[Lagnar]

And furthermore ....

I am not condoning or endorsing vigilantism, but unless such matters are corrected sooner than later, your neighborhood will only get much worse. If local government can't or won't do it, the only alternative is against the board rules to discuss.

Vigilantism will only get the OP in deep and do nothing about the actual problem which will not be fixed.

Adding: video illegal activity, show that to your town council and mayor at EVERY council meeting (these are required by law to be public), bug the crap out of them and your local LE until they do something.

Brick wall / ignored by them?
Go to ALL your local TV stations, take them the footage, get them to do stories & followups.
Keep the pressure on all parties, politicians, LE, TV folks, etc.

Remember: cockroaches like to hide in the dark and hate being exposed to the light of day.
Human cockroaches are no different.

Waste of time and energy. It "may" get results but to what end? The neighborhood is already mostly rentals and until it's been gentrified it will remain the same, attract the same, meth house or not. I watched almost the same thing happen to the neighborhood I grew up in. The original homeowners such as my parents died off 60 years later and were replaced by people wanting "affordable" housing. Rather than showing any pride of ownership, those people let it go to crap and so went the neighborhood.

It sounds like the rest of the homeowners in the neighborhood got the message decades ago and bailed. Working class neighborhoods have a short shelf life. Your roommate should sell immediately. This is a battle you will not win.

Saw the writing on the wall. Get out while the getting out is good.

 

[SeaBeeDaddy]

We live in a disposable society and that includes neighborhoods. It's not really a new phenomena. I'm sure we all remember "that" older run down neighborhood or area when growing up. Especially in areas of the country that have space for constant new developments. It sucks, especially if you really liked the neighborhood and paid off the mortgage etc. but you have to be ready to move. Even rural folks who get encroached upon need to be able to move.

 

[Lagnar]

We live in a disposable society and that includes neighborhoods. It's not really a new phenomena. I'm sure we all remember "that" older run down neighborhood or area when growing up. Especially in areas of the country that have space for constant new developments.

We kept my parents home in tip-top shape until the very end even as the rest of the neighborhood was going down the tubes. When you sell a place you don't get to vet the new buyers and have no control over their values or standards. It's almost painful to drive past the home I spent most of my childhood in and see what the new "owners" have done to it. Right across the street lived some wonderful neighbors to my parents. They kept their house in immaculate condition along with the yard. They saw the writing on the wall after they got a sense of what moved in across the street from them and sold out shortly after.

Neighborhoods don't need to be disposable, we just need people with some sense of pride of ownership and who are willing to put the effort into keeping their "home" something besides a run-down trash heap. My first house was a HUD repo which I picked up for a song. It was in a very quiet 'older' neighborhood with quiet older neighbors. I borrowed on my 401k and did some 'fixing up'. I tripled my money when I sold it a few years later.

People make up neighborhoods. When the people are sucky, the neighborhood is sucky and decent people like GrayFoal suffer when one day they find themselves surrounded.

 

[SeaBeeDaddy]

We kept my parents home in tip-top shape until the very end even as the rest of the neighborhood was going down the tubes. When you sell a place you don't get to vet the new buyers and have no control over their values or standards. It's almost painful to drive past the home I spent most of my childhood in and see what the new "owners" have done to it. Right across the street lived some wonderful neighbors to my parents. They kept their house in immaculate condition along with the yard. They saw the writing on the wall after they got a sense of what moved in across the street from them and sold out shortly after.

Neighborhoods don't need to be disposable, we just need people with some sense of pride of ownership and who are willing to put the effort into keeping their "home" something besides a run-down trash heap. My first house was a HUD repo which I picked up for a song. It was in a very quiet 'older' neighborhood with quiet older neighbors. I borrowed on my 401k and did some 'fixing up'. I tripled my money when I sold it a few years later.

People make up neighborhoods. When the people are sucky, the neighborhood is sucky and decent people like GrayFoal suffer when one day they find themselves surrounded.

I am dealing with this currently with my Mother's house. She is in the same house I grew up in South Carolina. Very nice neighborhood of 4+ bedroom brick homes. Some younger families have bought them and kept them nice but right down the road they built several neighborhoods with more modern homes that attract buyers. A lot of the elderly neighbors are dying off and not keeping up with their properties due to health and money problems. Dollar stores and Wal Marts and nearby apartment complexes really changed the demographic. The writing is definitely on the wall.

