The Fight Against Blight – How Mayor Young, Code Enforcement Team are Tidying Up Our Neighborhoods While Tackling Crime
One Community Update
May 11, 2024
Source: www.actionnews5.com
Cracking down on crime in Memphis, one blighted house at a time. Mayor Paul Young gave the code enforcement team a daunting task: speed up the clean-up of dilapidated homes that attract vagrants and violence in neighborhoods.
It takes at least 120 to 180 days for the citation process to work, and often the courts must get involved. But getting the inspector out to your neighborhood is an important first step.
At an abandoned house on Princeton Avenue in Binghampton on Friday, code enforcement inspector Marc Middlebrooks became a key part of Mayor Young’s Operation Code Zero crime mitigation plan.
“We want to make sure that we try to get the house boarded and secured,” Middlebrooks told Action News 5, “and eventually rehabbed so someone can actually be living in the house.”
If the out-of-town owner doesn’t make improvements and the house is vacant, the city will cut the grass, board up the windows and place a lien on the property.
The city hires contract crews to cut the grass at more than 9,000 private properties each year with a budget of about $1.7 million.
A few doors down, 79-year-old Mattie Latiker helped grandson Anthony pull weeds and plant flowers.
“Because I want it to look nice in the neighborhood,” she said, “I want the yard to look good.”
Anthony and his wife Tokia bought their home two years ago. They welcomed their daughter, Amoura, four months ago. Now, with three children to raise and protect, they welcome the new emphasis on fighting blight.
”I think it was overdue,” said Tokia, “We’re very appreciative of the measures that they’re taking to clean up the street.”
The next stop for Inspector Middlebrooks was a home destroyed by fire five months ago.
Code enforcement already cited the owner in March, but he’s elderly and unable to make repairs.
Concerned neighbors quickly came outside to ask Public Works Director Robert Knecht, the man in charge of the code enforcement division, how long it’s going to take to condemn the property and tear it down.
“I’m so thankful to see code enforcement stepping in and helping keep our neighborhoods clean and bright,” said Shelley Arnsman, “because this has been an eyesore for years, especially as it’s crumbled apart.”
Operation Code Zero is a holistic approach to crime-fighting. Memphis Police sweep each precinct, arresting fugitives and lawbreakers, and confiscating weapons and drugs.
Code Enforcement saturation follows, and the inspectors are out there grinding every day at a pace not seen before.
“This is our first time doing it,” said Knecht, “We’re seeing some really, good outcomes. We’re being more proactive than we’ve ever been, so that’s really what I think we’re trying to accomplish.”
It’s quite a challenge—in the last decade, Knecht said there’s been a 12% increase in single-family homes in Memphis owned by out-of-state investors.
Investor-owned properties generate three times the number of code violations compared to owner-occupied properties.
Homeowners on Princeton watching the code inspectors post notice after notice on the eyesores on their street, applaud the city’s effort.
“Because that makes you love your neighborhood,” said Anthony Latiker, “it makes you want to have more pride about your city and take care of your street.
I like the initiative they’re doing right now.” The City of Memphis Solid Waste division created strike teams as part of Operation Code Zero.
They work closely with code enforcement, targeting dump sites and piles of garbage in neighborhoods.
For full report, please click the source link above.
