Care About Safety

In the past year, I have eaten at two cafes that have troubled customers. The first one had a schizophrenic man hanging outside the cafe.  He smoked, played music and then went inside.  Sans the cigarette, he played and played and played.   Louder and louder. Finally, the young owner asked him to leave.  The fellow continued to play on Main Street annoying folks as they walked around town.

The cafe changed hands and an older owner took over.  Feeling sorry for the man, they allowed him to come and go.  He continued to play loud music splaying out on the bench where customers dine outside.  He covered the bench with his filthy clothes and merriment of assorted items.  I had cautioned the owner about him and it felt on silent ears.  I even spoke to the police.  It took many calls and visits before they took the situation seriously.  Then one day inside the cafe, the man went off on me.  I had had it!

I went back to the Chief of Police and told him where this was going.  He finally took it seriously and removed the man to another city an hour away.

Yesterday, I went into another cafe.  I placed an order at the bar and a man spoke quietly to me.  At first, I believed he was just being friendly.  I noted he was drinking beer at noon which seemed rather odd.  He kept staring at me making me most uncomfortable. Then the sentence began with "F this" and "F" that and I became concerned.  His voice remained quiet.  My heart was pounding and my intuition told me to get out of there and to call the police. I told a waitstaff member of my concern.  She relayed it to the owners. They explained this away as him being drunk. 

I suspect one of the partners asked the man to leave as he passed me out the door.  I stayed behind explaining they need to take these things seriously. This man was not just drunk, he had serious emotional problems.  He needs help.

I made a call to the police explaining the situation.  Then I waited ten minutes and saw no police car.  Finally, my order was ready.  I paid and told the owner about this again on my way out. Again, I called the police.  I left without knowing any resolution.

There are several issues here.  First, some people are angry and violent.  Second, the police need to take these things seriously.  Clearly, the owners do not want to make a scene. Clearly, the police are either too busy or disinterested.

I am the customer.  Could it be these business owners are more concerned about business than the customer?

I already know the answer.