Kicked Off the Midtown Benches They’d Clung To, Evicted Planters Leave Behind a Messy Goodbye

Vanished from the Midtown benches along Main St. are the potted plants that recently sat on them. The 3 sets of 3 plants each — at Holman St. and on both sides of Main at Winbern — appear to have all been yanked off by force.

Their adhesive residue shows just how attached they were in the first place, with 4 points of contact leaving their marks in place of each pot.

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Photos: C Money (removal); Allyn West (plants)

Weeded Out

16 Comment

  • Who knew that bums could be so determined to have a place to lie on? If only they would use this initiative to actually get a job and kick in taxes.

  • This is why we can’t have nice things!

  • The attitude toward homelessness in the Swamplot comments section is reliably sickening.

  • Hopefully the owners of said establishment had a camera trained on these potted plants and will be able to ascertain the identify of the perpetrators of the crime in question, holding those accountable to the full extent of the law. A progressive society shall not stand by as the personal property of others is vandalized by the local shitters and pissers/kush smokers who, for the most part, have chosen to live on the streets instead of becoming contributing members of society.

  • I find it appalling that both the Midtown Management District and Swamplot readers are so insensitive toward the homeless. There is no doubt that we have a homeless crisis in Houston but, they are human beings and deserve a grain of compassion.
    Midtown is quick to pat themselves on the back about how they are such proponents of creating a walkable community, quick to accept accolades for how “progressive” they are, all the while they glue pots to the very benches they are singing the praises of. Midtown has done a wonderful job of branding their area, as evidenced by their stylized signage on some of the benches they have targeted. If Midtown is truly progressive, let them now start spending $$ on creative and innovative means of dealing with the homeless crisis. Midtown has enough money to build a hill next to the Pierce Elevated with their branding proudly displayed so they certainly have enough lend a hand for positive change.

  • What is wrong with disliking smelly bums?

  • Too right, homeless people do wish they could pay taxes. Actually, that they don’t pay taxes drives them into such a deep depression that the most they can usually do is ask for change on the corner.

  • The tax line was brought up. Really?
    .
    Thought the tax line only came up during racist rants.

  • @Fangus64… I’m confused. “If Midtown is truly progressive, let them now start spending $$ on creative and innovative means of dealing with the homeless crisis.” When did it become Midtown’s Management District’s responsibility to oversee or solve the #HoustonHomelessnessCrisis ?

  • Any investigation into this should be about who glued them there in the first place, and holding that party responsible for finishing the glue removal.

    I don’t see any reason to think a homeless person removed the planters, since these aren’t even good places to lie down. Whoever removed the planters did an admirable job of restoring public infrastructure for its intended purpose.

  • Is there evidence that a homeless person removed the planters? Is there evidence that the benches weren’t meant for use by the homeless?

  • Only suckers and idiots pay taxes.
    .
    If you’re not self-employed with an offshore LLC in 2018 you’re doing it all wrong.

  • Public infrastructure ? It’s signage, for f**ks sake, it’s not a chaise lounge for the downtrodden.

    Who glued down the planters to begin with? Uh, lemme guess… the owners of the signage ?

  • Pitiful It was theft, plain and simple. They should have welded them. That’s about the only way to keep thieves from stealing. Sad!

  • Those planters looked atrocious, like a complete afterthought. The person who did this, did a favor by removing them. Midtown Managment should stop whining about it, build a proper planter and stop being so cheap.

  • “Thanks for bringing this to our attention. Midtown did not do or sanction this, but we will certainly look into it.”
    https://twitter.com/midtownHOU/status/1026829055230918656