Leave Paul alone!
The City of Penticton’s bylaw department must have too much time on its hands if the greatest concern is Paul Braun sitting near a downtown breezeway located between a convenience store and a used book store.
Everyone in the downtown knows Paul. He’s often there with a small sign and cap asking for loose change. He doesn’t verbally ask for money and he’s never aggressive. Many people find he’s willing to engage in thoughtful conversation.
He’s accused of blocking a breezeway between the two stores. Staff at the Penticton
Herald see Paul daily. He doesn’t own a dog, a tent or a shopping cart lifted from WalMart. His sign and cap take very little room.
City council should know this — Paul sits directly across the street from a music store which is co-owned by Penticton Mayor Andrew Jakubeit. As reported in Okanagan Weekend, Paul has received eight tickets — which he’s ignored — so he’s now been subpoenaed for a Dec. 2 court date. Really? In Penticton, it’s tough to find a bylaw officer when you need one for something important.
The City of Penticton has a poor track record of going to court. Last time the City launched legal action it was against their own firefighters... and the City lost.
We understand a lawyer has offered to take Paul’s case. Be prepared for an embarrassing three-ring circus. This is a waste of valuable court time.
Penticton’s bylaw department is unwilling to go after the aggressive street people. To be blunt, some of the street people are mean. Paul Braun is not mean. Police seem reluctant to shut down major crack houses in the area. A white-collar theft of $40,000 from the Downtown Penticton Association still hasn’t resulted in any criminal charges... and it’s been a year. Two recent homicides in Penticton remain unsolved.
“I guess it’s against the law to be hungry in Penticton,” Paul said in an interview with Okanagan Weekend.
Like Kelowna and Vernon, Penticton also has issues with street people. We agree many people don’t like panhandlers and it’s a challenge for downtown merchants.
City of Penticton CAO Peter Weeber said staff and council are working on several new projects to help find housing for street people in Penticton, which is great.
In the case of Paul, we could draw a comparison to speeding tickets. Someone might wonder why they’ve been ticketed for speeding on the Coquihalla, yet others zoom by at 140 km and don’t get a ticket. It still doesn’t mean you didn’t speed.
Reviewing all factors, it’s foolish to come down hard on a less-fortunate member of the community who isn’t hurting anyone. —James Miller Kelowna Daily Courier