Problems in the inner city persist
A Kelowna business owner is at the end of her wisdom after facing daily arguments between her co-workers and a number of people downtown.
Raegan Hall has run the Blonde clothing store in downtown Kelowna for 16 years, but over the past two years she has said her employees have had increasing problems with people who are causing disruption to their store.
“People come in and verbally harass them. They say the craziest things to my poor girls, ”Hall said. “You scare my employees.
“The last thing that bothered me was that someone tried to set all my clothes on fire in here, and a few days later a man wearing a mask and sunglasses came in and just went around throwing noises.”
Hall says she understands the obvious mental health issues people go through that cause disruption, but she is concerned about the safety of her employees.
“There have been employees who have left because they were uncomfortable,” she said, adding that in the past she had received tearful phone calls from her employees.
“I’m afraid I’ll be leaving downtown Kelowna, and I really don’t want to because I love Kelowna.” said Halle. “I see a lot of signs, a lot of shops moving through shops at a breakneck pace.”
After writing letters to the city of Kelowna for the past two years about the growing problem, she says she does not feel supported.
“We’re calling the statutes, they say call the RCMP. The RCMP say they can’t write any of these people down because it’s not going anywhere, ”Hall said.
“I’m not entirely sure of the solution, but I would like to be a part of it.
“I love downtown, and I’ve always loved it. It is important for a city to have a vibrant inner city, which is why I invested in it in 2004. She just got out of joint. “
