Enough is enough. I am outraged every time I pick up the Bangor Daily News and read another article or editorial regarding the problems of downtown. When is the NEWS going to stop assaulting downtown?

If it isn’t the woeful economy or the lack of parking, it’s the subject of this week’s offense … “downtown Bangor is an uninviting, even dangerous place for people on foot.”

First, the downtown businesses are not suffering from the economy any more than other businesses nationwide. We do not have an exclusive on the recession, we are simply enduring it along with everyone else.

Second, parking isn’t any greater a problem in Bangor than it is in any city. Have you tried to park your car in the Old Port, lately, or even downtown Camden or Ellsworth? The building of the parking garage accomplished a great deal to provide spaces for long-term and employee parking to free up space for shoppers and short-term parking.

And last, as far as being an “uninviting, even dangerous place…,” are rude drivers exclusive to downtown? I have never had a problem walking around downtown and I have worked here for four years. The downtown merchants and businesses are a community within itself. We are friendly to each other and those around us because our businesses depend on it. When is the last time you walked into a mall business and were greeted by name with a smile by the owner or even an employee, or for that matter, tried to maneuver your way around the parking lot?

When you refer to a city who doesn’t care, how about considering our area’s only daily newspaper who doesn’t care how much damage it inflicts on the downtown. If the media want to “spread the word” try this: Downtown is alive and well and living in Bangor, Maine. Linda N. Gardiner Owner, My Little Friends Inc. Bangor