 

[M.O.A.]

And furthermore ....

Vigilantism will only get the OP in deep and do nothing about the actual problem which will not be fixed.

Waste of time and energy. It "may" get results but to what end? The neighborhood is already mostly rentals and until it's been gentrified it will remain the same, attract the same, meth house or not. I watched almost the same thing happen to the neighborhood I grew up in. The original homeowners such as my parents died off 60 years later and were replaced by people wanting "affordable" housing. Rather than showing any pride of ownership, those people let it go to crap and so went the neighborhood.

Saw the writing on the wall. Get out while the getting out is good.

To not oppose the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune is simply not to be, unless you plan on running and hiding all your life.

Confronting this issue head-on is the ONLY way to handle it.

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to obtain a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." - Benjamin Franklin 1755 / 1775

 

[MyPrepperLife]

I sold a house as-is six years ago. It had a crumbling foundation. The buyer paid cash, and the deal was done in two days.

 

[Lagnar]

To not oppose the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune is simply not to be, unless you plan on running and hiding all your life.

Confronting this issue head-on is the ONLY way to handle it.

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to obtain a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." - Benjamin Franklin 1755 / 1775

I understand what you are saying, but when you are surrounded and outnumbered 50 to one, it's time to find greener pastures.

If TPTB gave a rat's ass other than lip service, making a big stink to the pols and TV might work, but the fix would be temporary.

In Salt Lake City there is a park downtown called Pioneer Park. It was a bum and druggie haven being close to the homeless shelter. A stink was made, the cops shut it all down and it was nice for a while. So where did they all go? Why, to the Ballpark district. The problem simply moved.

Ballpark residents blindsided by new homeless overflow shelter plans

Salt Lake City residents sounded off in a town hall Thursday night, upset over a proposal to open a homeless overflow shelter in the Ballpark Neighborhood.

www.fox13now.com

 

[SeaBeeDaddy]

If Meth were legal this wouldn't happen in the first place.

 

[GrayFoal2]

I love the idea of the neighborhood coming together but I doubt that could happen. Remember nearly everyone here is black. Most people keep their heads down and won't act against their own. My roommate is Asian and I'm white as fresh Norwegian snow. We're the outsiders, despite the fact that she's owned a home here for decades.

Neither of us intended to stay here permanently. The original plan was to live in it while fixing it up then turn it into a rental and move on, but COVID messed up that plan. I don't think she wants to keep it as a rental anymore. As several of you have noted, things are not going to get better. We'll do whatever we need to to get out.

 

[Old fart]

We kept my parents home in tip-top shape until the very end even as the rest of the neighborhood was going down the tubes. When you sell a place you don't get to vet the new buyers and have no control over their values or standards. It's almost painful to drive past the home I spent most of my childhood in and see what the new "owners" have done to it. Right across the street lived some wonderful neighbors to my parents. They kept their house in immaculate condition along with the yard. They saw the writing on the wall after they got a sense of what moved in across the street from them and sold out shortly after.

Neighborhoods don't need to be disposable, we just need people with some sense of pride of ownership and who are willing to put the effort into keeping their "home" something besides a run-down trash heap. My first house was a HUD repo which I picked up for a song. It was in a very quiet 'older' neighborhood with quiet older neighbors. I borrowed on my 401k and did some 'fixing up'. I tripled my money when I sold it a few years later.

People make up neighborhoods. When the people are sucky, the neighborhood is sucky and decent people like GrayFoal suffer when one day they find themselves surrounded.

Here, because of the horrible housing shortage, there's a fierce bidding war on pretty much every single family house being sold, so the real estate agents and sellers have some control over which buyer "wins." A lot of people are trying not to sell to house flippers because they're doing shoddy work and driving prices up for everyone for housing and repairs. Many are trying not to sell to corporations, property management companies, and organizations because they rent out or lease the properties or have non-paying tenants, which will ultimately hurt the whole neighborhood.

Some people are refusing to sell to someone using a VA loan involved because of the strict inspection standards and long times to closing. Others are giving strong preference to people using VA loans to support Veterans and Military.

Prices are insane and getting worse. People are desperate for a place to live and using aggressive tactics to get people to sell, and are particularly targeting elderly Just where do they think elderly people will live if they sell their houses?

Rents are far more expensive than mortgage payments, and elder care facilities are insanely expensive, plus all the disadvantages of assisted and congregate living.

