When we start thinking of people as "trash" as a "blight", what does that tell us about ourselves as human beings?
QuoteLee said she has been working on improving the city's neighborhoods since she was first elected to the City Council in 1982, and that economic development and job creation have been key issues for city lawmakers for as long as she has been in office.
"At the end of the day, what businesses are going to move into areas that are number one, unsafe, and number two, that are depressed with blight, not just trash blight, and lack of mowing right-of-ways, but human blight," she said.
For Lee, human blight defines anyone who "contribute to the demise" of Jacksonville's neighborhoods.
.............................
Lee also encouraged city residents to report blight of all kinds, including reporting on neighbors.
http://news.wjct.org/post/jax-councilwoman-denise-lee-stand-your-ground-combat-human-blight
why not help JSO if the concern is illegal activity?
Alarmed about drug deals, Jacksonville councilwoman targets 'human blight'
Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2014-03-27/story/alarmed-about-drug-deals-jacksonville-councilwoman-targets-human-blight#ixzz301eIKH5V
http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2014-03-27/story/alarmed-about-drug-deals-jacksonville-councilwoman-targets-human-blight
In the video she taped with Steve Patterson, she tells him:
"I'm sick of these Negroes" (22.16)
This is sad to hear but the reality is that it is vintage Denise Lee and she is not the only one on the council that holds to these views about their fellow humanity. It exposes again the need to not be lulled by charism or agreement with some issues into believing that a person elected or otherwise shares your belief system or embraces what you care about. This is something that needs to be remembered next election cycle.
Quote from: sheclown on April 26, 2014, 04:34:43 PM
In the video she taped with Steve Patterson, she tells him:
"I'm sick of these Negroes" (22.16)
Is this a joke? Please tell me it's a joke...
Watch the video Link is above
Boy, I understand that you may not like the council woman, but I for one understand what she's talking about. So she calls some people human blight? What would you call them? I was once asked when the last time I picked up trash that wasn't mine was. I'll tell you, every day. And it's not nice neighborly people who are throwing crap in the street everyday. It's the people who walk back and forth along these streets all day every day....and that's not to and from their office jobs or ever burger king jobs. You all want some of the souls she calls blight??? I'd be happy to have them hop in a cab and visit y'all for a few months. So, while I may not agree with the messenger on all accounts, this message I'm ok with.
Quote from: twojacks on April 26, 2014, 11:53:11 PM
Boy, I understand that you may not like the council woman, but I for one understand what she's talking about. So she calls some people human blight? What would you call them? I was once asked when the last time I picked up trash that wasn't mine was. I'll tell you, every day. And it's not nice neighborly people who are throwing crap in the street everyday. It's the people who walk back and forth along these streets all day every day....and that's not to and from their office jobs or ever burger king jobs. You all want some of the souls she calls blight??? I'd be happy to have them hop in a cab and visit y'all for a few months. So, while I may not agree with the messenger on all accounts, this message I'm ok with.
So there are people who create blight, true enough. That's a bit different however from calling the people themselves blight or those "negroes". Unless it is only "negroes" who exemplify blight in the eyes of some.
She has been their councilwoman for how long? Couple of decades? How many tens of millions of dollars of federal money has been pumped into that neighborhood over the past 40 years? Anyone want to venture a guess?
I have no problem with Denise Lee as a person. I have a problem with a council person calling her constituents "human blight " even if they toss trash or hang out.
And twojacks -- you will find me in Denise Lee's neighborhood on a daily basis. And I have been a constant traveler on these urban core streets for 15 years.
I'm not saying that trash isn't a problem, but don't shoot the hand that drops the can.
Set out some trash cans, improve trash pick up, empower neighborhood groups to gather trash.
Don't call Jacksonville citizens "human blight" and expect this city to get better.
We, as a city, are only as healthy as Moncrief Road.
So nobody has come up with a better term than human blight?? Disadvantanged, freeloaders, litterbugs, entrepreneurs?? It's tought calling a cur a cur. Give 'em a bath, take them to the vet, teach them to walk on a leash, and stop crapping where they eat. Then that dog is transformed from a cur to a pet. Until then, it's a cur, and until those she's calling out stop hanging out, selling drugs, and throwing full bags of garbage out in their own neighborhoods...I'm inclined to join her in saying they're blight. Unless of course you come up with a more pc word.
Quote from: twojacks on April 27, 2014, 10:41:40 AM
So nobody has come up with a better term than human blight?? Disadvantanged, freeloaders, litterbugs, entrepreneurs?? It's tought calling a cur a cur. Give 'em a bath, take them to the vet, teach them to walk on a leash, and stop crapping where they eat. Then that dog is transformed from a cur to a pet. Until then, it's a cur, and until those she's calling out stop hanging out, selling drugs, and throwing full bags of garbage out in their own neighborhoods...I'm inclined to join her in saying they're blight. Unless of course you come up with a more pc word.
ouch. We certainly see the world differently.
