Toellner Tells it

Running scared? Or pitching in?

Earlier this week, the Star did a 3 part series entitled "Murder Factory". The focus of the article is on zip code 64130 - the zip code that leads the state as being the address for the most murderers of any zip code in the state.

Many around the bloggoshere have criticized the Star's writing this piece, calling it everything from "Um, Duh" to writing something specifically for newspaper writer awards and not for their readers.

Those who know much about Kansas City know that the East Side is having major difficulties. While this article focused on 64130 (which is, essentially, on the map, the area south of 39th street), it could have just as easily focused on 64128, which is the area immediately North of 39th Street on the map. (By the way, this is the crime map through the first 3 quarters of 2008. Red areas designate Aggrivated Assault Hot Spots, Blue dots are murders). 

People who don't, or may live in distant suburbs, may look it as yet another reason to avoid this area. 

And that's why I meet this with such mixed emotion. On the one hand, creating awareness of the problem is good (it's amazing how blind people can be to the problems when they're out of their site)....however, if it comes with the idea that people should "stay away", then this article couldn't do more to hurt an area that needs more help.

So, if you're unfamiliar with the area, did you read the articles with the idea of running far away?  Or with the idea of pitching in to help make it better?

I work with a Christian-based after school program for kids that live over in the area -- and most of these kids live in some of the worst areas described in the article.  Working with these boys over the past 3 years has been a huge eye-opener of the struggles they face.

Of the 13 boys I have the opportunity to work with, none of them lives with both a mother and a father in the home. Several barely even know their father. They are great kids -- all of them -- but even that doesn't assure them of success. They're still kids. They make mistakes. But there is a big difference for them...

When I was a kid, I made mistakes.  I occassionaly hung out with a few of the wrong people. I was ornery. It was nothing major, I was just being an adolescent boy.

The problem is, for these kids, with so much crime and bad influences around them, one mistake in judgment could mean they end up in jail. Or dead.  Or with a rap-sheet that will make them unemployable at even the most basic of jobs (which is virtually all that will be available to them in the short term). Their mistakes have the possibility to be life altering (or even ending). It's crazy.

In so many ways, our society has failed these kids. We've allowed home after home in their neighborhood to become abandoned and run down. Their chances of getting a good education are virtually non-existent.  Crime is a way of life on their streets.  Every one of these kids, none of them older than 15 years old, knows someone who has been shot.  There are few jobs in their neighborhood...and our public transit system is inadequate for getting them to a large number of jobs in the city that exist outside of their neighborhood. 25% of the people in the 64130 area code live below the poverty line. 29% of those in the 64128 area code live below the poverty line. Only 68% even have a high school diploma.

For decades, as a city, and as a society, we have turned our back on these East-side neighborhoods. We've decided there is nothing we can do, or determined it is someone else's problem to fix.

It's not. It's a problem for all of us. And it may take all of us to fix it.

We need to improve public transit to other parts of the city so these kids have decent-paying job alternatives vs selling drugs on the streets. The additional income the residents of this area earn will come back into their neighborhoods --building equity for future business development.

We need to improve our schools -- giving them a chance for a good education. But this isn't JUST the school district's responsility. After-school programs can really help these kids learn the material, improve their study habits, and increase their chances at making it into college. I'm pretty amazed at how much kids have to know now. I have junior high school kids doing above-basic algebra. If they don't understand it (and algebra is hard), too many times the parent at home, who was also failed by our school system, cannot help them. So the kid is doomed to fail. Having people to help them, and encourage them through the frustration is essential to the kids' success.

We also need to provide kids with positive role models in their lives. They need to see people in successful positions in life and see that as an option for them. Right now, the positive role models are not there -- or at least less prevelent in their lives than the negative role models.

They also need to see couples. Like I said, ZERO of my 13 boys live with both parents. This lack of exposure to seeing men and women interacting responsibly with each other gives them no sense of what a husband/wife relationship should be about.  Too often, what they know of male/female relationships comes from rap videos, television and absentee fathers -- hardly our best sources for what life should really be like.

