I have followed this discussion for a few days with interest. Let me start by saying that I can personally attest that Bill Cullen is NOT a "slumlord". When he bought the huge apartment buildings on 28th and Stevens, he immediately put major upgrades in the the exterior. The building looks great and it is obvious that he is responsible.
I must admit that I have and still refer to some landlords at "slumlords". In some cases I have even used referred to them as "scumlords". Sorry Keith, I have great respect for you but some landlords deserve both those titles. They are the small percentage that make it bad for the rest. The same small percentage or so in any classification that seems to make it difficult for everyone else. Cops who are "thumpers", child abusers, wife beaters, drug addicts, you name it. They are the small percentage of people in any society that cause the rest of us to call them names and make laws to regulate them. I have 6 2 1/2 story walk-ups on my block. The city averages 26 units of living space on each block. My block has about 120. The landlords on my block are not "slumlords". There were some but we made their lives so difficult that they either cleaned up their act or sold their properties. This was not a small feat and took a great deal of time. We continue to be vigilant. I think there is a vast difference between a landlord that just rented to a risky tenant and the "slumlord". The landlord that rents to a risky tenant informs that tenant both verbally and through language in the lease that illegal activity will not be tolerated. When the risky tenant proves he/she hasn't learned their lesson and repeats the bad behavior, the landlord takes steps to impose the terms of the lease and move them out. The landlord works with the nearby neighbors and takes their complaints seriously and there is a respectful exchange dialog. The slumlord does nothing, lies to the neighbors, makes excuses for not doing anything, calls them racist or classist and waits until there is police or inspections intervention before they do anything to remove the tenant. The landlord keeps the property in good shape, keeps it painted, makes sure the broken doors and windows get fixed on a timely basis and makes it obvious that he or she cares about how this property looks. The slumlord does not. The landlord instructs his tenants to make sure they put all their garbage in the dumpster and makes sure they or their caretaker picks up the garbage that didn't make it in there. The slumlord does not. The landlord makes sure the lawn is mowed and doesn't wait until the city tags the property for the lawn being a foot long. The slumlord does not. The landlord makes sure their properties are shoveled. The slumlord does not. I could go on but I think I have made my point. I have a long record of forming partnerships with rental property owners in an effort to make them part of the solution when there are livability problems on a block. I have learned the difference between a landlord and a "slumlord" and the differences are not subtle. Using the term "slumlord" is significantly different than calling a black person the "N" word. The slumlord earned the title through their own choices and behavior. Just as the "crackhead" or "drunk" did or the "child molester" did. Barb Lickness Whittier REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
