Toellner Tells it

Another murder on Armour, A Neighborhood Meeting, and a city woefully behind on policy

Today, CrimeSceneKC noted yet another death along Armour Blvd  -- this one involving a 7 month old child who's death is being treated as a homicide. 

That makes 2 murders in three days along a short stretch of the Boulevard. This death, itself, happened in one of the low-income housing units along Armour.

Last night, the Hyde Park Neighborhood Association hosted a meeting to discuss the increase in crime -- particularly violent crime -- that has occurred in the neighborhood after the two apartment buildings were recently renewed for another 25 years of project-based Section 8 housing.

The meeting had about 250 attendees -- not just from the Hyde Park Neighborhood - -but also surrounding neighborhoods like Squire Park, Center City and Manheim -- as well as many residents of the low-income housing that is in question -- who are all being affected by the increase in crime in the area.

In spite of what other are making it out to be, the dislike of violent crime extends beyond race and income. 

Many numbers were shared about the increase in crime in the area -- including a 400% increase in crime at one intersection over the same time period a year ago.  The crime/911 calls seem to be centered around a handful of low-income housing buildings -- all owned by out-of-state companies -- that make up disproportionate share of the crimes in the area -- including 4 murders so far this year in the immediate vacinity of these buildings after having no murders in the neighborhood in all of last year when the buildings were mostly empty.

Members of the police force were there -- and I must say, the police spend a lot of time at these few buildings -- including having a police car and the paddy-wagon outside of the building as I left the association meeting last night.  But as one officer wisely said, you can't solve social issues by using a police force.

And the problem continues to be around the social issue of a) a large number of poor people in the KCMO area b) a very large concentration of the poor in certain areas of town and c) the proven statistical information that large concentrations of poor people in certain areas lead to a rise in crime.

However, it appears as if the city of Kansas City is very much to blame for HUD violating its own recommendations when it comes to low-income housing. HUD's own studies indicate that they prefer tenent-based Section 8 housing programs (where qualified residents get to choose where they live and get government assistence) to project-based Section 8 (where entire buildings or neighborhoods are dedicated to low-income housing) because it is better for the residents and for the neighborhoods.

So why did HUD recently renew 300 units of Section 8 along this stretch of Armour Blvd so that now, 45% of the apartments units along this stretch of Armour are designated as Section 8, and 19 of the city's 92 project-based Section 8 buildings are in the 64109 area code?

Because apparently Kansas City has no comprehensive housing plan in place for undoing the segregated low-income housing of the 70s and going to more modern, effect approaches to low-income housing.

While dealing with the problem by using police, city prosecutors, neighborhood watch groups and city codes officials is a good short-term solution to clean up the area -- and great recommendations were brought up at the meeting last night -- the reality is that without the city having some type of comprehensive housing plan, the problem will continue to persist.

And it is ending these problems permanently that we should insist city officials quickly and comprehensively create a housing plan for the city -- not just for the folks who live along Armour Blvd, but for the folks throughout the city that live in and around the 92 project-based Section 8 buildings that are causing crime problems throughout the metro.

It's time for the city to step up to the plate -- and not continue to make this not just a problem for the neighborhoods, for the low-income and for the police.

Another Murder along Armour - if you care, make your voice heard

Yesterday afternoon, a man was shot killed in broad daylight along Armour Boulevard -- apparently following an argument between two men. The shooting occurred at the 600 block of Armour Boulevard.

The shooting occurred just two blocks from a large, concentrated section of Section 8 housing along Armour Boulevard that I've written about before here and here. A couple of years ago the city, along with HUD, renewed 300+ units of Section 8 housing in a very small geographic area. This consolidation of project-based low-income housing has brought with it a huge amount of violent crime.  Many of the residents of these buildings who are not involved in the criminal activity have become prisoners in their own homes for fear of going outside and dealing with the criminal activity.

Meanwhile, the direct vicinity of this consolidated low-income housing has now created its 3rd murder victim already this year. In 2008, while these apartments were being remodeled and were empty for the majority of the year, the area saw zero homicides.

It's not a coincidence. The consolidation of low-income housing -- creating essentially high-rise ghettos -- has proven itself to not be an effective way of dealing with low-income housing.  And yet, the city, along with HUD, approved these buildings to be renewed for the next 20 years.

Most of these people deserve better. The neighborhood deserves better. Kansas City deserves better.  The victims deserved better.

It is time to end the bloodshed. Tomorrow night, the Hyde Park neighborhood, along with folks from many of the adjacent neighborhoods are going to be having a meeting with local and state officials in order to discuss possible changes to the situation.  If you care enough to make a difference -- come to the Central Presbyterian Church at 3501 Campbell at 7:00 Tuesday night, September 15, to listen, show support and make your voice heard.

We can and must do better than this.

Kansas City's Feral Houses

Last week, KSHB ran a story about how the number of vacant lots in Kansas City, MO have doubled in the past year -- from 4,000 abandoned properties to 8,000. This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone as according to Forbes Magazine, the Kansas City Metro area has the highest housing vacancy rates in the country - -and KCMO has bore much of the burnt of that.

One photographer in Detroit took advantage of their abandoned houses to take some photos of what they call "Feral Houses". (Hat Tip: PSFK).  This is a more back-to-nature version of the 100 Abandoned Houses project from Detroit earlier this year.

Feral and abandoned houses are not something just for kinda cool pictures.  They are actually devestating to neighborhoods.  They run down property values.  They providing safe havens for drugs, prostitution, gangs and other criminal activity.  And they undermine neighborhood watch programs because in many neighborhoods on Kansas City's east side, the number of abandoned homes outnumber those with residents.  And nothing is less safe than being in a neighborhood with no one around...

Here's a look at some photos of Kansas City's own Feral houses:

 

 

Why are we making it harder for locally owned businesses?

From over at Blog KC, it sounds as if the city council's Public Safety and Neighborhoods Committee is, right now, meeting to discuss a new policy that would essentially eliminate all 3 AM bars in the city with the exception of the Power & Light District.

The new policy would definitely have a negative impact on many local neighborhood bars...and some districts including Westport. 

The idea that the city would actively pursue a policy that could have a dramatic impact on locally owned businesses in favor of an already subsidized bar district is baffling to me -- and the exact opposite direction we need to be heading. Already these bars have had to endure the competition for the subsidized P&L District, followed shortly by the city's smoking ban, and now, potentially, losing several hours of latenight business because they're no longer able to stay open.

Why do we keep sending the message to our local entrepreneurs that we really don't want their businesses in our city? We should be working to help local entrepreneurs...not working against them.

And it's becoming clearer and clearer that the P&L District has quickly become one of the most powerful lobbying forces in the city.

From over at Blog KC, it sounds as if the city council's Public Safety and Neighborhoods Committee is, right now, meeting to discuss a new policy that would essentially eliminate all 3 AM bars in the city with the exception of the Power & Light District.

The new policy would definitely have a negative impact on many local neighborhood bars...and some districts including Westport. 

The idea that the city would actively pursue a policy that could have a dramatic impact on locally owned businesses in favor of an already subsidized bar district is baffling to me -- and the exact opposite direction we need to be heading. Already these bars have had to endure the competition for the subsidized P&L District, followed shortly by the city's smoking ban, and now, potentially, losing several hours of latenight business because they're no longer able to stay open.

Why do we keep sending the message to our local entrepreneurs that we really don't want their businesses in our city? We should be working to help local entrepreneurs...not working against them.

And it's becoming clearer and clearer that the P&L District has quickly become one of the most powerful lobbying forces in the city.