We also need our city's corporations to be gracious with time off and flex time for people who want to volunteer to help. I'm so fortunate that my company gives me 16 hours of "volunteer" time to help with any volunteer activity I want. I use is about an hour at a time so I can leave work early one day a week throughout the school year so I can be there for the kids after school. Companies should look at flex time and volunteer time as a way to give back to their community, as a way of encouraging employees to give back to their community, and an investment in their workforce in the coming generations.

And we need more people who will decide that it is not someone else's problem to solve, or wait for the city council, the mayor, the police force, the schools, or whomever to solve the problem. As a community and as a society we've helped create this problem....and it will only be as a community and as a society that we work together, each in our own little ways, helping maybe just one or two kids, or one family or whatever you end up doing, helping create solutions for a small piece of the problem. If we solve enough small pieces...you may just create a solve for the whole pie.

There are dozens of organizations out there trying to help. Not a single one of them has enough time, money, or volunteers to touch all the people they would like to touch. Find one. Volunteer for one. Quit waiting for someone to take care of it...or thinking the problem is too large to tackle.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." —Margaret Mead

Here's part 1 of the Star's "Murder Factory" series

Part 2

Part 3

And a link to another program that is working to make a difference in the community.

And here is a link to the Be 1 of 100,000 Campaign.  The Be 1 Campaign is a program designed with the idea that every one of the 20,000 school kids in the KCMO school district deserves at least 5 caring relationships - -and through those relationships and support will rise up above their neighborhoods.

And here is a link to the Hopecenter, where I volunteer.

Are you pitching in to be a part of the solution? Or are you running scared which helped create this problem in the first place?

Creating modern day ghettos?

Two weeks ago, I wrote post about crime that was apparently a little controversial (apparently demographic statistics are controversial).

In my searching for some of the crime numbers, I spent a little time with the KCMO Quarterly Homicide Report. In a quick glance at the maps on the quarterly report, one thing instantly jumped out at me -- a huge red dot that indicated an "aggravated assault hot spot".

The arrow on the left is pointing to the hot spot that caught my eye. The spot is in my neighborhood, and has been a bit of a sore spot for us.

The site, basically the entire three blocks west of Troost on Armour, contains the Bainbridge Apartment building (pictured below).

Three years ago, the Bainbridge was cleared out for renovation. The buildings were remodeled and are beautiful on the outside. That all seems great.

The problem is that the apartment was renewed by the city into 200+ units of Section 8 apartments.

Let me stop here for a second and say that I don't necessarily have a problem with Section 8 housing. I do think that everyone deserves to have a roof over their head and sometimes, government assistance may be necessary. The current HUD policies for Section 8 housing allow for up to 20% of the all secion 8 housing to be "project based", and the other 80% or must be "tenant based". Tenant-based Sectoin 8 allows an individual to live virtually anywhere they want in the private sector (that is at market rate +20% or lower in price), with the individual paying 30% of their income and the government subsizing the rest. "Project-based" Section 8 designates entire apartment buildings or complexes for use for Section 8 (that all are below market rate). 

The Bainbridge, pictured to the left, is a project-based Section 8 building.

Doing large-scale, project-based Section 8 housingdoes not benefit anyone.

The whole idea is very archaic -- based all the way back to when Section 8 housing was formed in the 1930s. Think about it, we would never dream of fencing off a 10-block area of the city and designating that as an area for Section 8 housing. The very idea harkens back to the days of creating "ghettos".  No one benefits from that.  Putting the ghetto all in one building does not change the concept, it is just a form of verticle segregation.

I've talked to many of the residents who live there when we're out on our walks. Many of the people who live in these units are great people, nice people, who are just trying to get by after life has dealt them a tough blow: health problems for them or a spouse that bankrupted them and kept them out of work, a husband that was the bread-winner getting killed or leaving the family, a home that burned down without the proper insurance, etc. But the good people that are there are being held hostage by the people are using the housing to deal drugs and other crimes.

Not long ago we talked with a grandmother who no longer feels comfortable having both of her grandchildren over at the same time, because she doesn't feel like she can keep a close enough eye on both of them at the same time to prevent something bad from happening. The large number of low-income people, in such a small area, has created too much crime for her to feel comfortable spending time with her own grandchildren.

