The Caretaker Is Gone And Chaos Is Taking Over Shirley Guevera's (Former) Apartment Complex

"Chaos theory"photo, flickr.com

There is a little apartment complex at 3101 6th Ave. N. "under court supervision" according to a sign posted on the property. About a month ago, I met the caretaker...

...who wanted to know what I was out and about doing as I walked up to his building with a clip board. Good man. His name is "Tom." We spoke and exchanged contact info. I had him on my speed dial, and I said if I saw any problems at his property I'd let him know. I would appreciate if he'd do the same thing for my property at 3016, I said.

So that was in early April.

A few nights ago, I saw door mats hung on the porch railing to dry, a "big wheel" children's trike which is perpetually left on the sidewalk near where drug dealers habitually do business, and five young men sitting on the interior stairwell at 3 in the (expletive) morning, "smoking and joking" as we say in the army. It seemed like nobody was keeping the order which had been evident there previously, thanks to Tom the Caretaker.

Despite the fact it was three in the morning, I called Tom to tell him to wake up and get the ne'er-do-wells out of the stairwell and ask what the hecky darn happened with the safety and social order which seemed evident a few weeks ago?

Tom told me he was no longer the caretaker. This had happened quite recently. The owner, Shirley Guevera, (I got her LAST name from another source) had lost the building to foreclosure, and now (in Tom's words) "nobody was in charge."

Great, I thought. Clearly, people are living inside. But "nobody is in charge." Are they paying rent, I wondered? If there is cash to be collected, I'm sure somebody has found a way to be in charge, even if their authority is based on the law of the jungle.

Tom was groggy. Who can blame him? He said he was at a "residential treatment facility." I assumed he meant he was doing more care taking, though I didn't actually ask for clarification.

Now the place is going to pot, literally. Rough characters make the short, easy journey from the street corner to the inside of the building. Cars pull up in front, the drivers are inside the apartment complex briefly, and leave.

Nobody is in charge. And this right inside the so-called "Corridor of Safety." Rumor has it thugs will take over the abandoned "green house" as soon as warm weather comes, as they always do, and then there will be no safe corridor to the bus stop at all.

I have little to fight this with except for my blog. Shirley Guevera reportedly owns several buildings, which are falling into foreclosure. Shirley Guevera is an irresponsible property owner whose business dealings have made the neighborhood worse. Whoever loaned money to Shirley Guevera to bring about her ownership of the little apartment complex is an accessory to the situation.

Somebody should sue Shirley Guevera and her lender(s). If anybody has information about Shirley (many thanks to the friend who kicked her last name my way) then please forward that info.

A nice picture of Shirley would be great, too.

P.S. Obviously I called the real estate company about 3000 Lyndale this morning. The lady who deals with this stuff--her name is Joy--sounded exasperated. Well, who can blame her? I told her about the new boards at 4th Street and made clear those weren't my boards, and better boards were needed.

I saw the green van now parked across the street and figured, "Well, perhaps that van belongs around here, after all." I now assume the van is associated with the property right next door to 3000 Lyndale, a place which appears full of perpetual comings-and-goings.

That house at 3000 is incredible. Whoever buys it in this depressed market will be getting the deal of a lifetime. Well, unless somebody rips out all the "built ins" before that happens. Thanks to lovely Constance the real estate agent for teaching me this term.