A downtown businesswoman is begging local authorities to clean up Main St. East which she says has become a hive of drug dealers, addicts, prostitutes, and thieves.
Bonnie Zufelt owns Partners Billiards at 361 Main St. East, across the street from the Villa Motel. It's home to a number of seniors, people down on their luck, people with mental problems, but sadly, also a drug den and bicycle chop shop.
Zufelt says the dealers operate in broad daylight with zero fear of getting caught and zero fear of consequences. They all see Zufelt out there taking pictures and videos but they couldn't care less.
It's been going on for 24 years, and she's frustrated and losing hope because there is no support from the police or the City's leadership.
"We need help," Zufelt told BayToday. "We're trying to run our businesses, and on a daily basis, we have to put up with drug trafficking, the homeless, and cartloads of stolen property that goes over there, and there are lineups of people. It goes on day and night."
A vacant property behind the hotel, which used to be Midas Muffler was being taken over by addicts and the homeless, and Zufelt and her staff were left to clean it up because last year it ended up becoming a tent city right on Main Street.
"I had relentlessly called Ron Melnyck (bylaw officer) to get something done over there and get it cleaned up because of the amount of garbage. I ended up sending letters to every council member to get over there and do something about this because it was such an eyesore and smell."
The female owner of a nearby bookstore is afraid to confront the addicts or get involved so she always calls Zufelt.
"I'll go and ask them to stay off of her property, so she sees the situation with them out there doing drugs and everything as well. Here, they'll park in my property, they'll go over and buy drugs, they'll come back and sit in their car and do their drugs. I've taken pictures of them in their cars. I've taken license plate numbers and so on. And over the years I've talked to the police.
"It's getting to the point now where they have no fear. They'll they'll do it 24/7 in public...people taking their clothes off, buying drugs, doing drugs, fighting in the parking lot."
Zufelt has a patio in front of her business that once drew crowds, but that's changing,
"I've got people coming over here trying to sit on the patio and having to watch the goings on. I wouldn't be comfortable sitting on anybody's patio knowing that this is what happens, so we need help, whether it's from the city or the North Bay police force, I just don't feel that at this moment there's enough police activity down here to try to put a stop to this."
Zufelt says people selling and doing drugs are creating the biggest problem, but no one is listening.
"I just need help, and I don't know where to turn.
"It's on my mind constantly. I'm fearful for my business. I'm fearful for my staff and I do everything I can, but I'm the one that's being put on the front lines. I'm the one that has to go up and tell them to get off my property. I'm the one that has to go to their car and tell them, 'Get out of here, take your drugs and go.' I don't have a bulletproof vest, I don't have police backup, I don't have a Taser, I haven't got police training. I'm a 69-year-old female who is confronting these people and I feel I have to because I don't have support from anyone else. Do I get concerned for my safety? Yes. People are concerned for my safety. But what else do I do? If I do nothing, it gets 10 times worse."
Zufelt's sense of frustration is boiling over and her stress level is through the roof.
"I go out there and then the yelling matches start and I'm basically at wit's end. I don't know what else to do."
She sees people go to the motel because their bikes are stolen. If they see their bikes the thieves say, "OK, take it," They just let the person take their bike and leave.
There are times that victims phone the police and report the theft, but are told, "Well, we don't have time."
"So now these individuals take it upon themselves to go over there, but that's not a safe environment for them either. So what's the next step? What do we do?
As if the drugs weren't enough of a problem, it's become a hot spot for prostitutes, at least four prowl the neighbourhood and confronting them brings on other risks. One gave Zufelt a smack.
"She was on my property. I had my camera out and she tried to smack my phone out of my hand. Whether they're part of the sex trade or if they have somebody over there that they're working under, I don't know. So now you've got prostitutes and the vehicles go by, they wave to them. The guy will pull right in front of my patio, she'll go and get in the vehicle and is gone. Twenty minutes later she's back. So now we've got that to add to the equation. It's all been reported to the police."
Zufelt wishes she had an answer, or even some help to solve the problem...but it's not there.
"God, I wish I had the answers to that, Jeff. I just really don't know. I can't, for my own safety, go over onto that property and do anything. My patio this year is probably the worst it's ever been, and that's a big part of my business. If you're going out there with a couple of grandkids, eight or nine years old, they don't understand. It scares them, you know. We deal with the homeless and the mental illness but that's everywhere. This is a crime and crime that has to be dealt with.
"All I'm asking is the North Bay Police Service and the City do something about it and help me here. It's constant, so whatever help I can get. But there has to be something going forward and I don't know what the answer is to stop it. But I think, honestly, I would think if the police really wanted to put a stop to what's going on in that one particular unit over there, I'm sure they can find a way to do a bust and do something about it because I can't do it alone."
