Photo By A Citizen VolunteerThis blog post is a preview. I do not yet have full details, though I was provided a cell phone picture by a citizen volunteer...
Full details will come soon and will be posted here. This is what I know from a phone call:
Last night, graffiti appeared on the boards over 2207 4th St. N, a condemned house. The graffiti apparently alludes to a particular gang. It is my blog's policy not to mention gangs by name, but the graffiti speaks for itself. This house should not be confused with 2207 SIXTH Street North, which I have blogged about several times in the past.
Police were called to 2207 4th St. N. because of the noise of the party and because one ASSUMES (perhaps wrongly) there is some kind of law against having a party in a condemned house. If people were supposed to be there, it wouldn't be condemned. It was observed that lamps were carried into the house.
Police arrived and made the party quiet down shortly after 10 PM, but did not make gang members leave the condemned house. At about 1 or 2 in the morning, the party got noisy again. Overnight, a boarded-up house which presented no problems to surrounding homes has turned into a scary gang party house.
I was asked to blog about the matter, and I said I would. I'm awaiting further details by email and hopefully more pictures. In the meantime, the graffiti on the house is a straight up violation and 311 has been notified.
It is believed the ownership of the house may have changed hands recently, but we have no confirmation of that right now. There is an open permit for a Code Compliance Certificate from April of this year, and the current owner is listed as "Ying Vang."
4 comments:
Well... if it's not illegal to burglarize a vacant house (per my local officers over here in Central,) then I guess it's probably not illegal to have a party in one either.
(Unless of course there's a no-trespassing sign posted... with the appropriately signed affidavit by the property owner on file.)
LOL
I saw the police walking around the property last night with a police dog. Not sure what they were looking for. I too called police as soon as I saw the place like that on Saturday night.
This is very frustrating, given the excellent work our police department has been doing. First, if no one had any proof of residence/ownership for 2207 4th, THEY SHOULD HAVE ALL BEEN ARRESTED FOR TRESPASSING. Second, in terms of the comment that a police officer would have said it's not illegal to burglarize a vacant house, that's a HUGE problem. That kind of comment ought to be reported to Dolan himself, and if the same officer made the comment a second time, I'd want him transferred out of my precinct.
I heap praise on our police every chance I get, but I'll still hold them accountable if our neighborhoods aren't safe.
God doesn't make bad properties-just bad owners.
I've heard of similar comments made by police officials concerning the need for owner signatures before charges can be filed for theft or trespassing. Naturally, if the property is owned by a bank or absentee owner; it is unlikely that justice will be served. The city doesn't have the manpower or the teeth to facilitate criminal charges against this activity. This problem has reached epidemic proportions.
Question is, Why aren't the Nuisance Laws which are meant to protect the community from blighted properties enforced?
These laws hold owners (regardless if private or corporate) responsible for the effects of poor property stewardship. The fines (or incarceration)are levied against the owners who do not properly maintain the property.
This would make prospective speculators think twice before investing in residential property and provide working capital for law enforcement and the public attorney to make the neighborhoods better places to live.
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