Photo By A Good CitizenI'm happy to "blog by request" and use the power of steady, pointed blogging to raise the profile of neighborhood issues...the interesting ones, anyway. (I am not a bulletin board)
One of those requests came today from a citizen who will remain anonymous, but he/she puts a lot of time and effort into the Hawthorne Area Community Council...
Here is his/her report on 2200 6th Street North, verbatim:
2200 6th Street North
This is another one of our "properties from hell" and has been for the past two years. According to City Property Records, this one was purchased by Bijan Bader in 12/05. He lists that address as his address, although he does not live there nor has he ever lived there. Interesting? What's up with that?
When we first started having problems here, I did some research and discovered he didn't have a rental license. I reported that in 10/06. Just to verify I had my dates right, I checked with 311 today. Yes, they had my complaint of no rental license on record. Guess what? There still isn't a rental license. This owner has gone without a rental license since 12/05 and still continues to rent the property. All this time, it has been one drug dealing tenant after another. The police scooped up a whole mess of them last night from the front porch and yard.
So, is this whole rental licensing thing just a joke? Why haven't these folks been kicked out of here if the owner can't legally rent it? Back in June, I found another property: 2127 North 6th with no rental license. This is another one of our gang-banging pieces of crap and has been for the past year. Let's see how that one plays out with the city. I bet you anything the owner gets her license if she fills out the form and pays the $61 fee.
(In an earlier communication, the same good citizen told me some of the following)
We're kind of running out of options here on 22nd and 6th. Up until early this summer, we thought we were getting a handle on the dealing around here. The police response has been fantastic, so we have absolutely no complaints with them. They're doing everything they can do to the best of our knowledge.
There are numerous addresses involved in this crap--some rental, 3 owner-occupied, but the one that has been escalating for the past three years is 2207 6th Street N.
This is an owner-occupied property; grandma taking care of a whole mess of her kids and their kids and now all the gang-banging friends and their associates. It started out 3 years ago with a couple of the teenage boys selling out of the front yard. Now it appears to be the main meeting ground for all the other gang members who work the neighborhood.
Over the weekend, my 70 plus year old neighbor had another bullet come through her house; the result of these people and their associates. She heard the shot fired, called it in and discovered the bullet hole and bullet in her house the next day. Needless to say, she's beside herself.
Her granddaughter found the bullet and is scared to death. This is the second time this has happened to her. There was also a drive-by shooting at 2207 some time in June and a few others I can't recall the details of right now.
We were calling 911 when we see something we can report. Here's the big problem we're encountering: the dealers are getting smarter. Long gone are the days when drug deals took place from the front door of a property. These people sell in the street in front of the house, they sell on the street corner, they sell at a boarded property next door.
Sure, the cops arrest when they can, but it's always small amounts. It doesn't stop anything. more importantly, none of these arrests or whatever count as a strike against a particular property, in this case 2207 6th Street North.
There's a Nuisance Property Ordinance used to shut down both rental and even owner-occupied properties, but all the documented illegal activities have to take place on the property. If the dealers can't be arrested on the property you're (expletive) as far as being able to use this ordinance.
I simply don't know what other tools we can use to make this crime go away. It's been at least three years we've been dealing with this one. We're angry, frustrated and tired. We want grandma and her family gone. That's the only solution. They will never change.
Keep in mind, I didn't even mention another owner-occupied property we've been dealing with for over 10 years. Same situation.
(In a follow-up message, he/she citizen reported the following)
My neighbor found another bullet hole in her house today. Most likely one she missed from the incident over the weekend, but there was more gunfire last night.
(Readers, if you have stories like this then email me the details and, preferably, a picture. I have a picture with all of my posts, but I prefer to use actual images and not something generic from a photo sharing website)
4 comments:
Thanks for posting this John. I agree, something simply is not working for us down on 22nd & 6th. We’ve been patient, but when you’re talking about the same properties, the same people, the same drug dealing going on for years and years you eventually reach the conclusion that either the systems supposedly in place to fix these problems are completely broken or there simply isn’t the political will to channel the resources to the Northside to deal with these issues. The few of us remaining are angry. We used to be 30+ strong in this area, but now we’re down to a small handful. Everyone else has moved away in frustration.
Where do we go from here? That’s the question we’re struggling with. As already stated, in our opinion the police are doing a fantastic job. We have nothing but praise for them. They can make the arrests, chase the dealers away, but they always come back. It’s just a silly game. Who’s going to close these properties (their bases of operation) down for good? That has to come from City Hall, but who specifically? Who’s going to be our point person, the person who gets the job done?
Our first thought was our City Council Member. We’ve tried to communicate with her, but she won’t even acknowledge our concerns. Literally we get silence. Nothing. We’re perplexed. Have we done something wrong? Are we being shunned? Why? We have no political ax to grind. We have no political agenda. We simply want these long-standing issues resolved. It’s all very mind-numbing at times.
Have to get going, but love reading your blog. Keep up the great work. I hope others take you up on your invitation to make submissions of their own. The Northside is pretty fragmented, but we need to stick together and keep each other up-to-speed on what’s going on.
One final thought: Do you think any of these properties could exist for more than a microsecond in Kenwood?
No, these situations couldn't exist for a mico-second in Kenwood.
We get ignored because we lack political power. There is no political WILL to help people who lack political POWER.
I think the most feasible and practical way to get political power is to tell the stories of our struggles in a very specific and detailed way, with pictures. We're not going to get any grease unless we squeak.
That's what my blog does all day long. I squeak. I tell the stories which would otherwise not be publicized.
But telling the stories of what I see and do on my own is not enough. So thanks for contributing your details. Keep those details coming.
A final mealy-mouthed caveat: I believe in a free and open discussion, which is one reason I've created this forum.
Personally, I am not voicing any criticism of any council person, merely allowing an open forum where such criticisms might be voiced.
I live on the other side of Lyndale near Jordan Elementary. We have a few prize winners over here. It is nice to know that we fight the good fight and that we are not alone. We have been here two years and each year we see a couple more houses being bought and staying home owners to help out. We still have to stand together.
Blogs like this can help us organize and more effectively fight the good fight. If somebody has photos and stories of these properties-from-hell, the can submit a comment with contact info and note the comment is NOT FOR PUBLICATION.
I'll follow up by emailing to get the info. It's hard to keep up with all the adventure, but I'd be happy to fill this blog with contributed stories and images. Really, I think the way to turn the tide is for everybody to tell their stories in a very public way, so the powers-that-be will be forced to pay attention.
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