and I gotta go". "After all, this is DETROIT, MF'er!" So, the question is, where does the City's obligation stop, and the drinker's responsibility begin? I know people that work in clubs and restaurants in the Midtown area, and they complain about hordes of people coming in, using and messing up the "washrooms", not spending a nickel, then moving on. Are the owners and employees responsible to take care of these people and clean up after them? You have to deal with the mess a few times to understand why washrooms are locked, or signs posted "For Customers ONLY!" Ok then, Let the rock throwing begin.

And that's why the police patrol the alleys around bar districts here happy to hand out $500 fines, lol. And I don't want to hear complaints that the fine is too expensive. Everyday street sweeping and soap powerwashing comes with a price.

The only part to which you can blame the homeless is their destruction of restrooms. I've seen business staff have to barge in after a homeless individual has occupied a single occupancy washroom for 30 minutes. Sometimes they'll bathe in sinks, smoke or some mental illness affliction will cause them to go crazy and trash the place. That's where the paying customer thing came about.

[marshamusic]

I've seen business staff have to barge in after a homeless individual has occupied a single occupancy washroom for 30 minutes. Sometimes they'll bathe in sinks, smoke or some mental illness affliction will cause them to go crazy and trash the place. That's where the paying customer thing came about.

This is absolutely true. I remember the times before this restriction existed, and I remember when it began. Recently, I was in a Woodward restaurant that apparently tries not to totally restrict bathroom access, probably since they're near COTS. An obviously sick, bedraggled homeless person locked themself in the restroom and stayed for the entire time we had our meal, probably an hour. The staff had a heck of a time getting them out of there.

[downtownguy]

I can't believe how you guys have been dumping on DaveWindsor. But I guess its a Detroit thing. He brought up a very real problem.

Seriously? Does the title of this thread, "Midtown is a cesspool" make you think he really cares about our problems? Then opening and closing his post with the same line is sooooooooooooooooooo constructive, isn't it?

[RickBeall]

I would call his language vivid. Enough to get everyone talking.

[jcole]

cess·pool

/ˈsesˌpo͞ol/

Noun An underground container for the temporary storage of liquid waste and sewage

I don't know why his terminology is a problem other than the liquid waste in question seems to be on the ground not under it.

[RickBeall]

jcole. --Ha ha hahaa ha ha.

[coracle]

Some years ago I came across http://traveljohn.com/ and purchased a few after experiencing a multi hour snarl-up on I90/I94 around Chicago. You get 2 Disposable Urinals suitable for children and adults in a carton about 4.5" by 4.5" by 2". They do the job if you if you really need to "go". You can use them in a traffic snarl, and although it may attract some interest from the next lane you can see they would give you a $100 for one! I always keep a box in my car but haven't used one for some time because my traveling has taken me more to Detroit of late.

[davewindsor]

I don't know why his terminology is a problem other than the liquid waste in question seems to be on the ground not under it.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=cesspool

2.	cesspool
	synonym for shithole, dump, trash, and hell. can be used to describe a neighborhood or a city. For a real life example of a cesspool, see Tallahassee, Florida. 3. cesspool an underground area for liquid waste [[such as sewage) Isabelle your apartment is so dirty it looks like a cesspool Steve, when is the last time you cleaned your car it could be confused with a cesspool

[davewindsor]

Seriously? Does the title of this thread, "Midtown is a cesspool" make you think he really cares about our problems? Then opening and closing his post with the same line is sooooooooooooooooooo constructive, isn't it?

I care enough to talk about it, not turn a blind eye to it and ignore it.

[davewindsor]

The only part to which you can blame the homeless is their destruction of restrooms. I've seen business staff have to barge in after a homeless individual has occupied a single occupancy washroom for 30 minutes. Sometimes they'll bathe in sinks, smoke or some mental illness affliction will cause them to go crazy and trash the place. That's where the paying customer thing came about.

I don't get your point. You can simply put a sign on the door that says time limit 5 minutes in the bathroom. Staff can have a master key and barge in after 5 minutes instead of 30. That's up to the business to set the time limit.

How can someone bathe in a sink? Sinks are normally only big enough to let you wash your hands. That doesn't even make any sense.

A homeless person can smoke anywhere. Do you think a homeless person cares who's watching what they are doing and what other people think? The police would also probably think its a waste of their time to process a homeless person doing it outside.

As for trashing the place, a homeless person can also throw a glass bottle or rock through a storefront window. There's a million things a homeless person can do to trash a business if they wanted to.

Those justifications for locking the bathroom doors are so weak.

[noise]

It's so crazy because ... you normally relieve yourself on the storefront?

No, I take the more popular route: I walk into a business and use their public restroom or ask for the key.

Woodward is Canadian for "River of Urine".

[noise]

Anyone else notice this problem in Midtown?

[nain rouge]

You think that's bad? Trying going for long walks in the suburbs. Nothing is worse than the urge hitting you and being surrounded by hundreds of toilets that you can never, ever be allowed to use.

[DetroitPlanner]

Next time I am in Windsor, I will make sure to pee in public! Have not done that since that bar on Walker with the volleyball near the Willistead shut down.

[wolverine]

I don't get your point. You can simply put a sign on the door that says time limit 5 minutes in the bathroom. Staff can have a master key and barge in after 5 minutes instead of 30. That's up to the business to set the time limit.

