THE REASONS WHY. ONE OF THE LONGEST STANDING BUSINESSES DOWNTOWN IS NOW CONSIDERING THE OPTION TO LEAVE BECAUSE OF THE HEAVY CRIME AND THE OVERRUN HOMELESS POPULATION. THIS IS THE SECOND BUSINESS IN EIGHT WEEKS TO TALK TO US ABOUT LEAVING DOWNTOWN, SHOOTING, STABBINGS, OPEN AIR DRUG SALES, LONG STANDING BUSINESSES SAY THE VOLUME OF CRIME IS FRIGHTENING BEYOND THE WORST YEARS IN DECADES PAST. IT WAS BAD, BUT IT WAS NEVER THIS BAD. WE HAVE A STRONG CRIMINAL ELEMENT DOWNTOWN, AND THIS SPEAKS TO PUBLIC SAFETY. FOR EXAMPLE, THERE’S A FELLOW WHO SELLS DRUGS OUT OF HIS CAR RIGHT IN FRONT OF OUR BUILDING. BOB FERGUSON IS THE OWNER OF FOR GASOL FINANCIAL ADVISORS. LOCATED DOWNTOWN FOR 50 YEARS, HE IS LOCATED IN AN OFFICE BUILDING ON SMITHFIELD STREET. THE LIBRARY NEXT DOOR IS CLOGGED WITH HOMELESS PEOPLE. THEY COME OUT OF THE CHURCH, THEY URINATE IN THE FLOWER POTS IN FRONT OF THE BUILDING AND THEY GO INTO THE LIBRARY AND SPEND THEIR DAY THERE. CHRISTOPHER HAYNER TOLD PITTSBURGH’S ACTION NEWS 4 AND JANET WORRY THAT HE IS RELOCATING FROM DOWNTOWN. IT’S CONSTANT OPEN DRUG USE, ESPECIALLY ON SMITHFIELD STREET. LAST TUESDAY, WHENEVER I CAME IN, THERE WAS AN OVERDOSE. WHEN I WAS WALKING INTO THE OFFICE AND I STAYED PRETTY LATE TILL ABOUT 9:00 PM OR WHENEVER I WAS LEAVING, WALKING BACK TO THE CAR, THERE WAS ANOTHER OVERDOSE. AND NOW FOR GASSER WAS FED UP TO THE POINT OF LEAVING. WE WANT TO KEEP A DOWNTOWN PRESENCE, BUT OUR LEASE WILL BE UP IN A YEAR AND WE WON’T HAVE A DOWNTOWN PRESENCE UNLESS THIS IS CLEANED UP. ARE YOU STILL COMMITTED TO LEAVING DOWNTOWN? I AM. I SEEN I SIGNED THE LEASE THIS MORNING. THE BUILDOUT IS GOING TO TAKE 7 TO 9 MONTHS, BUT I AM COMMITTED TO LEAVING DOWNTOWN. WE ALSO CHECKED IN WITH VISIT PITTSBURGH, ONE OF THE PRIMARY MARKETING ENGINES FOR THE REGION. THAT GROUP SAYS THAT DOWNTOWN IS STILL STRONG AND VIBRANT AND THAT CONCERNS OVER PUBLIC SAFETY ARE BEING ADDRESSED WITH GROWING SUPPORT SERVICES. REPORTING FR
Another business owner on the verge of fleeing Downtown as crime continues
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Updated: 6:22 PM EDT Mar 27, 2023
Fragasso Financial Advisors has been running for 50 years in its Downtown office, but that is about to change as founder Bob Fragasso moves closer to the option of relocating. He says shootings, stabbings, and the open-air drug culture have become a credible threat to his employees, who are fearful of working out of the Downtown office. "We have a strong criminal element Downtown, and this speaks to public safety. For example, there's a guy who sells drugs right out of his car in front of our building," Fragasso said.Fragasso also says a bulging homeless presence compounds his sense of urgency to leave because of the public behavior and loitering right in front of his office building in the 600 block of Smithfield Street. "The library next door is clogged with homeless people. They come out of the church, they urinate in the flower pots in front of the building, and they go into the library and spend their day there," he said.Christopher Hayner is another business owner who has already made the commitment to relocate. He is the owner of Hayner Dental. "It's constant open-air drug use, especially on Smithfield Street," Hayner said. "Last Tuesday, whenever I came in, there was an overdose whenever I was coming into the office, and I stayed pretty late until about 9 p.m. whenever I was leaving walking back to the car, there was another overdose."Visit Pittsburgh, one of the region's primary marketing engines, says the Central Business District is still strong and vibrant, with concerns over public safety being addressed with growing support services.
PITTSBURGH — Fragasso Financial Advisors has been running for 50 years in its Downtown office, but that is about to change as founder Bob Fragasso moves closer to the option of relocating.
He says shootings, stabbings, and the open-air drug culture have become a credible threat to his employees, who are fearful of working out of the Downtown office. "We have a strong criminal element Downtown, and this speaks to public safety. For example, there's a guy who sells drugs right out of his car in front of our building," Fragasso said.
Fragasso also says a bulging homeless presence compounds his sense of urgency to leave because of the public behavior and loitering right in front of his office building in the 600 block of Smithfield Street. "The library next door is clogged with homeless people. They come out of the church, they urinate in the flower pots in front of the building, and they go into the library and spend their day there," he said.
Christopher Hayner is another business owner who has already made the commitment to relocate. He is the owner of Hayner Dental.
"It's constant open-air drug use, especially on Smithfield Street," Hayner said. "Last Tuesday, whenever I came in, there was an overdose whenever I was coming into the office, and I stayed pretty late until about 9 p.m. whenever I was leaving walking back to the car, there was another overdose."
Visit Pittsburgh, one of the region's primary marketing engines, says the Central Business District is still strong and vibrant, with concerns over public safety being addressed with growing support services.
