As we near election time, and 3 of your precious seats are up for grabs, I would like to share a find with you. While out and about doing the principal photograpy for the newest page over at Forgtten-Roanoke.com, I stumbled across something which I would like to hold up as a symbol of Old Southwest, and the commitment by both the City Council, and the Old Southwest Inc. group.
The corner which many years ago was scene of a horrible and brutal lynching, the stone steps which we all see as we travel down Franklin Rd, an empty lot which is worth more than 1/3rd of the houses in Roanoke.. and this:
A hypodermic syringe. On the wall, not more than 2 feet from the lovely belgian brick sidewalk, 5 feet from traffic. Down the street from how many churches and the big synagogue.. a place where people walk daily with children, some infants in strollers.
I will tell you this, I did not remove the syringe - it is still where I found it. I will check this weekend to see if it has moved or not.
What does this mean? If you look closely at the syringe, you will see it was not tossed into the brush on the empty lot, it was placed there. Which means someone had to be on those stairs USING the syringe, and regardless of wether it was day or night, they would have been somewhat visible.
Mountain Ave is part of the Old Southwest Historic District, not just the pretty houses and parks. Its the dirty and seamy side of Roanoke as well as the old and expensive.
For someone who would use right out in the open, they must feel safe. They must feel no fear. Which is why I am calling on the City Council and the Old Southwest community to cease the endless nit-picking over paint schemes and fence heights and focus on cleaning up the area. Old Southwest is supposed to be a model of what historic Roanoke looked like, a place of pride in ones homes and the surroundings. The district extends from Jefferson to Ferdinand, Marshall to Bluff - a massive area that includes some of the toughest sections in Roanoke.
Yet it would appear that the only area which truly matters are centered around Walnut/Highland Park area.
"Many unique homes were razed for urban development; others were cut up
into apartment units or inappropriately remodeled, adding the area's
woes."(from the website for oldsouthwestinc.) Many more are still existing that way.
"The recognition of Old Southwest as a whole community rather than
single buildings is a new approach to preservation and reflects the
sense of “togetherness” which has saved and revitalized the
neighborhood’s individual homes and buildings, streetscapes, and
landscapes." (website again) Thats all well and good, but what about the people? Are we more focused on the structures than the occupants within?
The needle was not in a haystack, it was not hidden away in someone's car - it was in plain sight of anyone walking along the "pleasant shady walkways."
To the City Council, I ask that you stop allowing those associated with Old Southwest Inc. to cloud the issue of "quality of life" by confusing it with "quality of paint." I wonder if the Old Southwest Safety Watch "Routine Safety Walks" include Elm Ave, Mountain Ave, and some of the other "less than perfect" areas. Or is it including, but not limited to a predefined area in which some problems have been noted, but not terribly serious or life threatening.
Suggestion: With some of the high-powered residents in OSW, perhaps it would be a good idea for them to band together and form a small LLC, for the sole reason of buying up the rental properties from the lamprey landlords. Make them a reasonable offer, and they might just bite - which would be a bonus for the community and the residents of the apartments. Of course, there is always the issue of compliance with the law. Im sure there are many ordinances which some landlords could and should be charged with violating. Just a thought.
But back to the idea of the needle. I feel comfortable walking around in nearly every part of this city (the ones I have walked in anyway.) I consider myself to be a law abiding citizen. But apparently Im not the only one feeling comfortable, as it would seem as evidenced by the beer bottles, the cigar fillers (ask someone under 30 if you need an explination on that one), and now this needle.
If the city can have a parking policeman who can make it from downtown at the Market to King George Ave. in short time to ticket those parked beyond the limit, why not have a few regular police ride around in the scooters to scope out and ticket/summons those walking around with beer in their hands, or landlords who refuse to clean up the property - vacant or not. Apply some pressure and watch them scatter like roaches when the lights come on.
It's a nice thing to have a attractive, historic city - however the effort is hardly worth it when you find something like this. Take a good long look at the photo, let it sink in. And realize this one was obvious - how many of them are hidden from view.
It's up to the City Council, and OSW,inc. to take this situation into hand and get it under control. Or the next needle might just wind up in someones foot as they walk down the tranquil, tree-lined streets of Old Southwest.
