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Police Investigate Sticky Bench Targeting Homeless

Bill Waller
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Facebook

The Downtown Bloomington Association is calling for dialog in the wake of someone painting a bench with tar, apparently to deter homeless people. Association Director Tricia Stiller says the problem is not the homeless or a seasonal increase in their presence downtown, it is a lack of help for them.

"It's important that we as the DBA reach out to our faith community and also to social service agencies and see what we can do to create an alliance that addresses this topic," said Stiller.

Stiller says the association is in dialog with churches and human services to find new ways to address the needs of homeless people.

Stiller says the association wants the downtown to be a district in which all feel welcome and safe.

"We certainly want to be a loving environment that is accepting of all peoples. We certainly understand that education is the key to that," said Stiller.

Police are investigating the vandalism.

WGLT Senior Reporter Charlie Schlenker has spent more than three award-winning decades in radio. He lives in Normal with his family.
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