Local opinion: Poor leadership endangers the public

Tucson leaders must provide daytime facilities for the homeless, and stores must employ competent customer protection.

During the daytime at a mall on Campbell Avenue, there are people sleeping on the walkway because they have nowhere to sleep.

Recently at this mall, I had to call 911 to ask for a welfare check because I discovered a disabled man on the ground, curled up, hidden behind his wheelchair, as if asleep on the concrete walkway.

Tucson leaders must provide daytime sleeping quarters for homeless people.

Homeless people stay awake at night and desperately try to find a place to sleep during the day because it is not safe to sleep outside after dark. These people who are seeking a place to lie down are dehydrated, exhausted, hungry, afraid, and overwhelmed by their helpless situation. Forcing them to wake up after they have collapsed from exhaustion can be likened to poking a stick at a rattlesnake.

I recently rode my bike to shop at this mall, and I was unable to park my bike because I found a man sleeping next to the bike rack. I saw a fit male employee standing outside his grocery store, and I walked my bike up to him. I told him about the situation and asked if he or his security would ask the man to move. He told me no and suggested I go and find another place to park my bike.

Dissatisfied with his lack of concern, I then walked my bike to another store near the bike rack and asked to speak with the manager. A petite female manager, who looked as if she were not even 5 feet tall, came up to me, and I explained the situation. She became very concerned and said she would remove him. The man appeared as if around 6 feet tall, perhaps 40, clean, and very muscular; he had no belongings, not even a bedroll; he had simply collapsed onto the concrete.

I mentioned to the manager that he obviously needed help, and I offered to call 311 or 911. She told me not to, as she knew from her previous calls that the police would not help with this problem.

She then told him several times that he had to get up and leave, or she would contact security. He ignored her. She went inside to call her store security, and out of concern for my safety, she sent a male employee out to stand near me. She returned outside, and the male employee went back into the store. Store security never showed up.

This courageous manager then gave this man several more stern warnings, and the man began to sit up. He then aggressively yelled out that he was going to get up and punch her in the face.

After the man got up, he began fiercely beelining toward us, two small women. He looked like a strong, very angry Scotsman as he swung his arms with his hands in fists while yelling an antisemitic remark at the manager. I anxiously reminded her that he had said he was going to hit her.

He came directly at us like a speeding train on a track, with his eyes intensely focused on the petite manager. I felt anxiously hemmed in with the manager standing close on one side of me, while on my other side, I held up and balanced my heavy bike against me.

As he got closer, the manager frantically yelled at him to stop and to not hit her; he did not stop. He continued fiercely walking closer to her. Frightened, she stumbled backward about 10 feet, slamming her back into her store's automatic doors, which kept her from falling down and then opened. She stumbled backward into her store while continuing to loudly yell at him to leave; I stood still, balancing my bike. He continued moving away from us in fast strides. She then called 911 for help.

Due to the lack of competent customer security and the city not providing daybeds for the homeless, two small women — one a customer and the other an employee — were put into a very dangerous situation that put their lives at risk.