The corner which many years ago was scene of a horrible and brutal lynching, the stone steps which we all see as we travel down Franklin Rd, an empty lot which is worth more than 1/3rd of the houses in Roanoke.. and this:
A hypodermic syringe. On the wall, not more than 2 feet from the lovely belgian brick sidewalk, 5 feet from traffic. Down the street from how many churches and the big synagogue.. a place where people walk daily with children, some infants in strollers.
I will tell you this, I did not remove the syringe - it is still where I found it. I will check this weekend to see if it has moved or not.
What does this mean? If you look closely at the syringe, you will see it was not tossed into the brush on the empty lot, it was placed there. Which means someone had to be on those stairs USING the syringe, and regardless of wether it was day or night, they would have been somewhat visible.
Mountain Ave is part of the Old Southwest Historic District, not just the pretty houses and parks. Its the dirty and seamy side of Roanoke as well as the old and expensive.
For someone who would use right out in the open, they must feel safe. They must feel no fear. Which is why I am calling on the City Council and the Old Southwest community to cease the endless nit-picking over paint schemes and fence heights and focus on cleaning up the area. Old Southwest is supposed to be a model of what historic Roanoke looked like, a place of pride in ones homes and the surroundings. The district extends from Jefferson to Ferdinand, Marshall to Bluff - a massive area that includes some of the toughest sections in Roanoke.
Yet it would appear that the only area which truly matters are centered around Walnut/Highland Park area.
"Many unique homes were razed for urban development; others were cut up
into apartment units or inappropriately remodeled, adding the area's
woes."(from the website for oldsouthwestinc.) Many more are still existing that way.
"The recognition of Old Southwest as a whole community rather than
single buildings is a new approach to preservation and reflects the
sense of “togetherness” which has saved and revitalized the
neighborhood’s individual homes and buildings, streetscapes, and
landscapes." (website again) Thats all well and good, but what about the people? Are we more focused on the structures than the occupants within?
The needle was not in a haystack, it was not hidden away in someone's car - it was in plain sight of anyone walking along the "pleasant shady walkways."
To the City Council, I ask that you stop allowing those associated with Old Southwest Inc. to cloud the issue of "quality of life" by confusing it with "quality of paint." I wonder if the Old Southwest Safety Watch "Routine Safety Walks" include Elm Ave, Mountain Ave, and some of the other "less than perfect" areas. Or is it including, but not limited to a predefined area in which some problems have been noted, but not terribly serious or life threatening.
Suggestion: With some of the high-powered residents in OSW, perhaps it would be a good idea for them to band together and form a small LLC, for the sole reason of buying up the rental properties from the lamprey landlords. Make them a reasonable offer, and they might just bite - which would be a bonus for the community and the residents of the apartments. Of course, there is always the issue of compliance with the law. Im sure there are many ordinances which some landlords could and should be charged with violating. Just a thought.
But back to the idea of the needle. I feel comfortable walking around in nearly every part of this city (the ones I have walked in anyway.) I consider myself to be a law abiding citizen. But apparently Im not the only one feeling comfortable, as it would seem as evidenced by the beer bottles, the cigar fillers (ask someone under 30 if you need an explination on that one), and now this needle.
If the city can have a parking policeman who can make it from downtown at the Market to King George Ave. in short time to ticket those parked beyond the limit, why not have a few regular police ride around in the scooters to scope out and ticket/summons those walking around with beer in their hands, or landlords who refuse to clean up the property - vacant or not. Apply some pressure and watch them scatter like roaches when the lights come on.
It's a nice thing to have a attractive, historic city - however the effort is hardly worth it when you find something like this. Take a good long look at the photo, let it sink in. And realize this one was obvious - how many of them are hidden from view.
It's up to the City Council, and OSW,inc. to take this situation into hand and get it under control. Or the next needle might just wind up in someones foot as they walk down the tranquil, tree-lined streets of Old Southwest.
4 comments:
As a resident and active member of Old Southwest, Inc. I feel compelled to respond to your latest entry. We are very much aware of the boundaries of the neighborhood. And, yes the safety walks include the entire neighborhood with an emphasis on the more transitional streets such as Marshall and Day. We walk through alleys and streets with flashlights and cell phones and coordinate with the police patrols so that we can report suspicious activity as well as pick up trash and report overgrown lots. In fact, at least 3 OSW board members, including the president are residents of Day and Marshall avenues.
