Liberty Plaza: City leaders look for ways to end crime, vagrancy issues at park

. Families have been drawn there by performances put on by the Ann Arbor District Library.

But this urban park in downtown Ann Arbor has earned a reputation that contrasts sharply with images of people relaxing at a summertime concert and children enjoying a library program.

Public drinking, drug use and fights arent rare occurrences in the concrete park at the southwest corner of Division and Liberty streets. Set a few steps down from the sidewalk, the two-tiered park has gained a less-than-flattering reputation since it first opened to public use in 1978.

The park has off and on been a problem for years, said John Teeter, property manager at First Martin Corp., the company that built and still maintains the park. Its a wonderful park when theres programming. ... When theres legitimate users in the park visiting, its wonderful.

He pointed to the Thursday Sonic Lunch concerts, sponsored by Bank of Ann Arbor as an example of programming that works. But often, the park doesn't work well, he said.

When you have people drinking, doing drugs, defecating and urinating near buildings or harassing someone trying to eat lunch, its a detriment to the area, he added.

Teeter said Liberty Plaza has had cycles of criminal activities over the years, giving the place a reputation as a hangout for vagrants that may drive other residents away. But, those who use it have cultivated their own community. Many who regularly visit the park play chess, loan money to each other and engage in lively discussions.

Roughly 20 people milled about Liberty Plaza on a recent afternoon and nearly all of them greeted each other with smiles, handshakes and warm words. Some were quietly eating their lunch in the early afternoon sunshine while others skateboarded around benches and trees. The scene was a far cry from Teeters worst-case scenario of people being driven away by unruly park users.

People down here are cool, man, said Jacob Dorsten, a homeless man hanging out in the park. Ive never seen any trouble here.

A problem of design

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Liberty Plaza: City leaders look for ways to end crime, vagrancy issues at park