We wouldn't want anyone to be responsible for their actions now, would we? ;)
StephenDare!, is it possible that this whole "human blight" issue is being overblown. Ms. Lee sounds like most of the responsible people in her district (and most other districts). I don't think she is just writing people off, she is just sick of the criminality that robs the vast majority of her constituency the opportunity to live without fear. Ms. Lee represents a district with challenges and it sounds to me like she is trying to meet the challenge of crime head on. It is refreshing when a politician speaks the truth and just doesn't do the usual empire building or throw more taxpayer money around. She is asking for citizens to take a personal stake in their community and that is a good thing. While I recognize and applaud a Christian attitude towards all persons, many forget that we must hold our brothers and sisters accountable for themselves as well. To enable criminality and sin is to be guilty of the same. If you really want to help people, let's get the people that Ms. Lee is talking about out of these unhealthy lifestyles and then everyone benefits.
With Stanton, Shands and the S-Line literally right around the corner, 13th & Moncrief should be one of the most desired urban core spots in the city. As shown in the video, the housing stock is Riverside-esqe. We definitely should not want those beauties demolished for the hell of it. I think the Councilwoman means well but has no earthly idea what the right solution may be. The solutions being discussed are reactions to issues that stem from a much larger problem.
Install fences if you want but they won't work anymore than sealing off streets, which has already been done in the area. With all those built in assets in the immediate area, it's time to get progressive with economic revitalization, which in turn, will reduce the amount of crime and drug dealing associated with pockets of despair, hopelessness and abandonment.
JOBSSSS. Buy in from the residents. And intelligent policing.
Btw, this would be a great area to use NSP funds to fix up vacant structures and get people living in them.
Quote from: thelakelander on June 15, 2014, 05:57:23 PM
Btw, this would be a great area to use NSP funds to fix up vacant structures and get people living in them.
An absolute necessity if you want to turn the neighborhood around.
The talk of more demolition is the scary part. The neighborhood and others like it have already lost half of their building stock. Most of the vacant lots, are overgrown and look horrible. There's also a snow ball's chance in hell that something new will be built on them. All in all, they add to the look of blight, hopelessness, and abandonment. I'm headed to Detroit for July 4th. This video reminded me of that city's Eastside.
Quote from: thelakelander on June 15, 2014, 06:12:05 PM
The talk of more demolition is the scary part. The neighborhood and others like it have already lost half of their building stock. Most of the vacant lots, are overgrown and look horrible. There's also a snow ball's chance in hell that something new will be built on them. All in all, they add to the look of blight, hopelessness, and abandonment. I'm headed to Detroit for July 4th. This video reminded me of that city's Eastside.
We need to mothball these properties. They are 50 plus years and not eligible for demolition using federal money but they are eligible for mothballing at a lower cost.
Then the city could issue tax abatement to people who purchase mothballed properties in the urban core and renovate them.
We need to keep our affordable housing in the urban core.
I took some pics of a few abandoned houses in the vicinity of 13th & Moncrief this morning. This is the type of stuff that would be demolished. I'm no structural engineer but all of these look salvageable to me. In Riverside, all of these properties would sell for over six figures. It would be cool to see NSP dollars used to fix properties like this up for affordable/market-rate housing and truly stabilize a struggling and forgotten part of the urban core.
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Neighborhoods/Durkeeville-2014/i-nNwjN97/0/M/P1720170-M.jpg)
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Neighborhoods/Durkeeville-2014/i-V5pZB4N/0/M/P1720181-M.jpg)
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Neighborhoods/Durkeeville-2014/i-Chb9Dgn/0/M/P1720182-M.jpg)
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Neighborhoods/Durkeeville-2014/i-GMf7fT6/0/M/P1720179-M.jpg)
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Neighborhoods/Durkeeville-2014/i-nH45Gp4/0/M/P1720178-M.jpg)
I only went down two streets between 8th and 13th Street. All of these homes are within a 3 blocks of UF Health Jax and Stanton High School. This section of the neighborhood is boxed in by 8th Street, I-95 and the S-Line. Most of the building stock is still in place, so you get a good feel for what the built density in these neighborhoods used to resemble. Since a good portion of the housing stock is still occupied, this would seem like an ideal location to invest in better utilizing the empty properties. Your other option is what COJ did to Sugar Hill, which is about five blocks to the south. There, most of the houses we're torn down. This is what it looks like today:
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Neighborhoods/Urban-Core-Demolitions/i-GS2FxWn/0/M/DSCF3109-M.jpg)
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Neighborhoods/Urban-Core-Demolitions/i-4SFTQr9/0/M/DSCF3116-M.jpg)
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Neighborhoods/Urban-Core-Demolitions/i-ntF339s/0/M/DSCF3112-M.jpg)
^^Thanks for the pictures, they tell such a good story.
Good Lord, these houses would fit in nicely in Springfield or Riverside! Large buildings with generous porches, lots of windows. They look well constructed. It serves no purpose whatsoever to tear them down unless your purpose is to create a particularly ugly nature preserve.
Channel some of the city, state and federal money towards the mothballing and rehab of these dwellings. This area is openly neglected, and it obviously will breed ill will towards the city. Why wage war with one of your own neighborhoods?
^^^what he said. Now ask with millions coming in every year for what, 25 or 30 years, why hasn't this area already been improved? After all, this is exactly what the funding was supposed to be for - raising up the poorer and neglected neighborhoods. I do not think the Feds gave us that money to just carry on and even worsen the neglect.