The idea that concentrations of Section 8 housing increases crime is hardly a new one. At least one recent study in Memphis, while somewhat controversial, links Section 8 housing to crime.

And yet, just 3 years ago, Kansas City, MO renewed 300+ units of Section 8, all in one building -- a 1930s notions - in spite of evidence that is not good for the residents or the neighborhood.

So when I saw the big red dot on the Bainbridge, I took notice. I wasn't surprised mind you, as it is commonplace to see police cars parked out in front of the building. But I was struck by it. So I wondered, what other big red dots were large pockets of Section 8 housing?  So I spent the next couple of weeks driving around visiting big red dots on the map, and doing searches looking for apartment buildings and complexes that appeared to be project-based Section 8 housing.  I won't guarantee that this is 100% accurate or 100% inclusive, But here is the patrol zone crime map (the red dots indicate aggrevated assault hot-spots) and the arrows point to the ones that I have identified as being centered over project-based Section 8 housing:

Um, yeah.

One other note on this, it does appear that at least a couple of the dots are over hospitals -- which may mean that the crime is actually getting reported at the hospital and going on the map where the crime is reported, and maybe not where the crime occurred. But at least 7 of the concentrations appear to be at Section 8 hosuing complexes. 

My point of all of this isn't to say we should get rid of Section 8 Housing. However, we do need to re-evaluate the idea of project-based programs. Project-based Section 8 is the equivelent to creating a modern-day ghetto.

Doing this does not benefit the good people that live there that feel like hostages in their own homes.

And it certainly appears to be making for increased police work.

Kansas City has problems with crime. All cities do. But we really need to re-look at government policies that are helping to CREATE problems - specifically HUD policies that not only allow for, but mandate, ghetto-ing low-income people into certain areas of the city.

Two other notes on this: 

1) Since I'm sure I'll hear this. This is not a case of someone who is trying to be NIMBY. I have no problem living in neighborhoods with lower-income people. If I minded, I'd move to South Overland Park or Lenexa or something. I love the diversity, but don't love the crime. I'm trying to not mandate moving the problems to ANYONE'S neighborhood. I'm trying to spread out the housing to virtually assure that some poor people will live in most of the city's neighborhoods -- which is a better scenerio for everyone and not create problems for anyone.

2) The problems seem to be 100% "Family" based section 8 projects. The correlation does not apply to apartment buildings designated as Section 8 "elderly" or "medical".

Local companies supporting Kansas City

 I know Sprint, as a corporation, gives a ton of money to the local arts and other programs in the community. But that said, as I sit and watch football today, I can't help but be annoyed every time I see Dan Hesse in a Sprint commercial walking along the streets of New York or in Central Park. Would it have killed him to film the scenes in the community where his company is located? To film the commercials in the city that undoubtedly has the widest penetration for Sprint PCS phone sales?  It just frustrates the heck out of me. How about a little love for KC and the great cityscapes our downtown offers.  Sigh.

A Riverboat Legacy

This is a bit of an awkward post for me to write, but I somehow feel compelled to do so.

Two weeks ago I made my first ever trip to the Steamboat Arabia Museum. Awhile back, I made a committment to myself to become more of a tourist in my own home town.  There are so many great museums in Kansas City, and sadly, even though I've lived here for 13 years, there are a good number of them I have not been to: The World War I Museum, Truman Library and Home, the Toy and Mineature Museum, I've never spent significant time at the Nelson and there are several others that I've been to (18th & Vine) but it's been awhile.

So two weeks ago, we took in the Steamboat Arabia Museum. As a person who grew up in an old Rivertown, I've always had an interest in river history. The Museum did an excellent job of talking about the history of boat traffic on the river, along with having what may be the largest collection of pre-civil war era items in the country, that were all found in one steamboat that a couple of families dug up, out of a corn field, over a decade ago.