 

[big guy]

A friend from church works at a business just of the main road in a well to do part of town. Homeless started sleeping under the awning over their garage door. Trying to get them to move just got a **** you. They started calling the police to move the homeless. After a couple of months of daily calls the police said if you call us again we will arrest you.

 

[M.O.A.]

And furthermore ....

Vigilantism will only get the OP in deep and do nothing about the actual problem which will not be fixed.

Waste of time and energy. It "may" get results but to what end? The neighborhood is already mostly rentals and until it's been gentrified it will remain the same, attract the same, meth house or not. I watched almost the same thing happen to the neighborhood I grew up in. The original homeowners such as my parents died off 60 years later and were replaced by people wanting "affordable" housing. Rather than showing any pride of ownership, those people let it go to crap and so went the neighborhood.

Saw the writing on the wall. Get out while the getting out is good.

Stop being such a negative nanny.
The glass is half full.

If you take videos of this up the chain of command, you will eventually get results.
Like I stated previously, the media eats that stuff up. I know media people in our local market and they actively look for these "Consumer watch / On your side" type investigative segments.

Also, stay positive. Positive, active, assertive energy garners like minds and efforts.
I took on my entire town council and a commission I served on at that time and beat the hell out of all of them legally and in the eyes of the citizens, media and others that saw the story on the news. I'm not "all that", but I am extremely smart and stubborn as a Missouri mule. Don't give in, don't give up. Get mad as hell, and you're not gonna take it anymore ("Network" movie quote).

 

[Lagnar]

Stop being such a negative nanny.
The glass is half full.

If you take videos of this up the chain of command, you will eventually get results.

I'll let GrayFoal respond to that.

I love the idea of the neighborhood coming together but I doubt that could happen. Remember nearly everyone here is black. Most people keep their heads down and won't act against their own. My roommate is Asian and I'm white as fresh Norwegian snow. We're the outsiders, despite the fact that she's owned a home here for decades.

Neither of us intended to stay here permanently. The original plan was to live in it while fixing it up then turn it into a rental and move on, but COVID messed up that plan. I don't think she wants to keep it as a rental anymore. As several of you have noted, things are not going to get better. We'll do whatever we need to to get out.

Neither of them intended to stay there permanently because why would they? The majority residents there don't give a damn so why should GrayFoal and her roomie do the heavy lifting for them? Fix it up and stay? Why, they would be accused of "gentrifying" the neighborhood and driving all the black people out because they couldn't afford to live there anymore.

She (the roommate) doesn't want to keep it as a rental anymore. Why? Because becoming a landlord with the government telling you that essentially the squatters can squat there indefinitely because "covid" or some other excuse, is a lose, lose situation. Renters are trashing the place and you try to evict? Ha, ha, ha ... That's racist. Do you get to vet the renters? Nope. Do you have any say on who you rent to? Nope.

Sell, and with today's market the roommate could actually make money in the decades she's owned the property.

I look at it as similar to conservative Californians vainly trying to "fix" the blue hives of California such as san fransicko. Waste of time.

 

[SeabeeOnce]

Set it on fire in the middle of the night, burn them out like **** roaches Or next time you see smoke call it in as a fire, tell 911 there is smoke coming from an unusual place possibly a house or shed, FD and police will show up.

Normally I'd agree ... we have one around here, abandoned, being used for who knows what. No need to start a war between "us" and "them". Besides, if someone were to perish in the fire, that's a pretty big deal.

Just move, you're too good to be in a place like that.

 

[Thurs one]

GrayFoal,I sincerely look forward to seeing your thread titled ROOMMATE AND I OFFICIALLY FOUND THE PERFECT LITTLE HOMESTEAD AWAY FROM THE MADNESS AND ARE GETTING READY FOR OUR FIRST WINTER!!:

 

[Littlebits]

I love the idea of the neighborhood coming together but I doubt that could happen. Remember nearly everyone here is black. Most people keep their heads down and won't act against their own. My roommate is Asian and I'm white as fresh Norwegian snow. We're the outsiders, despite the fact that she's owned a home here for decades.

Neither of us intended to stay here permanently. The original plan was to live in it while fixing it up then turn it into a rental and move on, but COVID messed up that plan. I don't think she wants to keep it as a rental anymore. As several of you have noted, things are not going to get better. We'll do whatever we need to to get out.

