Craig Miller Writes:
Look how many city employees at somewhere between 80-100k per year in
taxpayer cost are working overtime to not solve a problem. Council member,
council aid CRT, CCPSAFE, Inspectors, "everyone", unpaid helpers, block
club leaders neighbors. They all worked so hard to punish someone who
wasn't breaking the law (owner). The lawbreaker has moved just a couple
blocks away and everyone celebrates. The problem was not solved. The new
tenant can be worse, the new landlord might be worse.
This is what amazes me. After 17-20 years of trying to pin the blame of the
city ills on the landlord, the policy shapers, makers and breakers still
have not seen the error in going down that route.
Got a problem with drug dealers using pay phones?- Blame the big phone
company and remove payphones.
Got a problem with ill people who break laws and sniff paint and glue? Blame
the hardware and craft shops
Got a problem with people vandalizing your blue mail box receptacle? Take
them a way. Inconvenience the elderly or carless.
Got a problem with people stealing the grocery shopping carts? Blame the
grocery stores
Got a problem with people dealing drugs? Blame SUV driving suburbanites
Got a problem with people who just break the law every damn minute of the
night and day and ruin your neighborhood? Blame a guy in Elk River,
protest, and spend umpteen thousands, but never,never, never get serious
with the people who are destroying your neighborhood.
Just stick to the tried and true, blame everybody but your own neighbors.
Citizens of Mpls-The landlord does not sell the drugs. The landlord does
not shoot people. The landlord does not smash into your car to get drugs.
As long as you try to pin the tail of your ills on the landlord you will
continue to have worse ills. For those of you who received a classical
political education, try this one on for size. Marx said 'religion was the
opiate of the people'. IF you do not understand what he meant by that, you
will not understand the next statement. If you want to know what he meant,
email me off list, I will not demean or besmirch the inquisitive.
Landlord hating is the opiate of the desperate Minneapolis neighborhood
group.
Dennis Plante Responds:
I have yet to see a "neighborhood group" get up-in-arms" with a landlord for
no good reason. While the overwhelming majority of rental property owners
have put-in-place a good business model and work dilligently (and within the
law) to protect their investment. There are rental property owners that do
NOT operate in this manner. To suggest otherwise is irresponsible.
Make no mistake about it. The problem is multi-faceted. However, landlords
DO enter into the equation and the eventual solution.
The very same problems that some would call "failures" on the part of City
government to remedy the problem that exists are also very convenient
"loop-holes" for those landlords that choose to continue to operate their
properties in a manner which is not beneficial to the residents (of the
community), or to other landlords in Minneapolis.
As for the Elk River landlord that was picketed by Jordan residents about
1-1/2 years ago. I was one of the individuals that took part in the
picketing. My wife and I (along with others) received weekly mailings from
him for the next several weeks telling us how he felt a "christian
responsibility" to give those "less fortunate" a chance.
With regards to the "solution", my question is this..... Other than for
non-payment of rent, when was the last time this "persecuted Elk-River
landlord" exercised his power as a landlord and evicted someone for breaking
a lease because of infractions associated with breaking the law? And are
you sure than he even HAS a lease wth all of his renters?
I have known landlords (in north Minneapolis) that traded sexual-favours
in-lieu of rent. I have known landlords that traded rent for drugs. I have
known landlords that KNOWINGLY rented to renters that did not pass muster
with even a slightly reasonable screening process. Yet, some would like to
place this responsibility entirely onto "society". Where is THEIR social
responsibility?
No, the "laws" as they currently exist let both the landlord AND the
law-breakers off-the-hook, and place an undue burden on neighboring
citizens. When we picketed the "persecuted landlord in Elk River" there was
actually a house for sale about 3 houses away from him, and I seriously
toyed with the idea of purchasing it and turning it into a subsidized
"halfway house" for either sex offenders, or drug dealers. It would have
been a VERY RUDE awakening for those in his neighborhood as to exactly what
THEIR rights were when it came to absentee landlords that cared not for
their neighborhood.
Be carefull of what sleeping dogs you kick. They may not wake-up wagging
their tails....
dennis plante
lind-bohanon
REMINDERS:
1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If
you think a member is in violation, contact 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 Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn
E-Democracy
Post messages to: mailto:[email protected]
Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