It is unfortunate that drug activity, prostitution and slum-lord issues still exist in Old Southwest. However, the Roanoke City Police and OSW have banded together and created a much safer, welcoming environment throughout the neighborhood. In fact at OSW’s City Employee Appreciation Banquet last year police officers and city employees were honored for their continued efforts and support of OSW residents in regards to cleaning the streets of illegal activity as well as unsightly trash.
Like me, many of the residents of OSW that are rehabilitating these old homes are not native Roanokers. Many of us moved from larger metropolitan areas throughout the country, and we appreciate the value of our neighborhood. Sometimes, it seems that we appreciate it much more than native Roanokers, many of whom still view the area with fear and disdain. Yes, there is a bad element on these streets, but it is being addressed and with time and energy it will hopefully be flushed out. We very much want to restore not only the buildings but the vibrancy of our neighborhood...time. The Miller’s Hill project along with the restoration of homes on every corner, an active neighborhood association that represents ALL parts of the neighborhood and even a growing youth program are signs that people have confidence in this neighborhood and commitment to see it change.
City Council candidates have already been invited to attend our next OSW meeting. We are very interested in filling the seats with candidates that share our concerns for the continued revitalization of our neighborhood structures and quality of life.
I’m very sorry that your recent experience in our neighborhood was overshadowed by your discovery. But, I do hope you realize that there is a very concerned group of folks that are doing our best to abolish unseemly activities. Old Southwest was ignored and allowed to deteriorate for many, many years. A lot of us that now call OSW home are concerned about historic accuracy in restoration, AND in revitalizing a dynamic neighborhood that is great for living and working.
Many of us take along an extra bag when we’re walking the dog so that we can pick up trash along our route. Happily, I’ve never seen a needle. Too bad you didn’t have a bag with you so that you could have been part of the solution. I’ll head across the street now and get the needle, if it’s still there. Thank you for the notice. Thank you also for noticing that OSW, Inc. represents the whole neighborhood (not just the streets around Highland
Park) and that we are as interested in a safer, cleaner neighborhood as we are in historic structural guidelines.
I am glad to see such people as yourself, some one who is a resident and a active member in OSW reads us here at the blog. I am also glad to know you all care about your community and I like your stance and hope that everyone feels similiar to you.
Being from NYC my husband and I are use to unsightly things happening but to see this vacant lot sitting in plain sight of everyone with not just the needle in it, I'm also talking about all the broken glass bottles. I was appalled by all the broken glass and the needle.
I am happy to see people taking pride in their neighborhoods because we all have to live together but you can not expect those who are visiting your neighborhoods to be picking up for you especially if you want them to move into the area and take pride.
~Mrs RoanokeFound
Marc's back in town????
Ok, I can't let this pass without commenting. Quite frankly I let it stew for a while so that I wouldn't say anything inappropriate.
You took the needle (that you would like to hold up as a symbol of OSW's commitment) and used it to call out the one group that is doing its damdest to clean up Old Southwest. A group who's members not only do saftey walks in the neigborhood but also live on the streets that need the most help, Day and Marshall. We have not attempted to "cloud the issue" of quality of life because it is our life. You seem to forget that we are the "occupants within." We have a vested interest in looking out for our friends and neighbors.
I can assure you that if any member of OSW had ever seen this beforehand they would have taken action. As soon as I read this I asked my wife to call the police (since I was at work) and have them come out and get it to see if they could fingerprint it. Whether the member of OSW above got it first, I don't know. I do know that it is no longer there. I do not agree with your assessment that it was in plain view. It was almost halfway up the steps leading to a vacant private lot, that no one would normally have a reason to walk up. A vacant private lot I might add that is owned by Shapiro & Kurtin Law Firm, which is right next door. I was unaware up until now just how filthy the place is. The real question is why is Shapiro & Kurtin Law Firm not keeping its own property clean of trash, winos and junkies. Property that it appears they gave a pretty penny for. I have submitted a request for service on the City's website to have this problem addressed and it will definitely be brought up at the next OSW meeting.
I appreciate your concern and you have some good ideas on how to address this. I just don't like the way you went about it.
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