RE: [UC] RE: mountain of junk left on sidewalk 4316 Pine

[Mayer, Ann]

As I have been living in University City since 1972, I am obviously aware of there being A student contingent here  (which means that some people in the environs actually know How to SPELL) and that we are not a twin of Gladwyne.   Perhaps those imagining that I am making a mountain out of a molehill might want to Try to walk on the south side of the block of Pine between 43rd and 44th – virtually impassible Due to the accumulated pile of junk.  Since no effort was made to bag the trash, it is starting to Spread and roll down the hill.  Luckily, there have been no strong winds to spread the detritus Around the neighborhood.       -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, August 22, 2004 5:55 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [UC] RE: mountain of junk left on sidewalk 4316 Pine   Yes, it's annoying. No, they shouldn't have done it. Yes, you can drop the dime (but they were probably leaving town so what good will that do?). No, I'm not excusing whever did it. Yes, you could blame the a) absentee landlord, b) slumlord, c) both of the above. But be aware that housing providers in fact have little control over their tenants (this still being America, "in loco parentis" having been abandoned decades ago, and the laws that warmed the heart of the days when the landlord was truly a lord of the land being almost totally reversed). And tenants who are leaving or who have left especially so.   Anyway, here's a hot news flash. This is a neighborhood with a high percentage of students. Every "permanent" person in the area knew it when he or she moved here. So, it should come as no surprise that in May and August -- and to a lesser extent in June and September -- people who've been collecting studently things leave and don't want them any more. It should also come as no surprise that many of these folks leave on weekends. And, it should be even less of a surprise that the stuff not only gets left on the street, but gets picked over and often scattered as a result.   There's good and bad about things like high density, a large student population, a mixture of private homes and legally licensed row/twin multifamily conversions. Sure, we'd like to -- I believe this was in a popular 40's song -- accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative. But if anyone thought that this was going to be an urban theme park for people who really wanted Gladwynne or Paoli with the cache of living just left of Center City, they totally misunderstood the urbanity of the urban experience.   Always at your service and ready for a dialog, Al Krigman Does your community or other nonprofit group want an online Bulletin Board? A free website that anyone can keep current with no more skill than is needed to write and send an e-mail message? Setup and training are also free. For info, e-mail me at [EMAIL PROTECTED]