They told of the challenges of digging up the boat -- and the extreme cost of digging it up, and restoring all of the goods. I couldn't quit thinking, this family lost a fortune creating a museum that I thoroughly enjoyed. One of the highlights of the tour and museum visit, was a surprising appearance by one of the museum's founders, Greg Hawley. It was really interesting to hear the first-hand stories about digging up the boat, and the obvious passion he had for the museum he helped create.

Yesterday I was devastated to learn that Mr. Hawley, a man that I had met only briefly a couple of weeks ago,had died -- due to the senselessness of several teenagers.

I'm grateful that I met Mr. Hawley...and I'm grateful that he left as a legacy a fabulous museum about life in the early 1800s based on one riverboat. The Missouri River was instramental to the building of Kansas City -- long before the railroad and cattle trade caused its growth.

Over the past several years, there have been talks about the museum needing more space and potentially moving. I know that Leavenworth has talked about luring the museum. I think it would be a shame if the museum left the city -- it is a unique gem of a museum. If you haven't been there, I highly recommend you take the time to go pay it a visit. And I'm sure the devastated family will appreciate the support of the legacy he left behind.

Nodbody's Listening has a very moving story about Hawley's accident -- that is definitely worth the read.

Downtown Cosentino's, what took so long?

Unless you've been living under a rock, you may have heard that Kansas City finally has a full-service grocery store downtown. On Tuesday, the downtown Cosentino's opened.

In my 13 years of living in Kansas City, only the Sprint Center's grand opening has met the same type of fanfair.

If the early crowds are any indication, the store will be a huge success -- smartly captializing on the downtown workers/residents with a huge section of the store dedicated to grab and go meal solutions and in-store dining options (including a full service salad bar).

The new grocery store will benefit the 10,000 to 15,000 downtown residents, and tens of thousands of other people who work downtown that can snag some last-minute groceries before heading home. The store will certainly raise property values on downtown residences, which will be good for both thoes residents, the city, and prospects for future development.

The question is, what took so long? 

It is clear that there is a lot of excitement and demand for the downtown grocery.  Why did it take this long, and a TIF-funding district, for the downtown grocery store to finally come into existance?

The long-running argument has been that the downtown population would not support a full-service grocery store. I'm not buying it. Overland Park has, to my best count, 18 full-service, non specialty grocery stores (counting Wal-Mart Supercenters). Overland Park has 170,000 residents. So that's roughly one, grocery store per every 9,500 residents in Overland Park. Downtown KCMO has had that many residents for nearly a decade now.

On top of costs of starting a downtown grocery, many of our city's codes make it even more difficult for a grocery to open.  The downtown Cosentino's required 127 parking spaces in order to open -- in spite of reality that about 50% of the store's shoppers will walk to the store from their homes, from their places of work, or arrive via public transit.  This would significantly impact the cost of opening such a business.

While we're celebrating the benefit to downtown residents (as we should)-- we should also be taking a long look at what city codes issues made this be such a long-overdo celebration for downtown residents?  What could we have streamlined to have allowed another grocery store to serve these residents over the past decade and without TIF funding? 

And then also ask, what other less high-profile neighborhoods are being affected by these barriers to starting a business that remain without basic services because they don't have TIF support?

Let's remove the unnecessary barriers to entry so residents in other neighborhoods throughout the city don't have to wait a decade for the services to catch up to the populations.

(Photo credit, the Kansas City Star).

Some thoughts on Kansas City's 2008 Murder Count

  There has been a lot of buzz among the local media folks about the final 2008 murder count.

KCTV 5 reports that KC's killings near 10 year high! 2008's 127 homicides was one short of 2006's 128 Homicides. Noting that the actual record for killings in KCMO was in 1993, with 153 homicides.

What's amazing is the lack of perspective these articles contain regarding the murder rate.

Here's a look at the National Homicide (and Robbery) trends over the past 50 years -- this is based on murders per 100,000 people, so has been adjusted for population increases.

 

So if you look at the national trend data, the entire country saw a huge spike in homicides (and robbery) in the early 1980s, foollwed by a small dip, and then a big increase again in the early 1990s. Then, after over a decade of declines, have seen a small increase in homicides beginning in 2006.

What's amazing about all of the alarm in that is coming from these numbers is that the increase is completely predictable.

