Snowy Evidence Of Misery At 416 31st Ave. N.

Photos By John Hoff

There have been drug arrests at this house...a drive-by shooting. It has come near condemnation...very little of a happy nature seems to happen at 416 31st Ave. N. This week is no exception to the overall historical pattern...

Previously, the owner of the place--who reportedly burst into tears with building inspectors this year, after a bunch of tenants left along with copper pipes, aluminum window frames--poured a lot of work into fixing the place, and put in a new group of tenants. The new tenants had a lot of noisy little children who seemed to supervise themselves, mostly, but nobody in the neighborhood could say they caused any serious trouble, especially when compared to the worthless no account crack users who were there before.

But, suddenly, the house appears empty...except for the possibility of somebody squatting inside, a matter we're watching closely. "Owner boards" (which are not painted gray nor bearing placards, unlike "official boards") went up over the windows on the lower level, perhaps to prevent a repeat of the aluminum-frame looting incident.

Word is the mother of the renter family got sick, and left in an ambulance. Later, somebody who seemed to be a relative came to fetch at least two mattresses; possibly for the children. All this is unconfirmed, but the former tenants certainly appear to be gone in a hurry.

A bunch of possessions hit the curb: clothing transported in a big bed sheet bundle, mismatched shoes, a small television, a little freezer with the lid removed, possibly to make it easy to clear a doorway.

The Polish woman lives close to all of this sad drama, but word is her new privacy fence (constructed by volunteers from ReBuilding Together) has made her life more comfortable, by minimizing what used to be a spectacular view of the low-budget soap opera at 416 31st. Ave. N.

What will happen to 416 31st Ave. N? Will it get sold and fixed up? Will it be demolished?

We watch. We wait. We hold our breath. The mood seems to be...feeling bad for the folks who left, but not particularly sad to see them go.

ADDENDUM: Information comes from the Eco Village...word on the street is the woman had a heart attack and died.