How can someone bathe in a sink? Sinks are normally only big enough to let you wash your hands. That doesn't even make any sense.

A homeless person can smoke anywhere. Do you think a homeless person cares who's watching what they are doing and what other people think? The police would also probably think its a waste of their time to process a homeless person doing it outside.

As for trashing the place, a homeless person can also throw a glass bottle or rock through a storefront window. There's a million things a homeless person can do to trash a business if they wanted to.

Those justifications for locking the bathroom doors are so weak.

Work at a business with a public washroom
Live in a large building with a washroom in the lobby.

Report back. Don't need to respond to the specifics. And I've been nice to you in this thread

[canuck]

No, I take the more popular route: I walk into a business and use their public restroom or ask for the key.

Woodward is Canadian for "River of Urine".

That's probbly because Canuckistan is wild enough that anytime you look for a place to pee, it'll be woodwards...

[detroit12]

Before the homeless flogging continues, I've witnessed on MANY occasions, young, educated, white, males AND females, sports fans, drunken partyers, whizzing freely on the streets of Detroit. This smell being discussed being particular to Midtown, "where the action is", leads me to believe that's exactly what's going on. I've witnessed it in Joe Louis parking, after hockey games. "Hey, it's a long ride home, and I gotta go". "After all, this is DETROIT, MF'er!" So, the question is, where does the City's obligation stop, and the drinker's responsibility begin? I know people that work in clubs and restaurants in the Midtown area, and they complain about hordes of people coming in, using and messing up the "washrooms", not spending a nickel, then moving on. Are the owners and employees responsible to take care of these people and clean up after them? You have to deal with the mess a few times to understand why washrooms are locked, or signs posted "For Customers ONLY!" Ok then, Let the rock throwing begin.

funny thing is, I've witnessed this in almost every city I've been to where there are drunk people of any color. People stop exaggerating. If you don't like midtown, fine, don't go....problem solved. but its no cesspool

[Zacha341]

Thank you...

funny thing is, I've witnessed this in almost every city I've been to where there are drunk people of any color. People stop exaggerating. If you don't like midtown, fine, don't go....problem solved. but its no cesspool

[Zug]

I guess I don't get the issue. Is it courteous to have open bathrooms in restaurants? Yes. However, a private business can limit the use of their bathrooms [[or any part of their business). A business isn't obligated to provide everyone a place to shit.

I have smelled piss in public, but it's also an extreme exaggeration to say that Midtown is filled with piss puddles. Otherwise, I would be very miserable since I work in Midtown, lol.

Plus, it's not like Detroit invented the "paying customer" policy for bathrooms. To me, it's the same difference as saying that only paying customers can be seated in the restaurant. I agree that it sucks when you really have to go...but you should be blaming the businesses, not necessarily the city. Unless you want to say there should be an ordinance forcing businesses to have unlocked bathrooms...which probably isn't high on the city's list of priorities.

[JenniferL]

In all the years I was at WSU [[undergrad and graduate school), I saw a lot of odd things, but people peeing in front of stores and restaurants was not one of them. Maybe they were peeing in the alleys, I don't know, because I avoided the alleys. But there are free, accessible bathrooms in every campus building. You can also use the bathrooms at the Detroit Public Library and the College For Creative Studies.

I am less familiar with the bathroom situation farther south, but if I was walking around and had to go I would probably look for a public bathroom at one of the hospitals at the Medical Center first. Downtown, there's a food court in the basement of the Renaissance Center with a public bathroom nearby.

[RickBeall]

DaveWindsor is a little naive about how to handle the bathrooms.

Dave wrote:
>>You can simply put a sign on the door that says time limit 5 minutes in the bathroom. Staff can have a master key and barge in after 5 minutes instead of 30. That's up to the business to set the time limit.

Ha ha, that will work real well barging in on the occasional legitimate customer. "All right matey, you had your 5 minutes out of here!

Dave wrote:

>>How can someone bathe in a sink? Sinks are normally only big enough to let you wash your hands.

They don't sit in the sink. They just strip naked and splash handfuls of water all over themselves and everything around them.

Dave wrote:
>> As for trashing the place, a homeless person can also throw a glass bottle or rock through a storefront window. There's a million things a homeless person can do to trash a business if they wanted to.

Sure, but do you want to sit on a toilet with oily fecal matter from a junkie? Have stuff stuck to your hands because you touched a latch? Have pee soaked tissue sticking to the bottom of your shoes as out? You would probably rather pee in the street.

Dave wrote:
>>Those justifications for locking the bathroom doors are so weak.

Not really.

Then again, maybe we'll put Dave in charge of barging into the bathrooms and chasing the naked people out.

[Zacha341]

^^^ Oye, what a cheering subject. But the details are true. No wonder businesses make some attempt at screening who uses their bathrooms........

[Zacha341]

I'd say WSU is a banquet of public bathrooms in various buildings. There are even tales of homeless folk holding up nearly all night in some WSU buildings like the Manoogian which has various themed study rooms, but CCS only has access at their cultural center campus on John R. behind the DIA. The CCS Taubman center on Milwaukee is an 'electronic ID access' only building.

But there are free, accessible bathrooms in every campus building. You can also use the bathrooms at the Detroit Public Library and the College For Creative Studies.

[grumpyoldlady]

Anyone who CAN'T smell fresh pee from 8 feet away needs their nose examined!