According to numbers by the Bureau of Justice, persons between the age of 18-24 are twice as likely as any other age group to murder someone -- followed next by persons 25-35 and then 14-17.

What's interesting, is if you look at US Census Data with population estimates by age, you can see they nearly identically mirror the crime data:

The number of 15-24 year olds spiked in 1980 -- making up 19% of the total people in the US, with a total of 42.5 million people.

By 1995, this number had decreaded to 36.6 million, making up 14% of the total US population.

By 2001, this number had lifted back up to 40 million, but with the overall population increasing, was still at 14% of the total US population.

Meanwhile, if you look at more recent information, in 2008, the number of persons 15-24 is at 42.4 million -- making up just under 15% of the total US population. 

So the moral of the story, as the population of 15-24 year olds goes, the propensity of violent crime tends to follow. 

So with Kansas City, MO seeing growth in its population, and the national trend is of growth in the 15-24 year olds that are most likely to be responsible for violent crimes, it is HIGHLY forseeable that we'd see an uptick in the murder rate.  And we have. Meanwhile, based on our current trend data, I'd expect this to continue to be high for the next 5 years or so, and then we will start to see a decline again (so tip to the next round of politicians, run on the crime platform, and you will likely succeed).

It's just maddening when the media reports these numbers without much of a basis for the larger picture of what is happening with population trends, demographic trends, and what is happening nationally.  When put into perspective, it isn't a forcast that the sky is falling.

Does this mean that we should ignore the increase in homicides?  Certainly not. But being aware of what is driving the increase is certainly a good first step in trying to stop it.  Kansas City would also be wise to look at what some other cities are doing to actually buck this trend -- as some are seeing a decrease in murders.

Old School

  Over the holidays, I spent a significant time driving and walking through some of Kansas City's older neighborhoods.

One thing that really struck me is the number of old, formerly city-owned buildings, that have been left abandoned.

Old Schools. Old Libraries. Just left, empty.

What is really unfortunate about a lot of these buildings is that because of the sheer size of the buildings, they basically leave nearly entire city blocks -- often in emerging neighborhoods -- just abandoned.

The abandonment leaves to blight -- and if you subscribe to the broken windows theory at all -- a feeling of neglect in the neighborhood.

The first two buildings pictured here, the old Switzer School and a former Public Library, take up nearly two full blocks in the city's re-emerging West Side - that has just created dead space on the West Side.

Several other old school buildings also litter other areas.

Also pictured are a school that resides just east of the 18th and Vine area, one on the 3500 block of Paseo, and one that is at 39th Street and Garfield. 

I confess, I don't know how many of these old building are still owned by the city and the school district -- but I'm assuming a fair number. It is pretty embarrassing when one of KCMO's biggest problems is the inabililty to enforce codes violations -- and yet, the city is a part of the problem.

My recommendation?  Sell each of the buildings for $1000....with a contingency. The contingency is that whoever buys the building has to have it remodeled and open within 3 years -- with substantial movement made in the remodeling within the first 18 months. If these conditions weren't met, the sale would be void.

I think that many of these buildings could be used for apartments, lofts, office space, charter schools, neighborhood run community centers -- many options. In fact, a similar, but smaller, building 2 blocks north of the Library on Summit on the west side remodeled and put in lofts that are selling for between $250-$500,000.

Sure, the city would lose money on the   buildings -- but they would gain tremendously in property taxes on the back end. With the buildings functioning as buildings, businesses, residences, office spaces, whatever, the property value of all surrounding properties would go up because they wouldn't be next to blighted buildings. The property itself would increase in value and bring in tax revenue also. 

And in the short term, you would be creating some construction jobs for a struggling construction/remodeling market that would also gain tax money through the E-tax.

Ending the full city blocks of dead space would benefit everyone in the city -- and would be worth the loss on the buildings to end the blight in these neighborhoods.

As the city looks to deal with their budget crunch, they need to look at areas where they can increase revenue and their tax base, not just places where they can cut costs. This would be one area where they could increase the tax base -- with something they already own and are doing nothing with.