Sounds like it is time to saddle the bronco and get the heck outa Dodge eh? cut ya losses and get outa there... if no point in fixing/bettering, then might as well get out (and stay alive) I wish you the best

 

[Smithing28]

Wow, thanks for all the responses, I really appreciate it. Cars come and go at all hours at that house. We figured they were dealing before we found out what was going on in back. I haven't seen any kids there, or even women, just men. The shoes and clothes in the alley behind the house are in dirty piles and it's hard to distinguish them so I can't tell who they might have belonged to. Nothing like little girl shoes stood out to me, for example. I am not inclined to mess with anyone over there but if I see or hear a child back there all bets are off and I'm calling the police and border patrol and local news and everyone else I can think of.

Our property is fenced and we live with a sizeable pack of large dogs, including pit bulls. We are also well armed. We both work mainly from home so there's always someone here. We don't have a garage and I wish our car were better protected but it's a cheap sedan and you can't get at the catalytic converter so no one bothers it. We put a locked cap on the gas tank and we don't leave anything in the car to tempt thieves.

zooeyhll asked about what changed:

When my roommate bought this house back in the 80s the neighborhood was white middle-class families. Over time some of them moved out and those houses became rentals. More houses became rentals and the demographics changed to black working class (I'm not making this about race, just stating what changed). There are few owner-occupied houses on our street now, I think the only remaining ones are us and the retired fellow who lives next to us. From time to time houses sit vacant for a while. My roommate's brother was using this house for storage before we moved in so no one was living in it.

There's a locally owned restaurant within walking distance. A chain drug store opened next to it a few years ago and attracted lots of alcoholics (?). They bought liquor in the drug store, walked around the residential streets consuming it, dropped the empties wherever and just passed out. That chain drug store closed about a year ago. I haven't seen many empties or passed out people since it closed. There are increasing amounts of trash, though, including cigarette butts and syringes. The cigarette butts actually concern me more than the syringes since there's a lot of dried brush around here and a fire from a discarded butt would take off very quickly.

Street sweepers used to clean the streets every Monday but I haven't seen one in years. Big item pickup/cleanup used to happen quarterly and I think it's once a year now, so couches and mattresses and broken bookcases just sit in the alleys and rot.

I'm a beneficiary on an estate and embroiled in a legal battle with some relatives over it at the moment (ugh, if you've been through this you know how awful it is). It's a very small "estate" but when it's settled I should be able to move out. I may buy a little camper and go nomad for a bit, roaming around to visit some national parks I've always wanted to see and then find somewhere to put down roots.

And you all are responding to someone who is banking on an inheritance to get a better life. Seriously makes we wonder about the people on this post. When SHTF those are not the people I would be looking for to team up with.

 

[Wryter]

This is a situation where you should call the cops and tell them what you see and smell. Any other action on your part could get you in more trouble than you need. It takes courage to stand up for what if right.

 

[Littlebits]

And you all are responding to someone who is banking on an inheritance to get a better life. Seriously makes we wonder about the people on this post. When SHTF those are not the people I would be looking for to team up with.

banking on an inheritance sounds a bit rude... yes the inheritance can help get the heck outa dodge... but banking on it? hmm...

 

[Marchander]

This happens more than people think. I once owned a home next to an empty lot. Someone bought the lot and began building a home. One evening, someone knocked on my door and asked if I had experienced a power outage. Nope, I had not. Then I checked the circuits and found the GFI had been tripped for the outside circuits. I checked all the outside outlets and found cord plugged in behind a bush. Someone had sliced a well-hidden trench in the grass and inserted a cord. Guess where it went? To the home next door being built by a Mexican crew. I left the breaker off for the outside outlets until the home was completed.

It would have been interesting to see what happened if I had used your dryer outlet trick and they plugged their 120 volt power tools into a 240 volt line.

There was another situation at a body shop a friend owned. The adjacent business was a surplus store owned by a guy with a shady reputation. One day my friend noticed a run of new and shiney conduit going up the wall from the breaker box in his shop. It disappeared over the wall and into the surplus store. The guy had broken into the body shop and ran a line to power his business, probably in the middle of the night.

"It would have been interesting to see what happened if I had used your dryer outlet trick and they plugged their 120 volt power tools into a 240 volt line." Yes, if someone had been killed, it would have been second-degree murder interesting.