Earlier this week the Baltimore Sun came out with a story about public housing rules in Annapolis. Tenants feel limited by the rules. I have encountered many public housing complexes and subsidized units in my travels through Baltimore. I have listened to many complaints of tenants. I always found it odd when people who were basically wards of the state complained about their free (or close to free) housing situations. The complaints were usually quite frivolous and usually came about because of tenant irresponsibility. If one does not like being at the mercy of the government then one should work their hardest to no longer be part of that government program.
Many public housing tenants are offended when tax paying neighbors try to modify policies at their complexes. The tax payers are the ones funding these PUBLICLY funded complexes so they have every right to try and modify policies that bring down the quality of life of the area. For some reason this logic is not considered politically correct. In Baltimore many people believe that the people who are living off of the program should make the rules instead of the people who are paying for the program.
Below is a description of a situation that recently happened at the Madison Park North housing project in Reservoir Hill. One can see why limiting visitors is important at such a complex:
"The google list needs to be informed of the real deal as to the police response last week to disperse a crowd of so called residents, numbering about 80 to 90 people holding a sidewalk repast for a local dealer/thief who was shot to death while involved in a craps game at 1:00 AM in the morning. He was a local with ties to the mess at MPN. The police responded to a call for assistance (signal 13) with 19 cars and two wagons to quell the crowd. At that time, while performing their duty, a bottle was tossed from the second floor window of 827 Lennox Street and witnessed by several police personnel, who, then proceeded to enter the residence inquiring as to who threw the bottle. And these people want respect from the police? The snowball stand was set-up to collect money to free a criminal from jail, and it was in operation well past 2:00AM for almost a week, drawing large crowds causing neighbors who had to go to work in the morning to to call 911 complaining about the noise coming from 827 Lennox. That residence should be deemed as a nuisance. Drug dealing continued within sight among the large crowd that gathered. Is this proper respect for our neighborhood? In plain view, they trash the streets with their empty liquor bottles, styrofoam chicken boxes, and other trash. Their children are out on the street way past curfew, and they have stripped the new trees in the redesigned park across from MPN. Their children have trampled the newly planted flowers as well as being used to hold drugs aqnd money for the dealers. There is no parental supervision. What's up with that? To get respect it must be earned. Hell, most of the residents at MPN do not even vote. They need to restructure that ugly site. RHIC--what a joke. So is the board."
Comments
thanks for a good story.
Public Housing was created to better the living conditions of the urban poor and was heralded as a great improvement during its time. But the plan was poor thought out. It concentrated poverty and became the symbol of urban planning for four + decades. It eroded the fabric of nearby neighborhoods and hastened the middle class flight, as well creating the perception of cities as being a place for poor and minorities. Like Welfare, Public Housing wasn't designed to be a long term or as generational housing solution. People don't respect what they are not invested in.
Public Housing now is getting so nice that there is no incentive to start working and move up the ladder. Sadly people are motivated by pain. They will not change their direction unless it becomes too uncomfortable. I am not sure that providing nicer subsidized housing is the solution. But it does win votes.
im 1/2 way through "not in my neighborhood" and im really learning a lot about why things are the way they are. the FHA doomed our cities to be impoverished wich caused society to sprawl out and destroy our environment with suburbia.
The first thing they have to remember is that it is public not their own. If you want you own get your behinds out and work for it. Other than that if I want to knock on your door at 2:00 am in the morning to inspect the place your better get your behind up and stand tall at the door. Other than that the public don't owe them a darn thing. But I will get you this a tent, a canteen of water and a compass to show you how to get across the border to find work in Cancun.
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