The city removed benches from the Lee Street Triangle because of the homeless who were using them to sleep or store their belongings.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Charleston city workers removed more than half a dozen benches from the Lee Street Triangle Wednesday after receiving “numerous” complaints about some of the homeless people who use them.
Jerry Hill, director of the Public Grounds office and former Charleston police officer of 27 years, confirmed that Mayor Danny Jones ordered seven benches to be removed from the triangle.
The fact that homeless people use the benches wasn’t the problem, Hill said. The situation worsened when some of them began storing personal belongings and other items on the benches and throwing trash on the ground.
“They were sleeping there during the day and the trash was horrendous,” he said. “We picked up this morning at least a bag full of trash.”
Hill said the complaints have come from nearby businesses and people who frequently walk past…